How do you use published adventures?

[devilbat]

The top five choices apply to me.

I generally can't find a published adventure I can run as written. There is usually a significant amount of modication required, unless it's the start of a campaign. I will pimp locations and maps from published adventures. Just recently, I used the town mapped in the old, second edition Ravenloft adventure "Night of the Walking Dead". Perfect for what I was looking for.

 

[HellHound]

Hmmm...

All of the above, except the last two (collect them and don't use them).

It really depends, some can be used as-is, some COULD be, but the current campaign means a few changes will make it work better, and some are nothing but inspiration. I also salvage maps out of them often, and appropriately-leveled NPCs

 

[Psion]

I usually find a significant amount of modifications is required in an adventure... the flow just seems too "off" to me in many situations, and the situation of the adventure needs adapting to my campaign circumstances at the very least. I am sort of demanding in this way. Though in many cases I could have just plunked certain adventures into my campaign as is, I think it makes my campaign feel like a more consistent whole if I tie it logically to other aspects of the game. For example, the Banewarrens got retroed in as a part of an already existing "vault complex" that existed in my campaign world, and The Ghost Machine (from To Stand on Hallowed Ground was rewritten to weave the prototype ghost machine and the current whereabouts of its makers into my campaign.

Often, I'll use an adventure to fulfill a specific role... eg, to stage a battle with my own NPC, to place a treasure, etc.

If I find it unreasonable to work a given adventure into the game, then I go in and "strip it for parts". NPCs, maps, situations, encounters are all fair game and might get pulled in piecemeal into my own games. Usually, the first thing to go out the window when I get to this stage is the plot.

Sometimes I'll start with the intention of working a given module in, but eventually it works its way out, and all that is left are the vestiges of ideas that were in it. For example, there was an FFG adventure that features "dark ancient gods of the elves" in an elemental themed adventure. Eventually, the elemental dungeon went away in one of my edits of the campaign arc, and the dark gods of the elves got replaced by far realms entities. The adventure just got used as a placeholder to build my thinking around until it developed beyond the basic ideas.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I also tend towards a variety of reasons for buying modules. A lot are modified, but they tend towards very simple alterations (number of monsters and the introduction to the adventure are the most common). I have started collecting more modules lately, particularly the old ones. But then again, some of those I plan on running with C&C.

 

[VirgilCaine]

Aw, damnit! I didn't notice the poll allowed multiple responses.

But anyway, if it's free, I'll use anything, somehow, someway.

 

[Meadred]

Well, I usually have to modify any purchased adventures to fit my current storyline. I also often use adventures from older versions of D&D or sometimes even from other RPGs. I want my players to experience all the fun I had as a young player way back...

As I am somewhat of collector, I sometimes purchase adventures and just read them because I like the idea behind it. I also buy modules that catch my eye because of some visual trigger - for example I have collect almost everything from Birthright; those books look so neat.

Cheers,
Meadred

 

[Glyfair]

I think it's interesting that about 17% of people responding use adventures, but don't run them (modified or not). Of course, that's still a lot of people using adventures.

While ENWorld is not an ideal cross-section of the D&D players, I think that the players who don't visit ENWorld are probably more likely to use adventures.

 

[CM]

I usually take adventures and increase difficulty by one or two levels, to account for my usual party of 6 powergamers. I also like optimize NPCs with the same options the characters have available, if time permits. The latest adventure I'm running is "The Heptad", (spoiler) Which features a castle full of vampires and spawn. I kept the entire gist of the adventure, but powered up all the NPCs several levels (since I'm running it for a group 3 or 4 levels higher than recommended), changed the floor plan of the entire castle to make it bigger, and threw in some creepy stuff from libris mortis and MM3.