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How Do You Get Your Players To Stay On An Adventure Path?
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<blockquote data-quote="TheFindus" data-source="post: 6723664" data-attributes="member: 75791"><p>Here is how players are kept on an Adventure Path:</p><p></p><p>1. The DM tells them: "We are playing this Adventure Path called ______. Here is what the theme of the Adventure Path is roughly about. We need PCs who have some attachment to this theme and a motivation to follow the course of the Adventure Path." </p><p>2. The players then make PCs that follow that lead. Then they start on the Path and follow it. And if they do not know where to go (a situation which only rarely occurs in Adventure Paths because most of the time the Path is pretty clear) then the DM is supposed to give the players a hint about where the Path leads.</p><p>3. If the players decide to play something else and do not want to follow the Path anymore, tough luck. The Path ends then. This is not a sandbox, after all, in which world exploration is a major factor. In an Adventure Path this experience might come as a side effect. But usually players who agree to play an Adventure Path want to explore the story of the Path. That is what the AP-game is about. To prevent players from leaving the Path completely, a DM will usually inform the players about the consequences of leaving the Path ("The world is going to end"). If a DM is not open about this, he or she will create an illusion of freedom of moving on and off the Path. Which is not possible, at least not in a major way. And usually the players have invested a lot of time and roleplaying effort and keep following the Path. Adventure Paths are just built this way.</p><p></p><p>Adventure Paths can be heavily looted for locations, NPCs, monsters, maps, pictures, motivations and ideas as well. So even groups that do not play the Paths because their game has a different focus can use the material. Which is why Paizo sells so many of them and has for years.</p><p></p><p>A thing or two about sandbox-play from my point of view. It is all fine and good. I have played this kind of game. What I do not like about it is the fact that the world usually does not care about my PC. Whether I play a Warforged with a secret or a PC with a certain background, the world of sandbox play is usually rather unemotional about this. The thing I look for in a RPG, however, is that I want to be challenged in the game based on what my character is about, the essence of it. I want to experience the challenges about what the other PCs are about. The world exploration comes only third, maybe fourth because I really like exiting combats. Also, the notion that a group of adventurers suddenly can turn to turnip-farming is not appealing to me. I like a rather tight theme framing.</p><p></p><p>Here is a chart that I like. It paints with broad strokes and does not fit everybody. I like it, though. I am in the Story Now department. APs are in the Participationalism department if done well.</p><p><a href="http://evilbrainjono.net/images/Finding_your_GMing_Style.jpg" target="_blank">http://evilbrainjono.net/images/Finding_your_GMing_Style.jpg</a></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TheFindus, post: 6723664, member: 75791"] Here is how players are kept on an Adventure Path: 1. The DM tells them: "We are playing this Adventure Path called ______. Here is what the theme of the Adventure Path is roughly about. We need PCs who have some attachment to this theme and a motivation to follow the course of the Adventure Path." 2. The players then make PCs that follow that lead. Then they start on the Path and follow it. And if they do not know where to go (a situation which only rarely occurs in Adventure Paths because most of the time the Path is pretty clear) then the DM is supposed to give the players a hint about where the Path leads. 3. If the players decide to play something else and do not want to follow the Path anymore, tough luck. The Path ends then. This is not a sandbox, after all, in which world exploration is a major factor. In an Adventure Path this experience might come as a side effect. But usually players who agree to play an Adventure Path want to explore the story of the Path. That is what the AP-game is about. To prevent players from leaving the Path completely, a DM will usually inform the players about the consequences of leaving the Path ("The world is going to end"). If a DM is not open about this, he or she will create an illusion of freedom of moving on and off the Path. Which is not possible, at least not in a major way. And usually the players have invested a lot of time and roleplaying effort and keep following the Path. Adventure Paths are just built this way. Adventure Paths can be heavily looted for locations, NPCs, monsters, maps, pictures, motivations and ideas as well. So even groups that do not play the Paths because their game has a different focus can use the material. Which is why Paizo sells so many of them and has for years. A thing or two about sandbox-play from my point of view. It is all fine and good. I have played this kind of game. What I do not like about it is the fact that the world usually does not care about my PC. Whether I play a Warforged with a secret or a PC with a certain background, the world of sandbox play is usually rather unemotional about this. The thing I look for in a RPG, however, is that I want to be challenged in the game based on what my character is about, the essence of it. I want to experience the challenges about what the other PCs are about. The world exploration comes only third, maybe fourth because I really like exiting combats. Also, the notion that a group of adventurers suddenly can turn to turnip-farming is not appealing to me. I like a rather tight theme framing. Here is a chart that I like. It paints with broad strokes and does not fit everybody. I like it, though. I am in the Story Now department. APs are in the Participationalism department if done well. [URL]http://evilbrainjono.net/images/Finding_your_GMing_Style.jpg[/URL] [/QUOTE]
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