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

[tarchon]

I understand how they're used, but I have a hard time thinking of any case where a plain black and white line-drawing map failed me when a full-color cartographic masterpiece with curly-cues on the border would have worked. Like if the map is legible and accurate, I don't see much more value being added.

 

[Psion]

I understand how they're used, but I have a hard time thinking of any case where a plain black and white line-drawing map failed me when a full-color cartographic masterpiece with curly-cues on the border would have worked. Like if the map is legible and accurate, I don't see much more value being added.

I don't think color is necessary.

But clarity and sensibility are.

 

[tarchon]

I don't think color is necessary.

But clarity and sensibility are.

Ah, I guess if our module requirement is "map should be clear and correct" I'd agree, though I would think that falls in the "it goes without saying" category. I was more getting the sense that we were holding out for maps with anatomically correct depictions of each tree and elaborate scenes of cavorting nymphs suporting the legend. Honestly, I've never seen a module where the map presented even the slightest bit of difficulty, though I admittedly don't use them much.

 

[Altalazar]

They should sell them with an optional outer cover for an extra $10.

I don't think cardboard is that expensive... all the old modules from 1E days had it like that, and if there were so many maps that they couldn't all fit inside the module cover, then they'd include a second "cover" inside with more of those nice, blue tinted maps on it.

 

[Sholari]

So I'm increasingly curious - why are maps so important to people?

They're usually a good, quick proxy for overall module quality. If the maps suck then probably the rest of the module will suck too. It helps to show how much forethought the designer's have put into how things make sense.

 

[Celebrim]

Inventiveness: The module has to look like something that I couldn't have easily done myself. In particular, I expect it to have puzzles, traps, and unique enounters that I think would challenge the PC's and which are significantly better than what I could come up with out of my own head on any spur of the momment.

Execellent Map: Particularly in professional modules, I expect the map to be a treat in and of itself. I hold I6: Ravenloft as the standard in dungeon mapping. It has never been excelled. I3 Pyramid is an example of a module that primarily hinges on a great map. In fact, nobody ever had consistantly better maps than Hickman. For all thier flaws (chiefly that it takes an exceptionally good DM to run them right), the Dragonlance modules are packed with great maps. I want inventive rooms and layouts - preferably that are highly three dimensional - and yet seem to have some reality to them and not be wierd for wierdness's sake alone. This is the one area of gaming design that I think has largely gone downhill. Part of the appeal of 'The Sunless Citidel' that is I think overlooked is that above all, its got a great '80's style map.

Varied RP Oppurtunities: The module needs a good mixture of detective work, dungeon crawling, and NPC interaction. Since I'm probably buying the module with the idea of being able to throw together quick one off games on a repeated basis as a way of introducing people to the game, I want a module that offers lots of play value no matter what the personality of the players.

Again, I3 is a good module for this. You have NPC interaction, wilderness travel, dungeon crawling, and puzzle solving. Run properly, even the old X1 Isle of Dread is a well put together module.

A Compelling Story: The module either needs a good twist, a great villian, or a compelling set of NPC's. Preferably, it has all three.

One of the most influential modules in my own dungeon design was CM3 Saber River by Douglas Niles. I believe that every good module has a twist - or even a double twist - a moment in which the PC's have gotten far enough into the story that they suddenly realize that the theory that they had held until that moment was utterly and completely wrong, and that they must completely change strategies. As a player, that to me is the big payoff in a module. The peices of the puzzle suddenly come together and the picture is nothing like you were expecting it to be.

Above all, I6 Ravenloft and S1 Tomb of Horrors are both modules with a great villian. Strahd is the premier example of an active villian who will interact with the PC's and who isn't going to sit in the final encounter waiting to be killed. Acererak is a premier example of a passive villian whom the PC's can come to hate (and fear) even though they've never met him, simply by being victim to his taunting and diabolic traps. The PC's need to feel the presense of the opposition.

One of the more compelling early story modules for me is UK1. I've never had an oppurtunity to run it, but its been very influential on my design. At its heart, its a simple fetch and return module, but its so well done that the process of fetching and returning what has been lost becomes a story. It too has a couple of twists (nothing on the level of well run CM3 though) and lots of NPC interaction potential and puzzle solving. I've never run it, because I think its probably also pretty flawed in play, but considering the year that it came out it was a very forward looking module and well worth the time of any young DM if he can find it.

 

[Arnwyn]

Ah, I guess if our module requirement is "map should be clear and correct" I'd agree, though I would think that falls in the "it goes without saying" category.

You would be totally surprised, then. I've seen enough modules trying to pass off Campaign Cartographer maps with no grids whatsoever in a published for-pay product that I now look carefully through every module before purchase.

