To mod or not to mod...

Omote · Post by **Omote** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:19 pm

Do you use adventure modules in your C&C game?

It seems like many people on these boards are a bit old school and therefore tend to use adventure modules. Some CKs don't use adventure modules at all, and others just use mods for ideas in their own adventures.

Where do you fall?
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Omote · Post by **Omote** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:21 pm

To be honest, I rarely use adventure modules at all. I have run a few from time to time, but mostly use them if I get into a pinch for ideas. I have mined plenty of mods for ideas, but generally just make up my own stuff.

..................................................Omote

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rabindranath72 · Post by **rabindranath72** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:40 pm

Usually I do not have time to prepare games, so modules are welcome if I just have to read them.

Cheers,

Antonio

Orpheus · Post by **Orpheus** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:44 pm

When I was a teenager and played 2nd edition we never used modules. In fact we played what I would call "Jazz Modules." Basically we had a shell of a story and just improvised around it. "Yeah man. Like reading charts and playin' changes. Dig it." *snaps fingers* 8) Since I've gotten back into gaming I've been using mods since I don't really have the time outside of school to do make my own "skeletons" any more even. This is my last full semester however, and I expect to be making my own stuff again soon. Until then: It's all mods.

DangerDwarf · Post by **DangerDwarf** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:47 pm

I use mods pretty frequently. I work 14-16 hour days, have two little kids. The mods save me time, they're convenient, and I use 'em.

I don't always use them as is, but if nothing else, they do half the prep work for me.

Jungger · Post by **Jungger** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:29 pm

Wife and kid(s) make mods more and more attractive although I will make my own adventure if an idea hits me. When I was a kid and teenager we always made our own.

Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:45 pm

Mods are always the "core idea" for me. Then my players and I typically add on to it as I modify things to fit their specific actions and work towards goals.

If its a module that I don't like I re-write it to where I do like it and still get to use the maps, NPC's, and other things that may have been included in the adventure.

Which is why it is hard for me to hate a module. Even if I don't like it as is I still get good use out of it with some simple re-writing.

I used to do adventures right off the top of my head, and still do, but because I am using a module as my base line it is more improv than out right raw creation.

Plus with all the accessories I have bought, dungeon tiles, Dungeon Mag's map of mysteries, FatDragon Games tiles, etc... even if I were to do something off the top of my head I would still base it on something I pull from all my accessory products I have bought.

So I'll never do something from complete scratch again. At the very least I'll use material from something as my basis. Usually some map from some source.

Besides, I enjoy the exercise of this kind of mental "jigsaw" and fitting all the pieces together.

Like I had a lot of fun coming up with story plots to fit a series of modules I used in my last Wilderlands Campaign based on a bunch of my favorite Necromancer modules (Crucible of Freya, Morrick Mansion, Lost City of Barakus, Grey Citadel, Rappan Athuk (Upper Levels), and Tomb of Abysthor).

With my current campaign I intended on using the "A" series as the core of my campaign, but I have had to seriously alter things and have added in Mysterious Tower, Palace of Shadows, Halfing's Hall, Fingers of the Hand, and the Against the Giants series. Plus filled in a few spots with Brian's Killer Cave series (fits in great almost anywhere along Blacktooth Ridge). Its been plenty of fun for me to come up with plots to join these modules together.

I like it when I know where I want things to go, but have fun finding out along with my players how we are going to actually get there.

Rigon · Post by **Rigon** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 8:37 pm

I tend to write my own mods, but if I find one that I really like, I'll use it.

R-
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serleran · Post by **serleran** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 8:46 pm

I own very many modules, read them, shred them for the juicy parts, which is typically about 10% of the whole thing, and make my own adventures/settings/games. I look at modules as mini-sourcebooks, seeing as I'd have to modify things anyway to get them to work right, I figure I'd better just take what I like, and leave the rest as dross.

Tadhg · Post by **Tadhg** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:03 pm

In the past and up until recently I use them extensively and have enjoyed doing so. They provide the lion's share of the work necessary to run a game, so I think they're valuable for me.

Having said that, I've always tweaked/changed/added/deleted sections of a mod,l particulary - dungeons. That comes from B1. Ever since preparing that complex I many times change/modify or populate dungeons in my own way.

