Help me make WotC adventures better.

[El Mahdi]

deleted

 

[Raven Crowking]

There was a bit of tongue-in-cheek there, El Mahdi. That's why I said years of playing D&D have made me paranoid and suspicious, etc.

Recently overheard at a game:

Player 1: "This guy just hired us, and paid us. What makes you think he's trying to kill us?"

Player 2: "This is D&D."

(I paraphrase.)

RC

 

[El Mahdi]

deleted

 

[Piratecat]

Keep this thread focused, please. No more "conspiracy!" nonsense.

 

[The_Gneech]

'twas all in good fun. The conversation had kinda petered out anyway.

-TG

 

[Kurtomatic]

Outside the delve format, I think this thread has some strong, awesome consensus about what a lot of us would like to see in future WotC adventures. Woot.

Now I think we'd kinda like to know what the devs think. Complicating this somewhat, is the fact that Rodney has multiple instances of this topic around the net, with varying results:

• WotC Blog
• RPGnet

BTW, inside the delve format, can I suggest that when you're holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail?

Just for funsies, let's imagine a shorter adventure product that offers no more than a single level of advancement, features generous use of the delve layout, tactical poster map, and all the quick-play bells and whistles.

Then imagine a longer format adventure product providing more than one level of advancement that only uses two-page tactical delve layouts for the really key, critical encounters. It also includes lots of optional encounters due to enhanced exploration options and meaningful player choices; these encounters use an abbreviated (dare I say, more traditional) format that allows page-space for the kinds of richer adventure development that we're asking for in this thread. You could even stick some extra delve layouts and other quick-play/newbie aids for this product in DDI as web-enhancments.

Some encounter entries should only be a paragraph long. It's okay, we can handle it!

P.S. How's your Savage North campaign doing?

 

[Raven Crowking]

Keep this thread focused, please. No more "conspiracy!" nonsense.

Aye aye, Piratecat!



I'm off to visit my folks in Wisconsin for a week; when I get back I'll try to give an in-depth analysis of one WotC adventure with elements I like (and intend to steal) from Dungeon.

RC

 

[The_Gneech]

Actually, Rodney just tweeted that he was off on vacation for a week, so don't expect to hear anything for a while anyway.

-The Gneech

 

[Ydars]

I hope after all that, that I am allowed to chime in.

I have read the whole thread and there are points that haven't come up.

The WoTC philosophy for adventure design is entirely wrong. The problem with these adventures is that they are all designed to a formula; they are entirely formulaic. The mechanics are also in the FOREGROUND in all WoTC adventures whereas they should be in the background.

It is like the three act model, and all those other models of how to write a book or a TV programme. And yes, those things are successful.

But we have all seen them SO many times before that they are now boring and passe.

I want to see something where I can't see the 'role' the NPC is meant to play; I want to see them written with some integrity and reality. Otherwise they are just sock puppets who are meant to be killed.

I want locations and encounters that are not there 'just to advance the story' but are there instead to make the world seem to live and breath.

Combat is a part of stories and fiction solely there to provide drama, but endless slogs with monsters and NPCs I don't care about have zero drama.

The monsters need to have names, to be foreshadowed and should not just be there to die. It all just makes no sense otherwise.

So if you want to invent adventures that have a touch of genius; throw away the WoTC 'guide to writing adventures'.

 

[nedjer]

I hope after all that, that I am allowed to chime in.

I have read the whole thread and there are points that haven't come up.

The WoTC philosophy for adventure design is entirely wrong. The problem with these adventures is that they are all designed to a formula; they are entirely formulaic. The mechanics are also in the FOREGROUND in all WoTC adventures whereas they should be in the background.

It is like the three act model, and all those other models of how to write a book or a TV programme. And yes, those things are successful.

But we have all seen them SO many times before that they are now boring and passe.

I want to see something where I can't see the 'role' the NPC is meant to play; I want to see them written with some integrity and reality. Otherwise they are just sock puppets who are meant to be killed.

I want locations and encounters that are not there 'just to advance the story' but are there instead to make the world seem to live and breath.

Combat is a part of stories and fiction solely there to provide drama, but endless slogs with monsters and NPCs I don't care about have zero drama.

The monsters need to have names, to be foreshadowed and should not just be there to die. It all just makes no sense otherwise.

So if you want to invent adventures that have a touch of genius; throw away the WoTC 'guide to writing adventures'.

What he said. I don't want Iron Maiden I wanna . . .

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDf_LlF2UAc"]YouTube - Dave Gahan & Primal Scream - Loaded (live)[/ame]