Actually I wouldn't mind a really good mega-dungeon. That could be a useful tool as a location the characters could return to from time to time. Just alter or remove any story elements from it, and you have a nice pre-prepared dungeon that can be used when you have nothing else planned, or just need some creative time off without suspending the campaign. I'd easily pay 40$ for that.
Would you buy a super module for levels 1-20??
- Thread starter Ashrem Bayle
- Start date
Greybar
No Trouble at All
I figure a mega-supplement that size would have to contain things I could liberate for other purposes. From skimming over the threads, this is a utilization (to use the word correctly, or at least so my wife claims) of the product that should not be overlooked by authors. For instance, I have no interest in running my players through a mega-dungeon like the Temple of Elemental Evil. That's not our style. However, I might well buy such a mega-module to steal elements.
John
John
I would, however as many have said here it would neet to be somthing more than a giant dungeon crawl.
one other point. please for the love of mike, err on the side of the small underequiped party.
It is really easy to adjust up encounters, while it becomes really difficult at times to adjust down.
one other point. please for the love of mike, err on the side of the small underequiped party.
It is really easy to adjust up encounters, while it becomes really difficult at times to adjust down.
I voted No. It really doesn't matter to me what the environment of the adventure is (dungeon crawl, city based, overland, mix), I'm burnt out on massive overarching storylines. In the past several years, I've played or DMed The Rod of Seven Parts, Return to the Tomb of Horrors, and Return to Temple of Elemental Evil. The constant focus on a particular goal tends to become tiresome at some point. I'd much rather have a series of nice and short modules that are unrelated and playable within 2 or 3 sessions. Also, I wouldn't mind adventures which are longer, yet do not try to span an entire career...perhaps something that covered only 5 levels at a time.
WizarDru
Adventurer
I voted Yes. If the module is well-thought out, allows for some variety of DM and player style, and offers a good deal of variety, then I'd buy it happily.
For example, I consider 'Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil' to be great in the Hommlett section, where you can approach it from a variety of different angles. It's a good, consistent and well mapped-out central location that can act as a hub for a host of adventures in different styles and tastes. I think the module sort-of falls down in the huge mega-dungeon in the middle, with few options once you get there.
A super-module with some nice visual aids (such as simple player hand-outs), well thought-out meta-plots, and the freedom of some wiggle room within said meta-plots, would be nice. I would look on it as tool, to be used as a starting template. Add in a little crunch (such as a prestige class or two, some new spells and some magic items that might even be central to the plot) and you've got me hooked.
For example, I consider 'Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil' to be great in the Hommlett section, where you can approach it from a variety of different angles. It's a good, consistent and well mapped-out central location that can act as a hub for a host of adventures in different styles and tastes. I think the module sort-of falls down in the huge mega-dungeon in the middle, with few options once you get there.
A super-module with some nice visual aids (such as simple player hand-outs), well thought-out meta-plots, and the freedom of some wiggle room within said meta-plots, would be nice. I would look on it as tool, to be used as a starting template. Add in a little crunch (such as a prestige class or two, some new spells and some magic items that might even be central to the plot) and you've got me hooked.
Arnwyn
First Post
Heck yeah, I'd buy something like that, for any of those price points that you listed - regardless of whether it was a dungeon-crawl or otherwise. (But I like modules and I also like mega-adventures, so I'm good to go. Further, because I do slow advancement, I have the opportunity for the PCs to leave the adventure for a short time and do other things to get the necessary levels to continue on in the mega-adventure; thus allowing for a brief change of pace.)
I win no matter what!
I win no matter what!
Ashrem Bayle
Explorer
If I where actually going to pusue something like this, this is what I would do:
1. Find a publishing company.
2. The adventure would be 50% combat, 45% role-playing, 5% puzzles.
3. 35% dungeon crawl (various locations), 35% city adventure, 10% wilderness, 20% planar
4. Generic, but familiar setting. (Almost Greyhawk)
5. Prelude and 6 chapters. Each different than the last to keep things from being stagnant.
Prelude handles levels 1-2. Maybe two different preludes depending on the average alignment of the party. After all, evil characters would likely be involved in the adventure for different reasons than good characters.
Every other chapter handles 3 levels each. Each chaper has different locations and goals with at least a month of downtime in between each.
