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<blockquote data-quote="XO" data-source="post: 3311625" data-attributes="member: 24452">ClutterSo many modules suffer from bad organization and clutter...If I buy a product, I expect to be able to find the facts quickly.That also goes for the plotline.A module is not and should never become one's attempt at the great American (or otherwise) novel.As to stats, the combat ones are more important than skills, but unless completely and utterly botched, a &quot;fuzzy logic&quot; approach works best. Why? Do we REALLY care whether the Perform skill is +12 or +14 as long as we have a reasonable ballpark figure? If it is at the edge, you DM it the way you want it to go. Actually, many DMs will hyperfudge it into going any way they like (Perform, roll a 1 and say &quot;The sweetest music you have ever heard rises from that bard's lyre, as the harmonic consonance just flutters about you, seemingly weaving pictures before your very eyes&quot;).Come the big fight, if at the edge (someone forgot the ogre's 150% 2H Str bonus), the DM decides whether the target character lives or dies, often not so much on the # of hp damage but rather on &quot;Did they act stupidly?&quot; or &quot;Was it a good or sensible plan?&quot; or even &quot;It was a horrendous plan, conform to roleplaying these characters, and executed according to expectations, meanign not so much flawlessly as stumblingly&quot;.Go figure!I am currently DMing Crown of Shadows in a Midnight campaign. Is it a good adventure? Yes, inasmuch as it provides a solid introduction to that setting's mechanics and flavor. Yes, inasmuch as it provides role-playing opportunity and the adventure itself is (or at least can be) fun. But...It is rife with errors and omissions or overlooked implications.It starts as a railroad (a la Dragonlance) thrust which then gets freed up.As a reference document or module, it's internal organization sucks. In part because it waxes lyrical when it should deliver &quot;point blank range&quot; bang-on comment or fact.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="XO, post: 3311625, member: 24452"] [b]Clutter[/b] So many modules suffer from bad organization and clutter... If I buy a product, I expect to be able to find the facts quickly. That also goes for the plotline. A module is not and should never become one's attempt at the great American (or otherwise) novel. As to stats, the combat ones are more important than skills, but unless completely and utterly botched, a "fuzzy logic" approach works best. Why? Do we REALLY care whether the Perform skill is +12 or +14 as long as we have a reasonable [B]ballpark figure[/B]? If it is at the edge, you DM it the way you want it to go. Actually, many DMs will hyperfudge it into going any way they like (Perform, roll a 1 and say "The sweetest music you have ever heard rises from that bard's lyre, as the harmonic consonance just flutters about you, seemingly weaving pictures before your very eyes"). Come the big fight, if at the edge (someone forgot the ogre's 150% 2H Str bonus), the DM decides whether the target character lives or dies, often not so much on the # of hp damage but rather on "Did they act stupidly?" or "Was it a good or sensible plan?" or even "It was a horrendous plan, conform to roleplaying these characters, and executed according to expectations, meanign not so much flawlessly as stumblingly". Go figure! I am currently DMing Crown of Shadows in a Midnight campaign. Is it a good adventure? Yes, inasmuch as it provides a solid introduction to that setting's mechanics and flavor. Yes, inasmuch as it provides role-playing opportunity and the adventure itself is (or at least can be) fun. But... It is rife with errors and omissions or overlooked implications. It starts as a railroad (a la Dragonlance) thrust which then gets freed up. As a reference document or module, it's internal organization sucks. In part because it waxes lyrical when it should deliver "point blank range" bang-on comment or fact. [/QUOTE]

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