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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Stormonu" data-source="post: 8930521" data-attributes="member: 52734">I think it's fine if organizations have clear goals and standards in an adventure.  It's fine for the author to say the Golden Vault frowns on certain actions and doing certain actions would affect the party or character's standing in the organization.What I don't want is the author arbitrarily punishing the party for not following their morality or way of doing things.  The stage should be set, not the lines read for the players.Recently, I've been reading back through some 2E adventure modules and I find myself shaking my head in sections where the author goes out of their way to punish the players if they don't explicitly choose the same solution the author had in mind for the adventure.Egregious Example - DL16 - World of Krynn, "The Missing Master Lor"[spoiler]At the end of the adventure, after rescuing a young child, the characters are given three options for a reward:"A reward then, that is whats called for, a reward. Ah, but I am weakened and can not hold this form long, so you must choose.  Her form shudders, but her eye is keen and shrewd. What will it be? Will you accept my thanks and gratitude? Perhaps someday I can bring you good fortune and offer some boon you seek. Or perhaps I can magic my most prized possession here for you , a treasure beyond compare, payment enough for all the agony you have suffered and perhaps you can buy some ease? Still, you have suffered long and hard perhaps twere best you had avoided this ill adventure. Would you have me turn back time so you will be healed of all harms suffered and this adventure will have never been? For this too, I can do. What shall it be? The old hags milky eyes look at you with calculating intelligence, awaiting your decision."So, if you choose "Turn back time", you get sent back in time (any one who died does come back to life, though), miss the whole adventure and someone else gets the credit.  Cue moralizing PSA about "nothing is earned without sacrifice".  No reward whatsoever.If you choose "Treasure" you get a halfling sized owl made of ivory.  However, by the time you get back home, it turns into a real normal-sized owl and flies away. Cue moralizing PSA about "wealth is fleeting".  No reward whatsoever.If you choose "Future Favor", you get healed of all damage and anyone who died is brought back to life.  Likewise, on your way back to town you find a vein of silver ore (its worth is not mentioned, and this is Dragonlance, which uses steel coins...).Essentially, you have to guess what the author thinks is the right decision to get a reward, else you get shafted - rather than letting the PCs really make their own choice and go with it.[/spoiler]</blockquote>

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