6. Treasure and Experience distribution made to match the charts in the DM guide.
7. 3 books. Adventure Book, Stat book (NPCs complete with background and motivation and magical items, prestige classes, feats, and spells etc.)and a Player's handout book.
8. Cardboard mini's.
9. 1" scale poster maps of all important locations and at least 3 generic wilderness poster maps (maybe forest, mountain, and desert?)
10. Supplemental DM screen for random encounters, timeline, and other things specific to the adventure.
Such a thing would probably cost at least $65 or more, but it would be worth it to me.
1. Find a publishing company.
2. The adventure would be 50% combat, 45% role-playing, 5% puzzles.
3. 35% dungeon crawl (various locations), 35% city adventure, 10% wilderness, 20% planar
4. Generic, but familiar setting. (Almost Greyhawk)
5. Prelude and 6 chapters. Each different than the last to keep things from being stagnant.
Prelude handles levels 1-2. Maybe two different preludes depending on the average alignment of the party. After all, evil characters would likely be involved in the adventure for different reasons than good characters.
Every other chapter handles 3 levels each. Each chaper has different locations and goals with at least a month of downtime in between each.
6. Treasure and Experience distribution made to match the charts in the DM guide.
7. 3 books. Adventure Book, Stat book (NPCs complete with background and motivation and magical items, prestige classes, feats, and spells etc.)and a Player's handout book.
8. Cardboard mini's.
9. 1" scale poster maps of all important locations and at least 3 generic wilderness poster maps (maybe forest, mountain, and desert?)
10. Supplemental DM screen for random encounters, timeline, and other things specific to the adventure.
Such a thing would probably cost at least $65 or more, but it would be worth it to me.
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JoeBlank
Explorer
I would be more likely to buy something like this if it were presented as a trilogy, or otherwise broken up. That way you could run the first 6-7 levels' worth, and buy the rest only if you liked the first part. Like most trilogies, it should have sufficient plot resolution at the end of each part, but with an overarching mega-plot that is not yet resolved.
Then you could include jumping on points for campaigns that are already at mid-level and want to embark on something like this.
Another concern I would have is if the players find a way to "cut to the chase" and resolve a portion of the story much more quickly than anticipated. If they managed to accomplish the goal but avoided several encounters, without even knowing that those encounters existed, they would not get XP for them. Then, when they were ready to move on to the next goal it would not be properly scaled, as they would not be high enough level. By having stopping points you would allow the GM to throw in a few side adventures (maybe even suggest some of these, or sell future supplements) to get the party to the appropriate level before moving on to the next part.
Each book in the trilogy could easily sell for $30-40, making the overall cost $90-120, but without the big initial purchase price.
Then you could include jumping on points for campaigns that are already at mid-level and want to embark on something like this.
Another concern I would have is if the players find a way to "cut to the chase" and resolve a portion of the story much more quickly than anticipated. If they managed to accomplish the goal but avoided several encounters, without even knowing that those encounters existed, they would not get XP for them. Then, when they were ready to move on to the next goal it would not be properly scaled, as they would not be high enough level. By having stopping points you would allow the GM to throw in a few side adventures (maybe even suggest some of these, or sell future supplements) to get the party to the appropriate level before moving on to the next part.
Each book in the trilogy could easily sell for $30-40, making the overall cost $90-120, but without the big initial purchase price.
Sir Whiskers
First Post
I think you will agree that such a product cannot meet the needs of everyone - you'll have to decide who your target market is, and focus on them. As an example, for me, regardless of price, the purchasing decision boils down to two questions:
1. How open-ended would it be?
If this is just another RttToEE, with the players expected to do nothing but what is in the module, when the module says they should, I'm not interested. One of my favorite mega-adventures is The Vault of Larin Karr, because I can (and have) so easily take pieces of it (the towns, npc's, some encounters) and let the players deal with them when the party wants to, how the party wants to. My players often don't even know when they're playing through a piece of that module. While I agree that a module of this size cannot be purely generic, it also shouldn't be a mega-dungeon (whether inside a dungeon or not) where the party is always expected to go a certain way and focus on a particular goal (as RttToEE did too often).
