Sept 2nd News - I wont be doing Scales of War

[Festivus]

That post by Randy Buehler is one of the stupidest things I've read. As a DM, I need to know the structure of any adventure path I run. Surprises are for the players, not for the DM.

But, it's par for the course with him: from the absolute failure of the Gleemax blogging system, to the non-appearance of much of the Digital Insider.

If there's someone who more needs to be sacked at Wizards, I don't know who they are. That someone actually wonderfully competent, like Linae Foster, got the boot just shows how much a lot of the managers at Wizards have lost their way.

Very, very unimpressed.

Who are you and what have you done with the optimistic Merric?


I agree, I would want a synopsis before launching the next year or two of my game time into a adventure path. I am not sure I need another adventure path right now anyhow, I am fine with Dungeon adventures and the RPGA stuff for now... my players aren't clamoring for a long, extended adventure path.

 

[The Little Raven]

It was fine with DoD, why not with SoW?

Maybe the reason they elected not to do it with SoW is because of how DoD's worked out, from their perspective. If they felt it was a mistake that showed too much too early, then learning from it would be ideal.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

I responded in Reveal's Open Letter thread, but I'll add something here.

Who are you and what have you done with the optimistic Merric?

I was asking myself a very similar question.

Also, just to add to what people have already said, if we don't have the information to link the adventures to each other, we're forced to invent this information, and if it turns out that the links we've created don't fit with what WotC has planned, then it'll be an even bigger mess to retro-unfit everything that the DMs will have made up to pad the adventures... (which also means that DMs will probably need to spend MORE time preparing because we don't have the overarching plot elements).

Also, "hyping" these secrets too much will only disappoint people when we finally learn them (Yes, I'm a natural pessimist).

I'm currently having fun DMing this adventure path. I hope it lasts.

AR

 

[Glyfair]

Also, just to add to what people have already said, if we don't have the information to link the adventures to each other, we're forced to invent this information, and if it turns out that the links we've created don't fit with what WotC has planned, then it'll be an even bigger mess to retro-unfit everything that the DMs will have made up to pad the adventures... (which also means that DMs will probably need to spend MORE time preparing because we don't have the overarching plot elements).

Indeed. The whole "we want to surprise you" bit doesn't really hold together too well. Why not just give us the adventure room by room? That way we can be surprised several times a month without it being spoiled by having the whole adventure all at once.

Now, I know many won't care. I know many people who enjoyed the Adventure Paths but decided to wait until all the adventures were out before running them (indeed, some were waiting for the never-to-appear hardbacks).

 

[Dire Bare]

Gamers, we know how to big enormous mountains of little tiny molehills! We are even able to be "insulted" by things that are in no way insulting. Sigh.

I have no need for a adventure path synopsis. I wouldn't mind seeing one if they published it, but I don't miss it. Didn't even realize they decided against doing it until this thread.

The decision to include an overall synopsis or not to include one is a decision WotC would get silly complaints over either way. Lose-lose, in a fashion. So they turned right instead of left, who cares? The lack of a synopsis in no way lessens the value of Scales of War or of the "new" Dungeon Magazine.

Many DMs, like me, run things off the cuff as they come to us. If we improvise some story arcs that don't show up in the next installment, or are changed . . . we roll with it and improvise some more! It's so much more of a laid back style and I have so little stress from prepping for my games.

If you are the kind of DM who needs rigid maps and all the details plotted out before you start playing, a synopsis would be nice. If you just can't live without it, keep collecting the excellent Scales of War and just don't run it until all 18 (?) episodes have been released. In the meantime, run something else!

So much drama . . . .

 

[Kaladhan]

I'm the kind of DM that puts out a campaign primer for it's player. I believe firmly that a lot of the fun is to have well-made characters that fits the campaign's concept and that has a background that will eventually be relevent to the story.

I like to know what's going to happen in advance. For example, if I know that a future adventure will present a mercenary group, I'll introduce them early. Perhaps they will meet that group in a tavern and have a fuss with them.

Foreshadowing is a great tool for DM. Not putting out a synopsis prevents me from running the kind of campaign that thrills me and my players.

I was unsure if I should subscribe to the DDI. I guess I'll invite myself to a friend that will subscribe and ask him to print the articles that I'ld like to have.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

I really wish this was surprising.

I really, really, really wish it was.

As much as I REALLY dislike what Wizards has been doing as of late, I want to see them make GOOD decisions and prove me wrong when I start to think ill of them. Unfortuantely, I've grown very cynical, and...well, they keep proving me right.

As Merric stated, the fact that Linnae got kicked but Buehler is still around...this says more then enough.

 

[Hussar]

hm...Paizo put out a campaign overview for their AP...and that was D&D, not Star Wars, and just for the record WotC had to approve everything they did with the mags. So no, I'm not seeing how this is in any way relevant.

Umm? What? When? When did you get a campaign overview for Shackled City, Age of Worms or Savage Tide? I know the STAP overview came in the last print issue or Dragon, after the last episode of STAP was published. Were there earlier ones printed for AoW or SC?

 

[El Mahdi]

Gamers, we know how to big enormous mountains of little tiny molehills! We are even able to be "insulted" by things that are in no way insulting. Sigh.

I have no need for a adventure path synopsis. I wouldn't mind seeing one if they published it, but I don't miss it. Didn't even realize they decided against doing it until this thread.

The decision to include an overall synopsis or not to include one is a decision WotC would get silly complaints over either way. Lose-lose, in a fashion. So they turned right instead of left, who cares? The lack of a synopsis in no way lessens the value of Scales of War or of the "new" Dungeon Magazine.

Many DMs, like me, run things off the cuff as they come to us. If we improvise some story arcs that don't show up in the next installment, or are changed . . . we roll with it and improvise some more! It's so much more of a laid back style and I have so little stress from prepping for my games.

If you are the kind of DM who needs rigid maps and all the details plotted out before you start playing, a synopsis would be nice. If you just can't live without it, keep collecting the excellent Scales of War and just don't run it until all 18 (?) episodes have been released. In the meantime, run something else!

So much drama . . . .

Good for you. I'm glad you don't need a synopsis. However, those who do want one, and are vocal to WoTC about it, aren't overly dramatic gamers or bad DM's. What they are is consumers providing feedback to a company that sells fan driven products. Those that feel insulted by WoTC reply concerning that feedback, have a right to feel that way, and are not the lesser for it.

As to who cares, I would say there are quite a few people who have posted on this and similiar threads, posted on WoTC boards, and sent emails and feedback to WoTC about just this very subject. That's probably why their dismissal of said feedback feels insulting.

I respect your opinions about a synopsis, or lack thereof and your veiws on adventure paths. I enjoy reading them just as much as reading the opinions of those who disagree.

However, as concerns your opinions about the people who posted here, or your negative opinions and attacking of their opinions, I'd prefer you just kept those to yourself (and I'm probably not alone with that sentiment).

 

[Hussar]

Might as well perfect the trifecta. Really hope they merge these threads.

There was a synopsis published for STAP in the issue before the STAP actually started. I didn't have that issue, so, I didn't realize it was there. My bad.

I was under the impression that the synopsis for Savage Tide came at the end. Again, my bad.