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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 2964336" data-attributes="member: 22779">I'm sorry, but I disagree with the premise that time based adventures are railroads.Take our Mad Scientist.  He's experimenting to create a massive big bad critter.  Doctor Moreau type.  The adventure could have the following timeline:Day 1:  Experiment X escapes from its captivity and begins terrorizing the neighbourhood.Day 5:  Unless otherwise, the Mad Scientist catches Experiment X and goes back to work.Day 7:  Mad Scientist needs more parts.  Goes to the graveyard for a little shopping.Day 11:  Mad Scientist has limited success.  His new monster, Monster Y, eats Experiment X but is controlled by Mad Scientist.Day 13:  Mad Scientist field tests Monster Y by obliterating Farms J, K and L.Day 30:  Mad Scientist succeeds in creating Monster Z.  Monster Z is the new master monster.  Day 32:  Mad Scientist leaves his lab to automatically make more Monster Z's, field tests Monster Z by destroying large town.Day 50:  Mad Scientist now uses his army of Monster Z's to carve out a kingdom for himself.  There, now I have a nice little timeline to work from.  This in no way railroads the party who can stop Mad Scientist at ANY time.  Obviously, this framework needs a lot more work before it hits play, but, there's the basic outline there.  The party has two months to stop Mad Scientist or they will likely be casualties of war as the army of Monster Z's tear them apart.Not every adventure has to be a sit back and do nothing adventure for the party.  Having active NPC's is NOT railroading.  Passive, or barely reactive adventures work, but they are not the be all of adventure design.  X1 is a passive design.  There is almost nothing you can do to make the adventure change shape.  You go to area 15, you meet the brontosaurus.  Go there again, you meet Mr. Bront again.  Kill the Bront, and the encounter area ceases to exist and becomes yet another random encounter area.It works, but, it's not the only way to design adventures.</blockquote>

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