Saturday, May 15, 2010

General Purpose Adventure Modules

While I like a well designed adventure module the ones I prize are those that can be easily adapted to the circumstances of my campaign. Many times when I need a bandit stronghold I goto the Secret of the Slaver Stockade and alter a few things to fit the situation.

Some common situations have not had little if any support from adventure modules. What would you like to see covered? For example an orc infested forest, bandit stronghold, wizard tower, etc. While the module would be a standalone adventure it would offer replay value in that you can reuse it another campaign or locale.

I plan to incorporate some of these ideas into the upcoming Scourge of the Demon Wolf. Along with the adventure you get a crossroads hamlet, a typical village, a conclave of magic users, a beggar encampment, and possibly the bandit cave as well. The full details are written up in appendixes after the adventure proper. For the future I would like to know what type of locales you would find useful.

2 comments:

FrDave said...

In my own sandbox campaign, I am always scrounging for lairs. My players often turn a simple wilderness encounter into a quest to find the source of that encounter, and more importantly, the treasure therein.

redbeard said...

Roadside inns. Some are in hazardous places and need to be more than one building. Others may be part of a ruler's network, the way the Roman empire apparently supported a transportation structure for couriers.

Sunday Markets: when local farmers, the traveling tinkerer, their customers and others that sell to/prey on them all show up.

Frequent unRandom encounters:
merchant caravans, patrols from the local lord, farmers to market, etc.