Non-Glorantha Adventures

[HyrumOWC]

OWC is going to take part in the Open aspect of MRQ and we're looking at producing adventures and most likely a campaign setting later on down the road.

Now, none of these adventures will be set in Glorantha, rather they'll be set in our default setting of Diomin. (Which was heavily influenced by Glorantha and frankly we had to cram it into D20 when we originally released it.)

This leads me to my question. What are you, the RQ fan-base looking for when it comes to adventures? We've got some planned, but I've got a feeling that "standard" d20 adventures aren't what you're looking for.

Care to share your opinions? Enquiring minds want to know.

Hyrum.

 

[Utgardloki]

What I would like is a good, extended science fiction adventure. I see a few extended adventures have been released for fantasy settings such as Drow War and Witchfire Trilogy. But I'd like some good science fiction adventures.

I also would like to see some _good_ adventures for superhero characters. The adventures I have for the DC Heroes game are pretty lame, IMHO.

As for fantasy, what I would like is an adventure that has everything I need in order to run the adventure. I want stats for the sherrif of the town. I may cannibalize the adventure for my own campaign, but if I don't I'd like to just be able to read the module and run it.

Other than that, adventures that work well in a real game are better than adventures that don't work well. I've found that if there is a time schedule, the PCs will miss any deadlines given. Therefore the adventure should not depend on the PCs doing such and such at a given point, because they won't.

I'd like to see some new themes explored. If you were going to write D&D adventures, I'd like to see adventures using materials from the various sourcebooks (although copyrights might have to be obtained, since most of the materials are not OGL.) Since you're doing Runequest, I don't know what to showcase, but exotic monsters are often a winner, as long as they are presented well -- not just thrown into the adventure but worked in as an integral part.

The best thing to do is write what you want.

 

[seanwalsh]

At the risk of being looked down upon, I must say that I do want some sort of "standard" DnD-type adventures. I want adventures I can pick up and run without much else. I do not have much time to play roll-playing games, and I use pre-made adventures to help me. If I have to spend a lot of time researching the adventure or writing extensive notes, I might as well have made the adventure myself, or just made it up as I went along. Dungeon crawls, wilderness exploration, old haunted keeps, dragons in the mountains, giants in the hills, and trolls under the bridge are all okey-dokey to me. I just want to play, and I want resources that make it easier for me to play.
Other things I like:
1) Campaigns. If there are pre-made adventures that link together to form a larger story, again, less work for me.
2) Maps. Lots of maps, and good character hand-outs (like notes, pictures, and more maps).
3) Drop-in/stand-alone adventure settings. Sure campaigns are nice, but what about those little bits between, or when you get to the end, but you are not yet ready to retire the characters?

Also, I think some adventures set at sea, or in an archipelago setting, think boats, pirates, unexplored islands, would be nice. I do not think there are enough of them.

 

[HyrumOWC]

What I would like is a good, extended science fiction adventure. I see a few extended adventures have been released for fantasy settings such as Drow War and Witchfire Trilogy. But I'd like some good science fiction adventures.

Well, if Mongoose releases SpaceQuest we'll think about it. Right now they would just be for RuneQuest.

I also would like to see some _good_ adventures for superhero characters. The adventures I have for the DC Heroes game are pretty lame, IMHO.

Same goes for supers. (SuperQuest?)

As for fantasy, what I would like is an adventure that has everything I need in order to run the adventure. I want stats for the sherrif of the town. I may cannibalize the adventure for my own campaign, but if I don't I'd like to just be able to read the module and run it.

Perfect. Thanks!

Other than that, adventures that work well in a real game are better than adventures that don't work well. I've found that if there is a time schedule, the PCs will miss any deadlines given. Therefore the adventure should not depend on the PCs doing such and such at a given point, because they won't.

Sounds like your players are similar to mine.

I'd like to see some new themes explored. If you were going to write D&D adventures, I'd like to see adventures using materials from the various sourcebooks (although copyrights might have to be obtained, since most of the materials are not OGL.) Since you're doing Runequest, I don't know what to showcase, but exotic monsters are often a winner, as long as they are presented well -- not just thrown into the adventure but worked in as an integral part.

We've done d20 adventures in the past, but I think I know where you're at.

The best thing to do is write what you want.

Wise words... That's true for just about everything in life.

Hyrum.

