Steel_Wind said:
Alright, it appears there is some interest in a project of this scope.
I would think so... I find it particularly interesting because it appears there would be actual project management by somebody who knows how to do it. I completely agree that an unstructured approach most likely ends up nowhere, but never really wanted to take on the PM role myself...
The challenge with the list of suggested Plots (or their outlines) is keeping them relevant throughout the entire thing - without overwhelming the PCs, frustrating them, or getting tedious. Probably neccesary to have a number of interconnected but scaled plots that suit the PCs at each of the various levels.
Which raises a number of thoughts/questions - obviously not looking to see these resolved all at once, just in the way of getting them out there:
1. Scope: Are we taking the characters all the way from 1st to 20th? I like this idea, but it presents a variety of challenges.
2. Increments: How many Adventures in the path? I'm thinking that a larger number of interconnected but relatively small scope adventures is superior to a few large scope ones. Provides variety and maximizes flexibility for the DM. Also, more adventures
3. Ruleset: What 'Rules' would apply? I strongly reccomend using nothing but the Core Rules and mechanics (including new critters and items is fine, of course). It significantly multiplies the usefulness of the resulting product.
4. Setting: I'm joining the chorus of 'generic fantasy is best'. Or at least adventures that can be crowbarred into any of the Fantasy settings or Homebrews with minimal work. It might be a cool idea to write 'guides' that assist in this process.
I think that if this concept works out, the opportunity exists to develop similar products for other 'systems/settings. Particularly for D20 Past, Modern, and Future rather than for a more licensed property like Star Wars or even Traveller (although a D20 Future path could be almost indistinguishable from Traveller).
5. Setting Impact: The 'problem' with a lot of 'save the world' plots is that they often involve impacting the Setting structure too much - which can screw up a Setting for future applications (If we make a DM sink half of Khorvaire into the ocean in his campaign, we muck up his ability to use that setting as published - which he won't like). So limits (or the decision NOT set limits) will need to be established fairly early on.
6. Format: I was a huge fan of Dungeon's Adventure Path format - particularly how each area was prefaced by a 'block' that described what could be seen with different light sources/visual abilities. This is more work, of course, but I see this as an opportunity to 'raise the bar' on published adventures by doing it right. Basically, rules as to how content is to be produced will need to be agreed upon (or mandated) and enforced.
7. Secrecy vs Openness: A classic conundrum. Openness is more conducive to creativity, but a modicum of secrecy is better for the eventual enjoyment of the 'product'. As an IP lawyer AND a commercial Project Manager, I suspect you've got this covered - but given the anarchic nature of this crowd
it might be worth going so far as NDA's and such for project participants. Maybe even between different project groups - team working on adventure 'A" doesn't really know what's going on with adventure 'C' etc..
Undoubtedly, there's more. I'm certainly interested in seeing how this comes together, and may well enjoy contributing. I can write, edit and format content, organize materials, 'build' solid NPCs, modify/advance critters, and design encounters and adventures (more of the side-trek variety). That sort of thing. Some graphical abilities (but you've likely got better on hand).
Let me know what you're looking for.
A'Mal
