|
Post by darkscar on Dec 17, 2013 14:39:44 GMT -5
With all the talk of new titles on the horizon, it led me to think, What are some of the things you like to see in a solo adventure?
I’ll get the ball rolling with a couple of my own thoughts in what I hope will be an interesting thread that many people will participate in (hint, hint, hint).
Here goes:
First, I like to see New Monsters. With each new title I like to see, I don’t know, at least 4+ brand new monsters that are a creation of the author's, that haven’t been seen anywhere before, not just in a LAW game, but in any published module...ever! This gets the creative juices going, and it's just nice/entertaining/cool, whatever you want to call it, to see new monsters, that have never been seen before, in each game.
This board is chock full of seasoned players (I’ll be nice and not say ‘Old guys’) and I believe the orcs, goblins, and generic "guards" have about seen all the play that can get. I really like seeing new monster blood thrown into games. I’m not saying these "iconic" monsters should cease use, but really, after 30+ years of play, I’m ready for some radical changes.
Next, I like seeing New Spells that aren’t a part of the rulebook being discovered while playing. This is a reward for buying and playing the books. Just think, because you played (title) you now have the (neat brand new spell). This spell, your character can use in future adventures that others may not even know exists. Neat, I say.
What are some of your ideas? (vlad, julie, Lord Inar, and some of the new members, I expect to hear something from you guys. mister Frau, if you want to add to the talks, feel free.)
|
|
|
Post by platimus on Dec 17, 2013 18:10:16 GMT -5
This may be the best thread ever.
New monsters are cool. I like the old standards but 1 or 2 new monster (to LAW) are fantastic. One or two new spells are great also. My only addition is new items - magical or useful in some way. That's all I can think of, at the moment.
|
|
|
Post by vladtaltos on Dec 18, 2013 10:08:03 GMT -5
darkscar, I agree with platimus, great topic. Before I get to my answer (speaking of new monsters), I’m reminded of something that happened in a game I GM’d many years ago when I created a monster on the spot. The PCs went to meet with their boss about one thing or another, and were sitting in his office. Over his desk was a painting. I described it as a “hunt scene” depicting their boss on horseback chasing down a monster. Of course, one of the players asked, “Which monster?” So, I made up one on the spot. “It looks like a fox, except it’s as large as a pony, and has two tentacles sprouting from its back that end in small mouths.” One of the players piped-up, “Oh, that’s (name of monster) from (name of sourcebook).” Then, a discussion ensued among them as to the monster in the painting. I’m sitting there silently, biting my tongue. I’d completely made it up on the spot. Not only had I never heard of the monster this person had brought up, I didn’t even own the sourcebook he referenced. It illustrated an interesting point. There’s so many monsters that have been created over the ...what, 40 years of RPGs, that even when you create something new, it’s something old. But, I do get your point; you want to see something besides the standard orcs, goblins, guards, etc., and I get it. I feel your pain, brother. Okay, what would I like to see? Something that would be pretty neat to me is permanent-plotwords. These would be plotwords carried over from one adventure to the next. These could be something as simple as the name of a contact, whom the PCs seek out in many adventures... If you have the permanent-plotword MAREK, you can visit an old friend who provides you with information.
Maybe Marek is a contact working undercover in the Thieves’ Guild. Perhaps the PCs rely on him for the “word on the street” as it were, or need to get in touch with him for info on the new guild boss...or who's behind the assassination attempt on the city's mayor. Another way permanent-plotwords can be used is for possessing an item gained in a previous adventure... I f you have the permanent-plotword SWORD OF ACHILLES your magical blade warms, warning you of danger ahead...
Maybe the Sword of Achilles was picked up in adventure #3, and it gets referenced here in adventure #4. Just a couple of ideas for using existing mechanics in different ways.
|
|
julie
Full Member
Posts: 171
|
Post by julie on Dec 19, 2013 10:07:43 GMT -5
Hi darkscar, good idea for a thread.
I got interested in RPGs because of the storytelling aspects of the games. I like a good story, have an interest in writing, so give me anything good to read, throw in some dice to roll, and what's not to love?
This leads into what I like to see in a solo adventure, which is, simply enough, a good read. I want to be hooked by the opening hook, the first paragraph in the Introduction. Get my attention fast and keep it throughout the booklet! Don’t take your foot off the accelerator.
For me, and I’m probably in the minority, the story is more important than the game mechanics, more important than the actual play of the game. If the gameplay is weak, I can adjust and make it work (or so I’d like to think). On the other hand, if the story is boring, not engaging, then there’s nothing I can do about that, especially if I’m playing solo.
NPCs. The same goes for them. Give them life. Have them speak in more than just cliched or silly sentences. Give me the ability to interact with them.
That’s about it. Thanks for asking, darkscar.
Have a Merry Christmas everyone!
|
|
|
Post by platimus on Dec 22, 2013 11:01:33 GMT -5
Okay, what would I like to see? Something that would be pretty neat to me is permanent-plotwords. These would be plotwords carried over from one adventure to the next. These could be something as simple as the name of a contact, whom the PCs seek out in many adventures... If you have the permanent-plotword MAREK, you can visit an old friend who provides you with information.
