Are you playing the War of the Burning Sky?
Raise your gaze a few inches. Don't even move your head - just look at this screen and let your eyes roll upwards by a degree or so. I'm not trying to hide it! Although that's a strong argument for "make advertising more blatant"!
RangerWickett
Legend
I'm always curious when people dislike a particular style of project. Are there some parts in particular that don't appeal (like the defined setting, or the pre-arranged plot line, with the assumption that it's a railroad?), or some things that you are interested in but that are outweighed by the rest (like interesting setpiece encounters that you could mine for ideas, or unique plots that you could tweak for your own campaign)?
As for the railroad issue, I think WotBS is only a "railroad" in the way that a game about World War II from the US point of view would start with the attack on Pearl Harbor, include a pretty cool midpoint invasion of Normandy, and end with (ahistorically) the American-British allied forces rolling into Germany, fighting Hitler in his mecha suit. Individual missions are assumed, but how you go about resolving each mission is up to you.
It's the narrow-wide-narrow school of design, where the beginning assumes you come in a certain way, and the end is a particular goal you're shooting for, but how you get from the former to the latter affords many possibilities. Sure, it's possible that you could play a WW2 game wherein you decide to reject your nation's orders to sneak into occupied France and smuggle out a nuclear physicist, choosing instead to sneak into Berlin from the get-go, seduce Eva Braun, and assassinate Hitler with an exploding bratwurst, but you would do so with the understanding that your GM will be coming up with stuff on the fly, and you won't be able to see all the cool set-pieces, like when you storm and capture an experimental U-Boat as it's leaving harbor, while having to contend with the untimely arrival of an Allied air strike.
Anyway, the meat of my curiosity is, what is it about adventure paths that you don't like?
Daern
Explorer
I fully support discussing the nature of APs.
I would add that in particular WOTBS 2 is a very unique and interesting scenario on its own that can very easily stand alone. The text includes a few side-bars to that effect as well. The Burning Forest is sort of like "the town is under a curse" hook, but taken up to 11.
I would add that in particular WOTBS 2 is a very unique and interesting scenario on its own that can very easily stand alone. The text includes a few side-bars to that effect as well. The Burning Forest is sort of like "the town is under a curse" hook, but taken up to 11.
Well, I just ran a group through the first few encounters today and although I know I was a bit heavy on the railroading, everyone said they enjoyed it.
I think once they start seeing that their actions have consequences and start engaging a bit more in the decision-making, they'll really start enjoying it. I certainly had fun as a DM with it.
I tried to keep a fast pace to make everyone feel like the pressure was on and that they were becoming involved in something way bigger than themselves. I changed a few things but only minor stuff.
All up, it was a fun game and had loads of plot building elements that I look forward to engaging in down the road.
I think once they start seeing that their actions have consequences and start engaging a bit more in the decision-making, they'll really start enjoying it. I certainly had fun as a DM with it.
I tried to keep a fast pace to make everyone feel like the pressure was on and that they were becoming involved in something way bigger than themselves. I changed a few things but only minor stuff.
Like instead of having the dragon be a shadow overhead (it's pretty obvious it's a dragon anyway, one player shouted out DRAGON! after the fear checks ) I said it quite plainly that it was a big dragon flying overhead. I liked the idea of foreshadowing and the emphasis that this whole 'resistance' thing was a big deal.
Anyway, Larion just escaped and the Solon almost killed the party with it's explosive burst but teleported away at 1 hit point after Larion had gotten free. They've just sat down with Rivereye and spoken about what to do next. So next session will have them facing off against Flaganus as they head to the Mercineum.
) I said it quite plainly that it was a big dragon flying overhead. I liked the idea of foreshadowing and the emphasis that this whole 'resistance' thing was a big deal.Anyway, Larion just escaped and the Solon almost killed the party with it's explosive burst but teleported away at 1 hit point after Larion had gotten free. They've just sat down with Rivereye and spoken about what to do next. So next session will have them facing off against Flaganus as they head to the Mercineum.
All up, it was a fun game and had loads of plot building elements that I look forward to engaging in down the road.
JeffB
Legend
This is probably the biggest thing for me. Even assuming it's not a railroad. I don't want to sound like a broken record as I've posted this a few times here and there, but I run D&D very much like a weekly TV series (like say The A Team) or reading through a book filled with Conan Stories. Different place. Different plot. Different baddies (though with some recurring themes/villains), all the time. This is why as much as I am an "old school" dude at heart, I've never liked the Megadungeon concept either.
Having a large overarching plotline is not nearly as useful to me as say a book like Open Grave, that gives me ALOT of small pieces and places and plots/seeds I can use wherever and however I wish. Or the original dungeon module concept for that matter.
RangerWickett
Legend
Great to hear, and good luck. I figure things start leaning toward "players in control of the narrative" once they start looking for the case. I know I've heard dozens of ways folks have handled the Shealis situation.
Ah, cool. Yeah, that totally makes sense. I almost always go for more long-term plot, less-episodic games, though the A-Team style games I've played in have been fun. (Actually, I played in a Mission Impossible in Menzoberranzan game back 12 years ago. And a sort of Law & Order: Magic Victims Unit 10 years back.)
Phaezen
First Post
Ran my first session last night, mainly bridging my party from their original town to Gate Pass and meeting up with the resistance. The one thing that stands out so far is I have not felt the need to cut out any encounters as I usually do when running modules.
Really awesome work, can't wait for the next session.
Really awesome work, can't wait for the next session.
