Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
AMA (Thurs April 30): Wolfgang Baur (Kobold Press, TSR, DUNGEON Magazine, D&D 5E Tyranny of Dragons, Advanced Races Compendium)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Monkey King" data-source="post: 6605652" data-attributes="member: 22474"><p>Thanks Plancktum--I love Tyranny of Dragons, too. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>I wish there was a simple answer to the "make it easy to run" question, but the reality is that design is a set of tradeoffs. For Tyranny, all the stats are provided in a free PDF file to make it easy to access the monster stats, even without owning a Monster Manual. The Streets of Zobeck adventure collection has a set of complete 1 square/1 inch battle maps that backers got. Each of those was a commitment of time and money to make a better play experience.</p><p></p><p>Eventually, if you commit enough time and money to making a better adventure, you have to charge more. And then people complain that it is too expensive ("Why is this a hardcover? I want a softcover!" etc), or that it is too complex, or that there's too much reading. Suddenly, it's 400 pages in small type, and it intimidates people.</p><p></p><p>Go the other direction, like, say G1 Steading of the Hill Giant Chief by Gygax, and all you get is 8 pages, hardly any stats, hardly any maps, not a lot of support for the DM to run it without bringing some of his or her own mojo to the table to make it shine. That level of improvisation and energy is not for everyone; it's a high-wire act, but boy does that hone your DMing skills. (FWIW, I'd recommend <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983613346/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0983613346&linkCode=as2&tag=themonkeyki04-20&linkId=TYAYFVQDGUF3WISD" target="_blank">Unframed: the Art of Improvisation</a> as a guide to improving those chops.)</p><p></p><p>Different groups want different things. Beginners tend to want as much support as possible, all the stats, contingencies for everything, answers in the text for corner cases, map support, tokens, guidelines. Long-time players tend to want bullet lists, bare bones text that allows them to improvise in response to the players at the table, a bit more wiggle room, less wall of text.</p><p></p><p>So... It's impossible. One person's helpful guide and useful crutch tables is another person's wasted space and nanny-like handholding. One person's skimpy encounter description lacking detail is another DM's favorite opportunity to strut his stuff with hill giant lore. </p><p></p><p>You can also stuff an adventure with more detail and more maps and tables to make it easier. You're not always making it better, though, and over time, your audience needs less of that. My own take for Kobold Press adventures has always been that I trust the GM and the players to grab the coolest or most playable parts of the adventure *for their playstyle*--my goal is to provide tools for multiple types of gamers that are easy to access, but it's a matter of constraints and tradeoffs.</p><p></p><p>Man, I could go on about this topic, but I have to go AFK for a couple hours. Back with more responses tonight, thank you!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Monkey King, post: 6605652, member: 22474"] Thanks Plancktum--I love Tyranny of Dragons, too. :) I wish there was a simple answer to the "make it easy to run" question, but the reality is that design is a set of tradeoffs. For Tyranny, all the stats are provided in a free PDF file to make it easy to access the monster stats, even without owning a Monster Manual. The Streets of Zobeck adventure collection has a set of complete 1 square/1 inch battle maps that backers got. Each of those was a commitment of time and money to make a better play experience. Eventually, if you commit enough time and money to making a better adventure, you have to charge more. And then people complain that it is too expensive ("Why is this a hardcover? I want a softcover!" etc), or that it is too complex, or that there's too much reading. Suddenly, it's 400 pages in small type, and it intimidates people. Go the other direction, like, say G1 Steading of the Hill Giant Chief by Gygax, and all you get is 8 pages, hardly any stats, hardly any maps, not a lot of support for the DM to run it without bringing some of his or her own mojo to the table to make it shine. That level of improvisation and energy is not for everyone; it's a high-wire act, but boy does that hone your DMing skills. (FWIW, I'd recommend [URL="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983613346/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0983613346&linkCode=as2&tag=themonkeyki04-20&linkId=TYAYFVQDGUF3WISD"]Unframed: the Art of Improvisation[/URL] as a guide to improving those chops.) Different groups want different things. Beginners tend to want as much support as possible, all the stats, contingencies for everything, answers in the text for corner cases, map support, tokens, guidelines. Long-time players tend to want bullet lists, bare bones text that allows them to improvise in response to the players at the table, a bit more wiggle room, less wall of text. So... It's impossible. One person's helpful guide and useful crutch tables is another person's wasted space and nanny-like handholding. One person's skimpy encounter description lacking detail is another DM's favorite opportunity to strut his stuff with hill giant lore. You can also stuff an adventure with more detail and more maps and tables to make it easier. You're not always making it better, though, and over time, your audience needs less of that. My own take for Kobold Press adventures has always been that I trust the GM and the players to grab the coolest or most playable parts of the adventure *for their playstyle*--my goal is to provide tools for multiple types of gamers that are easy to access, but it's a matter of constraints and tradeoffs. Man, I could go on about this topic, but I have to go AFK for a couple hours. Back with more responses tonight, thank you! [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
AMA (Thurs April 30): Wolfgang Baur (Kobold Press, TSR, DUNGEON Magazine, D&D 5E Tyranny of Dragons, Advanced Races Compendium)
Top