D&D 4E Pre-4e adventures ripe for conversion?

[essenbee]

I think the British D&D adventures are almost all forgotten classics.

Jim Bambra, author of Nights Dark Terror and Blade of Vengeance (and others) is my GM, and he really knows how to tell a story that make a good Game. Some people can tell a story but not make it "gameable", so its a real talent to be able to combine the two IMHO.

 

[Voss]

I've been toying with the Secret of Bone Hill for a while now. I'm replacing a fair amount, but its very apparent that 4e PCs are much more appropriate for the Keep then 1st/2nd or 3rd edition characters ever were.

I'm also cannabilizing Hommlet and the Moathouse at putting them to other purposes. Its worth noting that using Hommlet involves taking out roughly 30,000 gp worth of treasure out of the village itself, which makes me a little sad. Thats an absurd amount of money in a pissant little village...worth far more than the village itself.

 

[essenbee]

Yeah, Bone Hill would be cool. We suffered several TPKs there!

 

[mhensley]

Jim Bambra, author of Nights Dark Terror and Blade of Vengeance (and others) is my GM, and he really knows how to tell a story that make a good Game. Some people can tell a story but not make it "gameable", so its a real talent to be able to combine the two IMHO.

Wow, lucky you. Blade of Vengeance has to be my all time favorite module put out by anybody. I'm sure it would be a lot better known if it wasn't just for one player. It really nails down a Tolkien/faerie tale flavor like no other module I've ever read.

 

[mhensley]

This image was my main inspiration for a lot of my ideas:

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/ph2_gallery/97180.jpg

That's the picture you guys should have used for the new phb cover. :\

 

[Cam Banks]

I hope that the BXCM feel comes through in two ways:

1. The game has a tone that encourages creativity. A lot of the feedback we received on the DMG touched on this, that the game seems to unfetter DMs and say, "You are in control of this game, not the rules." It's something that's hard to put your finger on, but the tone, attitude, and approach of the DMG really supports this.

2. Most groups quickly reach a point with the game where they rarely, if ever, consult the rulebook to play. I really, really hope that the structure of defenses, the baseline DCs and damage we've established, and the logical connections between stuff makes it really easy for groups to run the game without books. If you write down the full text of your spells/prayers/exploits, you have almost everything you need right on your character sheet.

#1 is common to a number of non-D&D games, and works best with players who aren't afraid to try something out. It's not that popular with folks who need everything spelled out and assigned a specific rule, though I suspect those folks have just had too many of those sorts of games in their experience. 1st edition classic modules had a great deal of "figure this out, and be creative!" aspects, something I think got lost in 2e adventures and even to some extent in 3e adventures.

#2 is the magic bullet, in my opinion. The only thing that might create problems is the "text lawyers" common to Magic the Gathering, who want to ensure that the text on their card (in this case, their power) is properly understood and interacts correctly with other cards (or powers). Outside of that, yes, I think that's a noble goal to aspire to.

Have fun in New York.

Cheers,
Cam

 

[Cam Banks]

Wow, lucky you. Blade of Vengeance has to be my all time favorite module put out by anybody. I'm sure it would be a lot better known if it wasn't just for one player. It really nails down a Tolkien/faerie tale flavor like no other module I've ever read.

How difficult would it be to adapt it to multiple players? I haven't read BoA for over fifteen years, and still don't own a copy.

Cheers,
Cam

 

[mearls]

Jim Bambra, author of Nights Dark Terror and Blade of Vengeance (and others) is my GM, and he really knows how to tell a story that make a good Game. Some people can tell a story but not make it "gameable", so its a real talent to be able to combine the two IMHO.

Wow, that's really cool. Does Jim have any interest in pursuing more RPG writing, or has he moved on?

 

[mearls]

Wow, lucky you. Blade of Vengeance has to be my all time favorite module put out by anybody. I'm sure it would be a lot better known if it wasn't just for one player. It really nails down a Tolkien/faerie tale flavor like no other module I've ever read.

Agreed. It was very well done. For those who have not read or played it, the module is set in an elvish wood after a dragon and its minions have devastated much of the area. It's for one PC, who plays the last surviving elf from a destroyed village. It has a great fey feel to it without giving in to the bad side of such fare - cheesiness, cutesy characters, and so forth. Instead, it aims for and hits a sense of otherwordly magic and wonder against a backdrop of a great tragedy. Fantastic stuff.

 

[Erik Mona]

Yeah, I'd love to have Jim Bambra as my DM.

Lucky!

--Erik