Hi guys, sometime lurker and new poster. I enjoy the site and thought I'd contribute something.

I've read statements made here (and elsewhere) that modules "really aren't needed" and that using them implies some lack of imagination/dearth of creativity on behalf of the DM.

I strongly disagree with this statement.

Like many others here I've been playing D&D a long time, and with mixed results. I don't have a love/hate relationship with the game, but my ardor runs hot and lukewarm, often leading to extended vacations from gaming. But in looking back, some of the most memorable experiences I've enjoyed were exploring the ruined moathouse outside of the Village of Hommlet, escaping from the dungeons of (and exacting revenge upon) the Slave Lords, and battling the white puddings in the Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl. I've played in many homebrewed settings and adventures too, but to be honest many of these were inferior to published material (certainly not in all cases, however).

Is it that some people are too insecure to admit that someone else's imaginative material might occasionally be better than your own? Not to mention the time savings of using published material. I guess I don't get it.

I think there is just a split of opinion on the value of modules. I am very much pro-module and feel sing them can broaden your imagination when it comes to adventures.

I use modules for inspiration sometimes, particularly the maps and occasionally a puzzle.  I tend not to use any of the descriptive text or dialogue, though, because I like to write my own. (I admit it -- I'm a snob about that!) I *might* use 30% of the monsters, encounters, and NPCs.

I've been in games where the DM ran a string of modules, often tied together by a larger plot, and most of the time, it's been okay. We got a bit frustrated in one game when all we did was run modules, and we weren't allowed to do anything sandbox-y at all. Like, if you wanted to make a trip to such-and-such city, you generally couldn't unless there was a module centered on that place.

I'm okay with DMs reading descriptive text straight from the module, but when it comes to dialogue, nah. I've seen some *really* chatty modules where huge chunks of dialogue were scripted out, and when the DM pasted in page after page of that into a PbP game, it was kind of surreal. The conversation seemed to go on forever, with no chance for the PCs to interact at all. I think the module writer probably intended for DMs to break up all that text and let the PCs get a word in edgewise, or maybe just use fragments of it. But in this case, he pasted in all of the text wholesale.

I love a lot of modules, but I do find them to generally be a pain in the butt to use in play.

Quote from: Dana;633025I use modules for inspiration sometimes, particularly the maps and occasionally a puzzle.  I tend not to use any of the descriptive text or dialogue, though, because I like to write my own. (I admit it -- I'm a snob about that!) I *might* use 30% of the monsters, encounters, and NPCs.

This matches up almost exactly with my thoughts on modules.  While I've tried modules in the past, the idea of running a chain of modules - particularly with my players! - is just laughable.  It took 7 sessions to clear the first module and a half of the Serpents Skull series from Paizo (a full session was just approaching the old priest on the cliffside at the beginning of module 2!).  It was my only real, recent attempt at it and all the players unanimously agreed they preferred my own games, even though I hadn't let them know it was a module until after the 4th session!.  They said it just felt wrong, even if they couldn't describe how.  But for stirring up the imagination, grabbing a new beastie, a quick map...they're great!

Just wanted to chime in to say that I just got ASE1-3 and I don't recall being as awestruck by a module as I've been by this. Amazing stuff. Then again I was never a module buyer and only ran published adventures maybe twice in 20 years of gaming.

Quote from: Planet Algol;633028I love a lot of modules, but I do find them to generally be a pain in the butt to use in play.

That matches my thoughts as well, but where I get stumped is four-fold

1. Why exactly have they been difficult to use at a table?
2. What do I really need from a module?
3. What would my ideal module look like?
4. Has someone already discovered this and I missed it?

I used to be firmly in the "No Modules, I make my OWN adventures" camp.

But as I've gotten older I've discovered two things;

Firstly I don't have nearly the free time I used to.

And secondly I'm not nearly the be-all end-all genius I always thought I was as a teenager. Maybe, just MAYBE, other people have good ideas too

Quote from: Replicant2;633015I strongly disagree with this statement.

