This is a catch-all thread for anyone running older modules for the first time or doing so again after many years. I started running the Ravenloft modules again a couple of years ago. I started with The Book of Crypts, an anthology book of adventures. I made a point of running the adventures exactly as intended, in the style the writers had in mind (because I wanted my group to experience Ravenloft the way we would have been playing it when it was being published: I wanted them to have an experience of the stuff as primary texts to give them a glimpse of gaming in the 90s). My style has evolved a lot since then, and so it was interesting to try to return to that approach. I recently picked up Adam's Wrath. I recalled liking a lot of Lisa Smedman's stuff back then, and this was an adventure I remembered using at my table back in the day (I do know I ran it at least once or twice but most of my memories are how much use the book had as fodder for material after I ran it; a lot of these modules had parts you could extract and put into other adventures). I am going to read through it this afternoon and will probably post an update when I have run it.
If you've been running any of the older modules, feel free to share here.
I recently ran Steading of the Hill Giant Chief and White Plume Mountain. Both 5e conversions.
Hill giants was a blast. A stealth raid that forced the PCs to avoid a big or long fight.
White Plume Mountain was forgettable annd overly funhouse style for my liking. Three magic items are also a bit overpowered ( my PCs have no intention of returning them). Anyway those items make a nice excuse for additional adventures as original owners want them back.
I've been thinking of running the Slave Lords modules, using a rules set other than AD&D. Maybe 5e, maybe Castles & Crusades, maybe Olde Swords Reign.
Quote from: Ruprecht on March 09, 2025, 11:14:28 AMI recently ran Steading of the Hill Giant Chief and White Plume Mountain. Both 5e conversions.
Hill giants was a blast. A stealth raid that forced the PCs to avoid a big or long fight.
White Plume Mountain was forgettable annd overly funhouse style for my liking. Three magic items are also a bit overpowered ( my PCs have no intention of returning them). Anyway those items make a nice excuse for additional adventures as original owners want them back.
My brother ran a campaign on the idea that the players rarely return the artifacts.
It went in a Harry Potter direction, with the artifacts being part of a set of phylacteries for Keraptis.
He ran us through a bunch of the old modules with that setup being a link for them.
I've been running a Traveller campaign on the ship and I've run a number of CT modules mixed in with my own stuff. Off the top of my head, I've run Death Station (DA3) and Ship in the Lake (old zine adventure).
I've been running B10: Nights Dark Terror, it is great. Recommended. It is a small sandbox and beautifully concise exactly where it needs to be.
I've ran Tamoachan recently and it is a fun dungeon, also recommended. The railroady beginning is a bit force (it was a tournament module; no way to turn back). However, someone in the party MUST have a way of reading the language of the dungeon traps or they'll miss some.
Quote from: Ratman_tf on March 09, 2025, 09:47:18 PMMy brother ran a campaign on the idea that the players rarely return the artifacts.
It went in a Harry Potter direction, with the artifacts being part of a set of phylacteries for Keraptis.
He ran us through a bunch of the old modules with that setup being a link for them.
I like that. They recently defeated a Lich so it wouldn't be hard to put the phylacteries idea together. Thanks.
Currently running Isle of Dread in my Hyborian Age campaign. It's going great.
The Isle of Dread with DCC. Players decided to start by just going straight for the center of the Isle. That was a rude awakening for them.
Getting ready to start The Traveller Adventure with MgT2E. Group is completely new to the rules, but seem pretty excited.
I am currently running Ghosts of Saltmarsh transplanted to a fantasy version of the Caribbean around 1670 or so. One thing about it that is driving me nuts is how janky and weird the maps are. The mainland map has North on the right for some reason. The detail map of Ghostmarsh has North on the left side and looks completely different from the other maps. The terrain map for the area around the Lizardmen lair is flipped the other way. Why would they do it like this? Is rotating the map just too hard? The maps remind me of what I would quickly sketch out on my Chessex mat before the game. They are just really bare and crude looking. There's no effort at all to take advantage of the capabilities of the VTT at all. I have to redo the lighting layer on every map. It's all just so lazy and half-assed. Just import the image, put some lines for the wall on the lighting layer. Done. There's no thought put into it at all.
Expedition to Barrier Peaks and Age of Worms adventure path from Dungeon Magazine.
Currently running DCC-01 Idylls of the Rat King for my players after years of using a homebrew setting. Just needed something that didn't require me to come up with creative story lines while they just wanted to hit things with impunity. I really haven't had to tweak much for 5e 2014 PCs - most tweaks can just be handled in the moment.
I'm currently running Keep on the Borderlands with EZD6. It is going pretty smoothly. I've tied the chapel and priests in with a Lovecraftian entity that is causing a terrible winter to spread.
The characters are a lot more durable that I expected and magic is a game changer but the group is having a lot of fun with it.
Mark
Right now I'm working on getting the PCs to be able to survive the Bug City adventure. I have to see if there are any published adventures that they'll be able to do without a decker or gunbunny. IDK how I have two players that like to do computer-y type stuff, and one that typically veers toward the ass-kickers, yet I ended up with an aspected mage, a shaman, and a physical adept.
Just finished running S4 Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth and WG4 Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun using Castles & Crusades
I don't "run" older modules per se, I incorporate them into an ongoing campaign without announcing them. Like, the party is trudging through a mystical forest I might look at B3 and restock it with relevant bad guys. In a vampire world I needed the "Baths of Salazzaar", a bastion for the undead creature known as Bishop Vullen. WG4 worked nicely for my martial order of ghouls, vampire knights, and terror gnomes. I've cribbed Black Sword and Stealer of Souls numerous times for their elements, Nadsokor, Org, merchants assassinating each other. But I never ever say we are running a particular adventure for the day. The fun part for me is when the PCs figure out where they actually are, when they recognize the place.
Quote from: the crypt keeper on March 12, 2025, 10:24:44 AMI don't "run" older modules per se, I incorporate them into an ongoing campaign without announcing them. Like, the party is trudging through a mystical forest I might look at B3 and restock it with relevant bad guys. In a vampire world I needed the "Baths of Salazzaar", a bastion for the undead creature known as Bishop Vullen. WG4 worked nicely for my martial order of ghouls, vampire knights, and terror gnomes. I've cribbed Black Sword and Stealer of Souls numerous times for their elements, Nadsokor, Org, merchants assassinating each other. But I never ever say we are running a particular adventure for the day. The fun part for me is when the PCs figure out where they actually are, when they recognize the place.
so...no.
Quote from: blackstone on March 12, 2025, 01:24:55 PMQuote from: the crypt keeper on March 12, 2025, 10:24:44 AMI don't "run" older modules per se, I incorporate them into an ongoing campaign without announcing them. Like, the party is trudging through a mystical forest I might look at B3 and restock it with relevant bad guys. In a vampire world I needed the "Baths of Salazzaar", a bastion for the undead creature known as Bishop Vullen. WG4 worked nicely for my martial order of ghouls, vampire knights, and terror gnomes. I've cribbed Black Sword and Stealer of Souls numerous times for their elements, Nadsokor, Org, merchants assassinating each other. But I never ever say we are running a particular adventure for the day. The fun part for me is when the PCs figure out where they actually are, when they recognize the place.
so...no.
Your games must be dreadful. So now you want to debate what "running" a module actually entails?
I'm currently in the middle book of the Volturnus Trilogy from early 1980s' Star Frontiers.