Modules or Not

Lord Dynel · Post by **Lord Dynel** » Sat May 23, 2009 12:08 am

CharlieRock wrote:
With C&C we use modules all the time (or Towers of A). With GURPS, never.

Interesting, Charlie. Why do you think that is, if you don't mind me asking?
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Sir Ironside · Post by **Sir Ironside** » Sat May 23, 2009 12:26 am

Lord Dynel wrote:
Indeed, we've had some good ones, that's for sure!

Where all of them like this love in?

Ooops. I just threw up a little.

Sir Ironside · Post by **Sir Ironside** » Sat May 23, 2009 12:33 am

Lord Dynel wrote:
Interesting, Charlie. Why do you think that is, if you don't mind me asking?

Cause GURPS doesn't have modules so it is kind'a hard to run a module with GURPS when they don't exist.

Myself, it is far easier for me to run my own stuff, as I am a fly_by_my_seat type of GM. It has worked for me for years. Just have a general plot, a few NPC's liberal interpretation, room to add NPC's and fill in the blanks. It is the best way to not rail road your players as I am not following a script and can easily adjust to anything they might do.

Modules not so much.

Though the Haunted Highlands has certainly got my attention and I might put them on my to buy list.

Lord Dynel · Post by **Lord Dynel** » Sat May 23, 2009 12:40 am

Sir Ironside wrote:
Cause GURPS doesn't have modules so it is kind'a hard to run a module with GURPS when they don't exist.

Myself, it is far easier for me to run my own stuff, as I am a fly_by_my_seat type of GM. It has worked for me for years. Just have a general plot, a few NPC's liberal interpretation, room to add NPC's and fill in the blanks. It is the best way to not rail road your players as I am not following a script and can easily adjust to anything they might do.

Modules not so much.

Though the Haunted Highlands has certainly got my attention and I might put them on my to buy list.

I've played GURPS for many a years, and I've used modules. Yeah, I know they don;t exist for GURPS, but I was wondering if the answer was as simple as "because they don't exist" or if he had another reason.
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Christina Stiles · Post by **Christina Stiles** » Sat May 23, 2009 1:42 am

I like reading, running, and writing modules. I've run several as-is from Dungeon, Goodman's DCCs, and a few Necromancer Games' modules. I've also tweaked a few here and there or just borrowed liberally for my campaign. I'm currently reading the Trolls' A series, Pathfinder adventures, and some of the 4e stuff from Goodman.

Basically, I enjoy seeing what other creative minds out there are brewing up. And, as many of you say about yourselves, my time is just limited, so modules work in a pinch.
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Relaxo · Post by **Relaxo** » Sat May 23, 2009 11:27 am

Regardless of your preferences, you should all buy all the modules from Brave Halfling Publishing.
But seriously, LIke Ironside said, I've done total off-the-cuff DMing and it's quite charming and creative, but I'd also pepper that w/ module plots here and there, or use them in weird ways, like just take one level or the interesting NPCs.

I think it's like food: Besides shoving it up your ass, there's no wrong way to enjoy it.

nwelte1 · Post by **nwelte1** » Sat May 23, 2009 12:28 pm

Relaxo wrote:
I think it's like food: Besides shoving it up your ass, there's no wrong way to enjoy it.

Has anyone tried this to confirm this is not the right way?

Sundog · Post by **Sundog** » Sat May 23, 2009 12:36 pm

I like modules, but I tend to very very cruel to them. I pick them up, peruse them, rip them to teensy-weensy little bits and jam them back together with bits from others and dollops of my own work, then beat the patchwork horror back into a shape that it's own mother wouldn't recognise.

So yeah, I love 'em.

slimykuotoan · Post by **slimykuotoan** » Sat May 23, 2009 2:38 pm

That Sundog, is perhaps the coolest description of module use ever.
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CharlieRock · Post by **CharlieRock** » Sun May 24, 2009 3:15 am

Lord Dynel wrote:
Interesting, Charlie. Why do you think that is, if you don't mind me asking?

There are modules for GURPS. They're not called 'modules' per se, but pre-made adventures for that system do exist. I have a few. I have run them before but only for the begining of a campaign and once it is moving along I dont go back to one.

There could be a couple reasons for this. I've thought about it from time to time and the best reason (though not the only) is the speed of the game. GURPS runs along at a faster pace then C&C does. Locations can whizz by an adventurer as fast as the scenery outside a bullet trains' windows. Often times as soon as I've laid out the outlines of a map on the battlemat the players have moved along to the next scene. This makes my GURPS games less dependant on a map and more dependant on my weaving NPCs into the game from out of thin air.

C&C is a map oriented RPG system. The play centers on exploring a map and interacting with a lot of static elements from a map. The NPCs are rather fixed and have their own motivations seemingly determined by where they were encountered.

