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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CharlesRyan" data-source="post: 4579987" data-attributes="member: 5265">Hi, Merric--I'll pipe in with agreement on the the "it's not a bad genre--it's bad adventures" perspective.The very first adventure writing I ever did, lo those many years ago, was in the investigations genre, and I learned a lot really quickly. The first mistake many mystery adventure writers make (myself included, in some of my early stuff) is to take a simulationist approach: A real investigation involves many potential clues and leads, only a very few of which actually lead anywhere. Hence, if the adventure features, say, 20 potential clues and leads, the writer is tempted to think that, logically, only 2 or 3 actually lead anywhere--the other 17 or 18, by default, are dead ends and red herrings.The problem, of course, is that adventures model fiction, not reality (and should abstract the drudgery and focus on what's fun, just like action-oriented adventures do). Dead ends and red herrings should be important elements of a mystery story--not the default state. Thus, an adventure with 20 potential clues and leads should include (perhaps) 2 or 3 well thought out dead ends and red herrings--the other 17 or 18 should all propel the story forward, even if only a few of them represent real breakthroughs. (By "well thought out" I mean they should create plot twists or positively affect the pacing of the adventure.)As many folk have already mentioned, multiple paths through the mystery are also key. That doesn't mean the heroes shouldn't have to work for their clues and plot points--just that the adventure doesn't presume a specific set of actions and require success at every key point.Finally, an adventure can feel--indeed, be--very investigative without relying on super sluethiness. Most James Bond films are investigative in nature, but Bond is hardly Sherlock Holmes. His plotlines are generally pretty linear, and the clues are usually obtained through instinct and daring with just a dash of hardcore investigation. The Bond movie is a pretty good model for investigative adventuring in general--you start with a mystery, and end with the satisfaction of solving a mystery, but go through at a pace that's satisfying at the gaming table. (The clue-leads-to-action-leads-to-clue-leads-to-action-etc. format makes for good gaming as well.)That's my experience in a nutshell. Hope it helps!</blockquote>

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