Freeze Dried Adventures - Just Add Awesome

As I gear up for my groups's next campaign, an Ars Magica saga set in 12th Century, Southern Scandinavia I have entitled, "Something Rotten in Denmark", I log on to find the internet abuzz (the D&D gaming portions of it anyway) with posts on one party's experience with James Mal's Dwimmermount and some excellent, though more general, comments about pre-published adventure modules in general.

Now I can not speak on the nature of the Dwimmermount adventure itself. I have neither read it nor played it. I was not there to witness it being played by the periodically troublemaking and often humorous Joethelawyer.

I can only talk about modules and how I feel about them. 

I have, in the past 35 years, used professionally published modules on several occasions. Now wait, stay with me and don't pass out. That statement, while completely true, comes with an addendum. In those aforementioned three and a half decades, I have never, EVER run a module straight without any adjustments or modifications. I honestly didn't know anyone ever did that until I was in my late teens. How could you? Who would do such a thing?

Apparently...gamers.

I always figured the reason for the plethora of empty rooms was so you, the GM, could put stuff in them. Call me crazy, call me irresponsible but if that wasn't what they were for, what the heck were they for?

Making adventures is easy for me but even I can use a kick start once in a while. Sometimes I just need a little jolt to the imagination to get the engine running full tilt.  Modules always served that purpose when I was stalled for an idea or, more commonly, when I had a dozen epic and awesome ideas but no simple, straightforward one to start the campaign rolling.

I have never used a module for Ars Magica. While I am certain Lion Rampart, White Wolf, WotC and Atlas Games have all produced fantastic adventures for the game, I haven't run and of them and don't intend to. I just don't really need them.

I do want to look at new rules mechanics and systems for alternative magic, especially as different regions and folklore had different beliefs in what magic was, how it worked and what it could do. I love reading the history in the supplements covering various areas of the world. I am curious to see any book that describes mythical creatures native to unique areas.

I do love sourcebooks. Sourcebooks help me generate adventures. So I don't need adventures.

Just some thoughts for the night. More Ars Magica as pre-production is finalized and we get ready to go live...

AD
Barking Alien