Another difference is the combat system. Healing in C&C is not only available but highly recommended and regularly used. Healing in GURPS is not always so. This makes the battles in GURPS more of a finale type event and not a regular course. Getting shot by a .45 as a detective in the 1920s pretty much guarantees your character will be staying quite awhile in a hospital. Getting stabbed, burnt by fireballs and poisoned is par for the course in the average daily life of a dungeon crawler.

With that difference of combat resolution in mind let's look back to pacing. A 1920s detective is going to visit a crime scene, a mafia owned restaurant, a police station, and possibly even a car chase before encountering any combat. A knight in C&C is going to go from a tavern to a dungeon and generally has about three to four fights along the way there.

I know I made several broad generalisations for both systems but they were for the sake of comparison and pointing out contrasting game elements. I like both because they are different and give me a wider variety of gaming. I could alter each systems game to play more to the style of the other but why when each system has its' strength in those areas.
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Lord Dynel · Post by **Lord Dynel** » Sun May 24, 2009 11:46 pm

That's prettty much my feelings on the matter, too. I don't do modules at all for GURPS, and I never even thought about it. That's why I was asking. I hadn;t even given it much thought, either, until you said something about it. Then I was like, "Hmm...I don't either...I wonder why he doesn't?" But it wasn't until you verbalized it did I realize that I don;t either for pretty much the same reasons.

Of course, I don't do fantasy with GURPS. I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not.
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CharlieRock · Post by **CharlieRock** » Mon May 25, 2009 12:10 am

Lord Dynel wrote:
That's prettty much my feelings on the matter, too. I don't do modules at all for GURPS, and I never even thought about it. That's why I was asking. I hadn;t even given it much thought, either, until you said something about it. Then I was like, "Hmm...I don't either...I wonder why he doesn't?" But it wasn't until you verbalized it did I realize that I don;t either for pretty much the same reasons.

Of course, I don't do fantasy with GURPS. I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not.

I've done a lot of GURPS Conan, and we used Fantasy when making characters for GURPS IOU (cross-dimensional university). Healing was not a big thing in Hyboria.
You just gained the scars and moved on.
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Lord Dynel · Post by **Lord Dynel** » Mon May 25, 2009 12:43 am

CharlieRock wrote:
I've done a lot of GURPS Conan, and we used Fantasy when making characters for GURPS IOU (cross-dimensional university). Healing was not a big thing in Hyboria.
You just gained the scars and moved on.

Indeed!
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Buttmonkey · Post by **Buttmonkey** » Tue May 26, 2009 8:16 pm

nwelte1 wrote:
Has anyone tried this to confirm this is not the right way?

There was a South Park episode about this very thing. Cartman bet Kyle that if he shoved food up his butt, he would poop it out his mouth. Unfortunately for cartoon viewers everywhere, Kyle took him up on the bet. Turns out Cartman was right. Try it yourself if you don't want to take South Park's word for it.

Omote · Post by **Omote** » Tue May 26, 2009 8:42 pm

Only on rare occasion do I use modules. Over the past 22 years, I would say I have run about 6-8 modules mostly as written. Others, I used in part for sure, but mostly do my own adventures. I never really got into modules (other than a select few) prior to running some of Necromancer Games mods. Their modules, particularly in the Necroworld series, are just so damn good that for the purposes of nearly an entire campaign I used nothing but their modules.

-O
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Lord Dynel · Post by **Lord Dynel** » Tue May 26, 2009 11:48 pm

Pretty much what Omote said. I stated before that I use modules a lot these days, but I try to get my own twist on things. I remember the Rahib from Rahasia (BD&D module B7) ended up being the half-brother of the main villain in my campaign, who was my made-up BBEG.
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ThrorII · Post by **ThrorII** » Wed May 27, 2009 1:20 am

I don't "use" modules, I "rape the sh!t out of them" for ideas, maps, and then place them in my campaign world as I see fit.

For example, I am running a "version" of U3-Verdant Rage for my Verbobonc C&C campaign, set in the Gnarley Forest. I've used many of the encounters, changed much of the back story, and ditched the entire hook section.

Someone could probably have actually have played U3 and still not recognize it as I am running it.

That's how I do things. I take good ideas and make them mine. I don't have time to be completely creative, but I have enough time to be uniquely plageristic.

Egg of Coot · Post by **Egg of Coot** » Wed May 27, 2009 1:29 am

I'm first and foremost a collector these days - so I've got piles of modules all over the place. However, my tendency to use them these days is reflected by how much time I have to prepare for my games. If I have time, I usually concoct my own stuff. If I don't, I edit published material to meet my own needs. I rarely use any pre-made material straight from the book.

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CharlieRock · Post by **CharlieRock** » Wed May 27, 2009 1:32 am

Do y'all count T of A as a module?

