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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 5953322" data-attributes="member: 42582">That's very kind of you to say so.I'n not going to defend WotC's published modules. They're bad - and they're doubly made because they have elements that could make them good (<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/5259918-post56.html" target="_blank">here is a link</a> to the changes I made to two parts of H2 Thunderspire Labyrinth, to take better advantage of its nice maps and interesting NPCs).But I think running dynamic and responsive encounters is not as hard as the D&amp;D approach sometimes makes it. I tend to find it's all about the right tools and techniques. The first book that really taught me how to do this was the original Oriental Adventures when it came out - because with its rules for family, and honour, it created links and relationships connecting the PCs into the gameworld on which encounters could be fairly easily hung. They didn't have to be very heavy and detailed in their upfront engineering, becasue the PCs own hooks made it comparatively easy for me, as a GM, to come up with interesting and relevant and responsive stuff on the fly.The other approach I've found helfpful is one found in modules ranging from the old B module Night's Dark Terror to most of the ICE Rolemaster modules to Eden Odyssey's d20 module Wonders Out of Time - modules that focus on setting and character that are laden with situation, but don't prescribe the precise situation and sequence for play. Combined with strong PC hooks, these tend to allow a more dynamic approach.I think it would be good if WotC tried harder in contemporary D&amp;D material to put forward these sorts of approaches to adventure/scenario design. (Caves of Chaos doesn't have sequence, but I don't think it's pregnant with situation. The medusa, I think, is a bit underdeveloped, for example.)</blockquote>

[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 5953322, member: 42582"] That's very kind of you to say so. I'n not going to defend WotC's published modules. They're bad - and they're doubly made because they have elements that could make them good ([url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/5259918-post56.html]here is a link[/url] to the changes I made to two parts of H2 Thunderspire Labyrinth, to take better advantage of its nice maps and interesting NPCs). But I think running dynamic and responsive encounters is not as hard as the D&D approach sometimes makes it. I tend to find it's all about the right tools and techniques. The first book that really taught me how to do this was the original Oriental Adventures when it came out - because with its rules for family, and honour, it created links and relationships connecting the PCs into the gameworld on which encounters could be fairly easily hung. They didn't have to be very heavy and detailed in their upfront engineering, becasue the PCs own hooks made it comparatively easy for me, as a GM, to come up with interesting and relevant and responsive stuff on the fly. The other approach I've found helfpful is one found in modules ranging from the old B module Night's Dark Terror to most of the ICE Rolemaster modules to Eden Odyssey's d20 module Wonders Out of Time - modules that focus on setting and character that are laden with situation, but don't prescribe the precise situation and sequence for play. Combined with strong PC hooks, these tend to allow a more dynamic approach. I think it would be good if WotC tried harder in contemporary D&D material to put forward these sorts of approaches to adventure/scenario design. (Caves of Chaos doesn't have sequence, but I don't think it's pregnant with situation. The medusa, I think, is a bit underdeveloped, for example.) [/QUOTE]

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