Hey Hank!
Very cool to read you and get your creative point of view. I respect your production, and it’s with the respect due to a creative that I respond to you.
I so wish my clients felt the same way
Lots of interesting things.
For starters, the format. Why are we talking about Parhfinder modules? I don’t get it.
I personally never could, and probably never will, have the time to prepare those hundreds of pages. Throughout the other post, the examples given were adventures between 1 and 12 page-ich.
Creativity now. It’s very interesting to have your point of view, but on this subject, I can’t not answer, because my job is to be creative, 10 hours a day (more in design than in writing). And I’m telling you: ideas have qualities. Like so many other things, there are crappy ideas, there are great ideas, there are average ideas, there are complicated ideas, etc… so no, the ideas of a GM who is already managing something else won’t necessarily be great (I’m talking about lived and seen experiences).
Mothership modules are not creative for you? The DCC modules you play are not creative for you?
What I don’t understand is this tyranny of forced creativity.
In the evening when I’m tired and I have my little role-playing moment, I sometimes want something simple and of quality, well written -when I’m myself creative- simply to put my energy to take care of my way of telling the story, to give rhythm, to be attentive to my players. Isn’t that enough to ask of a GM already?
That’s why the market is full of “whole” adventures, with no holes to fill: you can play them easily, and you change things if you want to, not because you have to.
As a reminder, I had all the Kickstarter books from my country for months, plus the maps, print + pdf, and spent a ton of time learning about this simple game that is ICRPG. Finally an opportunity to discover the game in a club. I read Doomvault (as it is THE rite of passage adventure according to several reco). And here… I don’t understand. I feel like I’m being given half a recipe. And that I’m being forced to do something: DIY through improvisation.
But I can do DIY whenever I want, even on “complete” adventures, that’s the principle of roleplaying, right? Why force myself?
I sincerely think that the time and talent of an author gives better ideas than the improvisation of an overloaded GM. And if that GM wants to replace things, he can always, at least everything is provided.
I’ll end Hank just by asking you what you think of the one page Mothership pamphlets? And what do you think of the DCC RPG modules? It’s a far, far cry from the huge Pathfinder books isn’t it?
Don’t you think it’s creative?
What do you think of the fact that EVERYTHING is given to the GM, and then they do their own thing?
Thanks for taking the time to read me friend. I wish you a long and prosperous life friend
Hey @The_Merlitron.
I’m taking the liberty of replying to you because I think this “sudden desire for complete adventure” is my fault…
I followed a video of Khane talking about Doomvault, went to see it in my book and… then came here asking for advice and recommendations that was NOT on this model.
I didn’t realize at all that ICRPG only had one way to play, via mandatory DIY, and it was my surprise (and initial misunderstanding) that led me to respond here.
My players are not friends but club people, so varied, with total rpg beginners as well as old experienced ones.
Thanks for your advice but again you are explaining to me (if you are talking to me?) something I know how to do, but that I have explained well as not wanting to do for my next game.
If an adventure is not that expensive to create, why doesn’t the author create it? What is his big idea? Where is his talent? What does the temple in the lava look like?
Can you see yourself telling a story to one of your friends, and during your story you don’t say some parts and tell him “now you do it yourself”?
You provide the full story, or nothing
I don’t really want to “aim low” for my players’ expectations. Just a short fantasy scenario to maybe make new players want to continue.