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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 8992784" data-attributes="member: 42582">As you've probably read upthread, I don't think that this is true of classic dungeon-crawl D&amp;D, or of 4e D&amp;D. Otherwise I don't dissent. I played a fair it of D&amp;D at one high-water mark of this sort of play - 1990s 2nd ed AD&amp;D. My general phrase to capture this sort of D&amp;D is post-DL D&amp;D (so mid-80s onward, non-4e D&amp;D).Thinking back on your post connecting game design to commercial sales, I think it becomes interesting to wonder to what extent are adventure modules a type of parameterisation of post-DL play, to make it something more than what you've posted. Some probably are - eg ones that basically parcel out situations based on a timeline or a dungeon map. Some are not - one that has stuck with me in this respect is the 3E adventure Expedition to the Demonweb Pits, which I've never played but have read. I was struck by the extent to which it was not a playable scenario except as a sourcebook from which the GM could draw inspiration for saying what happens next.In terms of the OP's thread, one could ask why this sort of the GM is almost the whole game play is so popular? It's certainly true that to have it, the GM needs a large amount of control!</blockquote>

[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 8992784, member: 42582"] As you've probably read upthread, I don't think that this is true of classic dungeon-crawl D&D, or of 4e D&D. Otherwise I don't dissent. I played a fair it of D&D at one high-water mark of this sort of play - 1990s 2nd ed AD&D. My general phrase to capture this sort of D&D is post-DL D&D (so mid-80s onward, non-4e D&D). Thinking back on your post connecting game design to commercial sales, I think it becomes interesting to wonder to what extent are adventure modules a type of parameterisation of post-DL play, to make it something more than what you've posted. Some probably are - eg ones that basically parcel out situations based on a timeline or a dungeon map. Some are not - one that has stuck with me in this respect is the 3E adventure Expedition to the Demonweb Pits, which I've never played but have read. I was struck by the extent to which it was not a playable scenario except as a sourcebook from which the GM could draw inspiration for saying what happens next. In terms of the OP's thread, one could ask why this sort of [I]the GM is almost the whole game[/I] play is so popular? It's certainly true that to have it, the GM needs a large amount of control! [/QUOTE]

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