Mixing Adventurer's League with Hardback Adventures

[Zippdementia]

Tldr: Has anyone tried mixing adventurer's league storylines/modules with the hardback books?

Hey everyone! Long time reader, first time poster. Lately I've gotten back into DMing and have run several successful campaigns with the same group, so that I'm now comfortable bringing them into a longer series of adventures. The group LOVES dragons, so naturally I have turned to Hoard/Tyranny for inspiration for the next campaign.

Only problem is, I don't think the Hoard/Tyranny books are all that well written. There are some cool ideas and some decent dungeons, but a lot of fluff time the players won't enjoy, as well as some downright poor writing and bad hooks. MUCH better written (IMO) are the Phlan adventurers DDEX01-14 that make up the adventurer's league. Fun hooks, nice mix of role playing and combat, and the dungeons (while simple) are quick paced romps. The downside is that the adventures aren't quite as epic as stopping Tiamet, and they end on a dour note, with the players run out of Phlan. Very Empire Strikes Back.

So I've been thinking of mixing the two adventurers, using the later half of Hoard (starting at the moutain cabin with Talis the White) and moving into Tyranny (with some personal changes I won't go into, not relevant).

My question is, where is the best place to do this mixing? Has anyone had experience mixing the two sets of adventurers into one campaign? Any advice?

[uraniumrooster]

I played in a game that transitioned from the DDEX mods straight into Tyranny. Basically, after getting run out of Phlan, all of our characters were fairly high-ranked members of our respective factions, so we were called to meet with the faction leaders in Waterdeep and given a quick run down on the activities of the Dragon Cult and tasked with going after the masks. I could see transitioning earlier working pretty much the same way, just send the party after the stolen treasure first instead of directly after the masks (It's been a while since I looked at those mods, but IIRC, they would still need to learn the significance of the masks either from Talis the White, or in the encounter with Half-dragon on the storm giant castle, forget the name).

[Aembrosia]

The answers you appear to need are based on season one; which I'm the least familiar with running. However, you do generically ask about hard covers and modules so I can share how I've mixed season 3 Out of the Abyss.

At the end of Out of the Abyss the player characters have the opportunity to summon the demon lords to one location for a battle royale which they can either observe as their characters or duke it out amongst themselves as gods which is a blast. A handful of minor demons are also pulled in at that time - the book does not state why - 3-16 explains that Grazzt has made provisions to ward himself from vizeran's meddling. When the dark heart is activated to pull him and the other demons it instead takes his sacrificial lambs. At the battle your adventurers can discover that Grazzt is missing in the fight. Thereafter lo and behold a Gauntlegrym messenger returns from his marathon to Maermydra to rally support for the army we were supposed to be amassing. Whats this? Tragic news regarding the ancient drow city? Taken by fire giants you say? Lead by a gleaming obsidian devil you say? Let us let loose the dogs of war, we march this day on Maermydra. Queue 3-16. Any adventures that occur in the Underdark can be sprinkled in sans story hook during chapter two or seven i believe while the players are travelling from place to place they happen upon some goings on to investigate.

Season four Curse of Strahd is extremely sandboxy. The hardcover and modules can intermingle with little effort. The two feel one in the same. Hey, you found the village of Orasnu! They are in a constant struggle to survive, baby sit them for weeks on end seemingly to no avail. The last two modules can be particularly cathartic.

[Zippdementia]

Awesome! Thats great to hear those orher experiences. Gives me some confidence im not setting myself up for disappointment!

Im picking up a copy of Out of the Abyss next week. I have the others; but i hear tell it is the best of the hardback adventurers