Revised Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth Coming Soon...

[MrFilthyIke]

Because some people want other people to have fun exactly like they have fun, or have no fun at all.

Quoted For The Truth.

 

[Mouseferatu]

That's what I'm dreading. Not changing details in order to conform to the new rules, but rather changing the big picture "because we had the opportunity to do so."

*shrug*

Some sequels, reimaginings, or modifications are worthwhile. Some aren't. Even if this one does change things, the advantage to a product like this, or like the prior updates of old modules--free products, I'd point out--is that they provide new material for those who want it, and for those who don't, they've still done most of the work of a "straight" update.

 

[Pbartender]

That's what I'm dreading. Not changing details in order to conform to the new rules, but rather changing the big picture "because we had the opportunity to do so."

Have you checked out any of the updated modules? You can download two or three of them for free at Wizards right now.

Here's what I can tell you...

Yes, they do make changes... But for the most part, the changes are small and practically meaningless to the overall module. They make the changes, so far as I've seen, for three reasons mainly A) verisimilitude, which the original were often sorely lacking in, B) to highlight a rule or two from a particularly new sourcebook, in which case they make it easy to leave out, or C) the adventure happens as more of a sequel to the original, making it more of a "Return to..." adventure, than a straight conversion.

The converted White Plume Mountain had many changes due to reason A). Things like...

[sblock]"He also enjoyed allowing the gynosphinx to make full use of her symbol spell-like abilities to ensure that PCs who refuse to play along with the riddle game will regret that choice."

"...she decided to strive for better balance in area 5, which had at first offered an inappropriately high Challenge Rating (because all five flesh golems would attack players who chose incorrectly) and reward (because the correct golem didn't just open the door for PCs; it also became their servant)."

"In addition, Gwendolyn transformed the anachronistic turnstile, which had been universally despised for its arbitrariness, into the far more dungeon-appropriate mimic portcullis."

"Figuring that no one would fall for the sexy kelpies that had originally inhabited the watery room, he chose to recast that encounter as a more straight-up fight with some nasty surprises."

"He found it particularly interesting that in D&D v.3.5, it's no longer necessary to create such arbitrary rules as, "No one could walk through" the spinning cylinder, or to give a monstrous vermin a magic ring to make it immune to mind-affecting effects."[/sblock]

The conversion of Tomb of Horrors was actually almost a straight up conversion, I found. It added several areas, traps and encounters that used rules and monsters from Libris Mortis, but almost all of those parts were additions, which I could simply ignore, with only one exception...

[sblock]The siren in the misty room was assumed to have "escaped" at some point... probably when some previous adventurers let her follow them out... and was replaced with some other nasty lady creature from Libris Mortis. I simply found the stats for a siren, and replaced them.[/sblock]

Finally, the conversion for Temple of the Frog is actually billed as Return to the Temple of the Frog, and is fully meant to be a sequel to the original.

In other words, don't knock it 'til you've tried it.

And besides, these, at least, are free to download... If you don't like them, ignore them. It's not like you paid good money for them.

 

[hong]

If they were truly nothing more than updating the modules to the new rules set, I don't think I would have a problem with it. Changing some monster stats and magic item descriptions. No problem. In fact, it could probably be done in something the size of a Dragon article.

But we all know that these re-visits will entail much more than simply updating to cover the new rules. As Dr. McCoy observed in ST:TMP, "Engineers... they love to change things." The same can be said of game designers. What was there will be altered, and taken away, and new stuff added, and the nature of the original changed probably beyond recognition. Thin modules don't have a good enough profit margin, and the originals will need to be bulked up in order to make for fatter profits.

That's what I'm dreading. Not changing details in order to conform to the new rules, but rather changing the big picture "because we had the opportunity to do so."

Han shot first, dammit.

 

[Shadeydm]

S4 is one of my all time favorites. I have run it a couple times as a DM and both times it was fun for all involved. I look forward to seeing it updated to 3.5 and to see when, where, how and why different encounters are balanced for the new edition if any. An expedition treatment which included a revised Temple of Tharizdun would have been great but its hard to knock a freebie imo.

 

[Thulcondar]

Have you checked out any of the updated modules? You can download two or three of them for free at Wizards right now.

Since I don't play 3.5, I haven't much seen the point. But I shall take your advice and take a look (although converting it all BACK to AD&D 1E is going to be a bear, methinks...).

 

[Mouseferatu]

Whuh...

You're objecting to a potential change/sequel to a classic module written for a version of the game you don't play?!

I don't get it, man. There's nothing wrong with sticking to older editions, but how on Earth does it affect you one way or the other if the free web version of Tsojcanth is changed if it's not even written for the game you play?

 

[Greg V]

I think they already wrote a version for AD&D 1E once.

 

[Pants]

Since I don't play 3.5, I haven't much seen the point. But I shall take your advice and take a look (although converting it all BACK to AD&D 1E is going to be a bear, methinks...).

Isn't that what the original is for?

Whuh...

You're objecting to a potential change/sequel to a classic module written for a version of the game you don't play?!

I don't get it, man. There's nothing wrong with sticking to older editions, but how on Earth does it affect you one way or the other if the free web version of Tsojcanth is changed if it's not even written for the game you play?

Obviously such logical questions are simply unimportant.

 

[Twowolves]

If they were truly nothing more than updating the modules to the new rules set, I don't think I would have a problem with it. Changing some monster stats and magic item descriptions. No problem. In fact, it could probably be done in something the size of a Dragon article.

But we all know that these re-visits will entail much more than simply updating to cover the new rules. As Dr. McCoy observed in ST:TMP, "Engineers... they love to change things." The same can be said of game designers. What was there will be altered, and taken away, and new stuff added, and the nature of the original changed probably beyond recognition. Thin modules don't have a good enough profit margin, and the originals will need to be bulked up in order to make for fatter profits.

That's what I'm dreading. Not changing details in order to conform to the new rules, but rather changing the big picture "because we had the opportunity to do so."

Yeah, I'm sure they are bulking up the thin module to make fatter profits... for a FREE ADVENTURE!!

And since you admit you don't play 3.5... why do you even care? They could put robot clowns from space in it and it would affect you in the slightest. You are not what they call the "target audience". So why the hate-on for something that obviously others want and hope to enjoy?