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Old 08-09-2013, 07:42 AM   #1
korbeau
 
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Default [Adventure] Modules or Seeds?

Be honest, what's your preference?
1) Complete Adventure Module or Adventure Seed
2) Why?

The main reason of this question is for my website - 2 of my players thinks I should convert our adventures into "modules" and put it on the web and the 2 others thinks I should just put a resumé of the quest (as an adventure seed) and build a "Campaign Seeds" for the website.
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Old 08-09-2013, 07:57 AM   #2
robkelk
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Default Re: [Adventure] Modules or Seeds?

I can make an adventure seed grow into something I can use in one of my gameworlds.

I would have to strip off any parts of a fully-written adventure that don't match my game, and then replace those parts with something I created myself... and that process pretty much turns a full adventure into an adventure seed in the process.

So why ask you to do extra work that I'd just end up throwing away? I prefer adventure seeds.
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Old 08-09-2013, 09:24 AM   #3
Fred Brackin
 
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Default Re: [Adventure] Modules or Seeds?

Quote:
Originally Posted by korbeau View Post
Be honest, what's your preference?
1) Complete Adventure Module or Adventure Seed
2) Why?

The main reason of this question is for my website - 2 of my players thinks I should convert our adventures into "modules" and put it on the web and the 2 others thinks I should just put a resumé of the quest (as an adventure seed) and build a "Campaign Seeds" for the website.
Clever ideas for adventures are a dime a dozen except people usually give them away so they're actually cheaper than that.

Detailed plans (Encounter A->Encounter B->Encounter C) for running specific adventures are not a dime-a-dozen and in fact there tends to be a shortage of people selling them.
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Old 08-09-2013, 10:13 AM   #4
ericthered
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Default Re: [Adventure] Modules or Seeds?

I prefer a very well built adventure seed: building everything all the way out restrains it too much and is just as much work to use past a certain point---

but too often seeds are too short and not thought out. A good adventure seed should include a hook, an objective, an obstacle, and a twist. Many people think that just one of those is sufficient. I argue you need at least 3.
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Old 08-11-2013, 05:48 AM   #5
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Default Re: [Adventure] Modules or Seeds?

I find the Savage Worlds "Plot Point" and "One-Sheet" styles to work best for me - more than a seed, less than a fully detailed adventure. They include the important plotlines and stats, but keep it loose enough to drop into my campaign.

(Though this can certainly be somewhat system-specific - some systems need a lot more balancing of encounters vs. party strength.)
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Old 08-11-2013, 06:55 AM   #6
rust
 
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Default Re: [Adventure] Modules or Seeds?

Quote:
Originally Posted by korbeau View Post
Be honest, what's your preference?
1) Complete Adventure Module or Adventure Seed
2) Why?
I actually prefer what I call "situations", detailed locations with an ongoing
event and detailed persons involved in it, something I can easily adapt for
my campaign. An example could be a lordling's keep besieged by an angry
mob of peasants, or a merchant ship and its crew preparing for a voyage
to a far off destination.
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Old 08-11-2013, 11:21 AM   #7
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Default Re: [Adventure] Modules or Seeds?

When I was an AD&D man, I liked full modules, which I could cannibalize for maps, locations, NPCs, magic items, and anything else interesting before leaving the husk behind.

With GURPS, though, I find one-sheets or seeds much, much more useful.

In a focused game like AD&D, the Orcs in the module are extremely likely to be just like the Orcs in my game (for example), so everything fits easily. In a generic game like GURPS, there is no guarantee the world of the module and the world of my game will be close in any way, shape, or form, so full modules will probably be 94% incompatible.
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Old 08-12-2013, 09:49 PM   #8
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Default Re: [Adventure] Modules or Seeds?

Quote:
Originally Posted by korbeau View Post
Be honest, what's your preference?
1) Complete Adventure Module or Adventure Seed
2) Why?

The main reason of this question is for my website - 2 of my players thinks I should convert our adventures into "modules" and put it on the web and the 2 others thinks I should just put a resumé of the quest (as an adventure seed) and build a "Campaign Seeds" for the website.
I don't tend to use published settings. My homebrew settings aren't likely to be compatible with any assumptions you make about the world and its' functioning. If I'm looking for inspiration, seeds/situations are more efficient than adventures/modules would be.
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Old 08-15-2013, 12:58 PM   #9
nuulak
 
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Default Re: [Adventure] Modules or Seeds?

I personally prefer seeds with all of the crunchy bits of modules.

my ideal would be, here is the map that we used, here is a chart for random encounters and some of the unique things that I used, such as room descriptions and then leave me rest of fill out.

that way while it was not originally my idea I can easily convert the plans into something that I am going to use. I could change minor things without getting the, that isn't part of this module from my players that like to read through everything ahead of time.
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Old 08-16-2013, 01:28 PM   #10
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Default Re: [Adventure] Modules or Seeds?

Quote:
Originally Posted by rust View Post
I actually prefer what I call "situations", detailed locations with an ongoing event and detailed persons involved in it, something I can easily adapt for
my campaign. An example could be a lordling's keep besieged by an angry
mob of peasants, or a merchant ship and its crew preparing for a voyage
to a far off destination.
Agree with this. When I'm between games I try to write down any interesting one liner that pops into my head that could be expanded on. I'll then take those and expand them into a list of "Situations" that I can use during a campaign. Those situations are then a little more fleshed out as to make for realistic world going-ons and provide more details/hooks to help weave it into the current adventure.


Example:
The one-liner: Burial Ceremony for a great knight of the realm

Expanded Situation: The knight's wife and heir are present, and both being secretly targeted for assassination shortly by another heir next in line for the knights' title/lands. Much cloak and dagger is afoot along with possible outright thuggery. There is also a mistress skulking around the fringes of the cemetary secretly grieving.

Current adventure: Characters are trying to recover a town relic belonging to a remote village with ancient lore and mystery surrounding it. Characters travel to a neighbouring realm on clue that a noble man may have info on it's last whereabouts.

How I might end up using of Funeral Situation:
The PCs come to town only to find the noble has died. They attend the funeral, get caught up in the assassination plot and possibly steal/buy/trade info or a map or something (originally belonging to the knight) from the widow they save or the bad guys they help which will aid their quest.



So I guess I'm saying one liners are good, but a list of "Situations" are better.

Last edited by Cpt_Clyde; 08-16-2013 at 01:36 PM.
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