D&D 3E/3.5 the worst thing about 4e is the best thing about 3e...
- Thread starter JeffB
- Start date
Baumi
Adventurer
The key for converting old Adventures to 4E is to group a few rooms together for the encounters (other monsters nearby hear the noise, monsters flee to the neighbor, a small Alarm,..). This way you have a bigger and more interesting combat-map, more monsters (4E usually needs groups unlike older Editions) and finally the dungeon play out far faster (4E combat takes too long for long Dungeons otherwise).
By the way I have to disagree with the 4E Adventure Quality. The first Adventures were just crawls, but the later Adventures where quite praised for the quality .. not unlike 3E where the first Adventure-Series really sucked but the later ones became a goldmine. If 4E would have existed longer than 4E might have become an equal treasure-trove But since that Edition stopped so early (unlike AD&D) and there were not much 3rd Party Support (unlike 3E) it never had the chance to become as great.
By the way I have to disagree with the 4E Adventure Quality. The first Adventures were just crawls, but the later Adventures where quite praised for the quality .. not unlike 3E where the first Adventure-Series really sucked but the later ones became a goldmine. If 4E would have existed longer than 4E might have become an equal treasure-trove But since that Edition stopped so early (unlike AD&D) and there were not much 3rd Party Support (unlike 3E) it never had the chance to become as great.
Savage Wombat
Hero
In politics, there's a thing called the "Feiler Faster Theory" - which states that our increase in communication technology means that political events come and go in the public consciousness much faster than even ten years ago.
In gaming it's the same thing - your audience is going to absorb and analyze your material with lightning speed, and demand newer, upgraded material faster than you can easily provide it. And if they're not satisfied they'll go elsewhere with lightning speed.
In other words, 5e's first module had better be a masterpiece, because they may not get much of a second crack at it.
In gaming it's the same thing - your audience is going to absorb and analyze your material with lightning speed, and demand newer, upgraded material faster than you can easily provide it. And if they're not satisfied they'll go elsewhere with lightning speed.
In other words, 5e's first module had better be a masterpiece, because they may not get much of a second crack at it.
Scrivener of Doom
Adventurer
Absolutely.
I'm surprised more conversions weren't done for 3.xE and 4E as well. (I'm a big fan of the 4E conversions of Tomb of Horrors and the Giant series.)
Wicht
Hero
I disagree somewhat about the initial 3e adventure quality. There is a reason Meepo became a named kobold known by all: everyone played through Sunless Citadel. Beyond those few modules in that series though, WotC didn't actually produce many 3e adventure modules. But the OGL meant that a lot of 3pp were producing adventures and some of them were quite high in entertainment value.
There is one other factor one must consider, outside of classic modules, however, in talking about adventures during the 3e era: Dungeon Magazine. In my own humble opinion, I think one of the best things WotC could do for adventure support (and good-will) is a full mea culpa with the magazines and get them back in print. I'm kinda blah right now on 5e, but I know publishing the magazines would go a long way towards me giving it a more thorough look-see when it is published. (And if they recommit to the OGL, I'm definitely 100% buying the books, even if it is just so I can write for the game).
Mistwell
Crusty Old Meatwad
Not yet, no. But I've found it quite easy to just adapt something else, give it a few tweaks, and do it that way.
A
amerigoV
Guest
It is! Thanks.
I find it fascinating how we view the adventure differently; I assign much less weight to the horror storyline, and so, what for you is a critical flaw of the adventure, is just a minor weakness for me. For my group, far more of the story was about the NPCs in Winterhaven (and Splug). We had so much fun there that when E1 started, a number of the group were living in the village. (And Splug adventured with the group through the entire series, ending as a 30th level goblin thief!)
Cheers!
Blame the Dead Space Video game. Its gotten me into horror for the last number of years. Even if you did not want to run it as horror, there seems to be a lot of logical holes in the story (the Spy, all the Blood, a fully operational temple of Orcus in the basement (a makeshift shrine, sure. But this think clearly was there when the keep was built), etc)
BTW - thanks for listing out the 4e modules in your other thread. A nice list to check against if any are worth Savaging (presuming some are around dirt cheap)
Balesir
Adventurer
Wasn't the rift/Temple of Orcus in the 'basement' (appropriate, or what
) the reason the keep was built there in the first place? It's been a while since I read it, but IIRC it explains that the keep was really built and manned by paladins to seal/block/protect the breach in the undercroft. The "border keep" appearance was just a cover story.Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk 4
A
amerigoV
Guest
Wasn't the rift/Temple of Orcus in the 'basement' (appropriate, or what
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It talks about a Rift and the Keep was built to guard it. But why the heck would you leave a Temple of Orcus intact while you are building the Keep? I do not recall it saying that the temple was rebuild or reformed. It is just there.
Balesir
Adventurer
I'd think you would just desecrate it and seal it up. No point having good folk near the noxious rift longer than they need to be.
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