Adventure Formats

[Rali]

I'm tinkering with a couple adventure ideas I'd like to post when completed, and wondering what you think of the different types of formats of adventure presentation.

I grew up in the days of D&D modules which included adventure maps (dungeons on grids), and numbered room encounters. I don't recall much in the way of overland adventures, but what I do mostly involved the group travelling on a set path with both random and set encounters.

With Palladium, I was introduced to the Hook, Line, and Sinker format; which really is more just adventure suggestions that the Storyteller needed to build.

Palladium also introduced me to the more freeform adventure format that you find in most of their books. These include the Player Background, GM Info, and Scenario Info, followed by antagonist stats (of varying degrees of depth).

Which of these do you prefer, or can you suggest others?

[The Oh So Amazing Nate]

Honestly I kind of find that playing a mesh between them is good. I like maps and dungeons (mapped out buildings) and such. Set encounters CAN be good, but it needs to be a surprise to the player otherwise it becomes predictable and really boring really quick.

As for the D&D format of having the story laid out for you and you walking the players through it, that format is good for the GM with time issues, the GM with imagination issues, or the GM who's just lazy. I once played a tmnt adventure where my char (a ninja) and another ninja wee trying to rescue a local business man/friend from one of the local color gangs (might have been the foot clan not 100% sure). They lured us into a home that turned out to be a near endless series of rooms and hallways. In each room was a ninja master and 3 students. In the hallway there were traps. Lather Rinse Repeat until it got to the point where I was offering the GM tips on how to randomize the trap location and type so it wasn't painfully boring.

The Palladium format is good for GM's and players who aren't fans of railroading or (my term of choice) being run over by the plot wagon. Here's what's happening, here's why you should get involved, here's what makes it more than just a black and white run of the mill occurrence. This is a good format because it keeps the players (and the GM) on their toes. They don't know what's coming, even if you run the same chars through the same adventure more than once.
The best example of this can be found in Gallahan's BTS Handy Dandy Random Adventure Generator. Every time I run a character through this (even if similar results or the same results are rolled for the adventure you never know what is going to happen. Situations have come up where I've laughed till it hurt, genuinely feared for the PC's life and thought "God I'll be glad when this game is over. I heartily suggest giving it a spin.

If the writer figured out a way to combine the two different styles you'd have something pretty cool. Giving credit where credit is due, DangerMan has (I believe) accomplished this with his Red in Tooth and Claw module. There are maps that tell you what IS in each room and what COULD BE in there also. There are definite meetings/encounters that should/have to happen for the story to advance, but (having played part of this) aren't so critical that player choices are going to potentially wreck the game.


You do good work Rali. You got this.

[Rali]

I really hope that Red in Tooth and Claw has been (or will be) submitted to the Rifter.

[The Oh So Amazing Nate]

You know. I have mixed feelings about that. Here on the forums it is available for everyone to use and enjoy. Danger Man can update or modify it as he likes. Once he submits it, (if my understanding is correct) it becomes PB property and is either published or swept under the rug.