How do you use published adventures?

[the Lorax]

Where's the:

"I use them with minor modifications to fit into my campaign"

While I almost never use them 'out of the box', most of the other
choices work for how I use 'em.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Quite a few I ran as they appear. Most of the time though I plunder them for inspiration, locations, maps, NPCs and traps. I also like to read some adventures with no intent on running them.

 

[zeo_evil]

I use them for inspiration, NPCs, and traps. By NPCs I really mean monsters (template and advancement type stuff I don't have time to do myself) but that wasn't an option. By traps I mean to see how the big published names handle traps at high level.

BTW...The Lorax. LOL!. That rules as an avatar!

 

[BullMarkOne]

I rely on published adventures pretty heavily in my dm'ing. I'm pretty brutal about modifying them sometimes too. Most of my campaigns are kicked off with a published adventure, thats been lightly tweaked, for theme and level. From that I'll often twist plot elements to another completely different module... that the pc's may never even see, and is just being mined for background fluff and npc's that the characters will discover and have to deal with later.

 

[MonsterMash]

I voted for seven of the options - I use them with a mixture of heavy modification or just enough to fit my campaign. I mine them for useable maps, NPCs, locations and I even read them (for review purposes and for pleasure!)

 

[Thanee]

It really depends on how well-written they are. While I do not use much in terms of published adventures, I would run them as they are, if they work well enough that way.

Often, however, one is required to modify them to suit a certain style of playing or if they simply don't work as written without some serious railroading.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

I tend to use them for all the above mentioned segments apart from the NPCs. I'll use the names and often their motivations - if well written, but I find them generally to be weak opposition for my PCs... who are a a large group with powergame-ish tendancies. NPCs get a pretty major munchkin overhall of their numbers.

Had some very bad experiences running modules with the book in front of me - brings out the worst of my GMing tendancies. So I normally read them a couple of times, put them down and then write my own version using the bits I recalled and liked. Quite often use the handouts and maps if they're good...

 

[diaglo]

i have to convert them to OD&D(1974)

 

[GlassJaw]

If it's not something I am going to run, then usually it's for the maps. When I check out a new module, the maps are usually the first thing I look at.

If I'm running the module, I usually tweak the NPC's a lot. I notice a lot of modules give the NPC's things like Toughness and Weapon Focus. I'm not really a fan of that.

 

[TerraDave]

Modify as needed for the campaign. Which can be little or more then a little, though if I actually run something, I try to get as much out of it as possible--so if I put a lot of work in to, I better be getting a lot out of it.

Also for reading and inspiration (a little), collecting (kinda), and NPCs (occasionally)