Why Adventure-Building is Bad

[Raven Crowking]

Color me amazed that both this and the world-building thread have developed so much interest.

Not as amazed as me (and nice variation on "color me confused"!). Especially this thread, which I just thought would be funny.

RC (Daniel J. Bishop)

 

[Charwoman Gene]

Especially this thread, which I just thought would be funny.

Wow, how does it feel to be that wrong?

 

[Psion]

Not as amazed as me (and nice variation on "color me confused"!). Especially this thread, which I just thought would be funny.

I'm so used to people making dunderheaded assertions that it didn't even occur to me that you might be, as the Brits say, "taking the piss".

 

[Raven Crowking]

Wow, how does it feel to be that wrong?

Normal.

 

[Slife]

No kidding. Not only is the guy actually just paraphrasing Harrison, but he's a total hack. I've read some of his stuff. I know. He just tends to think he's funny. Really, he's just amusing himself.

Then why the heck did you post it?

 

[FireLance]

Eh. I think challenges need structure and context or it's just a wargame.

Or a randomly generated dungeon. Of course, since we ascribe human-like thought processes to the PCs, they ought to have some reason for wanting to overcome the challenges, even if it's simply the assignment of the week handed to them by their patron.

I don't see plot in RPGs as being the sequence of events that the GM dictates will occurs. I see it as the connecting logic behind the events of the game that are outside of the PCs' direct control.

I hope this doesn't develop into splitting sematic hairs about what "plot" means, but when I talk about events outside of the PCs' direct control (generally because they occur where the PC are not present, or before the PCs arrive on the scene), I generally use terms like "background" or "setting". The DM might also have a plot in mind - how one challenge leads to another, for example, or how failing at one challenge means that the PCs are faced with another one, but it isn't actualized until the PCs actually do something.

 

[Raven Crowking]

Then why the heck did you post it?

Um......D. Joseph Bishop is Daniel Joseph Bishop is Daniel J. Bishop is Raven Crowking.

I thought I was being funny.

Sorry for the confusion.

 

[hong]

Um......D. Joseph Bishop is Daniel Joseph Bishop is Daniel J. Bishop is Raven Crowking.

I thought I was being funny.

Sorry for the confusion.

Mang, you just got no style.

How's the SF writing going anyway?

 

[Raven Crowking]

Mang, you just got no style.

Ain't it the troof.

How's the SF writing going anyway?

Meh. I've got so much on my plate these days, with the new baby and the day job, that I don't get in nearly as much as I'd like.

Did I mention I have a story in the current issue of On Spec?

 

[shilsen]

Man, I must be getting good at recognizing your work, RC. I read the first post and thought, "D Joseph Bishop must be Raven Crowking."