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Respect Mah Authoritah: Thoughts on DM and Player Authority in 5e
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<blockquote data-quote="Composer99" data-source="post: 8431627" data-attributes="member: 7030042"><p>I'm not sure our descriptions differ that much? A linear adventure still requires the players agree to stay in their lanes to some extent, regardless of how emergent or unplanned smaller-scale outcomes can be.</p><p></p><p>But I'll elaborate/reiterate by considering <em>Hoard of the Dragon Queen</em>, which is quite linear.</p><p></p><p>If I wanted to sum up the whole adventure, its overall status quo is twofold:</p><p>(1) "The antagonists have a secure means of of transporting people and treasure around the Sword Coast in service of their ultimate goal";</p><p>(2) "Whatever other powers in the world know or don't know about the antagonists' plans, the ones the PCs interact with are not certain what exactly the antagonists are up to". (Confirming what the bad guys are doing is one of the PCs' goals.)</p><p></p><p>The PCs thoroughly demolish this status quo by the adventure's end.</p><p></p><p>Since the adventure <em>is</em> linear, it consists of a series of steps, each causally linked. But each step is, or can be adjusted to be, its own little "status quo situation" that the PCs disrupt, upend, or destroy, a disruption that in principle can be an emergent and unplanned outcome of the interaction between the existing situation at its outset, the actions of the PCs, and the dynamic world reacting to those actions, even if the outcome at each step is intended to encourage the PCs to follow the causal chain to the next step and its attendant status quo. What is more, this potential emergent and unplanned resolution of each step allows for downstream consequences that are themselves emergent and unplanned to come to pass, consequences that can change the status quo situation at the outset of the sequel adventure <em>Rise of Tiamat</em> or (if the DM is canny enough), change the status quo situation of subsequent steps in <em>Hoard of the Dragon Queen</em>, if not so much so as to break the causal chain of steps.</p><p></p><p>To be sure, as written I don't think Hoard of the Dragon Queen meets my ideal of a linear adventure, but it can be made into one, IMO.</p><p></p><p>[HR][/HR]</p><p>A more fulsome breakdown isn't strictly necessary IMO, but if you want one...</p><p>[SPOILER]</p><p>Hoard of the Dragon Queen does consist of a series of situations that unfold one after the other. As it is written there's not a lot of opportunity given in the text for emergent and unplanned outcomes, except in a very vague sense (usually "Development" text at the end of each chapter). But I think with a bit of tinkering you can reach what I see as ideal: each step in the adventure following logically and causally from the previous, but with each step usually representing a status quo situation whose disruption by the PCs is emergent and unplanned in the details.</p><p></p><p>(1) The adventure starts with the PCs coming across the Cult of the Dragon attacking the town of Greenest. The status quo at hand, absent any action by the PCs, is "the Cult wins a complete victory, ransacking Greenest for everything it's worth and carrying away large numbers of prisoners, possibly including sacking the keep". The arrival and actions of the PCs therefore upend this status quo: the Cult will be walking away with something less than a complete victory, even if their assets on hand (large numbers and a dragon) prevent them from losing.</p><p></p><p>(2) The eventual withdrawal of the Cult with their spoils leads to the next situation, which follows causally from the opening - a desire by the leaders of Greenest (and presumably the PCs) to find out the whys and wherefores of the attack, to locate the Cult base of operations, and to possibly rescue such prisoners as were taken by the cult. Among these prisoners is a Harper spy who allowed himself to be captured in order to also gather information. The situation here is a status quo - "the Cult base is secure from its enemies" - that the PCs upend.</p><p></p><p>(3) The upending of the previous status quo spooks the local Cult leaders, who hurriedly evacuate with the spoils of their raids in Greenest and the surrounding areas, leaving a token defence to guard a clutch of dragon eggs that happen to be present. This section doesn't really present a new status quo IMO, but is rather a spun-out causal consequence of the disruption of the previous status quo, where the PCs reckon with the outcome of their previous victory (however non-violently it played out).</p><p></p><p>(4) The evacuation of Cult forces and their accumulated treasure naturally leads to the question - "where are they taking it and why?" The next chapter is a prolonged journey where the PCs insinuate themselves into a caravan that happens to include Cult agents escorting wagons of their stolen loot. Although IMO the main role of this chapter is to transition into the next two (and the status quo they present for the PCs to upend), it also contains a status quo of sorts - "the Cult manages to transport its Greenfields loot undetected" - that the PCs obviously upend.