Mystara conversion of 'Scales of War' - Having second thoughts

[DNH]

Having read the AP right through to the most recent instalment at the time of writing (Legacy of Io), I am getting more and more convinced that a Mystara conversion is going to prove difficult. The chief sticking point is the whole Bahamut/Tiamat conflict and their history from the death of Io onwards, and even Vecna (or rather his minions) makes a significant appearance.

I have a two-fold problem really: one aspect is that I would really rather be true to the Mystara mythos and pantheon (not to mention the geography and history), but the other is that I and my players have all been playing long enough to know and appreciate the history of Io/Bahamut/Tiamat and therefore appreciate the unfolding story. I will be honest and say I am having second thoughts about the conversion and, as a knock-on effect, about running the whole thing.

Fortunately, we have not yet come through to the end of "Siege of Bordrin's Watch", which can serve as a standalone adventure quite well. So I wouldn't have any issues with leaving a story half-finished.

Part of me is angry with the publishers because this was precisely the point raised at the start of the venture, that DMs need to know what it is they are getting into, campaign-wise. If it had been clear from the start just what was behind things in later chapters, I would not have wasted my time.

Any thoughts?

 

[the Jester]

Part of me is angry with the publishers because this was precisely the point raised at the start of the venture, that DMs need to know what it is they are getting into, campaign-wise. If it had been clear from the start just what was behind things in later chapters, I would not have wasted my time.

Any thoughts?

I have mixed feelings about this. Yes, it helps the dm plan to know what is going on from the start, but it also spoils the surprise of finding out. What if one of the players reads the spoilers? I remember the "big reveal" that the Drow were responsible for the whole giant mess in G3 very fondly... so yeah, I have mixed feelings.

IMHO a lot of the problem has to do with the modern sense that an adventure path should run the pcs from 1st all the way to 21st (3e) or even 30th (4e) level. Back in the day, when a supermegaultralong adventure series might take the pcs from 8th to 14th, this was much less of an issue. I've recently concluded that I like adventures about Red Hand of Doom length best, not Age of Worms length.