Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 1586444" data-attributes="member: 3146">I've played modules and custom games. I've run custom games and written modules (only for the RPGA thus far).There are modules that are easy and there are modules that are deadly.There are home games that are easy and there are custom games that are deadly. (I think I killed as many characters in one and half years of running my custom home game as I have in three and a half years of running modules in the RPGA; judging from the story hour, Diaglo also runs a really deadly custom campaign).I don't think deadliness corresponds to whether a game is published or custom.Nor does quality. I've played in custom campaigns that are horribly linear, ones that have very weak plots (I was so desperate for something to do with our characters that I talked the other characters into joining the army), and ones where every monster had a gazillion hit points and +25 to hit (at 6th or 7th level). I've also played in modules where the challenges were varied and appropriate and there is a large amount of flexibility to account for PC actions and motivations.So, I conclude that the quality of a game is not necessarily improved by its not being published. Instead, the quality of a game is determined by fair and skillful DMing, by accounting for character motivations and allowing a reasonable degree (or a cunningly crafted illusion of) freedom, and appropriate but challenging and varied combat encounters. Published modules generally need a little bit of adaptation in order to have all of those but unique scenarios need creating from scratch (which is often a dicier business).</blockquote>

Verification