Maybe Marek is a contact working undercover in the Thieves’ Guild. Perhaps the PCs rely on him for the “word on the street” as it were, or need to get in touch with him for info on the new guild boss...or who's behind the assassination attempt on the city's mayor. I really like this idea. The MAREK plotword doesn't have to work only with Marek either. Bob: "You must be Marek's friends. He told me to expect you. Any friend of Marek's is a friend of mine. I have some information you may be interested in." At first, I thought this was a bad idea. Handling an item such as the Sword of Achilles in this manner would create a tremendous amount of repetitive and redundant text in the numbered paragraphs. When found, the description of the Sword of Achilles should simply state this power as if it were a spell. If the item is a key in some abstract sense that unlocks certain areas or information in the adventure, that is a great idea. It could be a talisman signifying membership in some secret order, working much like the MAREK plotword above. Or the talisman could literally be a key used to unlock a door or barrier of some sort.
|
|
|
Post by darkscar on Dec 23, 2013 11:11:50 GMT -5
Great ideas one and all. As I think of other Things I'd Like to See I'll update this thread.
Julie, thanks, and Merry Christmas to you and everyone else here on the DCG Board!
|
|
|
Post by mister frau blucher on Dec 23, 2013 11:30:13 GMT -5
Hey all,
We really appreciate this thread - there is some great stuff here. I pretty much agree with all of it.
As to monsters, I totally agree, and I think we do a decent job - there are no DCG adventures where you spend the whole adventure just hacking through one or two monter types, and we do introduce new races with each adventure (dwarggs and snacas with SoR, caprians with TDV and ROC, bufanoids in ET, and some vermen in the upcoming ER). But a few more unique monsters would be good, balanced by vlad's thoughts above.
As for recurrent plotwords or devices that can be used in later adventures - since Ebon Rebirth is pushed back a bit, I will be incorporating some of this into it. No time to start like the present, eh?
Again, thanks to everyone for chiming in, I have enjoyed reading this thread over the past week.
Merry Christmas to all!
Bret
|
|
|
Post by vladtaltos on Dec 24, 2013 10:55:48 GMT -5
I'm hopping on here---the de facto Merry Christmas thread---to do just that, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!
|
|
|
Post by platimus on Dec 25, 2013 0:38:41 GMT -5
I don't want to be the Ebeneezer Scrooge of the thread.
Merry Christmas to all!
|
|
|
Post by darkscar on Sept 29, 2015 9:13:20 GMT -5
With the recent release of two new adventures, I thought I'd poke this thread again to let everyone know it's here, and if you have anything to add, now's the time to do it. There were some good ideas tossed around here in the past, and I'd hate to see this thread just die, as I think it has some merit.
I'll throw something out there and see what happens...One of the things I'd like to see included in one of these gamebooks is a (brief?) sketch for using it with one adventurer. I know, I know. I may be the last person left who wouldn't mind see seeing something done for the solo adventurer, the lone operator, the lone wolf, if you will. I'm not suggesting a replacement of the traditional adventuring party, but merely some ideas for running the game with one PC (included perhaps at the back of the book with the appendix). I think this is a good idea for those titles you've run a group through a few times, and are looking for a quick game some night that takes only an hour or two.
Has anybody tried running one PC through a game? If you have, how did you adjust the encounters to allow it? Any insights? Suggestions?
|
|
|
Post by platimus on Sept 29, 2015 21:41:32 GMT -5
I haven't tried any of this but here are some ideas that just popped or pooped into my head - you be the judge 1. Create your 'lone wolf' per official rules. Give him/her 30XP and 3 potions that heal 1d6 damage right off the bat. 2. Allow 'lone wolf' to make 1 reaction per turn without forfeiting his/her next turn. Allow a second reaction that DOES forfeit next turn. 3. Win!
|
|
|
Post by platimus on Sept 30, 2015 6:43:37 GMT -5
I haven't tried any of this but here are some ideas that just popped or pooped into my head - you be the judge 1. Create your 'lone wolf' per official rules. Give him/her 30XP and 3 potions that heal 1d6 damage right off the bat. 2. Allow 'lone wolf' to make 1 reaction per turn without forfeiting his/her next turn. Allow a second reaction that DOES forfeit next turn. 3. Win! While the above may work, I decided I'd rather not artificially inflate a character with the free XP. Editing and rephrasing... 1. Create your 'lone wolf' per official rules. Give him/her 3 karma points and 3 potions that heal 6pts of damage at the beginning of each adventure. 2. Allow 'lone wolf' to make 1 free reaction per turn. Allow a second reaction that isn't free. 3. Treat Required Skill Checks as Assisted Skill Checks.
