Where are you getting your adventures?

[kaiscomet]

I guess maybe it would help if we knew what you're tastes were. It's hard to recommend stuff not knowing if the things I love about it are things that you will even like at all.

Good Point.
My favorite adventures have always been more story driven than location. I like city adventures, and adventures where the most obvious choice of action is rarely the correct one. I also enjoy mysteries and and situations where the PCs may feel overwhelmed. I have enjoyed the Freeport stuff, and also really enjoyed "Atonement" from DK.
For those who have old Dungeon magazines, some of my favorite adventures are Caveat Emptor (about the sea wolf and the dentist), and Lady of the Mists.
I also had an earlier adventure published by DK called the Band of the Silver Coin, which may give you a better idea of the types of adventures I enjoy.
I've never been overly fond of Cthulu, but I do enjoy some "creepy" scenes to keep the players on edge.
Hope this helps, and keep up the suggestions. I'm getting a shopping list ready.

 

[Desdichado]

OK, then I stand by my recommendation of the Porphyry House Mystery and the Witchfire Trilogy. With the caveat on that one that I've already given, of course. The basic ideas from those could easily be adapted into a Freeport adventure (or four), actually without too much work. The part that'd be work is being prepared for PCs not doing "what they're supposed to" now and again.

 

[DragonLancer]

I mix and match between published modules and homebrew scenarios.

For published modules I can't recommend Necromancer Games enough.

 

[drnuncheon]

I'm very surprised that nobody has mentioned one of my favorite companies at all: Fiery Dragon Press. Of Sound Mind was excellent (do i get bonus points for sucking up to Pcat?), Queen of Lies was good, as was Nature's Fury, and Giant's Skull (though I don't have it) has a great-sounding concept. I've heard good things about Nemoren's Vault as well.

Plus, many of them come with excellent counters by Claidio Pozas. (I'm a big fan of Claudio and the counter idea in general.)

J

 

[Desdichado]

I've always wondered if some of the hooplah surrounding "Of Sound Mind" wasn't partially generated by our local cult of personality thing, but I've heard such consistently good feedback on that, that I suspect it's a great module. I don't have any firsthand experience with it, though -- what kind of game is it?

 

[Breakstone]

I just about always come up with my own adventures.

Well, that's not quite true. My process goes like this:

1. Come up with a basic idea or theme of the adventure. I may borrow this from something I've read somewhere.

2. Look around in various Monster Manuals for ideas. Even if I don't end up using monsters, just the concepts there usually fill in gaps in the adventure plot.

3. Take a walk, pondering the adventure. I usually come up with a few good ideas.

4. Go onto the D&D chat room (#dnd3e in mIRC) and discuss it with those online. Just about 80% of the time, I can harvest awesome ideas from those in the chat room. (the other 20% is filled with random spouts of no one talking, and me saying "So... eh... yup... Mm hm... so... how's... eh... gaming.... folks?")

And then, for preparation, I stat out the NPCs and Monsters (better than having to constantly look in the Monster Manual), and, if I've got extra time, I write out a few separate paragraphs of description to use throughout the game.

Oh, and I almost forgot:

5. Do a random polling of my players to make sure they've never read any books, seen any movies, or read any threads that I'm stealing- er, borrowing ideas from.

 

[cildarith]

I'm very surprised that nobody has mentioned one of my favorite companies at all: Fiery Dragon Press. Of Sound Mind was excellent (do i get bonus points for sucking up to Pcat?), Queen of Lies was good, as was Nature's Fury, and Giant's Skull (though I don't have it) has a great-sounding concept. I've heard good things about Nemoren's Vault as well.

Plus, many of them come with excellent counters by Claidio Pozas. (I'm a big fan of Claudio and the counter idea in general.)

J

Has FDP actually produced anything but counters since they left SSS? I don't think they've released a module in over a year (correct me if I'm wrong, of course )

 

[Buttercup]

Making my own adventures saves me tons of time at the end of the day. To run a module right, you need to read it cover to cover a coupla times, and then you need to go over parts of it in gruesome detail to be prepared. If you do more than just running back to back modules, like you want to actually have (gasp!) a campaign or something, then you're staring at several monstrously huge books that you have to be very familiar with to run. I've never understood the claim that homebrewing takes too much time. That's the most counter-intuitive argument I've ever heard.