2. How easily can I customize it?
Virtually all adventures and modules I run are customized, some quite heavily. This is probably well beyond the intended scope of your project, but you should consider including electronic aids with a product of this magnitude. Though many would not use such tools, many of us would, if only to save countless hours of prep time.
For instance, if you included a cd with the npc's and monsters at various challenge ratings, and the ability for me to change simple details about them (this wizard has a wand of fireballs, not a ring of flying), that would make a huge difference to me. I'd need the ability to print out the npc's/creatures, and you would need to include some mechanism to make it difficult for others to pirate your work - but think of the time savings for a GM. I'm not suggesting a generator, more of a mass index from which I choose the appropriate npc/creature, make a few quick adjustments (perhaps during print preview?), then print. This would greatly simplify having npc's change over time, as they should in an adventure of this length.
Another electronic tool could organize the setting information (history, geography, npc's, towns, legends, etc.) similar to MyInfo (a great tool for GM's, by the way). Allow the GM to change the information to fit his/her version, then print as needed. Even if it is never printed, keeping it handy on a pc would be a benefit. I see much greater problems with piracy for this tool - I'm not sure if you could protect the product sufficiently to make it worthwhile, but it would again be a great aid for the GM running such a module.
Think of it this way - how many pages would this mega-module be? How long would it take me, as a GM, just to read it? Then how many hours would I have to spend to tweak it the way I like? You suggest this could suffice for a 2-year campaign, justifying the steep price tag. I agree that 2-years' use would do so - I just don't want to spend two years first getting it ready.
Of course, you could just decide that I'm not your target market. Maybe it will have to something that is run pretty much as is, out of the box. I would understand such a choice, but then I would not be very interested in the product.
Good luck with this - I'll be interested to see how it turns out if you go through with it.
PS - Just for the record, I'm another vote for stand-up cardboard counters, not the style used in the creature collections.
1. How open-ended would it be?
If this is just another RttToEE, with the players expected to do nothing but what is in the module, when the module says they should, I'm not interested. One of my favorite mega-adventures is The Vault of Larin Karr, because I can (and have) so easily take pieces of it (the towns, npc's, some encounters) and let the players deal with them when the party wants to, how the party wants to. My players often don't even know when they're playing through a piece of that module. While I agree that a module of this size cannot be purely generic, it also shouldn't be a mega-dungeon (whether inside a dungeon or not) where the party is always expected to go a certain way and focus on a particular goal (as RttToEE did too often).
2. How easily can I customize it?
Virtually all adventures and modules I run are customized, some quite heavily. This is probably well beyond the intended scope of your project, but you should consider including electronic aids with a product of this magnitude. Though many would not use such tools, many of us would, if only to save countless hours of prep time.
For instance, if you included a cd with the npc's and monsters at various challenge ratings, and the ability for me to change simple details about them (this wizard has a wand of fireballs, not a ring of flying), that would make a huge difference to me. I'd need the ability to print out the npc's/creatures, and you would need to include some mechanism to make it difficult for others to pirate your work - but think of the time savings for a GM. I'm not suggesting a generator, more of a mass index from which I choose the appropriate npc/creature, make a few quick adjustments (perhaps during print preview?), then print. This would greatly simplify having npc's change over time, as they should in an adventure of this length.
Another electronic tool could organize the setting information (history, geography, npc's, towns, legends, etc.) similar to MyInfo (a great tool for GM's, by the way). Allow the GM to change the information to fit his/her version, then print as needed. Even if it is never printed, keeping it handy on a pc would be a benefit. I see much greater problems with piracy for this tool - I'm not sure if you could protect the product sufficiently to make it worthwhile, but it would again be a great aid for the GM running such a module.
Think of it this way - how many pages would this mega-module be? How long would it take me, as a GM, just to read it? Then how many hours would I have to spend to tweak it the way I like? You suggest this could suffice for a 2-year campaign, justifying the steep price tag. I agree that 2-years' use would do so - I just don't want to spend two years first getting it ready.
Of course, you could just decide that I'm not your target market. Maybe it will have to something that is run pretty much as is, out of the box. I would understand such a choice, but then I would not be very interested in the product.
Good luck with this - I'll be interested to see how it turns out if you go through with it.
PS - Just for the record, I'm another vote for stand-up cardboard counters, not the style used in the creature collections.
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