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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dr Simon" data-source="post: 2972777" data-attributes="member: 21938">To return to the original post, it's an interesting way to analyse adventure flow, and I don't you think you need to restrict it specifically to dungeon style play, which is really where the geography defines many of the choices rather than slightly less tangible concerns like you might get in a city-based adventure.I have a few ponderables:It is possible to design a fairly branched map, yet include events or some other form of direction to influence the choice.  The module commonly hailed as the exemplar of rail-roading, DL1, for example, actually has a *fairly* open dungeon structure.  There are two branches to descending into Xak Tsaroth (the lift or the long way), and several unconnected encounter areas once there that would resemble a Caves of Chaos type diagram in Melan's scheme.BUT:  The lift is pretty cool, and everyone I know has *always* taken that.  There is a 'cut scene' that efectively shows the players where the dragon that they are looking for is living, thus herding them towards that encounter area instead of others.  Even here, though, they can go in the front door or through a secret passage.  Secondly,  how important is it for a dungeon-based adventure (as this is the specific topic) to have a climactic encounter?  The Caves of Chaos do not have such a thing.  Arguably it is the Temple of Chaos in area K, through virtue of probably being the most leaderlike of all the figures.  However, clearing that room does not end the adventure.  One could also argue that each cave area has its own mini-climax in the form of the chief of that particular tribe.Does one need such an event?  It can be satisfying to achieve an end-point, but by its very nature it requires a bottleneck to be set up so that the final encounter *is* reached.  Is that, to merge with another thread, rail-roading?  To use the DL1 example again, all roads eventually lead to the dragon, if not physically then by virtue of clues, hints or plainly being dead-ends.  But one can still approach the dragon through different routes.  (I'll leave aside the narrative nature of the climax as a different discussion).On the other hand, take S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks.  It has a fairly branching structure, hidden areas, areas with coded access, various fun encounters, things to play with, but... absolutely no form of narrative structure whatsoever.  The opponents do not get noticeably tougher, there is no 'boss' monster, no sense of climactic achievement.  It is a fun adventure to play, for about 3/4 of its length, but the last part begins to feel flat becaus there is no point - the 'puzzle' of it being a science fiction setting is by this point solved but nothing new is added to the mix.</blockquote>

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