*Towers of adventure
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serleran · Post by **serleran** » Wed May 27, 2009 1:57 am

I do not.
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tylermo · Post by **tylermo** » Wed May 27, 2009 2:14 am

Peter Bradley wrote: Not so much. I've relied on my own home brew 99% of the time. I've not actually run more than 3 modules in 30 years of gaming.

Does that include the time that your ran Shadows of Halfling Hall at DieCon 05, or did you run your own adventure. It's all a blur now.

On the topic of modules, I do prefer them. I did come up with some of my own Star Frontiers stuff for elementary and middle school students back in the day. No grand masterpieces I assure you. Maybe a few D&D, Star Wars, etc. For younger players, I suppose my adventures were okay. Either way, mod's are just easier for me to run and prepare. Tweaking might be needed from time to time, but otherwise I usually run as is. Keep those mods coming TLG! Love em'.

Frost · Post by **Frost** » Wed May 27, 2009 1:24 pm

I use modules all the time and always have. I've used plenty of home-brew dungeons over the years as well, but by and large, I rely on published works. I think I do so in part because that was how I was taught the game. My brother would pick up the latest TSR module and we'd roll up some PCs specifically to go through it. I never really played in a lengthy campaign until I took up the DM reigns (and even then, I based my campaign on the golden oldies modules).

As has been already said, at this point, with my wife and kids, I rely on them even more.

I do like tweaking them if I have time. I get a lot of enjoyment out of adding wilderness encounters or restocking the dungeon.

I also like the sort of communal aspect of published adventures. They allow GMs to swap stories of how the adventure went when they ran it.
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Lord Dynel · Post by **Lord Dynel** » Wed May 27, 2009 1:46 pm

I used to think that I might be a "lesser" sort, relying on pre-published sort. Or that I wasn't utilizing my imagination enough to use my own stuff. But I've been on both sides of this fence, and as long as the players enjoy themselves, and you (as a CK) are telling a great story (straight out of the module, or with your twists and turns added), then that's what matters in the end. In my case, time just got the better of me.

I think it doesn't make one a lesser GM for using published stuff, nor does it make one a greater GM for not using published adventures.
Sorry if this is out of left field - I know this hasn't even been insinuated, but I get a little weird when this topic comes up...mainly because I want to do my own stuff, but I just lack the time.

Don't mind me...I'm a little wacky today.
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Sundog · Post by **Sundog** » Wed May 27, 2009 5:38 pm

Ah, time. As precious as water in the Namib, and twice as quick to disappear on you.

Your pain. I feel it.

Frost · Post by **Frost** » Wed May 27, 2009 5:53 pm

I don't think anyone implied using published modules makes one a lesser GM, so no worries there, LD.

It takes more skill to run a published module well. In a home-made one, the GM has the privilege of knowing it all in his head and doesn't need to worry about making it his own because it is his own. However, no matter how great a published module is, it will come across as crap unless the GM came make it come alive.
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Lord Dynel · Post by **Lord Dynel** » Wed May 27, 2009 7:06 pm

Frost wrote:
I don't anyone implied using published modules makes one a lesser GM, so no worries there, LD.

It takes more skill to run a published module well. In a home-made one, the GM has the privilege of knowing it all in his head and doesn't need to worry about making it his own because it is his own. However, no matter how great a published module is, it will come across as crap unless the GM came make it come alive.

Indeed. I kind of feel that way, too, but I was afraid to mention it, because I didn't want it to sound like I was throwing down the gauntlet in a contest between the GMs that do and those that don't use their own material. You said it better than I would probably have.
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serleran · Post by **serleran** » Wed May 27, 2009 7:12 pm

I would not say it takes any more, or less, skill to use, or not use, a module -- either you are a good DM, or you are not. No amount of prepping, or lack of it, will change that.

And, then, it will still depend on who is playing with you... they may like the style, while someone else will not.
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Lord Dynel · Post by **Lord Dynel** » Wed May 27, 2009 7:19 pm

serleran wrote:
I would not say it takes any more, or less, skill to use, or not use, a module -- either you are a good DM, or you are not. No amount of prepping, or lack of it, will change that.

And, then, it will still depend on who is playing with you... they may like the style, while someone else will not.

Well, I don't want this thread to turn into a "what takes more skill" or "who are the more talented GM's" discussion. Of course I have zero power to prevent such a thing, however. We all have our own opinions on the matter.
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Buttmonkey · Post by **Buttmonkey** » Wed May 27, 2009 7:23 pm

Hmm... I should point out that although my preference generally is to run my own stuff, that doesn't mean I think my stuff is better than published modules. It's just easier for me to run my own stuff. I would enjoy running a module that I thought was really, really good, though.

Frost · Post by **Frost** » Wed May 27, 2009 7:25 pm

serleran wrote:
I would not say it takes any more, or less, skill to use, or not use, a module -- either you are a good DM, or you are not. No amount of prepping, or lack of it, will change that.

Yep, I agree, Ser. Well said. Please consider my "more" removed.
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