I was more getting the sense that we were holding out for maps with anatomically correct depictions of each tree and elaborate scenes of cavorting nymphs suporting the legend.

No idea where you got that from.

Honestly, I've never seen a module where the map presented even the slightest bit of difficulty, though I admittedly don't use them much.

Hmmm...

 

[Herremann the Wise]

Thanks everyone for responding to this thread - it is has been both helpful and motivating to the whole experience for our group. There is such fantastic advice for anyone here looking to create an adventure module.

I thought I'd just update to say that we have our basic idea in place and have started creating. We have focused on adaptability, cartography issues and styles, succinct description and most importantly, free will for the players whilst also giving the DM tools to keep the adventure moving.

Now all that follows is the hard work - creating the product, play-testing the hell out of it and then editing, then play testing again... - and then comes the really hard work - getting it published. It's all a lot of fun for the moment though.

Just another couple of questions:

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?

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

 

[GuardianLurker]

Annoyances

This one is literally universal - I have yet to see *any* module, no matter how good, that doesn't suffer from it. Sometimes it's a minor problem, sometimes it's a major problem.

A door has two sides: By this I mean that if the characters can approach location X in multiple ways, the module should account for it. A perfect example of this is from the Vault of Larin Kar, which is, in all ways, an EXCELLENT module.

Spoiler Warning.
In the entrance hall to the tomb, there is a secret door. There is also a secret door in the room at the end of the entrance hall. My players found the latter first. So they came up from under at one point (where the tactial situation assumes a level approach) automatically avoiding some traps. Then, afterwards they started exploring, and found the first secret door from the other side. Now, the VoLK sets up a nice, short puzzle for opening the door from the other side - but all the *triggers* were on the other side.

Both of these were minor issues. I improvised a logical fall-back trigger for the first which restored the same basic tactical setup as the level approach. I also improvised a method to open the door from the back side. Not all that hard, but mildly annoying. But I've played some modules where I had to fall out to the meta-game level to solve it, and others where I've had to ripslat-improvise an entirely new module right on the spot because there was no solution at all.

Mind you, I'm not talking about inventive players who do whacko things that no-one could anticipate, but logical things that are well within the scope of the module. Most of the time these are problems that the players won't ever be aware of. But I've sweated more than a few.

The dark stranger in the bar: This one's a little harder. In some ways, it's the complement of the previous one. In this case, it's situations instead of locations. Generally it expresses itself as a lack of robust plot hooks, but it can also be a lack of motivations. This doesn't mean it should be a linear rail, but that there should be multiple "handles" to get the characters where they need to be. An adventure gap instead of an adventure bottleneck, if you will. Any time you hear yourself thinking "Why would...?" you've found what I'm talking about.

PDFs without bookmarks: If you're releasing a PDF use the "Bookmarks" feature, it makes navigating the product so much easier. Scrolling through thumbnails *sucks*. If you want hosannas, use the hypertext features of PDFs. If an encounter uses MonsterX, put the stats for MonsterX in a pop-up box behind a link.

Scaled Maps: I've actually seen this in a few adventures, and I wish I saw it more often. Provide a little note that indicates what magnification needed to expand the map's scale grid to 1"=5 ft versus it's as-printed-scale.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

What are some of the things that really annoy you in certain adventure modules?

I hate being referred to a non-appendix page elsewhere in the adventure. Even when the reference page is correct. If an NPC, or item, or monster, or whatever is important enough to be used in multiple places, put it in an appendix. Conversely, I hate when those items are placed in an appendix when they don't need to be (i.e., when they're only used once).

What new innovations, styles or presentations do you wish writers would put into adventure modules but don't?

Well, it's not "new," but it's not done often enough: I like lots of meaningful illustrations to show my players. These can be done as a booklet, but it's fine with me if they're closer to the source pages, where they can do double-duty illustrating the adventure as you read it, and providing a handout.

I've found myself recently wishing for a master treasure list, but this may not be an issue for most people. I'm doing a lot more modification to the adventures I'm using, and this would be very helpful ... basically just a chart with two columns, one listing the treasure available, and the second listing what the PCs have to do to get it (defeat a creature, make a Search check, whatever).

Similarly, a master XP list. Same deal. I'd like to know how much gold and XP is available to my players from this adventure, without having to perform the work of finding it all and tabulating it.

Finally, and I really don't know how much utility it would have, I'd like to see someone include a "flow-chart" of the adventure. A literal flow-chart, with the ovals, rectangles, diamonds, and all. Again, this would (theortetically) make it easier for the DM to prepare the adventure, to run it, and (most importantly for me) to alter it.

For an example of what not to do in an adventure, check out Siege at Ebonring Keep, one of the worst organized, worst edited monstrosities I've ever read. (And I've read literally hundreds -- maybe thousands -- of D20/OGL products.)