 

[HyrumOWC]

At the risk of being looked down upon, I must say that I do want some sort of "standard" DnD-type adventures. I want adventures I can pick up and run without much else. I do not have much time to play roll-playing games, and I use pre-made adventures to help me. If I have to spend a lot of time researching the adventure or writing extensive notes, I might as well have made the adventure myself, or just made it up as I went along. Dungeon crawls, wilderness exploration, old haunted keeps, dragons in the mountains, giants in the hills, and trolls under the bridge are all okey-dokey to me. I just want to play, and I want resources that make it easier for me to play.

Anything we'd do we'll make it so you can use it right away with minimal fuss. Do you use RQ for Glorantha or do you have your own setting?

Hyrum.

 

[Lord Twig]

I find I like adventures that present a little microcosm of life. A Small Town on the outskirts of Some Nation. Develop the local personalities and the economy of the town. Are they a crossroads town dependant on trade? Are they an agricultural town? How do they look on strangers?

Then throw in the plot hooks. A local merchant has problems with some raiders attacking his shipments, the local Sheriff is worried about some monster activity off north and the temple priestess has had portents of Evil approaching. The three different problems could even be aimed towards low, medium and high-powered characters. This gives the players a reason to come back to the town and get to know the locals.

This should be easier in RQ than in D&D as the power levels are not so dramatic. Most D&D modules I have ever seen describe a town, or whatever, and then you never see it again after the characters gain a few levels and out grow it.

 

[Utgardloki]

I think one of the best adventures I ran started out as a dreadful D&D adventure for 0th edition. I took the old adventure, threw out half the monsters, and put in a plot line where the evil druid had a grudge against a local hedge-wizard, and his prime minion was the wizard's daughter.

The three maidens in his dungeon also each had their personalities -- they were not just objects. One of them didn't make it out of the dungeon. Another one became an apprentice of an NPC and the third joined the army.

I don't have any fantasy adventures I'd particularly look for. Maybe island adventures would be good for converting to a Battlestar Galactica game .

 

[Utgardloki]

For Runequest, I definitely want to see "normal" fantasy adventures. Fight the monster. Find the magic artifact. Rescue the merchant's daughter. That sort of thing.

But somebody mentioned in a chatroom about the Tick, and that got me thinking, I'd like to see some adventures with more offbeat, bizarre plots. Not ridiculous plotlines. But for example in one of the episodes somebody stole The Tick's arms. In another episode someone was animating furniture to do her bidding. That sort of thing. Kind of like the Forgotten Realms adventure where that woman wakes up with a mystical tattoo that she didn't remember getting.

The hard part is to make sure that it all makes sense at the end. It would be lame if the ended didn't have the effect of having it all make sense. And since players are really good at not catching subtle clues, trying to maintain authorial authority during the adventure would be a challenge.

 

[Utgardloki]

An example of an offbeat idea I had for an adventure was the Dukes of Hazzard showing up in Rokugan. I had an idea in which the PC samurai and shugenja hear reports of a strange orange vehicle, and as they investigate, they could learn why Rokugan exists.

(I think I can throw that idea out here because there is no way a Runequest adventure based on that premise could be published. But an adventure investigating why the world exists would be an interesting one that I haven't seen the likes of yet.)

 

[Gaheir]

For examples of what I'd like to see in modules/adventures look to the classic Chaosium sets-Borderlands, Pavis, Trollpak. These gave interesting settings, in detail, provided vibrant characters, included insights into new races and cultures and provided short, core adventures that added to the flavour of the setting. (These adventures provided insight to develloping your own further adventures within that area.)
In Borderlands, especially, the encounter charts were well done, with specific NPC (with interesting personalities, reasons for being there) encounters built in.
For my taste, I prefer adventures where I feel involved. I don't want to wander into a city and be approached to go rescue the local lord's daughter. I would rather have spent time there, gotten to know and like people-than have the lord's daughter taken away. That way I want to rescue her. The same with villains. I would rather have several dealings with a key villain than to just fight my way through his minions, finally face him and defeat him. The more encounters with a bad guy, the more satisfaction when you are able to defeat him. A few gloats at the players expense certainly ramps up the enthusiasm to finally get the #*#@!

