Should published adventures contain an "optimization level"

[Nightfall]

No I mean I usually just don't charge head long into the fray or try to do everyone thing at once between 1st and 4th levels. Plus I some times "metagame" about various aspects and thus press my luck depending on how much I recall.

 

[FireLance]

Oh, that's a great idea. It might not even need to make the adventure necessarily objectively harder in terms of more of the same guys or higher levels, either, just more complicated with more to think about or deal with. For instance, I don't need a sidebar that says "Replace the four mook soldiers with six mook soldiers for a bigger challenge", but something like "For advanced players, there are only two mook soldiers, but a Warlock hides in the rafters, using the darkness and his Devil's Sight invocation to his advantage as he takes out the PCs one by one, starting with the one that looks like the healer."

Alternatively, "For intermediate players, replace one fighter with a warblade. For advanced players, replace both the fighters with two warblades with White Raven Tactics."

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Its something I'd like to see.

I really like the way the old Shadowrun modules were laid out. Love to see some DnD ones written the same way.

In respect to scaling, many scenes would have a 'pushing the envelope' section, where they'd suggest some ways to adjust an encounter - generally toughening up, but sometimes making things easier. It was a good way to do things.


Although I think DnD magic makes it somewhat hard to adjust the level of adventures too far upwards. At some point, you just need to change the type of challenges. Ex - semi linear dungeon crawls are tough to do for high level PCs - they'll disintegrate, passwall, divinate, etc their way around obstacles that would stop a lower level party.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Alternatively, "For intermediate players, replace one fighter with a warblade. For advanced players, replace both the fighters with two warblades with White Raven Tactics."

 

[Nightfall]

Fire,

You're more evil than I! I love it.