[Old Timers] Opinions on the Dungeon Crawl Classics modules and 'old school vibe'.

[ShadowDenizen]

I love the DCC series.
My yardstick for purchases of late is pretty simple:

A) Will I find this product useful?, and
B) Is it interesting reading for me?

((B) carries more weight than (A), though.)

The DCC series almost always delivers on (B), and oftentimes on (A) as well. (I can easily see myself using some of the scenarios from DCC29 when starting a new game-- especialy the Kobold adventure!!)

And I think they've totally captured the "old-School" feel, which I'm a total sucker for.

 

[Byrons_Ghost]

Myself, I only have 2 or 3 of the DCC series. From what I can see, they capture the feel of the old-style dungeons really well, but don't work with other elements of the old modules, such as exploring towns or countrysides. Every DCC I've got starts right away with the dungeon.

There were a lot of modules- Desert of Desolation, Village of Hommlet, Against the Cult of the Reptile God, Saltmarsh, etc- which had a good bit of exploration and NPC interaction before getting to the dungeon. The areas were often unique in some way and were inspirational while leaving a lot of room for DM expansion. DCC skips all of that. I can't fault them to much, since it's dungeons that they're advertising, and they definitely deliver. But I'd be more interested in the series if there were some modules similar to the ones above.

Legacy of the Ripper, for example. I was all psyched about an urban murder mystery with a take on Jack the Ripper. But from what I could tell, there was about two pages of mystery in the beginning, and then the dungeons started. It was a lost opportunity, IMO (which is based solely on flipping through the book at the shop).

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Ripper starts off with a fight in an alley followed by entering a haunted inn. It's not technically a dungeon, but it might as well be.

And yes, I'd love to see their site-based design encompass classics like Bone Hill or Hommlet and especially the awesome Cult of the Reptile God (minus the deus ex machina NPC).

 

[Treebore]

They are good. I own a half dozen of them, plus I just won a dozen more that I didn't own on the ENNIES auction.

I think they do a far better job of the old editon flavors in the art and maps than in the actual adventures, but I only own 6 or 8 of them I would would say Mysterious Tower (especially the C&C version) pretty loudly screams first edition. the Rat King module does as well. The others, such as Bloody Jacks Gold, kind of do, but didn't get all the way "there" for me.


So between Goodman(and C&C/Troll Lords) and Necromancer Games, and of course Dungeon, I am very well served in the adventure resource department. Green Ronin occassionally throws out good stuff too. My favorite being the Quarters books for current material.

 

[JRRNeiklot]

SO a question for you DCC buyers - what the real 'gems' of the series? I

All of them.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I would certainly recommend The Dragonfiend Pact to anyone but folks playing in my Midwood campaign.

Aerie of the Crow God is also very cool and channels one of the best Fafhrd/Grey Mouser stories.

 

[genshou]

Nothing's gonna be comparable to DCC #35, though. That's where I'm starting my collection, and I hope to have all of them soon.

 

[Akrasia]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned 'Legacy of the Savage Kings' yet. That's a great module, as is 'Lost Vault of Tzathzar Rho'.

In addition to those two, I'm digging DC0 ('Legends are Made, Not Born') and DCC29 ('The Adventure Begins'). DCC28 ('Into the Wilds') has a strong 'B2-Keep on the Borderlands' feel.

I agree with the positive words about DCC5 ('Aerie of the Crow God').