What do you look for when you purchase an Adventure Module?

[Herremann the Wise]

Hi Everyone,

Just wondering what your priorities are when purchasing an adventure module?

A section of our gaming group has decided to collaborate on designing an adventure module and we'd obviously like to provide as high a quality publication as possible. We have our own ideas and concepts on what makes a good module but can anyone give us any advice in terms of presentation and considerations you would expect or demand when purchasing such an adventure. Any ideas, opinions or responses are highly appreciated.

[Edit]
Just another couple of questions I've added from my latest post:

What are some of the things that really annoy you in certain adventure modules?
What new innovations, styles or presentations do you wish writers would put into adventure modules but don't?
[/Edit]



Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

 

[Crothian]

Creative, well designed, makes sense from start to finish, adaptible.

 

[IronWolf]

I'm not sure I can top what Crothian said....

 

[haiiro]

First glance: a summary/description that grabs me, clear layout, easy to tell what it's like and if it will work for my group's make-up/levels/etc.

Longer look: creative encounters, engaging writing, good organization, advice for the DM (playtesting notes -- which I've never seen in a D&D module, actually -- are a big plus!).

IMO, this is a crowded field, and with a resource like Dungeon available on a regular basis, a standalone module has to work pretty hard to jump out at me.

 

[reanjr]

The less mechanics the better. Allows for easier tailoring of adventure.

Quick (very quick) overview of what is expected to happen and what is going on. I don't read adventures before I run them so this makes the difference between an enjoyable experience and me stopping to preread things all night.

Information presented as needed. Things slow down greatly when I see the phrase "see below". If an NPC has an item that he might use, that information should go BEFORE the encounter, not afterwards as an afterthought.

Loose story structure. Railroading is not fun for players or DMs.

 

[pogre]

High Level. The lower level stuff has been done to death and for good reason - it's easier. High level adventures are easy to plot out, but the NPCs, traps, monsters, and other obstacles are tedious to crank out.

 

[Steel_Wind]

I could get into a long involved analysis of the adventure, the plot and so forth.

And all of that is true if I'm browsing products I already have. I agree completely with the above on all of those scores.

But that's not being honest as far as an "on the rack" test goes.

That comes down to four things, 3 out of 4 is a probable. 4 out of 4 is a certain purchase:

1 - Maps. If the maps aren't cool, I'm not buying it. Period. Nothing will persuade me to buy an adventure if the maps aren't cool.

2 - Cover art: Don't get me wrong, Black Sails over Freeport is kind of a cool adventure, but there's better out there. But a big fat book with a rocking cover and the promise of depth? I'm there. I'm looking at it now .. I picked it up off the shelf and I'm interested.

And that is 80% of the battle. 9 out of 10 of their competitors didnt get me that far.

3- Basic plot description: You've got about 100 words on the back of the cover and 15 seconds to hook me in. Use your time wisely and your words well.

4- The page count: If you are above 100 pages, I am impressed and interested. Less than that - nope. I have 122 issues of Dungeon and a ridiculously silly amount of 1st and 2 ed material to mine for short adventures. Go big or stay home.

IF you get all of the above right, I'm buying it.

That does not mean of course that I am necessarily going to like it. But I WILL buy it. Ultimately, liking or not liking the adventure, the writing style and encounter descriptions etc... these things are all important, but are essentially "after purchase" discoveries.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Something I haven't seen before in a module. "Aerie of the Crow God" is good like this -- it's clearly inspired by a Fritz Leiber story, but I've never seen a harpy-like monster at the center of a module before. So in addition to the fondness I have for the short story, it's something I haven't seen before -- I've seen dungeons. I've seen fights against bandits. I've seen everything possible with dragons, undead and undead dragons. Gimme new.

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

I've personally tried this, so I feel in a position to give you some advice.

Before you start, I suggest that you read this article:-

http://www.burningvoid.com/rpg/rpgw.php

The key to writing an adventure which will be noticed is reusability and adaptability. Provide the DM with a resource which s/he will be able to use when needed unexpectedly.

For example, if any of you remember the old school 1e modules, the one I've personally used the most is UK4; I've reused the druid's grove from that adventure in about four different ways, and the sages' tower more than once when I needed an oracle for the PC's to consult, and all the minidungeon maps (of which there are several) in various different situations. But I don't believe I've ever actually played it cover-to-cover.

