I’ve been rereading some 2e modules and their format makes so much more sense to my brain. Each room’s features are described within. Monster stats, other than bosses, are in the rooms. Scale is clear, descriptions are colorful but still make sense. There is FLAVOR.

Maybe it works for me because it is more literary? It feels more like reading a book—I grasp the overall story much faster, it feels much more at-a-glance.

I’m remembering how grab-and-go this felt, whereas now I often look at hours and hours of prep for most sessions.

Some of it, too, is that it feels less objective. The difference in maps encapsulate this well—some 2e maps are on a 3/4 angle to show height and depth, as well as the view of the outside of the dungeon. Current TTRPG maps are literally top-down. Factual.

There’s a romanticism to the older adventures, even in their abbreviated, snug formats and their heavy-ink art. Synesthetically, they feel like rich, smooth drinking chocolate. Warm and rich and coating your mind in a sweet bath of imagination.

I understand the trend and the necessity of the last few years in gaming toward being clear and more clinical with rules/settings/adventures. But sometimes it feels like a glass of tap water in a cafeteria-issued plastic cup versus a porcelain mug of drinking chocolate.

(Note: this isn’t a negative critique of any single system/edition/publisher/etc. It’s a general trend toward clarity that is inevitable with increased popularity and making information accessible and consistent to players. And many people VASTLY prefer it.)

Thus concludes Jen’s late-night thoughts about adventures older than many people reading this thread as drinking chocolate.

Quarantine is going well today. Clearly.