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<blockquote data-quote="Ariosto" data-source="post: 5124849" data-attributes="member: 80487"><p>Well ...</p><p></p><p>Tournament scenarios by nature have at least an impenetrable boundary, and often are pretty linear (relative to certain other models) in the arrangement of predefined 'encounters' (so different groups' performances can be compared in a common context). Those go back nearly to the beginning at least of the <em>commercial</em> RPG field (promotion at Gen Con, Origins, etc.). The programmed solitaire scenario came along pretty early as well (e.g., <em>Buffalo Castle</em> by Rick Loomis, 1976).</p><p></p><p>Those were influential examples of "how to play" among an increasing number of people. The limited scenario was more accessible than the more complex game that pioneering Game Masters did not always convey very clearly in their handbooks.</p><p></p><p>Something roughly prefiguring the Adventure Path also goes back to the linking of the several scenarios for different rounds of a tournament. However, those typically were still presented primarily as <em>environments</em> ("site structured" rather than "event structured") -- and without the attention to dramatic structure that has since become widely expected.</p><p></p><p>RPG rules books in the 1970s didn't give much help in that department (dramatic structure), either, or even in terms of setting up the carefully balanced engagements that the 'tactically' minded modern gamer is likely to expect. They were typically full of stuff such as the tables for "rolling up" on the fly this or that bit of a universe in <em>Traveller</em> (1977).</p><p></p><p>Jump-6 (sorry, inside joke) to 1983 and <em>The Traveller Adventure</em>. From the back cover:</p><p></p><p><em>The underground city of Leedor is just another stop on the interstellar trade route until the crew of the</em> March Harrier <em>comes to the aid of an alien Vargr. They soon discover that the alien's jewelled ornament is more than mere decoration, and the powers pursuing the ornament turn their trading voyage into a mission of danger.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>This science fiction story is written in the form of a role-playing adventure in which readers assume the identities of the starship crew members. A referee, using the <strong>Traveller</strong> rules, guides the players from planet to planet as they uncover clues and seek the answer to the puzzle of the ornament.</em></p><p></p><p>The adventure is still pretty flexible in terms of how each chapter goes -- except that much is predicated on those chapters leading from one to the next. The overall "branch" structure might be considered as sort of like a chain of footballs <=><=><=> (if that makes any sense).</p><p></p><p>Also in the early 1980s, we had (just some things that come to my mind):</p><p>TSR's "Dragonlance Saga", begun in <em>Dragons of Despair</em> (1984)</p><p>TSR's <em>Ravenloft</em> (1983) - not a 'campaign' but a notably story-focused scenario</p><p>Chaosium's <em>Shadows of Yog Sothoth</em> (1982)</p><p>FASA's <em>The Legend of the Sky Raiders</em> (1981) - 1st part of trilogy</p><p>Palladium's <em>The Mechanoid Invasion</em> (1981) - 1st part of trilogy</p><p></p><p>I see <em>Shadows of Yog-Sothoth</em> as really starting the snowball rolling. By the late 1980s, the form was pretty well established. Games Workshop's <em>The Enemy Within</em> campaign is an example from that period that I greatly enjoyed.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Campaign worlds presented in thick tomes of background are not to my mind especially associated with the wide open mode -- more the opposite, really. I see the free range game more often associated with a "do it yourself" aesthetic. That goes back to how Judges Guild got the license that got it started. The pioneering RPGers didn't think many people would want to buy "canned" adventures or settings, because after all making it up was (to them) a big part of the fun.</p><p></p><p>The way individual scenarios are put together is, I think, where the shift is most evident. That is to some degree tied in a feedback loop with what people want in the game-mechanical systems, as well as the product presentation. Going back to the first edition of <em>RuneQuest</em> (1978), there were logistical considerations such as "stat blocks".</p><p></p><p>A "dungeon module" of 33 locations in 7 pages? That's sort of like the VisiCalc spreadsheet in 28 kilobytes, maybe.</p><p></p><p>Reading the thread on making WotC adventures better, I saw a lot of expressions of desire for things to loosen up a bit. Even without getting less linear, just backing off from the piling up of fights and getting in more frequents plot-developments (and a bit of flesh on the cardboard characters) would be something I would call an improvement!</p><p></p><p>I don't think the prevailing adventure and campaign models are going away any time soon. I don't see any great move to abandon them (still waiting for directions from Hobo as to where to find that). I do think a lot of people want a "better mousetrap", though, and some may be looking further afield than others for ideas they can adapt to their needs.