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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Alphastream" data-source="post: 6290142" data-attributes="member: 11365">I really like the emphasis on open storytelling in the new Encounters adventures, though I hear far too often that they are overwhelming for many DMs and for walk-up new players. There was a real beauty to the original Encounters concept, where a DM could run the week's encounter without previous preparation. They could also prepare ahead of time - I used to just read it once, then read it a second time and dream up a few adjustments or alternatives. It is far harder to do that today, and much harder to keep players interested if they are playing just to roll dice and relax. I don't want to see the MiBG format go away. Rather, I would like to see it be an option and for Encounters to be simpler in structure. Not quite the early 4E simplicity, but closer to that. I also worry that WotC may, as it often has, over-saturate that type of open play to the point people tire of it. Keeping types of play in moderation and offering a variety is usually better than solely promoting one type of play.Gamers should rejoice that we have strong organized play efforts from a variety of companies. We can learn from Living Arcanis just how deep we can get on story and lore. We can find beautiful open play (even without combat) in Heroes of Rokugan. We can see how PFS took the LG organization of Triads and turned into the Venture structure. Several companies are taking a look at Encounters and figuring out how to apply it (and often doing so in interesting ways, such as the 13th Age organized play campaign). Unfortunately, the fans often know far more than the very busy staff at the gaming companies! It can take a while for good ideas to become incorporated into play. There is also far too little analysis of what worked and why. I bet if you asked four staff at any RPG company what works and what doesn't with their current organized play campaign you would get fairly different responses.</blockquote>

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