Would campaign skeletons address the lack of adventures for minor settings?

robus · May 30, 2019

[MENTION=12731]CapnZapp[/MENTION] raised an interesting point in the Expanse thread on the lack of adventures for settings once the rulebook is published.

Now we all know writing a comprehensive adventure path/campaign is hard (and frequently fails to please everyone all of the time). But is there an opportunity for something simpler (a campaign skeleton say?) which GMs could flesh out as they go?

I frequently find that I like the general idea of a campaign and then get frustrated with the details provided. (Often the details seem confusing or at odds with the campaign, or just included to for funsies and not really contributing anything).

A campaign skeleton would basically act as an adventure outline identifying the villain and major antagonists and the general structure (hooks to get into the adventure and the major plot points).

I'm thinking something like a 5 or 10 page outline? Adventures are generally easy to conjure on short notice: you know the party and their level, so throwing obstacles at them isn't too hard (and there are plenty of adventure ideas floating around). But coming up with a cool villain/concept to wrap a series of adventures? That's the hard part.

I might have a go at "outlining" some published adventures just to see what it might look like.

Thoughts?

Nagol · May 30, 2019

It's a niche, but not one I'm sure has a lot of audience.

Most DMs who buy/use other people's adventures want to because it cuts down on their workload rather than because they aren't inspired to create a campaign arc. A skeleton removes the arc, but still mostly full design time for each adventure construction -- maps, encounters, stat blocks, etc.

Schmoe · May 30, 2019

That's basically what the 1e Dungeon Master's Design Kit was, except it was more of a tool for generating generic adventure skeletons than a fleshed out skeleton. I don't think it was very popular, though, and it didn't get good reviews. I bought it when it came out and it spurred some ideas, but I didn't get a ton of use from it.

cmad1977 · May 30, 2019

That’s basically how I use every published adventure.

Dannyalcatraz · May 31, 2019

I dare say that you could probably do a decent skeleton in one page. Consider the brevity of the seeds found in Ranger Wickett’s “Campaign” thread linked to in my sig.

KahlessNestor · May 31, 2019

Sounds a bit like Plot Point Campaigns in Savage Worlds.

robus · Jun 1, 2019

cmad1977 said:
That’s basically how I use every published adventure.

Yeah, but this is for when there are no published adventures for the setting

robus · Jun 1, 2019

Schmoe said:
That's basically what the 1e Dungeon Master's Design Kit was, except it was more of a tool for generating generic adventure skeletons than a fleshed out skeleton. I don't think it was very popular, though, and it didn't get good reviews. I bought it when it came out and it spurred some ideas, but I didn't get a ton of use from it.

Yeah random generators have their place but this is not it. A good villain and threat needs some design (and motivation). Perhaps that’s the key. We at least need to know why the villain is doing something. Just because they’re evil isn’t much of a motivation.

CapnZapp · Jun 4, 2019

Not sure I see the point of mentioning me.

The only adventures I find worthy of my time are the lavishly detailed ones. Just because they come with flesh and skin doesn't mean I can't change things around.

What I can't get inspired by, though, is "adventure seeds". The bone cannot be bare, or the idea is useless. To me.

So you see, I've been invoked in a thread that's discussing the exact opposite of what I want. (Or, well, close to it. Yes, I am aware that the exact opposite of what I want is no adventure material at all. My point here is that you either go all the way or you might just as well not bother at all)

The best games IMHO are the ones that feel they have written with the express purpose of supporting a campaign adventure, ideally where that campaign adventure "tours" the game (not just geographically, but in themes, imagery and metaplot too).

Imagine, if you will, the authors of Horror or the Orient Express or Masks of Nyarlathotep writing their scenario first, and only then realized they had to come up with an rpg to run the scenario. An even better example is the Enemy Within for Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play. If you told me the game of WFRP was created just in order to run this campaign I would believe you - it gives you the definitive grand tour of everything that's great about the Old World (as well as, not coincidentally, the changes away from Fantasy Battle)!

So the common strategy of cashing in on rulebooks before bailing on the "line" leaves me cold. I can't use just rules In fact, rules come a dime a dozen. I already have dozens of rules engines.

And I'm seldom inspired just by a campaign world. I need a fully fleshed out vision of what the writers intend to happen in their world. Give me that and I can just maybe start creating side scenarios of my own.

What I don't have, however, is very many well-crafted meticulously-detailed atmosphere-oozing adventure campaigns.