I also usually never roll encounters, I just pick them from the charts to suit our group and individual players.

Lately, I've been creating in-game mini encounters and linking various modules into our Aihrde/Blacktooth Ridge campaign world and it's been great for me and the players. But I don't expect to ever write my own mods, there are too many masters at that craft and I will just use those.

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Maliki · Post by **Maliki** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:01 pm

Treebore wrote:
Mods are always the "core idea" for me. Then my players and I typically add on to it as I modify things to fit their specific actions and work towards goals.

This pretty much sums it up for me.
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pineappleleader · Post by **pineappleleader** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:24 am

I mostly use modules. Most of the encounters are already pretty well balanced and set up. If I find something that I really feel doesn't fit, I change it. Mostly I change the type and amount of treasure found.

Modules save time.
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moriarty777 · Post by **moriarty777** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 12:33 pm

It depends for me... I like using mods as what appears to be one shots but do a bit more extra work to link them up. However, if I'm running a longer series of mods then a heck of a lot gets modified and changed or I simply use some of the ideas and a few things set up and build up around it 'in my own image' so to speak.

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Omote · Post by **Omote** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 12:50 pm

I'm actually surprised to see that not that many people "write" their own mods. Writing your own mod could be as simple as a few pages of notes, or even less.

I would go as far to say that finding a cool dungeon map in a mod, and then completey changing it up and including your own adventure references is writing your own mod.

Personally I think there has only been one mod I've ever run pretty much BTB, and that would have to be Keep on the Borderlands, and that was back in the day. I'm currently retooling Keep on the Borderlands to fit with 01 Games massive Caverns of Chaos maps. But to be honest, the entire run up to the caverns and the caverns themselves are almost 100% my own.

...............................................Omote

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moriarty777 · Post by **moriarty777** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 12:57 pm

Omote wrote:
I'm actually surprised to see that not that many people "write" their own mods. Writing your own mod could be as simple as a few pages of notes, or even less.

I hear what you're saying ... and way back when I shortly started to play AD&D. I used to do a lot more of home brew adventures. I was also in highschool back then and had a lot more free time than I currently do. These days, my day job is really keeping me busy and I've got a whole lot of other projects on the go. These days, I rather pick up a mod and make changes here and there and run with that. It's really quick and easy to do so... especially with C&C. Things should calm down for me in the next 4-5 weeks so I expect I'll be back at doing a lot more home brew stuff.

Moriarty the Red
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Omote · Post by **Omote** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:17 pm

moriarty777, not that that is a bad thing. We've all been there.

I was just commenting on this because of all the fantastic ideas I see fly around here on a daily basis. Honestly, it seemed that many of us were our own module writers. Just thought that was interesting.

...................................................Omote

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moriarty777 · Post by **moriarty777** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:34 pm

Omote wrote:
moriarty777, not that that is a bad thing. We've all been there.

I was just commenting on this because of all the fantastic ideas I see fly around here on a daily basis. Honestly, it seemed that many of us were our own module writers. Just thought that was interesting.

That's an interesting observation, and I'm sure we've all been more than a little creative too.
Actually, when things calm down a bit, I hope to polish one of my original creations and see how far I can take it.

M
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Zudrak · Post by **Zudrak** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 2:30 pm

I use modules practically all the time, it's what I've always done since re-capturing the gaming spirit in 2000 after a 10-year hiatus. When I originally played (1980-1990), I used modules until the higher levels, when I'd start improvising with planar travel, etc. After I got comfortable, I'd create some low-level ones as well.

I've yet to try that beyond adding onto a module to make it better gel with the campaign, but I've some ideas brewing. Finding time to turn those ideas into a "work" is the missing link right now.
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gideon_thorne · Post by **gideon_thorne** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 2:37 pm

Omote wrote:
I'm actually surprised to see that not that many people "write" their own mods. Writing your own mod could be as simple as a few pages of notes, or even less.

Generally, because the technical aspects of module writing tend to be overwhelming, most folks dont put it all down on paper. Im in the 'write my own' category. But much of my material is so daunting to put forth, and there is such a volume of it, I may be able to only offer snippets.

Then again, not everyone is a detail maniac like me.
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