What do YOU want in a D20 adventure?

[Dendread]

To Whomever Would Be Kind Enough to Respond,

This year for Gen Con Indy an artist co-worker and I (being something of a writer) are going to attempt to whore ourselves to every game design company on the face of the planet. Rather than doing the dull old, “Here’s my card, here’s my resume, hire me” spiel, we decided to do something everyone could enjoy a good deal more. So instead, we’re attempting to pull together a one-shot all inclusive one-nighter adventure that interested gamers could play during the con (who needs sleep?), showcasing both of our works. But before I get writing, I wanted to study a few of the better D20 adventures and get some advice from the gamer community here.

So it boils down to this. I’m not looking for plot ideas, but what are some of the traits of your favorite adventures that you feel makes them exceptional? Whether it’s just a certain vibe you get or a specific style that works for you, whatever! Whether you’re a player or DM, whoever! I’d love to hear what you think makes a truly awesome game.

Well, that’s about it. I thank you all for your time and hope that we can offer you something cool (from the Games and Comics and Stuff… booth http://www.gamescomicsstuff.com/ ) come July! Thanks again!

As Always,
~F. Wesley Schneider

 

[Uruush]

I like a table with a lot of adventure appropriate rumors, with more and better rumors gained by the players according to the Gather Information DC they beat. The information they gather should be key to helping them overcome a difficult challenge later on, rather than simply interesting.

The thing I see with a lot of published adventures is too much treasure given out. Match the treasure with the CR and then give even less - the DM can add more if they want.

I prefer 3-4 fleshed out NPCs to a dozen (or more) that have very little information about them.

If you *must* have "dungeons," for Pelor's sake, please make them small and somewhat realistic; give some thought to the ecology, and they interactions between the denizens of one area and another.

Good luck!

 

[Seonaid]

I like a mix of character types, and by that I don't mean just classes. You shouldn't have all the "brash-jump-into-combat" types and you shouldn't have all the "don't-break-the-Prime-Directive" types. It tends to work best with different classes, but it can work with all the same class. I also like having a mix of combat and social, but definitely with a weight toward combat. Social is better if it's interesting . . . which is hard to define, but probably means "definitely plot-specific" or "useful for particular character(s)" but I'm not sure what exactly I mean. Any action that involves fewer than all of the players and takes more than 10 minutes is Bad. But maybe I just get bored easily. HTH!

P. S. I agree that there should be at least 3 solid NPC's.

P. P. S. A lot of combat-oriented campaigns/sessions are also treasure-oriented (bad, flat, one-dimensional, uninteresting, not conducive to character-building in any sense) . . . which perhaps could be solved/helped by having some overarching goal.

 

[Fenes 2]

I want adventures where the emphasis is on plot and social interaction, not combat. I want NPCs with motivations, goals and quirks, not another variant of the "polymorphed X", and no overdose of the "secretly in service of organisation Y" either. I want a scaleable adventure that can be easily adapted for level 4 or level 12 play. I want mature themes, not the gross crunch that is in the BoVD. I want adventures where there is a choice for the PCs to make with several valid paths - not a "kill all or die" approach. I don't want treasure hordes, but more diverse rewards, from reputation to granted titles, land or privileges.

 

[ced1106]

Being semi-rantish here, but...

* No railroading.
* Any idiot GM can run the game.
* Interesting NPCs.

In other words, an adventure from someone who's read "Robin Law's Guide to Good Gamemastering" (particularly the plot flowcharts) and John Fourr's "NPC Essentials".

Personally, I'd like an adventure, perhaps a city adventure, that tells gamers, "Hey, there's more to D&D than killing things".

Do well,


Cedric.
aka. Washu! ^O^

 

[Dendread]

I'm hearing you all loud and clear and am definatly taking notes. I'm glad that I'm seeing several of you saying the same things, which makes me think that there are definatly some gaps out there that we might be able to fill. Anyone else have any ideas/suggestions/preferences?

 

[Henry]

Keep this in mind: what makes a good Convention Module does not make necessarily a good home campaign module. Social Interaction, Roleplay, and deep character interactions can be great, but in a convention slot of five hours or less, there's not as much time for roleplay as at a home adventure. Think about what the adventure tries to accomplish, and makes sure that it can be concluded satisfactorily within a four hour time frame.


The following is what I think would be good for the project you're undertaking:

1) A good plot hook, including an interesting twist for the scenery or environment. One DM had us start in a tavern, but there were two catches:

The tavern was a converted wrecked ship.
The tavern was on fire.

It got us interested quickly.

2) Be sure to have at least one NPC who must be interacted with, and who makes the adventure harder if they are resolved by violence. However, do not make the adventure impossible if this happens.

3)Stick to one major battle, or two at most. Combat can slow some DM's down enormously, but it's part of most good D&D adventures.

4) Try to include a twist in the combatants as well. This is where things like invisible vampiric kobolds, or Psionic Penguins that summon astral constructs come in handy. More mundanely, think of an original way to use a more mundane opponent - undead that use poison gas, or spiders on a sheer cliff face, or something that puts the opponent in its element.

5) Visuals. Interesting sceneries, small, even paper, props or artwork depicting complex descriptions, and possibly pregenerated characters in the back as well as map pull outs to give the Players. Short Pre-gen characters are especially good because if a group is looking to shave off time, it can get them going faster.

Hopefully some of this will help you in your project. Best of luck, and I hope to see you there!

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

I'd like to see some of the more unusual monsters in the MM used, or using the familiar monsters in new and unusual ways. There are plenty of creatures in there that I have yet to see in any published adventure, but would love to have an opportunity to interact with (not just kill).

Also, being an old-school player, I do enjoy dungeons, but please make them interesting and unique, and make sure things make sense. While I may have cut my teath on White Plume Mountain and The Tomb of Horrors, I really enjoy an inventive dungeon that has a good storyline both above and below the ground, and doesn't just involve searching for treasure.

 

[Arken]

Let's see...

I like:

1: Some interesting NPCs, there's no point in statting up someone that is JUST generic, give me a real character or three and I'm happy. If they can be lifted into another setting then all the better. (sorry if that seems contradictory )

2: A simple innovation on the basic rules such as taking a creature and adding a new twist that I hadn't thought of(templates, tactics, a new weapon, whatever ) or creating mechanics for something specific that hasn't quite been covered and can be copied (new uses for skills or similar).

3: I like an adventure that has an interesting or fantastic setting in some way: something that makes you think...'i hadn't thought of that' (again)

4: If there's a villain then I like to see them doing something truly threatening to the populace and with a good reason for doing it.

5: I like combats to have special rules applied to them based on setting.

6: If the heros have to travel overland then 1 or 2 rules for alternate routes are nice

 

[Dendread]

Thank you all for all your help! You've given me a lot of ideas and I think I know what direction to head in now. If anyone else has any ideas I'd love to hear and I'll keep checking in!
Thanks again!
~Wes