 

[Darran]

For examples of what I'd like to see in modules/adventures look to the classic Chaosium sets-Borderlands, Pavis, Trollpak. These gave interesting settings, in detail, provided vibrant characters, included insights into new races and cultures and provided short, core adventures that added to the flavour of the setting. (These adventures provided insight to develloping your own further adventures within that area.)
In Borderlands, especially, the encounter charts were well done, with specific NPC (with interesting personalities, reasons for being there) encounters built in.
For my taste, I prefer adventures where I feel involved. I don't want to wander into a city and be approached to go rescue the local lord's daughter. I would rather have spent time there, gotten to know and like people-than have the lord's daughter taken away. That way I want to rescue her. The same with villains. I would rather have several dealings with a key villain than to just fight my way through his minions, finally face him and defeat him. The more encounters with a bad guy, the more satisfaction when you are able to defeat him. A few gloats at the players expense certainly ramps up the enthusiasm to finally get the #*#@!

Exactly what Gaheir said!

 

[HyrumOWC]

For examples of what I'd like to see in modules/adventures look to the classic Chaosium sets-Borderlands, Pavis, Trollpak. These gave interesting settings, in detail, provided vibrant characters, included insights into new races and cultures and provided short, core adventures that added to the flavour of the setting. (These adventures provided insight to develloping your own further adventures within that area.)
In Borderlands, especially, the encounter charts were well done, with specific NPC (with interesting personalities, reasons for being there) encounters built in.
For my taste, I prefer adventures where I feel involved. I don't want to wander into a city and be approached to go rescue the local lord's daughter. I would rather have spent time there, gotten to know and like people-than have the lord's daughter taken away. That way I want to rescue her. The same with villains. I would rather have several dealings with a key villain than to just fight my way through his minions, finally face him and defeat him. The more encounters with a bad guy, the more satisfaction when you are able to defeat him. A few gloats at the players expense certainly ramps up the enthusiasm to finally get the #*#@!

This sounds a lot like something we're working on.

Thanks for letting me know what you're looking for. It's really appreciated.

Hyrum.

 

[seanwalsh]

At the risk of being looked down upon, I must say that I do want some sort of "standard" DnD-type adventures. I want adventures I can pick up and run without much else. I do not have much time to play roll-playing games, and I use pre-made adventures to help me. If I have to spend a lot of time researching the adventure or writing extensive notes, I might as well have made the adventure myself, or just made it up as I went along. Dungeon crawls, wilderness exploration, old haunted keeps, dragons in the mountains, giants in the hills, and trolls under the bridge are all okey-dokey to me. I just want to play, and I want resources that make it easier for me to play.

Anything we'd do we'll make it so you can use it right away with minimal fuss. Do you use RQ for Glorantha or do you have your own setting?

Hyrum.

I've never used Glorantha. When I was 15, in 1984, and first introduced to RuneQuest, I loved the system and hated the setting. I was not interested in cults, Gods, and historical recreation. I was much more interested in rescuing maidens and exploring dungeons, with an emphasis on maidens (As discussed in other threads, apparently I just never found the right source material).
Anyway, when this new release comes out, I intend to look at Glorantha with as much unbiased opinion as I can muster, but I will probably end up making up my own setting.

 

[SteveMND]

I've never used Glorantha. When I was 15, in 1984, and first introduced to RuneQuest, I loved the system and hated the setting. I was not interested in cults, Gods, and historical recreation. I was much more interested in rescuing maidens and exploring dungeons, with an emphasis on maidens (As discussed in other threads, apparently I just never found the right source material).

Wow, apparently you managed to find just about the only setting back then that didn't do that sort of stuff as a default. Talk about unfortunate luck.

On the plus side, since MRQ is being developed as an OGL game, there should, in theory at least, end up being plenty of settings for it, so you should find something out there that satisfies that approach.

 

[wartorn]

For examples of what I'd like to see in modules/adventures look to the classic Chaosium sets-Borderlands, Pavis, Trollpak. These gave interesting settings, in detail, provided vibrant characters, included insights into new races and cultures and provided short, core adventures that added to the flavour of the setting. (These adventures provided insight to develloping your own further adventures within that area.)
In Borderlands, especially, the encounter charts were well done, with specific NPC (with interesting personalities, reasons for being there) encounters built in.
For my taste, I prefer adventures where I feel involved. I don't want to wander into a city and be approached to go rescue the local lord's daughter. I would rather have spent time there, gotten to know and like people-than have the lord's daughter taken away. That way I want to rescue her. The same with villains. I would rather have several dealings with a key villain than to just fight my way through his minions, finally face him and defeat him. The more encounters with a bad guy, the more satisfaction when you are able to defeat him. A few gloats at the players expense certainly ramps up the enthusiasm to finally get the #*#@!

