This is great stuff. Like so many of your viewers, back in the day I bought all the modules I could afford but never used them "as is" -- mainly because the players could buy them too! LOL So, I would learn the techniques, tactics, etc from the modules but take them apart and use pieces worked into my own dungeons. To this day my dungeon notes include potential spell casting order, first round actions, etc. as well as "players see" notes that include a description which I read to them. And, you nailed it totally --> reading the modules was an education both for me as DM and for my players. They now expected certain things from dungeons. The modules set a certain bar, a certain level of expectation. And that was a good thing.
We learn D&D intially from the GM's and players of that very first group. But then you start buying modules and supplements and get a whole secondary education. Just like it's great to run in a variety of GM's games, it's awesome to see how other players think about the game.
Man, I forget how brutal some of those old modules were. Back when I'd DM modules like this, I'd dial way back on the random encounters, because I didn't think huge traffic jams of monsters in the halls made a lot of sense.
It wasn't about making sense in those days. You'd see dragons in dungeons that had no means of leaving the room they were in and treasure horses that would take a host of bearers to bring down. Like a bank vault in Mammoth cave!
Stairs in room 8 lead to the stairs just south of room 21 on the subterranean map. If you go out of the Cemetery, follow back to where it turns left or continues straight, take that left follow ahead it turns right and there are stairs leading down. Those lead to the stairs just north of the subterranean number 5. Then take the hallway that leads to subterranean room 7 which contains a trap door that leads up to 12A. Trap door in 18 leads down to 1 on the subterranean map. The squares line up.
My buddy is the module king, pretty sure he has all of them including ones from "dragon" magazine haha, he has become obsessed with running them and theyre mostly not great when run to the letter 🤔
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I love the idea of using modules more than even running them. I'd love a whole series on this idea.
Exactly how I feel about them!
That’s how I’ve done it too. The module wasn’t for straight play, they were pieces to build with like blocks
@@twilightgardenspresentatio6384 so many ideas you can plug into an encounter or dungeon.
This is great stuff.
Like so many of your viewers, back in the day I bought all the modules I could afford but never used them "as is" -- mainly because the players could buy them too! LOL So, I would learn the techniques, tactics, etc from the modules but take them apart and use pieces worked into my own dungeons. To this day my dungeon notes include potential spell casting order, first round actions, etc. as well as "players see" notes that include a description which I read to them.
And, you nailed it totally --> reading the modules was an education both for me as DM and for my players. They now expected certain things from dungeons. The modules set a certain bar, a certain level of expectation. And that was a good thing.
We learn D&D intially from the GM's and players of that very first group. But then you start buying modules and supplements and get a whole secondary education. Just like it's great to run in a variety of GM's games, it's awesome to see how other players think about the game.
Man, I forget how brutal some of those old modules were. Back when I'd DM modules like this, I'd dial way back on the random encounters, because I didn't think huge traffic jams of monsters in the halls made a lot of sense.
It wasn't about making sense in those days. You'd see dragons in dungeons that had no means of leaving the room they were in and treasure horses that would take a host of bearers to bring down. Like a bank vault in Mammoth cave!
I lost one of my favorite characters to this module in the 80's. I'm still salty about it. Great module and love the analysis!
Thanks! And too bad about your character. I feel your pain.
Stairs in room 8 lead to the stairs just south of room 21 on the subterranean map. If you go out of the Cemetery, follow back to where it turns left or continues straight, take that left follow ahead it turns right and there are stairs leading down. Those lead to the stairs just north of the subterranean number 5. Then take the hallway that leads to subterranean room 7 which contains a trap door that leads up to 12A. Trap door in 18 leads down to 1 on the subterranean map. The squares line up.
I will try this! I've redrawn this with Dungeondraft software and it didn't line up no matter how much I tried!
I have never run a module (didn't care for parts of them) but I have certainly lifted more than my fair share of parts and ideas from them.
Yep. That's why I get them.
I bought them for the layout, organization and ideas but don't think I ever actually ran one. I started in '78.
I'm hearing from a lot old gamers who say the same thing. Fascinating that a lot us never played them.
My buddy is the module king, pretty sure he has all of them including ones from "dragon" magazine haha, he has become obsessed with running them and theyre mostly not great when run to the letter 🤔
I have a ton of those old Dragon magazines as well. You have to adapt them to our modern style of gaming.
I run B/X so the half-orc slaves don't work... No half races. This is a perfect example of why modules need some tweaks before playing.
And adapting them to later systems is tricky. I've seen some AD&D modules "adapted" to 5e that don't work at all!