dave2008
Legend
In response to some recent threads complaining about adventure design (Are My Standards Too High for Adventures? & How Many Actually Good Adventures Are There?) and in the spirit of the EnWorld "Enhancing series (Enhancing Vecna: Eve of Ruin SPOILERS & How Many Actually Good Adventures Are There?) ; I want to know what you think makes a good adventure. Don't tell me what is bad - what's the good stuff!
Personally I have never had a good time with published adventures from 1e - 5e from Paizo, Chaosium, TSR or WotC. I just don't know how to use them. They all seem terribly unhelpful to me. However, I do have ideas of what I would want. So in my mind, what I want, what I think is a good adventure (similar to what @Reynard said here: SAKS), is a non-adventure. I want:
So, this sounds like good adventure design to me. Ideas and suggestions only, no prescribed story or plot.
What do think makes a good adventure. What do you want?
Personally I have never had a good time with published adventures from 1e - 5e from Paizo, Chaosium, TSR or WotC. I just don't know how to use them. They all seem terribly unhelpful to me. However, I do have ideas of what I would want. So in my mind, what I want, what I think is a good adventure (similar to what @Reynard said here: SAKS), is a non-adventure. I want:
- A general area described. Depending on the scope it could be a region, a town, or castle. Not in great detail, but with general locations, adventure hooks and ideas. Major NPCs, factions, and forces at work described, but not detail. Not much story baggage.
- Discrete detailed encounters. These should include expected level ranges (and suggestions on how to revise the level / challenge), scenarios packed with interesting and engaging information, and options for combat and/or social and/or exploration as needed.
- Adventure ideas. A series of suggestions and ideas how these different encounters might link up. Suggestions on how an different resolutions of different encounters might affect other encounters.
So, this sounds like good adventure design to me. Ideas and suggestions only, no prescribed story or plot.
What do think makes a good adventure. What do you want?