What he said.

I have been creating my own, but I decided that I really wouldn't have time for the next several months, so I downloaded Burning Plague from WotC, and modified it a bit. It has taken me much more time than just writing something up from scratch, and I feel like the sessions haven't been as good, because I don't know the adventure inside and out. If I make up the story, there isn't any likelihood that I'll forget details, but this way? Feh. I feel like I've let my players down. Once we finish this one, I'll never run another published adventure.

That doesn't mean I won't buy them. I get lots of good ideas from Necromancer modules, and from Penumbra (Atlas) modules too. I use the maps, and sometimes bits of the story. But the major stuff is all out of my own head.

 

[Emiricol]

I guess I should recognize that the way I play modules, I'm really making up my own. The module just provides a map and encounters so I don't have to do all that.

The main reason is that they aren't really setting neutral. Most adventures require some back history or another that is totally out of whack with my game world's history.

So, in the end I just toss the history, plot and motives, and frankenstein the dungeon itself, in levels or entirely, into my own adventure.

 

[cptg1481]

Mee TOO

I have been creating my own, but I decided that I really wouldn't have time for the next several months, so I downloaded Burning Plague from WotC, and modified it a bit. It has taken me much more time than just writing something up from scratch, and I feel like the sessions haven't been as good, because I don't know the adventure inside and out. If I make up the story, there isn't any likelihood that I'll forget details, but this way? Feh. I feel like I've let my players down. Once we finish this one, I'll never run another published adventure.

That doesn't mean I won't buy them. I get lots of good ideas from Necromancer modules, and from Penumbra (Atlas) modules too. I use the maps, and sometimes bits of the story. But the major stuff is all out of my own head.

While I see absolutely nothing wrong with using "modules" (or whatever they are now) off the shelf if that's what one is into I say that I'm with JD and BC on this one. I am a D20 module "hoe" (no not that kind, the kind one uses to break up the crust of the earth when planting seeds). I buy tons of them, and read them all (being partially retired due to military mishap helps me with time) but rarely do I ever run one. I take parts of them and play them very, very, modified, (mostly unrecognisable in fact) but I find that I have to tweek them so much I might as well have written the thing from scratch.

Speaking of "written" this is a relative term...being an infantryman in the army didn't exactly enhance my wwweak typing skills if you know what I mean. Like JD I only have outlines and ideas on a few (like 2-3 per session) pieces of paper of where I think the PCs will go and what I think they will do. I do this for exactly the same reason JD mentioned....I am so adverse to railriading my players that I don't even comit much beyond the next session to paper...and that in pencil. I make complete stat blocks and in deapth tactics for NPC's. However, the plot is a series of bullet comments on scratch paper. I usually rollover about 40-50% of what I write as is. I guess I'm eother not good at predicting what my PC's will do or more likely, (I love my players BTW...very smart and savy) they are just too good at probelm solving.

OT...I recently quit a game in which the plot and story continued on course regardless of what actions (or inactions), we PC's took and without regard to our successes and failures.

Also, like BC (BTW, BC I stole your Valley of the Goblins Idea, I've not used it yet but it was too good to pass up - the one with the map Map through unknown areas to a temple) I ran one adventure out of a Dungeon the one with the city of Dockalong and the Harppy problem and found that I felt bad....like I was cheating my players somehow when I forgot something. When I "write" a module it's mine there are no right or wrong answers...only changes...and those in response to players actions like fluid scenarios are supposed to be.

For suggestions....

Witchfire 1-3 Awsome
Freeport (any) Awsome

EDITED TO ADD THIS: One of my personal fave's is Scarred Lands "Warrens of the Ratmen" (Vigil Watch) published by SSS (Sword and Sorcery Studios).

It is about..well, ratmen. While it is a campign specific module it could with minor teeking (like changing some of the names of local cities and personalities) of the hooks it will easily fit into any swampy area in almost any world. The one downside is all the "death of the titans" stuff, which explains how the ratmen came to be and where the different types get their diferent powers. This will take some re-hashing and editing.

OH yea, AND TO CORRECT MY MANY SPELIENG EERORS....


Aw hell, what they said.