What do you look for in an adventure pdf?

[LordKruelos]

https://docs.google.com/open?id=1m2ofdfPAwUlRa_ZSFTlTWuE-XX8x07j-_UUygzvxzTqIHkokCNEyE3EmBv00

[LordKruelos]

Interestingly enough, I can see the original images I'd posted but only in edit mode. Funky urls, go figure

[LordKruelos]

Since the images are not great, the Key for the 5 different quest icons

Freedom for Damara - Advances the Bloodjade Council’s plot against the Vaasan occupiers and Zhenghi, the Witch-King.

The Restoration of Soravia – Fenrick (Finn), would-be Duke of Soravia, works to consolidate his claim to power and thwart rivals for the duchy.

Don’t Fear the Reaper – The party’s quest to re-imprison the Reaper, an avatar of the demonic Hauntbeast.

Of Things Powerful and Terrible – Quests in the pursuit of powerful artifacts or visiting locations of power (like the Mirrorvoir, the ancient Netherese scrying pool the party discovered in the Galena Mountains ).

The Work of Heroes – Generic plot or quest markers, may also indicate an opportunity to expand influence or recruit allies.

[Gentry]

I'm not sure I'm following what you're doing here. The map's nice, and there are adventure location icons on it, and I'm getting the notion that the players can pick a destination, but ... then what? You're going to write adventures for all these destinations and sell them?

[LordKruelos]

I'm not sure I'm following what you're doing here. The map's nice, and there are adventure location icons on it, and I'm getting the notion that the players can pick a destination, but ... then what? You're going to write adventures for all these destinations and sell them?

Purely notional at this point. Just curious if this sort of presentation is even useful or if it's a waste of time.

[Khaalis]

Personally, I'd love to see someone really tackle a "pre-printed" sandbox like this. Most pre-written adventures too railroad to work well for more than a simple one-off game, not so much in an ongoing Campaign game.  Also, speaking as an adult gamer, I just don't have the time I used to have to pour into putting together my own sandbox environments anymore. Having a decent list of plot-hooks spread all over a region for PCs to 'stumble' on doesn't come easy anymore.  The idea of having such a sandbox, mimicing as you have the Dragon Age scenario would be interesting.  Rather than the standard railroad, follow this plot adventure path it would be much more like the old 'pick-a-path' adventuring. Its an interesting idea, if not what I see to be a Whole LOT of work.

[Antilles]

Sort of like the first module of the Kingmaker AP, then? A decently-sized map where you begin in the north end, the final boss is waiting in a fort in the south end, and in between there's adventure, side quests, encounters and amusing/interesting asides.

[tfwfh]

I'm not sure I'm following what you're doing here. The map's nice, and there are adventure location icons on it, and I'm getting the notion that the players can pick a destination, but ... then what? You're going to write adventures for all these destinations and sell them?

Purely notional at this point. Just curious if this sort of presentation is even useful or if it's a waste of time.

That kind of presentation seems like it could be useful,  as long as it doesn't lead to a bioware or bethesda rpg scenario where the situation at each location remains static and just waits around for the players to come defeat it.  So, in this kind of scenario for a module where there is a lot going on in some area and the players have to make a decision about what do first, I would want each threat to have a timeline for the GM and details about what changes as the evil plot (or plague, or rebellion, etc) progresses.  I would also want to make sure that the players are given enough information to make informed decisions about what threat to tackle first.

[LordKruelos]

I'm not sure I'm following what you're doing here. The map's nice, and there are adventure location icons on it, and I'm getting the notion that the players can pick a destination, but ... then what? You're going to write adventures for all these destinations and sell them?

Purely notional at this point. Just curious if this sort of presentation is even useful or if it's a waste of time.

That kind of presentation seems like it could be useful,  as long as it doesn't lead to a bioware or bethesda rpg scenario where the situation at each location remains static and just waits around for the players to come defeat it.  So, in this kind of scenario for a module where there is a lot going on in some area and the players have to make a decision about what do first, I would want each threat to have a timeline for the GM and details about what changes as the evil plot (or plague, or rebellion, etc) progresses.  I would also want to make sure that the players are given enough information to make informed decisions about what threat to tackle first.

Part of me visualizes it as a game setup like Yojimbo or A Fistful of Dollars, where the party walks into the middle of two rival families against each other in a town torn apart by greed, pride, and revenge. 

I feel like with that setting you could package a whole bundle of possibilities

[LordKruelos]

Add to it some kind of "Streets of Rage" scene, where the PCs have to beat someone to a chest on a carriage...