Totally agree with the above. My own preference will also be for adventures that aren't tightly wound up with a high level of magic or can at least be easily adapted to a low magic setting. This would entail avoiding things like: The Most Wicked and Depraved Grand Vizier of the North is protected by a Sheath of Ice that can only be broken by the sword 'Al-Hazram's Flame' - presently in the Air-Keep of the Djinn Sultan; or forcing the party to commandeer a gnomish magisteam-driven(TM) drilling device to breach the walls of the Iron City. These are difficult to work around. On the other hand having a 'sorcerous infestation of rats exploding from the sewers in gibbering, frothing masses' can be toned down to 'an unusual preponderance of rats' without affecting things too much.

 

[GbajiTheDeceiver]

SnakePipe Hollow would be my ideal blueprint for the smaller module. There was just so much replayability in that. The correct balance of material to give you ideas with material you could pick up and run as it was.

 

[Utgardloki]

Wartorn wrote:

Totally agree with the above. My own preference will also be for adventures that aren't tightly wound up with a high level of magic or can at least be easily adapted to a low magic setting. This would entail avoiding things like: The Most Wicked and Depraved Grand Vizier of the North is protected by a Sheath of Ice that can only be broken by the sword 'Al-Hazram's Flame' - presently in the Air-Keep of the Djinn Sultan; or forcing the party to commandeer a gnomish magisteam-driven(TM) drilling device to breach the walls of the Iron City.

I disagree with wartorn. I'd love to see an adventure where you need to use the Sword of Al-Hazram's Flame in the Air-Keep of the Djinn Sultan to break through the Sheath of Ice.

I just that goes to show that you should write what you want, and your audience will follow.

I was thinking, I'd like to see more adventures that focus on exploring different locations, such as adventures where the PCs have to go to Hell and back, literally. I've long thought of an adventure where the PCs have to travel to several different world-settings, although I haven't thought of a good plot for this yet.

 

[Utgardloki]

I think that pictures of gorgeous babes do help sell role-playing products. Certainly the queen depicted on the cover of the _Drow War_ book has caused me to look at it closely. (I haven't bought it yet because as I said I'm looking for something other than the typical D&D fantasy -- I bought the Witchcraft Trilogy because at least that is steampunk.)

But it could be interesting to explore such feelings in a little more depth than is typically treated in a role-playing product. For example, Alexia in the Witchfire Trilogy is not just a pretty babe on the cover of the product, but a complex character whose feelings cause all this trouble. At least, that's what the advertising on the _Witchfire Trilogy_ book says.

I guess the gist of the advice so far is to make sure the NPCs are well defined.

 

[SteveMND]

I think that pictures of gorgeous babes do help sell role-playing products.

Well, it's true that "sex sells," but one has to be careful. Personally, if I see an RPG supplement that has some sort of half-naked babe on the cover for no real reason other than to sell books, it immediately turns me right off the product.

IMHO, any company that would pander to that sort of lowest-common denominator sensationalism is only doing so because there isn't actually any substance to their books... or at least that's what their choice of covers says to me.

 

[Utgardloki]

I think the question is whether or not the picture is only to sell the product.

For example, I think one of the reasons why the movie _Stealth_ did so poorly is because of the trailers which showed Jessica Biel in a bikini. I like to see Jessica Biel in a bikini as much as the next guy does, but since the movie was about a computer-controlled stealth bomber, any footage devoted to Jessica Biel's bikini is really a waste of time. And of course for ever minute they show Jessica Biel's bikini, they'll show two minutes of some guy with his shirt off. So the trailer made me wonder how much time the movie was going to waste on stuff like that.

What a good product needs is honesty. If the beautiful princess is in there just for sex appeal, who needs her. But if there is going to be a conflict over who gets to marry her and claim half the kingdom, that can add to the story. Or if she got command of the army because of her looks and her daddy's position, there could be some RP potential there.

As I said, it was a crass suggestion. But one thing I like to see is a cliche turned around and made original.