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From: scott@hou2g.UUCP (The Brennan Monster)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: Modules (Flame, really) and a 'Zine
Message-ID: <729@hou2g.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 10-Dec-85 11:14:08 EST
Article-I.D.: hou2g.729
Posted: Tue Dec 10 11:14:08 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 11-Dec-85 04:34:30 EST
References: <896@nmtvax.UUCP>
Organization: The Sol Cometary Halo
Lines: 59


From: pickle@nmtvax.UUCP -->

>   But anyway, regarding modules: is there anyone else out there that feels
>modules are worthless junk, and if the gaming community is going to get out
>of the amateur rut it's in, people have got to stop using them?

Well, I wouldn't go THAT far.  There are some great ideas in modules,
although as a whole, they have loads of problems.  They are still very
good for fledgling DMs.


>   Why am I hitting on modules?  Joe Blow goes out and buys a module.  He
>uses it, then files it away.  He buys another one, uses that.  Nothing he
>learned about being a DM from the first one carries over to the second.
>He never gets any better.

Not true.  If Joe Blow has no creativity, then sure.  But if he has no
creativity, he won't come up with anything on his own anyway.  I've used 
plenty of ideas from previous campaigns and modules in my current one.
The way I see it, there are two main problems with modules:

1.  They are often good time savers (populating dungeons, or at
    least rolling up mundane monsters and treasure, is tedious).
    However, this often leads to a laziness and lack of originality
    on the part of the DM.  This is, I think, your main objection.

2.  Modules are apallingly incomplete, especially on the above
    mentioned "mundane" details.  And the worst part is that often
    this incompleteness goes unnoticed on first reading of the thing.
    It isn't until later you run into trouble.  A typical description 
    may read "Room contains a bed, and desk with a false back containing 
    a ring of protection +1".  Of course, my players ask questions like 
    "Which way does the door open?", or "Is there anything on the walls", 
    or "What's in the drawers in the desk", etc.  I mean, how many rooms 
    contain nothing but a bed and a desk?

Of course, it could be argued that (2.) promotes quick thinking and
creativity on the part of the DM, but it's mostly a pain in the butt.:-)

I'm admittedly not a very experienced referee, but I haven't found it
too difficult to be creative.  I've been taking the best parts of modules 
(or sometimes whole ones) and integrating them together.  Add some overall
terrain, some towns, cities (changing module placenames to fit), a few
churches, a recurring villain perhaps, a quest or two, etc.  The in-between
adventuring can be "mini-dungeons" I create myself, and clues can be
planted in existing modules to entice the players from one locale to another.

Anyway, as you can see, I don't find modules wholly worthless on their own.
With a little work they can be used as frameworks for creating your own world.
Even Gygax has some good ideas once in a while. :-) 

				"Your Wand of Wonder has created
				 a stream of butterflies to further
				 enrage the advancing beholder..."

				 Scott J. Berry
				 ihnp4!hou2g!scott