The 5C's of Converting to 5E

 



A number of challenges come into play when looking back at old game modules and converting them to 5th edition. Without going into too much detail they fall into a few categories, which I refer to as the 5C’s of converting to 5E. 



  1. Capacity: The capacity of characters in 5e is greater than that of prior releases. This means that the party is better equipped to challenge the monsters if we keep everything on a one to one scale. 

  2. Clarity: A lot of the original modules were not exactly clear on how the game was to be run. This led to GM’s either going with a best guess as to what the writers intended, or trying to adjust on the fly to accommodate the particular game they were running. 

  3. Compensation: Due to the rule changes from the initial system to 5e a lot of tactical adjustments need to be made in order to ensure the game has the same tone, and challenge levels to it. 

  4. Canonization: Some of the original material as presented might be unacceptable/problematic to the modern audience for Dungeons & Dragons. 

  5. Continuity: The original lore/novelization may contradict what is allowed in D&D 5E



Let's look at Capacity first off. Given the original release of Dragonlance predates Feats being abilities for the characters we have to take these and other items into account. In addition more races are selectable under 5E rules than were initially allowed. 


I don’t recall anyone playing a goblin or other races that were considered to be monstrous in the early editions. Goblins, Hobgoblins, Minotaurs were not thought to be playable races. So the new game system opens the door for a lot of possibilities. 


This can make for a lot of interesting role playing experiences as many of the playable races aren’t native to Krynn. (Drow Elves, Tieflings, are two examples in the 5E Player's Handbook that aren’t found on Krynn, so some back story for how a character ended up in this world will be needed if a player wants to use one of them.) 


We can also look at recovery from fighting in this game as a significant increase in capacity as well. A long rest of eight hours will fully restore the PCs hit points. Prior editions would have required more time of rest in order to get back to 100% The group only needs to find a situation where they can lay low for eight  hours for a long rest to be good to go again.


So as we go through the revision process we need to identify these areas and make adjustments to ensure the game isn’t just a cake walk. 


The next thing is Clarity. Some of the older modules missed the mark on conveying information to the GM’s to effectively run the game. Older adventure modules also at times would have monsters who would have eaten one another living in close proximity. 


Modern gamers are going to spot this and call it out. So we need to correct those initial mistakes and make adjustments as needed. This can be done either narratively or by removing one or more of the scenarios. 


Additionally I’m going to attempt to clear up any areas of confusion that appear in the adventures so as to make the running of the game easier. 


Third is Compensation. The 5e write up of monsters differs from some earlier counterparts, so we need to adjust the tactical combat aspects to match those changes. I’ll be including pictures and examples for each encounter to provide a set up and feedback. 


Fourth is Canonization of older materials. For Dragonlance the Gully Dwarves have been cited as a pretty problematic race in terms of modern social norms. While some GM’s may opt to completely remove them from the game on moral grounds, I find this to be a particularly unimaginative approach, and also somewhat hypocritical in a fantasy game where players can play evil characters, commit murder, robbery and all sorts of other actions that would be considered unethical. So instead we will look for a solution to retcon any areas that are problematic. 


Last but not least is Continuity. The original setting was released along with accompanying novels that provided additional world and background information. This was very useful for players and the DM since you not only had the modules but also novels to help resolve any arguments/issues that came up at the table. 


WIth the changes brought forth with 5E we have a number of things that need to be retconned so they line up with the modern lore. Shadows of the Dragon Queen has a number of these things that we can visit.


As I move forward with this project I’ll be pointing out these areas and posting the fixes to each scenario as they appear in the context of the game.




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