What do YOU think makes a "good" adventure?

[S'mon]

I guess for me it's Options and Consequences.
I don't want a pre-written story; I want a situation that the PCs can seriously impact with their choices. And this should have meaningful consequences. I don't want a scene by scene railroad or a linear delve. An interesting map to explore is great. So are cool motivated NPCs with clashing agendas.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

I look at an adventure as functioning similar to how I usually run my games in general. I present a setting, and there is stuff going on in the setting driven by NPCs or other factors. The PCs enter the equation and start role-playing.

So a good adventure for me works well for that. Here are some things that help.
-A setting should work. Whether it's getting food and water to the dungeon inhabitants, or having customers for a tavern or business in the city. If a setting element is presented, I need it to work. Otherwise I might have to figure out a contrived reason why it works--hopefully before a smart player brings up an issue rather than after.
-The NPCs should have more focus on goals than specific plans. It's a lot easier for me to work with if I know what the NPC is trying to accomplish on a couple of levels, and what their resources and motives are, because then I can have them easily adapt to whatever happens. There is nothing wrong with listing an A Plan and a B Plan (and that sort of thing probably should be included for NPCs that plan), but once those fail it's nice if the adventure has already told me everything I need to know to make the NPCs next decisions.
-Know the rules and follow them. Enough said.
-Know the game design philosophy and follow it. This is harder, but sometimes (I see it in third-party D&D 5e adventures more than published ones) there are magic items or monsters that follow the rules, but are just designed weirdly. This can especially happen when trying to update a classic module from a previous version. Make a third pass over all of that stuff, please, otherwise I have to do multiple passes myself fixing design issues.
-If it's intended to be dropped into any campaign setting (rather than already having a home in a specific setting), keep it generic enough that it's easy to do. It's surprising how many adventures fail on this by giving the local adventure setting too many requirements to easily slot into existing settings.
-You really don't have to mechanically innovate by giving variant features to monsters and NPCs. Only do it if it is important to the adventure. Otherwise it's just making it harder to run. Strangely, I'm actually a bigger fan of innovative magic items, but those aren't necessary either. The point is to use them sparingly and adeptly. An adventure isn't a mechanics expansion, it's an arrangement of the game's elements in a setting situation to dynamically interact with. (I recognize that 5e D&D has a current habit of combining those into one product, but that's a particular marketing strategy, it doesn't change the fact that they are different things.)
-Bonus points if you provide a player version of the map so I don't have to use GIMP to take out all of the information that players shouldn't see.

 

[pming]

Hiya!

So, here's a question for EnWorld - how do you judge an adventure?

I'm interested not just in what factors do you consider - although I'm interested in that too.

But I'm also interested in the actual how you do it - do you skim it first? Do you note the NPCs and special monsters? Do you look at the map to see if there are cool terrain set pieces? Do you try to do a quick or detailed flow chart of the adventure and spot gaps? Literally - what are the actual steps you take to assess an adventure? So if you are willing to share, I'd be thankful.

For me, a "Good Adventure" is one that has a loose Story (NOT PLOT! ; "Story" = "Pirates are attacking ships in the Straight of Vhuln, stealing what's on board, then sinking what's left!" ... "Plot" = "The Blue Pirate is attacking ships in the Straight of Vhuln, he's looking for something or someone, then burning the ship unless it's flying the colours of the Evil Country of Bleargh!").

I want an adventure to SHOW me what's going on....not TELL me what's going on. I want a lot of vagaries and 'wiggle room'. I want a dungeon that has random encounter tables, and an overview of that lives on what level. I want NPC's with motives that can be used, modified, or completely ignored. Hell, I want NPC's themselves to be able to be used, modified or completely ignored. I don't want "X" in the adventure to be required in order to get to "Y", and I don't want "Z" to occur 100% when the PC's get to "Y".

Basically...I want classic 1e AD&D style adventures, or the "DCC" style adventures that Goodman Games put out for 3.x. I don't want "Adventure Paths" and I don't want a pre-determined "storyline" that is expected to be followed from A to Z with very little variation.

HOW do I decide if an adventure is one I want to incorporate into my campaign? First, how "detailed" is the story. If it's detailed up the wazoo...I pass. Too much work. Second, I look for Random Encounter Tables. If none...big red flag. Third, I look at the inside cover map...if there isn't one, I pass. If there is one, each 'page' of the cover (re: inside front and back) need to have at LEAST 12 listed 'encounter areas' on each. Fourth, and last, I look for simple production...not fancy production...value. Meaning...I don't generally buy anything modern because companies seem to put FAR too much of their budget into glossy pages (ICK!), full-colour maps, full-colour artwork, full-colour textured pages with full-colour fancy boarders and all other manner of 'look!....shiiiiinnneeeyyyyyy!'. If I see that, I think "Ok, what are you trying to hide?...".

But then again, I'm a 50 year old curmudgeonly grognard killer DM with 40 years of DM'ing under my belly... so what do I know.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Jd Smith1]

Presence & quality of maps
Layout
Concept

I'm not a huge fan of commercial scenarios because they tend to be life primetime TV shows: working the same tired tropes without real depth.

 

[kenada]

It’s going to be dependent on group. We tend to favor experiences that flow from the PCs’ actions, so adventures that provided scenarios instead of stories work much better for us.

From my perspective as the GM, I want to see a good key. I should be able to run an adventure without having to write or rewrite the key. Having structures that facilitate dynamic play (like wandering monsters and adversary rosters) are a plus. If the PCs need to something to proceed, there should be several ways to learn or accomplish that. Alas, good keys are rare.

 

[The Green Hermit]

-Bonus points if you provide a player version of the map so I don't have to use GIMP to take out all of the information that players shouldn't see.

GIMP? Is this a program that can be used? I've just been using whiteout, so it's still fairly obvious that SOMETHING important was there.

 

[aco175]

GIMP? Is this a program that can be used? I've just been using whiteout, so it's still fairly obvious that SOMETHING important was there.

GIMP is a free copycat of Photoshop. I had downloaded it a few years ago and used it a bit, but is has a learning curve like all programs. It could make great maps if you have the time to learn it.

 

[aco175]

One of the things I look at when deciding if I buy a module is the size and number of encounters. A 'generic' adventure I need for filler and a night or two of gaming should be 4-8 encounters with a broad story and plot needed to function. Something like an old abandoned keep or tomb of a dead noble.

I also could be looking for something that takes the PCs a few levels. Then I'm looking for a few sites that each only take a night or two and a broader background with a BBEG and a couple minions. Something like Phandelver works.

 

[Retreater]

I like straightforward adventures without large, complex plots. I can make them confusing on my own. Haha.
What I do love getting are inspired combats, thematic and unusual dungeons, mindbending puzzles, devious traps. If a module doesn't add that stuff, and it's basically just boring corridors and rooms with standard monsters tossed in (looking at you, Dungeon of the Mad Mage), I'm better off just making it on my own.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

GIMP? Is this a program that can be used? I've just been using whiteout, so it's still fairly obvious that SOMETHING important was there.

I haven't been able to play in person for years (the group scattered to the winds) so it's all digital here. The way I get around the blank spot issue is to clone a similar part of the map overtop of the erased content (so, use another blank section of wall where the secret door was). It's a time-consuming hassle though.