That's because you have a lack of imagination and a dearth of creativity.

Welcome to RPG.net!

I like good premade adventures, but I'm more likely to chop out bits for inspiration than run it as written. That's more about my gaming is mostly conventions and game days right now so one-shots are what's most interesting to me.

I'd love a book of a dozen one shot adventures. Hell, I may just have to write it myself. I do love those 1 page dungeons as a starting point for building my own modules from a skeletal starter.

Quote from: Replicant2;633015Hi guys, sometime lurker and new poster. I enjoy the site and thought I'd contribute something.

Welcome to the adult swim.

Quote from: Replicant2;633015I've read statements made here (and elsewhere) that modules "really aren't needed" and that using them implies some lack of imagination/dearth of creativity on behalf of the DM.

Most modules suck. A few are very good.

I have no problem running the very good ones.

Quote from: Spinachcat;633050I'd love a book of a dozen one shot adventures.

Same here. I've been using the TSR Decks of Encounters a bit, but I'd like something in the middle ground between that and a full-on module.

Quote from: The Butcher;633034Just wanted to chime in to say that I just got ASE1-3 and I don't recall being as awestruck by a module as I've been by this. Amazing stuff. Then again I was never a module buyer and only ran published adventures maybe twice in 20 years of gaming.

I've got ASE1, considering buying 2-3. Is it as good as 1; I can't find any reviews but the blurb seems even more gonzo & silly (clowns?) whereas 1 was just about my sweetspot/max sillyness tolerance (my games get stupid on their own, I don't need help!).

Back on topic; I find modules useful for filling out a sandbox. I've been using them less & less as I get back on my feet as a DM (been back playing 2.5 years now) but I still buy them.

Often the problem with using them is that something I created myself, I know intimately, I can run it & riff on it & can think on the fly just how a new, unforseen event will cause X or Y. So I run them better.
with modules I don't always get that and things seems a but stiffer, slower & on occasion I muddle or forget crucial bits.

I love getting new ideas & angles from modules because there are things in them I would never dream up, but I find they take me just as long to prep as making my own stuff.

Quote from: Dana;633025I'm okay with DMs reading descriptive text straight from the module, but when it comes to dialogue, nah. I've seen some *really* chatty modules where huge chunks of dialogue were scripted out, and when the DM pasted in page after page of that into a PbP game, it was kind of surreal. The conversation seemed to go on forever, with no chance for the PCs to interact at all. I think the module writer probably intended for DMs to break up all that text and let the PCs get a word in edgewise, or maybe just use fragments of it. But in this case, he pasted in all of the text wholesale.

haha Ya, I recall a couple old Forgotten Realms modules..the sheer length of some of Elimenster's monologues!  Folks will read it too.

I have a lot of hard copy and electric adventures and campaigns, and I will suggestion those that I find better.  However, those that I tailor without such outlines to the interest of the players and myself are always a better experience.  Usually, getting a published one into game ready form is more time consuming too.  Because of these issues, the better experiences I had with modules were those that I converted from the intended system to another, since I was really focused on getting them into game ready shape.  

One thing I have found is that premade adventures are pretty good for having another person at the game table for small groups.  If there is the DM and 1 or 2 players, the module author becomes another person involved.  So, for a small group I try to bring the author's personality to the game session.  It can be like having another person in the game, since their ideas can be brought into the session.

Modules can be great, especially if you are short on time.  I've always been in the create your own camp, but I often use modules as an outline, and end up putting in a ton of my own stuff.

I like good modules a bunch.  I have nothing against them.

If I'm not running one as a one-shot, though, I have to integrate the module with my campaign, which can (depending on the campaign) involve almost as much time and thought as writing something on my own.

Some of the cooler modules I have were the early ones for Traveller like the Kinunir, because they were generic and easily slottable into any game.

I do like keeping modules around regardless for ideas that I can pinch for my own games.