Lack of Evolution in Pre-Made Adventure Presentation

[Smackpixi]

Uh, it changed radically, they’re called video games, World of Warcraft is one you may have heard of that’s been around for like 20 years. Its how the majority of people who wish to consume a fantasy RPG adventure game are doing it today. You should see the art in these things, IT MOVES!

Just cause you still sit around a table rolling dice and scribbling on a piece of paper like some weirdo doesn’t mean the rest of the world hasn’t moved on. Be thankful some company is still accommodating your bizarre fascination with the old ways with books to read words from. Even that has evolved considerably in rules, printed adventure layout, hyperlinked media, virtual maps with fog of war, virtual dice and more.

People are still buying printed books so they’re still being made, but if that’s not your jam anymore, other options abound.

 

[Parmandur]

Not to pile on, but if you look at one of the 5E Adventures on Rolk20 or Fantasy Grounds, you will see pretty much exactly you describe expecingon CD back in the day.q

 

[MGibster]

Uh, it changed radically, they’re called video games, World of Warcraft is one you may have heard of that’s been around for like 20 years. Its how the majority of people who wish to consume a fantasy RPG adventure game are doing it today. You should see the art in these things, IT MOVES!

Sure. I remember the heyday of arcades, the growth and demise of Atari, and the return of video games to American homes with Nintendo. I'm well aware of video games. And in a lot of ways adventure modules didn't change significantly as video games became more an everyday aspect of American life.

Just cause you still sit around a table rolling dice and scribbling on a piece of paper like some weirdo doesn’t mean the rest of the world hasn’t moved on. Be thankful some company is still accommodating your bizarre fascination with the old ways with books to read words from. Even that has evolved considerably in rules, printed adventure layout, hyperlinked media, virtual maps with fog of war, virtual dice and more.

I don't remember peeing in your Cheerios this morning. But I apologize for whatever it was I did to warrant your response.

 

[Smackpixi]

I buy books, roll dice, and scribble on paper like some weirdo too, wasn’t meant to be pejorative.

 

[Smackpixi]

in a lot of ways adventure modules didn't change significantly as video games became more an everyday aspect of American life.

What I’m saying is that pre-made adventure modules have evolved into video games. You create a character and go on pre made adventures online, with your friends, mashing buttons, talking to each other on headsets and what not. Thats what Keep on the Borderlands has evolved into. Just so happens, the progenitor species is still around as well. Seems like you’re asking when are fish going to sprout legs and walk on land, I’m saying they did. Branching paths.

 

[TerraDave]

The adventures have exactly the same format as the lucrative core rule books.

They are treated just the same.

 

[Emirikol]

The evolutions tried with cd rom stuff: MARK OF AMBER, ET AL were not well received.

VTT maps and handouts are where we are currently at.

I've written a lot of fully published non commercial (and some commercial adventures when I need $50), organized writers for fanzines and followed the evolution of DUNGEON magazine and my studies of the process are as follows:

• less is more. GMs don't benefit from extensive over-writing of anything.
• the creative process for adventures is not like writing a novel so the authors have to start and stop, and playtest, and rewrite. Most of the time you can also usually NOT playtest--leaving the balance of the game up to the GM and rules.
• Boxed read aloud text isn't universally used by GMs. I prefer it, but not everyone else does. Having it digitized isn't really needed.
• Players also don't like long backgrounds or long read aloud text.
• additional digital presentation steps on a face to face game slows play and reduces immersion except if extremely important.

Finally, there's this mantra amongst face to face gamers: if I wanted an automated game, I'd be on my computer, at home, in my basement.

I'm fascinated with adventure design however and enjoyed the innovations in game systems like Warhamme Roleplay 3e (etc) and with what can be presented for modern games like Call of Cthulhu, but I fear production cost and GMs just wanting to run a paper and pencil dice game still rules our production diversity and depth.

 

[Yora]

Bryce Lynch at tenfootpole has more than 10 years of angry adventure reviews, complaining at least once per week that nobody has seemed to have learned anything about adventure writing in forever.
It's like everyone's still doing the same stupid, avoidable mistakes that everyone's been making over 30 years ago.