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<blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 5758487" data-attributes="member: 22779"><p>How are the challenges you face resolved by going to bed?</p><p></p><p>In what way are the challenges you face designed by a single individual and based around pre-defined themes?</p><p></p><p>Sure, it's easy to be glib, but, I think that there really is an issue here that keeps getting avoided. So often I see people, including some in this thread, claim that their games don't have any story. Which is utter ballocks on the face of it. It's simply not true.</p><p></p><p>So, again, how can you have an RPG without a story?</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Oh, agreed, there are good adventures and bad adventures. But, claiming that there is no story in Keep on the Borderlands is ignoring the actual text. There are a number of stories in there. And, let's not forget, KotB was deliberately left half finished as a means of "training" new DM's. DM's are SUPPOSED to supply a story to finish that module. </p><p></p><p>Look at GDQ - very definite thread of a story throughout the entire series of modules. And, generally considered one of the top three modules ever produced. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>See, this is where the problem lies. The thought that story=railroad. Look at KotB again. It's not a railroad. I think we can all agree there. But, there is defintely a framework of a story there. The protagonists will travel from the Keep to the Caves, searching out what they find in the caves, with additional side threads coming from the Evil Priest in the Keep. There are any number of stories that can be generated from KotB.</p><p></p><p>But, if we were to make a matrix of the stories, it wouldn't be all that difficult. Groups that go into the higher lettered caves first, die. Very short story. So, let's start our matrix with caves A, B and C. Maybe chuck in D as well. By the time they clean out those caves, they're ready for the next four options. So, we don't put Cave L beside Cave A because Cave L is too tough of a challenge for the party. We make the training wheel caves the most easily accessible.</p><p></p><p>If you have setting, character and the outline of a plot - which is precisely what any module actually is- what more do you need to generate a narrative?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Hussar, post: 5758487, member: 22779"] How are the challenges you face resolved by going to bed? In what way are the challenges you face designed by a single individual and based around pre-defined themes? Sure, it's easy to be glib, but, I think that there really is an issue here that keeps getting avoided. So often I see people, including some in this thread, claim that their games don't have any story. Which is utter ballocks on the face of it. It's simply not true. So, again, how can you have an RPG without a story? Oh, agreed, there are good adventures and bad adventures. But, claiming that there is no story in Keep on the Borderlands is ignoring the actual text. There are a number of stories in there. And, let's not forget, KotB was deliberately left half finished as a means of "training" new DM's. DM's are SUPPOSED to supply a story to finish that module. Look at GDQ - very definite thread of a story throughout the entire series of modules. And, generally considered one of the top three modules ever produced. See, this is where the problem lies. The thought that story=railroad. Look at KotB again. It's not a railroad. I think we can all agree there. But, there is defintely a framework of a story there. The protagonists will travel from the Keep to the Caves, searching out what they find in the caves, with additional side threads coming from the Evil Priest in the Keep. There are any number of stories that can be generated from KotB. But, if we were to make a matrix of the stories, it wouldn't be all that difficult. Groups that go into the higher lettered caves first, die. Very short story. So, let's start our matrix with caves A, B and C. Maybe chuck in D as well. By the time they clean out those caves, they're ready for the next four options. So, we don't put Cave L beside Cave A because Cave L is too tough of a challenge for the party. We make the training wheel caves the most easily accessible. If you have setting, character and the outline of a plot - which is precisely what any module actually is- what more do you need to generate a narrative? [/QUOTE]
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