Advice Regarding Modules for New Players

[Kianlon]

I am involved with a "nerd" club at my college and we are going to be creating a 3.5e group for the coming year. Unfortunately, our previous DM has graduated and as the one with the most playing experience in the group, I was chosen to be the replacement. I have written material for campaigns before, but I have never run a campaign of my own.
It was recommended that I use a module instead of building my own setting/adventure just for the sake of time and my own sanity. What are some good modules for first-level characters belonging to inexperienced players? (For most of the group, this will be their first or second time playing)
Note: We can't use The Dragonfiend Pact as it was used last year.
Aside from specific module recommendations, any and all advice would be appreciated.

[Gerner]

Hi

I am about to start a campaign, were i expect to the plans to get information about two modules:


Cult of the reptile god


The Village of hommlet


I really like the Cult of the reptile god, but both modules will require some modifications as they are from AD&D, they are for player level 1-3.

Picked them up after watching Matthew Colville on youtube and this guides to becoming a better DM as I am new too.

[Darrin]

I'd start with:

D0 Hollow's Last Hope (Free)
http://paizo.com/products/btpy82r0?GameMastery-Module-D0-Hollows-Last-Hope

D1 Crown of the Kobold King (Not Free)
http://paizo.com/products/btpy7yqz?GameMastery-Module-D1-Crown-of-the-Kobold-King

D1.5 Revenge of the Kobold King (Free)
http://paizo.com/products/btpy83w1?Pathfinder-Module-D15-Revenge-of-the-Kobold-King

That gives you a small region with a handful of interesting adventure seeds to start with. It's generic enough that you can plop it down in just about anywhere if you want to branch out into a published campaign setting or want to develop your own. They are all written with new players in mind, but offer enough variety that more experienced players shouldn't get bored. D1.5 gets you to 5th level, which should give you plenty of time to figure out which direction you want to take the campaign.


General advice:

1) Keep things moving. Get the players to the exciting stuff as quickly as possible, and skip as much of the boring stuff as possible.

2) Prepare, prepare, prepare. Whatever material you think the group will cover during one session, have another 25% to 33% of the next session ready to go. But keep in mind that no matter how much you prepare, you won't get to about 1/3rd of it. The other 2/3rds the party will completely ruin in the first 20 minutes or so.

3) Write down 3-4 things you absolutely want to happen that session. You will forget 1 or 2 of them, but if the rest of them make it into the session, consider it a resounding success.

[King of Nowhere]

I don't know your players, but in my experience players always will manage to do something you did not plan. In the beginning I used to write down everything, now I just got better at improvising.

Good luck. DMing is a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

[AnimeTheCat]

OOOH! So, I recommend using the smallest possible premade modules. Like, there are some modules that are 7 room dungeons that can give you the basis for other things like putting in a will or a writ of ownership or a mural of an ancient evil reviving (Or all of them and see what they bite on to more to build the next adventure). Since you've written campaign material I don't doubt your creativity, just use the small dungeon modules so you don't have to plan everything out. There are fun adventures like one that has an everlasting sponge that some gnolls used to soak up the nearby lakes and cause a drought that can be inserted pretty much anywhere that relies on agriculture. They're fun little offshoot adventures that you can use to drop hints at your overall story. Bigger Longer Modules are fun if your group is very ok with basically railroading, I mean like Sunless Citadel, Forge of Fury, Red Hand of Doom, etc. Those are very linear and don't allow for very much deviation whereas building your world and dropping encounters in is much easier and effective in my opinion.

[Kianlon]

Thanks, guys! I do anticipate the group going off the rails considerably, so maybe shorter modules would work better for them. I'll check out the ones that were suggested.