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ariosto, post: 5124849, member: 80487"] Well ... Tournament scenarios by nature have at least an impenetrable boundary, and often are pretty linear (relative to certain other models) in the arrangement of predefined 'encounters' (so different groups' performances can be compared in a common context). Those go back nearly to the beginning at least of the [i]commercial[/i] RPG field (promotion at Gen Con, Origins, etc.). The programmed solitaire scenario came along pretty early as well (e.g., [i]Buffalo Castle[/i] by Rick Loomis, 1976). Those were influential examples of "how to play" among an increasing number of people. The limited scenario was more accessible than the more complex game that pioneering Game Masters did not always convey very clearly in their handbooks. Something roughly prefiguring the Adventure Path also goes back to the linking of the several scenarios for different rounds of a tournament. However, those typically were still presented primarily as [i]environments[/i] ("site structured" rather than "event structured") -- and without the attention to dramatic structure that has since become widely expected. RPG rules books in the 1970s didn't give much help in that department (dramatic structure), either, or even in terms of setting up the carefully balanced engagements that the 'tactically' minded modern gamer is likely to expect. They were typically full of stuff such as the tables for "rolling up" on the fly this or that bit of a universe in [i]Traveller[/i] (1977). Jump-6 (sorry, inside joke) to 1983 and [i]The Traveller Adventure[/i]. From the back cover: [i]The underground city of Leedor is just another stop on the interstellar trade route until the crew of the[/i] March Harrier [i]comes to the aid of an alien Vargr. They soon discover that the alien's jewelled ornament is more than mere decoration, and the powers pursuing the ornament turn their trading voyage into a mission of danger. This science fiction story is written in the form of a role-playing adventure in which readers assume the identities of the starship crew members. A referee, using the [b]Traveller[/b] rules, guides the players from planet to planet as they uncover clues and seek the answer to the puzzle of the ornament.[/i] The adventure is still pretty flexible in terms of how each chapter goes -- except that much is predicated on those chapters leading from one to the next. The overall "branch" structure might be considered as sort of like a chain of footballs <=><=><=> (if that makes any sense). Also in the early 1980s, we had (just some things that come to my mind): TSR's "Dragonlance Saga", begun in [i]Dragons of Despair[/i] (1984) TSR's [i]Ravenloft[/i] (1983) - not a 'campaign' but a notably story-focused scenario Chaosium's [i]Shadows of Yog Sothoth[/i] (1982) FASA's [i]The Legend of the Sky Raiders[/i] (1981) - 1st part of trilogy Palladium's [i]The Mechanoid Invasion[/i] (1981) - 1st part of trilogy I see [i]Shadows of Yog-Sothoth[/i] as really starting the snowball rolling. By the late 1980s, the form was pretty well established. Games Workshop's [i]The Enemy Within[/i] campaign is an example from that period that I greatly enjoyed. Campaign worlds presented in thick tomes of background are not to my mind especially associated with the wide open mode -- more the opposite, really. I see the free range game more often associated with a "do it yourself" aesthetic. That goes back to how Judges Guild got the license that got it started. The pioneering RPGers didn't think many people would want to buy "canned" adventures or settings, because after all making it up was (to them) a big part of the fun. The way individual scenarios are put together is, I think, where the shift is most evident. That is to some degree tied in a feedback loop with what people want in the game-mechanical systems, as well as the product presentation. Going back to the first edition of [i]RuneQuest[/i] (1978), there were logistical considerations such as "stat blocks". A "dungeon module" of 33 locations in 7 pages? That's sort of like the VisiCalc spreadsheet in 28 kilobytes, maybe. Reading the thread on making WotC adventures better, I saw a lot of expressions of desire for things to loosen up a bit. Even without getting less linear, just backing off from the piling up of fights and getting in more frequents plot-developments (and a bit of flesh on the cardboard characters) would be something I would call an improvement! I don't think the prevailing adventure and campaign models are going away any time soon. I don't see any great move to abandon them (still waiting for directions from Hobo as to where to find that). I do think a lot of people want a "better mousetrap", though, and some may be looking further afield than others for ideas they can adapt to their needs. [/QUOTE]
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