</p><p></p><p>(5 and 6) The next two chapters are so linked that they may as well be a single one. The Cult brings the wagons to a roadhouse that their agents control, where lizardfolk minions gather the treasure and haul it through a swamp to a castle built therein, a castle not built by the Cult but that they managed to appropriate for their purposes. In the caverns beneath is a teleportation circle that leads to a distant mountain range; again, not one that the Cult made but that they have taken control of. The PCs, still seeking to answer "where are they taking the treasure and why?", are logically going to press forward with their investigation. Taken together, these two chapters present a status quo - "the Cult has a secure base along the Sword Coast between Waterdeep and Neverwinter allowing them to monitor traffic along that road and secretly transport people and goods" - that the PCs once again disrupt to some lesser or greater extent.</p><p></p><p>(7) The fact that the Cult uses a teleportation circle to move people and treasure logically leads the PCs to follow their quarry through the circle, leading to a Cult base consisting of an old hunting lodge the Cult has repurposed. Interestingly, the existence of other teleportation circles leading to other Cult bases is implied, but not followed up on in the text (although it could be if the module were adapted to less linear gameplay). This chapter is again a bit more transitional in nature, and the status quo it presents - "the Cult has a secure base to manage the transition of people and goods" is basically the same as the last one.</p><p></p><p>(8) Finally, the PCs reach the final link in the Cult's chain loot transport - a floating ice castle controlled by a cloud giant who has allowed their stronghold to be used by the Cult for this purpose. The adventure ends when the PCs, through whatever combination of violence and diplomacy they choose (or are forced to employ, since Cult forces are quite reasonably disposed to be violently hostile towards them by this point), remove the Cult from the castle. The giant is not fanatically loyal to the Cult, and although he won't take up arms against the Cult, he isn't predisposed to stop the PCs, either. In fact, he's presented as having agreed to have the Cult onboard for the sake of figuring out what they're up to, with the eventual goal of using that information to mobilise the giants to action against the Cult. So fighting him is not necessary, although it's certainly possible. The act of clearing out the cult upends the final "status quo situation" of the adventure - "the Cult has a flying castle at their disposal which they are using to take the treasure to the Well of Dragons" and also gives the PCs the chance of discovering the full nature of the Cult's plan to summon Tiamat bodily into the world (if they haven't put things together based on hints laced throughout).</p><p>[/SPOILER]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Composer99, post: 8431627, member: 7030042"] I'm not sure our descriptions differ that much? A linear adventure still requires the players agree to stay in their lanes to some extent, regardless of how emergent or unplanned smaller-scale outcomes can be. But I'll elaborate/reiterate by considering [I]Hoard of the Dragon Queen[/I], which is quite linear. If I wanted to sum up the whole adventure, its overall status quo is twofold: (1) "The antagonists have a secure means of of transporting people and treasure around the Sword Coast in service of their ultimate goal"; (2) "Whatever other powers in the world know or don't know about the antagonists' plans, the ones the PCs interact with are not certain what exactly the antagonists are up to". (Confirming what the bad guys are doing is one of the PCs' goals.) The PCs thoroughly demolish this status quo by the adventure's end. Since the adventure [I]is[/I] linear, it consists of a series of steps, each causally linked. But each step is, or can be adjusted to be, its own little "status quo situation" that the PCs disrupt, upend, or destroy, a disruption that in principle can be an emergent and unplanned outcome of the interaction between the existing situation at its outset, the actions of the PCs, and the dynamic world reacting to those actions, even if the outcome at each step is intended to encourage the PCs to follow the causal chain to the next step and its attendant status quo. What is more, this potential emergent and unplanned resolution of each step allows for downstream consequences that are themselves emergent and unplanned to come to pass, consequences that can change the status quo situation at the outset of the sequel adventure [I]Rise of Tiamat[/I] or (if the DM is canny enough), change the status quo situation of subsequent steps in [I]Hoard of the Dragon Queen[/I], if not so much so as to break the causal chain of steps. To be sure, as written I don't think Hoard of the Dragon Queen meets my ideal of a linear adventure, but it can be made into one, IMO. [HR][/HR] A more fulsome breakdown isn't strictly necessary IMO, but if you want one... [SPOILER] Hoard of the Dragon Queen does consist of a series of situations that unfold one after the other. As it is written there's not a lot of opportunity given in the text for emergent and unplanned outcomes, except in a very vague sense (usually "Development" text at the end of each chapter). But I think with a bit of tinkering you