New EPIC Adventures

[Flynn]

Hehehe.

First time I've been called that in a while.

Personally, I consider it "channeling creative effort." If you have the drive and an image of your goal, you should go for it, and I'll encourage it, because I don't have the time to do it myself and I'd like to see it.

Besides, it makes you feel pretty good when the deed is accomplished.

Enjoy,
Flynn

 

[Kirth]

Originally posted by Michael Taylor:
The new epic format was developed by MWM. It is used as a framework for adventures published by QLI. It is not an easy format to write in. MJD's own venture, Avenger, is not wedded to the epic format however. Adventure 1: Call of the wild is more like the CT format, not the new epic format. MJD's TNE adventure is also not in epic format. So yes, there is the opportunity to write non-epic format adventures through Avenger at least.

My personal feeling is that the EPIC format is one of the best ideas for tabletop gaming in several years.

 

[RickA]

I think it's an improvement over the old books (I've still got "Prison Planet" on my shelf, almost utterly worthless as a module, it's source material, not an adventure) but the EPIC format isn't what most GM's are used to (and therefore looking for?) in a game module if they are coming to T20 from other D20 games, methinks.

It would be really neat to have story based module type adventures to buy. I'd buy 'em.

 

[clementk]

The EPIC format is interesting in theory but in practice I've seen far too many Plot Keys which must be completed, usually in order. Most QLI adventures (at least up until EPIC 7, the last I bought) have almost if not all scenes as Plot Keys and with each Act if not Plot Key needing to be played in order you're back to linear adventures.

It was my understanding that EPIC is a slightly redone version of DGP's nugget format but I don't have enough DGP adventures to really do a comparison.

 

[RickA]

Nothing wrong with linear adventures for most game groups. Especially if the referee doesn't have a lot of time for fleshing out those "just have them adventure around on the Broken Chain main for a bit" parts.

 

[clementk]

Originally posted by RickA:
Nothing wrong with linear adventures for most game groups. Especially if the referee doesn't have a lot of time for fleshing out those "just have them adventure around on the Broken Chain main for a bit" parts.

That IMO defeats the purpose of using the EPIC format, since it was designed to present a more flexible adventure without the referee needing to wing it 100% between Plot Keys. Not to present a linear railroaded plot. I don't need to buy an adventure to GM off the cuff nor do I want to use the EPIC format for a linear plot.

In other words, fewer Plot Keys and more Scenes.

 

[Flynn]

That's good advice to TA authors, Casey. Thanks for sharing that.

-Flynn

 

[RickA]

I've always felt there are two different markets in the "adventure module" scene. There's the GM who is able to "wing it" to the satisfaction of this group (either because he's just so danged talented or his group is easy to please, either way) and there's the GM who cannot.

The "wing it" GM's/Players ought to find even the old school Traveller modules adequate whereas the other group will need/desire something more robust, something more "ready made" if you will.

Nothing wrong with a good home cooked meal, mind you. But there's nothing wrong with having a talented professional produce your meals for you once in a while too, eh?

I know most veteran GM's break out in hives at the thought of anything like a "linear" adventure, but it's been my experience through a variety of games that some game groups do very well with linear adventures that are very plot oriented. Some groups do very poorly with "The players need to travel from X to Y and have them have some adventures along the way" in a module.

Those "adventures along the way" are usually what the poor GM bought the module for, heheh.

Anyhow, no right or wrong way to do it, imho, it's all a matter of which of the two types of buyers you are selling to. Traveller, imho again, has sold a little too much to the "we like to wing it" group and hasn't done a lot to attract the more plot and goal oriented group.

 

[hirch duckfinder]

just to back up casey's well made point. linear adventures are fine if the design takes into account the linearity as for example call of cthulhu adventures do (the gameplay is investigation - a perfect reason for linearity of plot and with space for the characters to go wrong and fail completely).

however, when the type of gameplay does not suit linearity, all sorts of problems arise which can make life very difficult for the gm and/or ruin the sense of immersiveness/fun for all. this would include railroading the characters too much or designing a plot which doesnt work unless the characters visit locations in a certain order without giving them good enough reasons for proceeding in that order.

imho the best format for adventures is a very well realised and internally consistent situation which is presented clearly for the gm (the old ct adventures were very strong on the first part of this and not so strong on the second). the charcters then interact with this situation in a very realistic way (i.e. what would you do if you were there).

epics can be fun but also suffer from the problem that it can just seem unrealistic that all these events happen to occur when the charcters are present. better imho to have situations rather than events and npcs with goals and motivations made clear so the gm can determine what they will do.

the best plots are ones where the its very difficult for the pcs to determine exactly what is going on and can get a result without necessarily getting the FULL implications of the situation.

anyway, my 2ps worth....

.....i may edit this when i've thought about it more i have some thoughts ive not fully ....um...thought...

 

[RickA]

Originally posted by hirch duckfinder:
the best plots are ones where the its very difficult for the pcs to determine exactly what is going on and can get a result without necessarily getting the FULL implications of the situation.

That is one point where my experience diverges. It's been my experience with my groups (which tend to the 7 to 8 player size) that clear cut objectives and the sort of obvious plots that would make you roll your eyes if it was a TV show work well at the game table. In some groups.

That's just it though, it all depends on your GM and your players. Is the GM an improv genius? Great! Are the players easy to please? Great! Or is the GM not so good at improv but has other characteristics which make him/her a good GM? Maybe the players in his/her group require a more obvious plot hook or goal at the table to stay focused?