A comment/confession

[Turjan]

For those who haven't, the boxed game included an introductory adventure, Operation: Sprechenhaltestelle

I'm just curious: Was that word supposed to mean anything? It translates to something like "to talk bus stop".

 

[Zzyzx]

I read this thread after researching whether to buy Ptolus. This hits on my biggest fear -- that I will get a huge 700 page campaign book home, and then not find it worth the year it will take to read it all.

 

[Thotas]

I understood it to mean "The Stopping and Speaking Place" or better yet "The Place to Stop and Speak". But as I said, my experience was somewhat surreal, so there ya go.

 

[The Shaman]

I'm just curious: Was that word supposed to mean anything? It translates to something like "to talk bus stop".

According to the author it means "Speaking-stopping-place" - it sounds like it was done using a German-English dictionary with no regard for grammar or idiom.

Sounded exotic enough for the genre, however.

 

[Turjan]

According to the author it means "Speaking-stopping-place" - it sounds like it was done using a German-English dictionary with no regard for grammar or idiom.

Looks like it. It's composed from german words, but it doesn't mean anything in German .

 

[IronWolf]

Using a module can be more difficult if you aren't willing to change things up a little to make it fit into your campaign. Learning to lift an ecnounter or particular section from a module and dropping in in you campaign can make them quite useful and an easier fit into a campaign. Trying to get an entire module to fit into your existing world *and* your existing campaign arc can make them a chore to use. So I think a lot of using a module has to do with how you look at one when you pick it up. A work to steal the good parts from or a work to shoehorn into an existing campaign.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Using a module can be more difficult if you aren't willing to change things up a little to make it fit into your campaign. Learning to lift an ecnounter or particular section from a module and dropping in in you campaign can make them quite useful and an easier fit into a campaign. Trying to get an entire module to fit into your existing world *and* your existing campaign arc can make them a chore to use. So I think a lot of using a module has to do with how you look at one when you pick it up. A work to steal the good parts from or a work to shoehorn into an existing campaign.

Oh, absolutely. I've "borrowed" from modules far more often than I've run them even remotely straight.

But what I said still applies. If it's not fun to read, I'm not going to get through it enough to find the stuff worth stealing.

It doesn't need to be "a novel," as Crothian said. It's just got to be a decent read.

 

[jgbrowning]

Yet again we agree, Rodent of the Dark.

joe b.

 

[Ycore Rixle]

Yep, Ari, I agree. A module's readability should be a high priority for the writers and developers.

Everyone would rather have a fun-to-read module than a boring-to-read one; the question is how much of the creators' energy should go into readability as opposed to other facets of the module. And I agree - it should be a lot of the energy. In my opinion, it should be the second priority behind playability, ahead of art, ahead of binding/paper quality, ahead of insane number-checking of the kind that would make John Cooper happy.

To this end, I think that Adventure Background sections should be eliminated from all modules. This would improve readability because the reader would feel suspense as he went through the module and the plot elements were gradually revealed. It's tangential to this discussion, but eliminating the Background Section would also improve playability, because the module would be forced to present the background information in the module itself, to the PCs during gameplay, rather than leaving them in the dark and presenting the background info only to the DM in a separate, non-gameplay section.

I also think that too many game designers fail to pay attention to the rules of good fiction writing. Big shout out to Lance Hawvermale, though - he does. Good stuff from him.

 

[Steel_Wind]

Totally agree.

That's why I love modules like Mad God's Key and Whispering Cairn.
As fun to read as they are to play.