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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pming" data-source="post: 6479651" data-attributes="member: 45197">Hiya!  Hehe...I re-wrote that post two or three times...and the last time I forgot some stuff.  In addition to (or even in place of) re-releasing some 5e-updated classics, for all the new modules they put out, I would like them to follow the 1e style. I'm quite happy with all new adventure modules for 5e that are done up in the same 1e "style". That was the addition I forgot to post. Whoopsie! In other words, I don't want to see 100-page, full color hardback "story-railroads-in-a-can" that they seem to be saying they will produce. I want modules that can stand the test of time. I want modules that *we* (me, the DM, and my players) can look back on and say Yeah, that was a ton of fun!...and then play it again, 5 years later, look back on that and say Yeah, that was a ton of fun too! Almost totally different from the last time we played! Y'see, in those "1e style" adventures, the plot twists, interesting NPC nuances that are remembered for decades, and story turns almost ALWAYS come from the DM and Players actually PLAYING the game. They almost never come from the dozen or so pages in the adventure that goes into almost minute detail about who is doing what, and why they did that, etc.   I can think back to MANY 3e+ game sessions where I was a player...and virtually ALL of the "cool things that happened" while playing those modules had virtually nothing to do with what the actual writer of the adventure wrote. I remember when our parties Bard (3.5e) ran for mayor of Farshore in the Savage Tide AP, and what happened (too long a story). What happened wasn't covered nor 'scripted' in the actual AP...and it more or less derailed the rest of the entire AP so much so that the DM had to basically out and out cheat (blatantly), throw common sense under the bus, and just say "No. Doesn't work. They kick you out". I have NEVER had that happen in ANY BECMI or 1e module. Ever. Never ever ever ever. Why? Those 1e style modules were mostly "Here's an overall story you can use. Here's some maps, encounter keys, random encounter tables, and a few rumors that may or may not have anything to do with anything in the module. Enjoy!". All the "fiddly bits" are what take time for a DM. Drawing maps, filling it with traps, monsters and treasures. Designing wandering monster encounter charts. That's what takes hours and hours. Coming up with a story, a couple of sub-plots? Minutes. So, when I see an "adventure" written nowadays (re: about mid-way through the 2e cycle way back when), I'm almost always disappointed in both reading and playing them simply because I feel like I'm obligated to "follow the script", because Hades knows if I miss something, or let an NPC die, or otherwise bypass an entry on the plot-train...who knows what kind of shenanigans I'll have to fix later. That just ends up snowballing into some great mess that frequently results in TPK's or campaign collapse because nobody knows what's going on anymore or who NPC 7b actually *is* because they skipped something earlier on in the adventure. The fix? Don't have any NPC be indispensable to a modules story.  Anyway...kinda ranting a bit here. Sorry! I'l stop with this: For anyone who's ever played both...what would you rather DM; "L1: The Secret of Bone Hill", or "Hoard of the Dragon Queen"....both of them, 3 times with the *same* players?   ... ... ... <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />^_^Paul L. Ming</blockquote>

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