Pathfinder and Goodman Games built companies off of them.   Wizards cares enough about them to admit publicly they need help writing them, yet the good old fashioned adventure module seems to be looked down upon by modern game companies.  We constantly hear "they don't sell".  I guess what it comes down to is, I don't buy that argument.

I think it's a self-fulfilling prophecy.  The really bad TSR period churned out some really bad modules and turned people off of the medium.  The D20 glut did the same for 3e.  

Modules got a bad name, so people stopped buying.
People stopped buying so modules got the "don't sell" tag.
Since a good module is hard work, designers dumped them for quick and dirty plot-point idea adventures (like SW) or the encounter-based framework (like 4e). The non-D&D games have followed suit.  Even when doing modules, the modules became lighter.  WFRP2 was much less detailed in modules then WFRP1.  SR3 and SR4 much less detailed then SR1 & SR2, etc.

Now we're at the point where we have an entire generation of RPGers that have never even looked at a module that they could run as is with a good level of background detail.

There are some exceptions to the "adventure-light" crowd.  Green Ronin does a decent job with the SIFRP modules, the Dragon Age ones are even better.  Kenzer knocked one out of the park with Frandor's Keep.  Goodman games keeps chugging along, but Necromancer Games stuff generally was better.  

Basically, I think modules will sell when their perceived worth increases.  The more information GM's can pillage from a module, the higher the perceived worth.  That's why modules don't sell today, IMO, a lot of people have no need for the style of the ones currently on the shelf.

Quote from: CRKrueger;373318Basically, I think modules will sell when their perceived worth increases.  The more information GM's can pillage from a module, the higher the perceived worth.  That's why modules don't sell today, IMO, a lot of people have no need for the style of the ones currently on the shelf.

So why put it in an adventure format? Why not just sell regular supplements? Those sell very well. I still don't get it.

-clash

Doesn't Chaosium still sell modules? Those were always very good.

Before you even consider worth, etc - only 1 person in any given group needs to buy it.

Quote from: flyingmice;373322So why put it in an adventure format? Why not just sell regular supplements? Those sell very well. I still don't get it.

-clash

I think for me, the idea is to reach as many different levels of creativity as possible.  Some people are awesome at creating their own stuff, others are lousy at coming up with their own stuff, but can take a written adventure and make it shine as their own.  Most people are somewhere in the middle.

If you give me a book of NPCs, setting pieces, story-arcs etc,  I have to piece them all together to make something coherent.  If you give me a series of modules that has all that detail in there, as well as maps, locations, adventure ideas, etc.  I can run it as is if I choose, or I can change things anywhere from just a little to basically rewriting the whole thing.

The idea is that with a complete adventure module, you exercise as much or as little creativity as you want, yet still have a complete product.  In a sense, they are the ultimate GM's training kit for adventure design.

Detail is time. Time is money. Money has worth.  I'll buy something if it shaves off my prep time.  The more it shaves, the quicker I'll buy it.

Blah. I take personal JOY in putting as much work into my world as possible.

Quote from: CRKrueger;373327I think for me, the idea is to reach as many different levels of creativity as possible.  Some people are awesome at creating their own stuff, others are lousy at coming up with their own stuff, but can take a written adventure and make it shine as their own.  Most people are somewhere in the middle.

If you give me a book of NPCs, setting pieces, story-arcs etc,  I have to piece them all together to make something coherent.  If you give me a series of modules that has all that detail in there, as well as maps, locations, adventure ideas, etc.  I can run it as is if I choose, or I can change things anywhere from just a little to basically rewriting the whole thing.

The idea is that with a complete adventure module, you exercise as much or as little creativity as you want, yet still have a complete product.  In a sense, they are the ultimate GM's training kit for adventure design.

Detail is time. Time is money. Money has worth.  I'll buy something if it shaves off my prep time.  The more it shaves, the quicker I'll buy it.

OK, a good answer - thanks! I couldn't write one of those if you held a gun to my head, though!

I have never purchased a module.

Quote from: One Horse Town;373326Before you even consider worth, etc - only 1 person in any given group needs to buy it.

DINGDINGDING!

Also: Buy one larger module, and you are good for half a year. Or buy twelve old Dungeon magazines, and you are good for...two years minimum.

I've always bought adventure modules for the games I liked... if they had adventure modules.
I can't think of an instance where I ran any of them straight as written... but used them as a 'bits box' for ongoing campaigns... modules with maps, floorplans, deckplans were especially useful.
I prefer them cheap though, PDFs are good. More than 10 bucks or so and I start finding other things I want more... so I can see how they may not be worthwhile for the company making them.

Paizo's adventure path books seem to sell well.  What's inside them?  Would you consider them adventure modules?  Other than name recognition through Dungeon/Dragon, what are they doing right?

Quote from: shalvayez;373329Blah. I take personal JOY in putting as much work into my world as possible.

I do too, but I'd like to run something more then once every two months.  I haven't run a module "as is" since the 80s.  GM's beg, borrow or steal from just about any media source, that includes modules.

Quote from: One Horse Town;373326Before you even consider worth, etc - only 1 person in any given group needs to buy it.

And only one or two every quarter.

Seanchai

Quote from: Simlasa;373333I prefer them cheap though, PDFs are good. More than 10 bucks or so and I start finding other things I want more... so I can see how they may not be worthwhile for the company making them.

I think this, though, is the solution for the good points about only one person in a group needing to buy the module, and for not needing many in a 6-month to a year period. I'd say if I had a game company, I would never consider modules to be the big sellers or cash cows, but I'd give making pdf adventures that I just left up in my online store indefinitely a whirl.

I like writing adventures. I prefer it in fact to writing supplements because I don't have to hash out new rules, feats, etc. I've had limited success with sales so now I only write adventures for games I'm actually playing or promoting. For me it takes very little effort to go from gaming notes to publishable adventure, plus it keeps me in the writing groove.   Like I'll probably flesh out a few adventures for Stormrift (got one ready to go) and either offer them for free on Precis collaborative site or sell the PDFs, depending on whether or not they can be easily converted to straight post apocalypse scenarios.

Pete