can reach what I see as ideal: each step in the adventure following logically and causally from the previous, but with each step usually representing a status quo situation whose disruption by the PCs is emergent and unplanned in the details. (1) The adventure starts with the PCs coming across the Cult of the Dragon attacking the town of Greenest. The status quo at hand, absent any action by the PCs, is "the Cult wins a complete victory, ransacking Greenest for everything it's worth and carrying away large numbers of prisoners, possibly including sacking the keep". The arrival and actions of the PCs therefore upend this status quo: the Cult will be walking away with something less than a complete victory, even if their assets on hand (large numbers and a dragon) prevent them from losing. (2) The eventual withdrawal of the Cult with their spoils leads to the next situation, which follows causally from the opening - a desire by the leaders of Greenest (and presumably the PCs) to find out the whys and wherefores of the attack, to locate the Cult base of operations, and to possibly rescue such prisoners as were taken by the cult. Among these prisoners is a Harper spy who allowed himself to be captured in order to also gather information. The situation here is a status quo - "the Cult base is secure from its enemies" - that the PCs upend. (3) The upending of the previous status quo spooks the local Cult leaders, who hurriedly evacuate with the spoils of their raids in Greenest and the surrounding areas, leaving a token defence to guard a clutch of dragon eggs that happen to be present. This section doesn't really present a new status quo IMO, but is rather a spun-out causal consequence of the disruption of the previous status quo, where the PCs reckon with the outcome of their previous victory (however non-violently it played out). (4) The evacuation of Cult forces and their accumulated treasure naturally leads to the question - "where are they taking it and why?" The next chapter is a prolonged journey where the PCs insinuate themselves into a caravan that happens to include Cult agents escorting wagons of their stolen loot. Although IMO the main role of this chapter is to transition into the next two (and the status quo they present for the PCs to upend), it also contains a status quo of sorts - "the Cult manages to transport its Greenfields loot undetected" - that the PCs obviously upend. (5 and 6) The next two chapters are so linked that they may as well be a single one. The Cult brings the wagons to a roadhouse that their agents control, where lizardfolk minions gather the treasure and haul it through a swamp to a castle built therein, a castle not built by the Cult but that they managed to appropriate for their purposes. In the caverns beneath is a teleportation circle that leads to a distant mountain range; again, not one that the Cult made but that they have taken control of. The PCs, still seeking to answer "where are they taking the treasure and why?", are logically going to press forward with their investigation. Taken together, these two chapters present a status quo - "the Cult has a secure base along the Sword Coast between Waterdeep and Neverwinter allowing them to monitor traffic along that road and secretly transport people and goods" - that the PCs once again disrupt to some lesser or greater extent. (7) The fact that the Cult uses a teleportation circle to move people and treasure logically leads the PCs to follow their quarry through the circle, leading to a Cult base consisting of an old hunting lodge the Cult has repurposed. Interestingly, the existence of other teleportation circles leading to other Cult bases is implied, but not followed up on in the text (although it could be if the module were adapted to less linear gameplay). This chapter is again a bit more transitional in nature, and the status quo it presents - "the Cult has a secure base to manage the transition of people and goods" is basically the same as the last one. (8) Finally, the PCs reach the final link in the Cult's chain loot transport - a floating ice castle controlled by a cloud giant who has allowed their stronghold to be used by the Cult for this purpose. The adventure ends when the PCs, through whatever combination of violence and diplomacy they choose (or are forced to employ, since Cult forces are quite reasonably disposed to be violently hostile towards them by this point), remove the Cult from the castle. The giant is not fanatically loyal to the Cult, and although he won't take up arms against the Cult, he isn't predisposed to stop the PCs, either. In fact, he's presented as having agreed to have the Cult onboard for the sake of figuring out what they're up to, with the eventual goal of using that information to mobilise the giants to action against the Cult. So fighting him is not necessary, although it's certainly possible. The act of clearing out the cult upends the final "status quo situation" of the adventure - "the Cult has a flying castle at their disposal which they are using to take the treasure to the Well of Dragons" and also gives the PCs the chance of discovering the full nature of the Cult's plan to summon Tiamat bodily into the world (if they haven't put things together based on hints laced throughout). [/SPOILER] [/QUOTE]
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