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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Iosue" data-source="post: 8795995" data-attributes="member: 6680772">It seems to me that the Sample Scenario included in the ruluboo has two primary purposes: 1) outline how a scenario should be constructed, and b) provide an opportunity for the players to get used to how the various systems in the game work. To that end, it is extremely linear. The book also notes that everything is laid out in relative detail, to aid new GMs, but that when creating one's own scenarios, it's enough to simply prepare the minimum necessary information.It begins with an outline of the scenario, which is titled "Eliminate the Barbaros!":Summary: It's a two-part scenario, in between which the PCs can develop their PCs. The first part is a monster-fighting mission, while the second is an exploration/monster-fighting mission in a Shallow Abyss. Prep: It's a scenario for 3-5 PCs. Setting: The Burlight region. The PCs are adventurers registered to the Dragon's Fire guild, in Harves. First Half Introduction: Barbaros have been gathering near the outskirt village of Dale, causing problems. A commission has come in to the Dragon's Fire guild. The Barbaros sighted were goblins. This seems like a job that new adventurers can handle.One thing I like about how official scenarios are presented is that they begin with a description of the scenario's "flow." That is, what the scenario is about, and what the major encounters and events are, in the generally most likely order.For this first half, the flow is as follows: Introduction, arriving in Dale, departing to find the goblins (first encounter), finding the goblin's hideout, fighting the goblins. The scenario is then laid out along those lines. Each section has some description for the GM to read, and then further details on NPCs to talk to, what kind of checks might be made, and what the results of those checks would be. The encounters are against Algorithmic Goblins (number of each particular monster = No. of PCs - 2). Some further complications are introduced as the scenario progresses: a young boy named Al went out three days ago to fight the goblins and has been missing since. Neither he nor his remains are found in the hideout, but a letter in the Barbaros language is found saying, "The new base is almost taken. The brat is tough. Food running out. Steal some from the village." This leads into the second half of the scenario.As it turns out, the PCs hear from the mayor's daughter that Al went to some old castle ruins north of the goblin hideout, and there was a Shallow Abyss there. So the second half flow becomes: at Dale, going to the castle ruins, exploring the Shallow Abyss, escaping the magic castle, and the conclusion. When the PCs enter the Shallow Abyss, they find the inside has taken the form of the castle that once stood there. They explore the castle grounds, have two fights, save Al, and escape.It's all very straightforward. Even the castle proceeds quite linearly, with a couple of short branches, but ultimately proceeding in a straight line from the open field before the castle to the central tower. IMO, the adventure works in establishing a baseline for beginning players and GMs, much like the Haunted Keep of Moldvay Basic. The PCs are broadly constrained by the scenario, but within that there are some degrees of freedom. They can take on the goblin hideout straight on, or try sneaking in from the back. Whether Al lives or dies in the Shallow Abyss depends on the PCs choices. At every chokepoint, there are multiple ways to get through them. I do wish the book said something to the effect of, "This scenarios is intentionally linear, but you can create even more complex scenarios."The chapter ends with a short section on Campaigns. It defines a campaign as continually playing scenarios with the same characters, and recommends that GMs make up further scenarios themselves. The first official replay is recommended as a reference, and it notes that the first major supplement (handling Gransele, a kingdom shown but not described in Rulebook I) has numerous scenarios that would fit as continuations of this one.Next up, the biggest section of the Game Master chapter, and the final part of the book, the Monsters section!</blockquote>

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