Write an adventure which contains:-

• At least one highly re-usable encounter area (a village, town, temple, shrine, farm, encampment, or other place that the PC's could visit again and again).
• Magic items which could be placed elsewhere or reused.
• New monsters which work both in your adventure environment and out of it, and would be a fun encounter the tenth time you met them as well as the first.
• At least one new spell which could be placed elsewhere or reused.
• Reusable NPC's.

Next, consider the medium of release. Are you writing an adventure for publication on paper and resale, or are you writing a .pdf for free download?

If you're writing a paper adventure, make it big. There's a comment up there suggesting that you make it 100+ pages long, and I agree that that would be appropriate for something that would be published on paper, released via gamestores, and you would expect people to part with cash to buy.

If you're writing a .pdf for download, make it small but packed with content. Be aware of download size because some users are still on dialup; aim for <500kb unzipped for a mini, and <2mb unzipped for a full module. Keep the page count low because some people will want to print it out; don't waste space. Aim for <10 pages for a mini, and <30 pages for a full module.

Do not neglect artwork; get help from someone good. Many artists will contribute free artwork for publicity purposes provided you credit them. (For my own project I was fortunate enough to attract the attention of Peter Bradley, the artist for Castles & Crusades, who was kind enough to provide me with some customised art for free).

For comparison purposes, here's a link to a mini I wrote (in 1e AD&D format) which is available for free download:-

http://www.dragonsfoot.org/php/archive.php3?sectioninit=AD&fileid=152&watchfile=0

 

[Yair]

I purchase only pdfs adventures, so that's a given.
Adaptability: If the plot (and level range) looks like it would fit into my campaign, you've got a good start. That isn't easy, as what I'm looking for is a moving target, but hey, who said life is easy... make it easily adaptable to a generic setting, with no eccentric elements like a major good god being evil in disguise, time travel, good-aligned orcs, or so on - and you're more likely to catch me. Political/geographic elements are a bonus, but only if I can adapt them to my campaign.
Graphics: I am far more likely to purchase an adventure if it has, or seems to have, good maps, battle-mats (printable 3D-like pictures of key comabt locales), handouts, and similar props.
Demo: If the adventure has a demo or preview showing off the graphic design, a handout example, and the adventure summary or something like that, it can go a long way to convince me.
Length: I don't like overly long adventures, I'm usually looking for short adventures I can string easily into my campaign. Just two sessions or so. I am especially leery of a long dungeoncrawl; dungeoncrawling is fun, but it must be taken in moderation.
I liked Goodman's Games design of Dungeon Crawl Classics #14: Dungeon Interludes. It is a collection of several short dungeoncrawls you can string throughout the campaign in between other adventures, that are linked to form an overarching plot but are independent enough so they could fairly easily be replaced or ignored in part without ruining the others interludes.
Price: Obviously, price is a consideration. Get above the 10$ mark and you're less likely to get me, get below the 5$ mark and you're much more likely to snare a sell.
Proffessionalism: If there are spelling errors in your blurb, or the adventure looks amaturish for some reason, you're less likely to sell it to me. If the demo indicates poor use of or understanding of game mechanics, that is doubly so. Publishing through a recognized professional can help you out there - but I ain't putting that much weight on specific publishers.
Good Reviews: Reviews certainly do influence my purchases, and good reviews will go a long way to make by buy the product.

That's to snare me. For me to actually enjoy the product, I would add...
Coherence: The adventure has to make sense. The villains need a logical plan, everything should be there for a reason, and NPCs should react sensibly.
Rules Adherence: I want a D&D adventure, not a generic-fantasy adventure. D&D rules should not be ignored even if it's cool (well, unless it's REALLY cool).
A Free Rail System: Every adventure railroads to some degree, but it should be kept to a minimum. The adventure must be coherent and exhaustive enough for me to be able to decide what is going on when (not if, when) the players get off the rails, and it shouldn't force the players to do things only in its way. Reasonable contingencies for PC actions better be considererd.
Coolness: OK, that's the really important thing that is really subjective - it has to be fun. If you set up cool situations that were resolved in a fun manner by my players, I'll be happy and will come back to more. Be warned, that if my players were cool but your adventure wasn't, I won't.

As for creative... well, not in the 'original' sense. I have nothing against cliches, and everything against being different for the sake of being different. The creativeness I am looking for is coolness - situations, NPCs, and predicaments that will be fun to play out and to see how the players handle.