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5 years ago ::
Mar 22, 2008 - 3:44PM
#21
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Thanks for bringing this up. I'd been wanting to run a 4e game when I went to Akon with a few friends in Dallas, but that's the early part of June and I doubt that I'll get my copies of the big 3 before then. However, I could get the preview adventures well before then. Thanks for the thread!
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5 years ago ::
Mar 23, 2008 - 7:11PM
#22
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Date Joined:
Oct 22, 2007
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Great post. I LOVE published adventures. At one time, I owned every Basic D&D module. I just think they are great reads, even if you never use them.
That said, I'm planning on DMing for 4E and have pre-ordered every WoTC adventure listed on Amazon (where are you "Demon Queen's Enclave"?!). I'm planning on basing my entire campaign on them and filling in the gaps in between levels. I have no doubt that they will be 10 times more creative and better put together than I could ever accomplish - that's if I even had the time to try!
I hope they continue pumping them out on a regular basis, even after this particular "path" is completed (presumably with E3). Hopefully they'll start a new path right after that (H4?) so I can start up a new campaign !
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5 years ago ::
Mar 23, 2008 - 9:54PM
#23
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Date Joined:
Jul 21, 2004
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Published adventures are sure handy when you don't have the time to come up with something yourself. I've found with homebrew modules, though, that it's better to sketch out a few basic ideas and just make it up as you go along. Adventurers never follow the path you intend for them, and it's nearly impossible to pre-generate all the potential other paths they could take.
That said, I find that I don't much care for the sort of fantasy world presented in most published materials these days. You know: where there's a magic shop in every village, various humanoid species and fantastic beasts mingle freely without raising an eyebrow, spellcasters outnumber farmers, and although there are people with noble titles, civic governments are democracies with public police forces.
I prefer my fantasy in the mould of Conan, Middle-Earth, Lankhamar, or Bulfinch's Mythology. Where magic & monsters are wonderous & mysterious instead of commonplace, and where some semblance of historic social structures prevail. I seem to be in the minority, though, based on listening to other gamers, and seeing what published materials are available.
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5 years ago ::
Mar 24, 2008 - 1:14AM
#24
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I haven't preordered anything, but I'm looking forward to it all. I haven't DMed in years, and I missed out on 3rd Ed, so I need to be shown how it's done before I start making up my own stuff again.
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5 years ago ::
Mar 24, 2008 - 5:44AM
#25
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Date Joined:
Dec 11, 2006
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I have not pre-ordered, but I plan to buy the first one for review. I prefer pre-made adventures, often buying from Paizo in the past. I sadly just don't have time to flush out a full adventure myself and my gaming audience is luckily young enough that their world really doesn't have to have a long tedious plot and logical connection between adventures!
Browncoats Unite...
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5 years ago ::
Mar 24, 2008 - 7:12AM
#26
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Date Joined:
Jan 24, 2008
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I've preordered the big 3 but I'd like to buy H1 and possibly more... the only difference is I want to buy them and give them to someone else to DM with. I really need to find a good local DM to support. :D
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5 years ago ::
Mar 24, 2008 - 8:27AM
#27
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Date Joined:
Oct 11, 2004
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I preordered H1 through my local FLGS so that my group can play test the new 4e rules system. I won't order any of the other adventures. For the most part I make up my own, but by no means do I ignore the published adventures. If the first adventure was a lot of fun, I will consider getting the whole series but beyond that, I don't know. I'll probably look at the modules at Barnes and Noble when they come out before deciding anything.
I have preordered the core 3 books from Amazon, couldn't pass up the deal. I'll probably get one or two of the other books that are coming out later this year if the system looks good and plays well. (Tome of Treasure and perhaps Manual of the Planes.) beyond that is well, fluid...
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5 years ago ::
Mar 24, 2008 - 9:42AM
#28
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Thanks for the replies. I wanted to drop this chunk of text in here. I wrote it in another thread on the Concerns and Criticisms board and felt that it was pertinent here as well.
I'm tickled that WotC is publishing adventures again because if they can get more and more groups to stop chasing the Holy Grail of homebrew (I have nothing against homebrew, hand off that "quote" button) then Wizards will see regular revenue from Adventure sales that will allow them to take more time with rules supplements. It also means that 3rd party publishers making Adventures see an increase in sales as general demand for adventures goes up. Basically everyone wins. This is why I've already pre-ordered H1-3, literally putting my money where my mouth is and supporting a (in my mind) superior business model. That all ties into one more point.
The DM thing. Probably the biggest change that 4e is promising and so far delivering (I've been running tests with the preview material as much as possible) is a reduction in terms of DM 'server load.' DMing a 1st level 4e Adventure doesn't feel like DMing, it feels like playing the game. Since 1e D&D has actively promoted a segregation between DMs and Players, encouraging DMs to keep the DMG away from Players and advocating changing the rules on the fly specifically to counter Players who may have read the DMG. If 4e can do anything to take the elitism out of "being a DM" then it will expand/regenerate/whatever the hobby. If lapsed players, perhaps "lacking a DM", hear that word on the street is that 4e is Fun, Easy to DM, and has some great time saving pre-built Adventures out there then there's a reasonable chance that they (who many not even be spending money on RPGs at all) say "hey, I can be the DM" and come back to the hobby, bringing along some fresh blood with them.
The solution to "the people who normally run tables" not switching is to equip new people to run tables.
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5 years ago ::
Mar 24, 2008 - 1:36PM
#29
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Date Joined:
Oct 22, 2007
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"I'm tickled that WotC is publishing adventures again because if they can get more and more groups to stop chasing the Holy Grail of homebrew (I have nothing against homebrew, hand off that "quote" button) then Wizards will see regular revenue from Adventure sales that will allow them to take more time with rules supplements."
I agree completely. I have nothing against homebrew either, its just that I find it makes much more sense to leave a lot of the story and crunch to the professionals. WoTC (and 3rd parties) can write "scene one" for me by publishing adventures. The players (and to some extent, dice!) get to effectively write "scenes two and three."
I have some cool ideas for adventures, but to think I could flesh it all out and make it flow as well as "the pros" - without spending weeks on it - is a little unrealistic. Bring on the MODULES!!
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5 years ago ::
Mar 24, 2008 - 4:01PM
#30
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Date Joined:
Sep 26, 2005
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I have pre-ordered H1-3 and plan to run them at the library I work at. I will promoting them as a way to check out the new edition. I tend to get support for these evens from my FLGS that does not have room to run such events. So he tends to donate things and I hand out his business cards...
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