I just got picked to run a short 3-4 month The Dark Eye campaign for my weeknight group.  The thing is, I've got no idea what makes TDE different from Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Golarion, etc.

Are TDE adventures different in some way other than no mind flayers or beholders?  Are they still focused on dungeons and dragons and the 'murderhobo' lifestyle, or is there something more to it like Symbaroum or Anima: Beyond Fantasy have to their settings? 

I've got a couple books on the way, which I'm sure will give me the basics, but anyone here really into TDE that can give me some pointers?

Much more grounded in reality then you normal D&D settings.

Combat is less common then in D&D and though characters look tougher at a first read they can go down fast if out numbered. Magic use is less common since you don't have a lot of magic points for spell casting and by default only regain 1d6 per day so if you blow through all you magic energy early on your going to have to either spend a few days not casting to build them back up or you are going to be very limited every day. You also heal 1d6 per day as well which sounds like a lot but after a fight or two you'll realize is not.

The ability to use your skills to avoid combat or to ambush your foes is important. Many adventures you will find the need to talk, investigate, research, and sneak about are easily as if not more important then fighting.

Do you plan on running any of the prewritten adventures or the Theater Knights campaign?

Here's a playlist of vidoes about the lore and rules https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdQASoSnolc&list=PL5dsO3_-0AJqKCg6BQXqMdDqeW579sFTt

Thanks.

I have the pdfs of Revelations from Heaven and Arivor's Doom as well as Tales of Dragons and Thieves.  I was about to start reading them to see what some official material looked like.

Aventuria has a very uniquely German flavour. Very Brothers Grimm, very folksy. In many ways you can think of it as a not fucked up Old World from Warhammer Fantasy.

My recommendation would be to dive into the rich setting material. The rules are not that special.

I quite like Aventuria as a setting.  It has a very uniquely European flavor which really helps it stand out from other games.

I really agree with the assessment that Aventuria feels like a more optimistic Warhammer Fantasy Old World.  Things are still pretty fucked up, but there is at least a light at the end of the tunnel.

My core book came and I'm reading though that atm.  I like the more low-keyness of the setting.  I can definitely see the folklore influence.

The players just told me they would rather do something more story focused instead of a sandbox.  Are any of the published adventures long enough for a campaign?  Are they any good?  I'm ok with changing things if it needs tweaking, but if I'm changing more than I'm keeping I'll just make my own stuff up from the start.

The Theater Knights is the major one. There are six parts to it and short adventure that is a prelude. There is also another short adventure set in the same city as the prelude and the opening of the actual campaign.

Same city - A Goblin More or Less (PDF only at this time https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/186863/The-Dark-Eye--A-Goblin-More-or-Less?cPath=5805_208)
Prelude - The Thorwal Drum (PDF only at this time https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/187602/The-Dark-Eye--The-Thorwal-Drum?term=The+Thorwal&cPath=5805_208)
Book about the setting and background of the campaign - Legacy of the Theater Knights (physical and PDF available)
Theater Knights Part 1: The White Lake (physical and PDF available)
Theater Knights II: The Blue Tome (physical and PDF available)
Theater Knights III: The Black Forest (physical and PDF available)
Parts 4-6 were part of the most recent crowdfunding on https://www.gameontabletop.com/cf404/the-dark-eye-gods-of-aventuria-eng.html (I don't know when the books are expected to be released)

I picked up the three core books a year or so back when my FLGS had them, the game didn't take off in our area. Honestly I haven't even read through the books, how hard would it be to run something sandboxy with the system?

Quote from: lordmalachdrim on October 28, 2020, 04:21:55 PM
The Theater Knights is the major one.

The Order of the Theater Knights sounds odd and slightly silly to my ear. Am I missing something? Does it sound better in German? Or is it supposed to be a bit silly, like Ducks in Glorantha?

Quote from: Bren on October 29, 2020, 09:29:14 PM

Quote from: lordmalachdrim on October 28, 2020, 04:21:55 PM
The Theater Knights is the major one.

The Order of the Theater Knights sounds odd and slightly silly to my ear. Am I missing something? Does it sound better in German? Or is it supposed to be a bit silly, like Ducks in Glorantha?

They were an order of the Knights of Rondra who were based out of an actual theater.

Although there is definitely some subtle silliness in Aventuria if you pick up on some of the little bits floating around...

Quote from: Arkansan on October 29, 2020, 03:26:25 PM
I picked up the three core books a year or so back when my FLGS had them, the game didn't take off in our area. Honestly I haven't even read through the books, how hard would it be to run something sandboxy with the system?

Why would the system be a hindrance? It's a rich setting with 35+ years of history. Have at it.

Quote from: Nerzenjäger on October 30, 2020, 02:24:49 AM

Quote from: Arkansan on October 29, 2020, 03:26:25 PM
I picked up the three core books a year or so back when my FLGS had them, the game didn't take off in our area. Honestly I haven't even read through the books, how hard would it be to run something sandboxy with the system?

Why would the system be a hindrance? It's a rich setting with 35+ years of history. Have at it.

Mostly what I was getting at is how crunchy mechanically is it, and what is the implied play style like.

Fairly crunchy but you should have the hang of it within a session, as long as you don't use the optional rules. If you a reading the book and start feeling overwhelmed by a some rules or such double check because you are likely reading optional, level 2 or level 3 rules which all add to the complexity very quickly. The core book does a good job of giving a check list in the back of all these rules in that book. Supplements are mostly composed of these rules.

Quote from: moonsweeper on October 29, 2020, 11:25:31 PMThey were an order of the Knights of Rondra who were based out of an actual theater.

Interesting. That sounds more Cyrano de Bergerac than Medieval Germany to me. What was the reason for using a theater? Were they actors who were also knights or knights who were also actors?

The adventure below is also a side quest that is part of the Theater Knights campaign.

Turnip Harvest
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/223348/The-Dark-Eye--Turnip-Harvest

The order of the Theater Knights was founded at the theater of the city of Arivor. As far as I can tell this location has no significance. It seems to be a weird bit of realism. 12 important people want to start a club and they needed a neutral place with a bit of gravitas and a bit of room to gather.

It might be a reference to the foundation of an actual historical German knightly order, or an in-joke, or they looked at a map of Arivor and decided that seemed to be the most sensible location.