Author Topic: Ready to Run Adventures?  (Read 1177 times)

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Offline Tywyll

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Ready to Run Adventures?
« on: February 06, 2022, 08:52:14 AM »
Despite my love for RM and MERP, one of the things that has always kind of bugged me is that they never really created 'ready to run' modules. Don't get me wrong, the setting details in the MERP and Shadow World modules was well done and an interesting read, but if I buy an adventure, I don't want 30+ pages that include things like the map of the good king's castle (that will never be used 98% of the time), flora & fauna, political systems, etc and only 1-4 pages of scant adventure ideas that require me to do a ton of prep work.

I mean, that was fine when I was in HS or Uni, but I've got a kid and a job and a family. I barely get a 3 hour session, much less tons of free time to flesh out an adventure skeleton!

I yearn for RM adventures written similar to D&D style modules with a few pages of setting but the meat of it focused on the adventure(s).

Are there any old RM/MERP modules that were written this way? What about fan creations?  I know there were two SW modules that primarily focused on adventures, but other than them?

Offline Hurin

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Re: Ready to Run Adventures?
« Reply #1 on: February 06, 2022, 09:37:21 AM »
I agree that this is one of the things that RM lacks, imho.

Some of the Tales of the Loremasters books have adventures that are short and sometimes have minimaps or villages or caves. Unfortunately, they still often conform to the standard RM layout of 'The Tale', 'the Task', 'the Reward', etc., rather than being organized by area the players will encounter.

Terry's more recent 'Tales from the Green Gryphon Inn' has more boxed text for its adventures like DnD modules, and those adventures are all set in the area around the Green Gryphon Inn, which is meant as a starter area. So that might be your best bet.
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Offline Spectre771

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Re: Ready to Run Adventures?
« Reply #2 on: February 07, 2022, 03:42:42 PM »
The Shadow World Companions have adventures in them.  Tales From the Green Gryphon Inn is well fleshed out and incredibly detailed.  My favourite is still Quellbourne.  I've used sections of it throughout many campaigns and I've been looking at a way to work out the entire book into a single campaign without the players knowing they are on a "module" type campaign.
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Offline Hurin

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Re: Ready to Run Adventures?
« Reply #3 on: February 07, 2022, 08:39:13 PM »
Props to Quellbourne from me too... lots of good stuff in there!
'Last of all, Húrin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed'. --J.R.R. Tolkien

'Every party needs at least one insane person.'  --Aspen of the Jade Isle

Offline MisterK

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Re: Ready to Run Adventures?
« Reply #4 on: February 07, 2022, 11:48:34 PM »
Tales From the Green Gryphon Inn is well fleshed out and incredibly detailed.
I wouldn't say "incredibly detailed". The adventure seeds in TftGG are a shadow of what, say, the Adventure Paths modules for Pathfinder RPG can provide, and I suspect the OP is expecting that kind of things.

As far as I'm concerned, I would rather have engaging regional modules without adventure seeds but plenty of details that say "hey, hey, look at me, I'm an adventure in waiting !" (Shadowrun Seattle Sourcebook, anyone ?), but if we absolutely need to have ready-to-run adventure modules, then I'd rather have an AP-like product than what currently exists in the SW catalog.

Offline Tywyll

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Re: Ready to Run Adventures?
« Reply #5 on: February 08, 2022, 10:12:57 AM »
Tales From the Green Gryphon Inn is well fleshed out and incredibly detailed.
I wouldn't say "incredibly detailed". The adventure seeds in TftGG are a shadow of what, say, the Adventure Paths modules for Pathfinder RPG can provide, and I suspect the OP is expecting that kind of things.

As far as I'm concerned, I would rather have engaging regional modules without adventure seeds but plenty of details that say "hey, hey, look at me, I'm an adventure in waiting !" (Shadowrun Seattle Sourcebook, anyone ?), but if we absolutely need to have ready-to-run adventure modules, then I'd rather have an AP-like product than what currently exists in the SW catalog.

Honestly I don't even need something as involved as a PF AP. I would be plenty happy with just something at the level of Keep on the Borderlands. I mean, don't get me wrong, a RM AP would be epic. Like I said, it's been a long time since I had the free time to craft my own adventures thanks to work, family, kids, etc. I would love to just pick up a scenario and go and I was always so sad that RM never gave us that (bar maybe the Loremaster modules and even they are only so-so). I get it, Terry loves deep backstory and all that, but if I'm running my own setting/campaign, really I need a ready to run bandit camp/dungeon/high-stakes heist at a nobles gala/etc.

One of the issues I have with the Loremaster modules is that, most of the scenarios are so location-specific it's hard to work them in to an existing campaign or reskin them for a different setting.

Offline Hurin

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Re: Ready to Run Adventures?
« Reply #6 on: February 08, 2022, 10:35:51 AM »
Yes, I understand what you mean.

There is also The Grand Campaign, which seems like an attempt to create a kind of Adventure Path. It is incomplete, and not fleshed out to anywhere near the detail of a PF AP, but it might be of use.
'Last of all, Húrin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed'. --J.R.R. Tolkien

'Every party needs at least one insane person.'  --Aspen of the Jade Isle

Offline MisterK

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Re: Ready to Run Adventures?
« Reply #7 on: February 08, 2022, 01:10:38 PM »
Maybe Vog Mur ? It does not have an adventure structure, but the islands are very well detailed, there are plenty of NPCs, and some of the possible hooks are fairly obvious given the location and the various factions.

I have a special place in my heart for Vog Mur - it was the module that introduced me to Shadow World *and* Rolemaster (it was in the 1984 boxed set), and some of the NPCs referenced therein (Elor, Voriig Kye) are infamous in the general Shadow World lore. It was also the first Rolemaster scenario I GMed, at a time when I was probably a pretty poor GM :D

Offline Hurin

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Re: Ready to Run Adventures?
« Reply #8 on: February 08, 2022, 01:23:57 PM »
I think it used to be packaged with the Rolemaster rules? I remember running it too, and good times.
'Last of all, Húrin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed'. --J.R.R. Tolkien

'Every party needs at least one insane person.'  --Aspen of the Jade Isle

Offline Tywyll

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Re: Ready to Run Adventures?
« Reply #9 on: February 13, 2022, 06:31:26 PM »
Yes, I understand what you mean.

There is also The Grand Campaign, which seems like an attempt to create a kind of Adventure Path. It is incomplete, and not fleshed out to anywhere near the detail of a PF AP, but it might be of use.

I have been trying to find that recently. Most of the links are dead. I have found a few parts. Can you recommend a host?

Offline Hurin

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Re: Ready to Run Adventures?
« Reply #10 on: February 13, 2022, 09:39:40 PM »

I have been trying to find that recently. Most of the links are dead. I have found a few parts. Can you recommend a host?

It is available on the downloads section of these very forums (The Vault), here I think:

https://ironcrown.co.uk/ICEforums/index.php?action=tportal;sa=download;dl=item842
'Last of all, Húrin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed'. --J.R.R. Tolkien

'Every party needs at least one insane person.'  --Aspen of the Jade Isle