|
|
|
Post by vladtaltos on Sept 30, 2015 22:43:13 GMT -5
There's a few things I'd recommend for the reclusive delver, darkscar. The adventures themselves may need to be looked at on an individual basis--don't know if a one-size-fits-all works here, so you may need to play with these numbers to find that sweet spot for each title. I'll look at Shadows in the Dark (an adventure I'm vaguely familiar with ). 1) Stats/Skills: The book recommends 38 points, 10 skill levels per PC. Going into it alone, I'd recommend your solitary hero have 42 points, 14 skill levels, an increase of 4 in each area. I can't say if that 4 point increase will work for all the titles, but here it should make for a good challenge. 2) The PC will have to be a jack-of-all-trades, and a master of a few, or at least a couple. I definitely recommend knowing magic--at least a few spells--and knowing some roguish type skills. You'll have to be a Universal Warrior, if you will. 3) Since these games are designed for a well-rounded party, definitely take platimus' advice on making Required checks rolls Assisted check rolls. I also like the idea of two or three karma points in your hip pocket at the start of the game, and a few potions of healing should be taken into the adventure, as well. 4) Encounters: They're designed with a party of four PCs in mind, so at times the default enemies sent against you is four. But you're one guy, don't fight four villains... a) If a group of four square off against you, treat it as if only one stands in front of you, but pick the toughest of the four as the one that faces you. The general idea is to make each combat sporting, but if your opponent has a higher ST than you, and does equal or better damage than you, has better protection, you're going to be in trouble. You'll have to use tactics/spells or some combo of both to knock him down faster than he's knocking you down. Eye the spells/skills that help you out there as your prime choices when creating your hero. b) If you face one foe with massive ST, multiple attacks, etc. it's designed to be a challenge for four PCs, so divide its ST by 4, give it one attack per round (you can roll for which attack it uses if it has multiple attacks) and fight it from that point. c) If two foes face you, again, its designed to be a challenge for four people, so choose one of them (the toughest), and divide its ST by two. It gets only one attack per round, etc. d) The tricky encounter: You may (not necessarily in SitD, but maybe) get an encounter where a mage-type guy is sending his lackeys against you as he fires off spells from afar. Ignore the lackeys, and treat it as if only the mage is facing you. It may take some imagination on your part on how such an encounter is handled, but just keeping the idea of a sporting combat in mind goes a long way. Fall back on that and it'll work out. That's about all I can come up with now. If you try it out, let me know how it goes.
|
|
|
Post by platimus on Oct 1, 2015 6:42:43 GMT -5
Good advice from vlad. It seems we mostly agree. However, it would seem easier to give your Lone Wolf extra reactions (and possibly an extra attack) each round than it would be to rewrite encounters or re-stat monsters (vlad's #4). Maybe an extra, free reaction wasn't enough? Maybe it should be 2 extra and free reactions? Keep in mind that those reactions can be used to Counterattack, which gives you the option of taking extra defensive or offensive actions. There is no shame in defeat when Lone Wolf's foes have more feet, but out-numbered, his victories are all the more sweet! P.S. Part of my 'multiple reaction' plan is to allow multiple reactions to a single attack. In other words, if you fail your Dodge check, try again with your 2nd reaction. Or, if you fail your Counterattack check, try again with your 2nd reaction. Then again, with 2 reactions (one free/one not), you could potentially make 3 attacks against one foe in one round. There is nothing wrong with vlad's #4. It is logical and reasonable. It is not my preference. I would prefer something more standardized or one-size-fits-all...something that focuses on the easier task of scaling-up the solo-character instead of scaling-down the encounters. Extra reactions certainly would not be the only way to achieve this. You could also create a "hit-point" stat for the solo-character that is ST x 4 or 5 or some other optimal number. There are many things you can do to 'scale-up the solo-character' but these are ideas I have not dismissed in my own mind. An example idea that I have dismissed in my own mind is dividing all damage taken by the solo-character by some optimal number. I would not enjoy that.
|
|
|
Post by darkscar on Oct 2, 2015 8:50:36 GMT -5
Thanks for the well thought-out ideas, gentlemen. Much appreciated. I hoped more would post, if not to my topic, then to the broader topic of the thread. But, hey, in these tough times, I'll take what I can get.
My idea of a game with a solo adventurer involves those classic one-on-one matchups in combats, so what I was looking at, specifically, was how to easily redress the encounters to be compatible with just one PC. Perhaps a system could be used/invented that fits over all encounters.
I think Vlad has hit it on the head with simple math. Even with my limited and diminishing math skills, I think I can handle dividing ST by 4 or 2, etc., pretty quickly and easily in my head, so it's not difficult at all. Seems pretty easy to standardize to me, and it's more in line with addressing my original thoughts. I'll test it with Shadows in the Dark, Vlad, and let you know how it goes. I'll play around with the boosts in stats/skills and see if a set number may fit across the modules in my collection.
Beefing up Lone Wolf with additional Reactions and Attacks per turn and elevating his hit points is akin to running more than one or two PCs to me, and that's getting away from my intent--to run one guy. I'm wanting the encounters to be altered, to put it plainly. I did like the karma and potions idea, platimus. You brought up some other interesting ideas, thanks for that. Maybe someone will give them a shot, but they don't really appeal to me.
If anyone else wants to add to the thread---what would YOU like to see in these solo gamebooks--speak up, don't be shy. Anything, anything at all. Really. This means you. It does. Honest.
Rock on!
|
|