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Baltor
2009-03-03, 07:42 AM
I have only been playing D&D for about 2 years now, but I have never played a module. I mistifies me how many people have playing premade modules as the total or at least the biggest part of their gaiming experience. So here is my question to the playground. who here is primarily a pre-made module player and why do you prefer to game this way?

potatocubed
2009-03-03, 07:56 AM
I find that as a GM modules do most of the heavy lifting (that is, creating stat blocks and maps) for me, which greatly reduces my prep time. This means I can do other things with my life and/or run, like, four games a week. :smalltongue:

Modules also make useful training wheels for noob GMs, or experienced GMs who are new to a particular system. Not only do they do the heavy lifting mentioned above, they provide an example framework for a GM to build his own adventures around, a handle on the system and the style of game it promotes, and if everything sucks mightily the players are less likely to blame the GM than they are to blame the module.

And some modules are just... well... good. The Speaker in Dreams or Expedition to the Demonweb Pits spring to mind. (Or any of the 2e Planescape modules. <3) Never mind adventure paths, which are often also very good. (Especially in full-colour hardbacks, like Shackled City or War of the Burning Sky.)

Satyr
2009-03-03, 08:16 AM
I was mostly unimpressed with the vast majority of the D&D adventure modules, so I rarely if ever used one for more than a quarry of ideas.

On the other side, THE German roleplaying game Das Schwarze Auge does not only produce many, but also sometimes extremely good premade adventures which are vastly superior to almost anything I have ever seen in English. And since I, like most German roleplayers grew up with playing DSA, I am quite used to official modules, and some of them are worth it, when the Gamemaster takes the time to adapt the module to the group.
Especially in a campaign with a living and advancing metaplot, official campaign modules are a great way to involve the players in the campaign metaplot.