[tfwfh]

That seems like it could be interesting.  Based on the map you posted earlier, I was imagining a situation with 4 or 5 potential story threads being present.  If you're going for Fistful of Dollars where the players really just have their choice of two or three sides in single struggle, then this plan seems much more feasible.  In that case, I imagine you'd just write up the adventures/dungeons/locations (or whatever terms you think of them in) much like any other module and make notes of what each side's goals are and the effects of success by each faction on the plans of the others.

On another note, and for whatever this is worth, when I thought you were imagining a less focused scenario I had some ideas of how that might work.  My thinking was that you'd do something to establish the setting and location that these adventure threads are set in, some kind of introductory module.  Then you'd create supplementary modules for each of the adventure threads.  These supplemental modules would be broken up into stages to illustrate how the situation evolves in the absence of heroes coming in to save the day.  Anyway, that's what I came up with to avoid having to create some kind of monstrous tome akin to World's Largest Dungeon or Ptolus in order to contain a half dozen evolving plot threads in 10 or 15 locations.

[LordKruelos]

That seems like it could be interesting.  Based on the map you posted earlier, I was imagining a situation with 4 or 5 potential story threads being present.  If you're going for Fistful of Dollars where the players really just have their choice of two or three sides in single struggle, then this plan seems much more feasible.  In that case, I imagine you'd just write up the adventures/dungeons/locations (or whatever terms you think of them in) much like any other module and make notes of what each side's goals are and the effects of success by each faction on the plans of the others.

The map above is from my home game, and very much in the multiple story threads vein. But it also grew dynamically over the course of a year of semi-regular gaming.  I threw the Fistful of Dollars out there as something smaller in scope that might be feasible to write well and still keep it at a price point that people are willing to jump on. In terms of the broader scope that you see in the posted map being fun -- hell yes it's been a LOT of fun. Most of the plots listed on that map are options that became available through in-game events and on the spot improvisation, both by the players and by a gm (me) who struggles to find an hour of solid prep time a week.

It's exactly because I know a lot of gamers are in similar positions -- wanting something closer to a sandbox but not having the time to do it themselves that got me thinking about these ideas in the first place.

On another note, and for whatever this is worth, when I thought you were imagining a less focused scenario I had some ideas of how that might work.  My thinking was that you'd do something to establish the setting and location that these adventure threads are set in, some kind of introductory module.  Then you'd create supplementary modules for each of the adventure threads.  These supplemental modules would be broken up into stages to illustrate how the situation evolves in the absence of heroes coming in to save the day.  Anyway, that's what I came up with to avoid having to create some kind of monstrous tome akin to World's Largest Dungeon or Ptolus in order to contain a half dozen evolving plot threads in 10 or 15 locations.

It's all a question of scale. I like the thought of doing something sweeping like that, but I'm also keenly aware of my time limitations (work way too much, plus have a few significant but not nerdy projects already in progress that really suck up a lot of my time).
I could envision developing and delivering 40-60 pages of adventure content (likely with anywhere from 10-20 additional pages of notes, maps, handouts, charts, etc) in a manageable time frame. But it would be hard for me to imagine carving out enough time to write the equivalent of "Boxed Set" let alone funding art and editing/layout support for a project that size.

Particularly, I'd see it as a chance to really highlight short-term Reputation/Disposition as a mechanism that helps drive the story forward. As you mention,  there'd be plenty of locations/optional scenes that might not be directly related to the main plot but what the PCs do would affect dispositions among various factions. At the same time, I'd have a "main plot" timer -- a flow of events in case the PCs don't interrupt, with some contingencies for plot shifts if PCs change the flow of events.

[tfwfh]

Well then, in answer to your original question, I generally don't buy adventure modules because I feel like they're generally these static railroaded things that don't have a real place in the kind of sand-boxy games that I run.  On the other hand, what you're describing here sounds like something I could really take advantage of and use.  Even more so if I think of it in terms of being a kind of campaign starter, but it could still be a good way to add a lot personality and interest to a new area in an ongoing game.

So yeah, at the right price this could be something I'd buy.  I think the right price for me would probably be $10 to $15 depending on the size of the thing and the amount and quality of the art.  On that note, I don't care much about color or not.  I would imagine that a digital product doesn't save all that much by not having it, but whatever.

BTW, this also sounds like something I would enjoy working on.  I find myself with a lot of time on my hands these days, so if you're looking for help with something like this, I'm all for it.