RPG Talk

I figure we've moved beyond that D&D 4e thread.

Two things:

1) I hear that Goodman Games only plans on releasing _one_ DCC RPG sourcebook a year, but tons of adventures. Yes! This is what I always want companies to do. I'm not interested in world building and I don't want to buy a book about some made up country. Just give me the adventures. It does sound like they are going to release DCC to the OGL so that 3rd parties can make sourcebooks for those that want them.

2) Cubicle 7 has their first preview of their One Ring RPG up. Jon 'Dragon Warriors' Hodgson is the art director, so naturally it looks fantastic. Not much to go on in the preview, but I like the character types shown here.
www.cubicle7.co.uk/our-games/the-one-rin...one-ring-characters/

Jeff White wrote: I figure we've moved beyond that D&D 4e thread.

Two things:

1) I hear that Goodman Games only plans on releasing _one_ DCC RPG sourcebook a year, but tons of adventures. Yes! This is what I always want companies to do. I'm not interested in world building and I don't want to buy a book about some made up country. Just give me the adventures. It does sound like they are going to release DCC to the OGL so that 3rd parties can make sourcebooks for those that want them.

I think that's one of the (many) reasons for the high regard held by Call of Cthulhu. Most of the output is campaigns or books of scenarios. Very little "here's some setting information, have fun."

2) Cubicle 7 has their first preview of their One Ring RPG up. Jon 'Dragon Warriors' Hodgson is the art director, so naturally it looks fantastic. Not much to go on in the preview, but I like the character types shown here.
www.cubicle7.co.uk/our-games/the-one-rin...one-ring-characters/

This, on the other hand, sounds a little contradictory. Maybe they'll come out with a bunch of adventures, we'll see. But I can't think of any setting more chopped and diced than Middle-Earth. Not to mention that I can't imagine it being a fun setting to play in, even though LOTR is one of my favorite books.

If anyone's played any of the Tolkien RPGs (MERP, or the Decipher LOTR, any others?), what's the appeal?

I think the appeal of Tolkien's world, for me at least, is there isn't a lot of whiz-bang magic and magic items laying around. Yes there is magic and magical items in LOTR, but it's not magic missles and Sword of Flame +3 to hit.

That's why I was really interested in FFG's Midnight D20 setting.

I totally agree with you on pre-published campaigns. An RPG can have a great system and awesome setting but if it 'aint got pre-published adventures I just won't get round to playing it - I don't have time to create my own! That's why I'm pleased that FFG are carrying on the Black Industries method of bringing out plenty of adventures for the Warhammer and 40K RPGs.

Regarding Middle Earth - I've got the old MERP RPG by ICE. Haven't played it in years but I remember it being a complicated RPG - loads of tables and stats. I don't think it was that great at capturing the feel of Middle Earth. As mentioned above, I get the impression that magic in Tolkien's world was supposed to be quite rare and powerful. MERP treated it more like D&D where it's fairly common and runs the gamut from pretty feeble to very powerful.

My son has been pestering me to play some D&D, but I run into the same problems mentioned here. I don't have time to write adventures. Does anyone know of some good one-player adventures for D&D 3.x or of another RPG that has a good store of them? I would love to encourage his desire and spend some time doing something we both enjoy, but I just can't write adventures.

wdgrant wrote: My son has been pestering me to play some D&D, but I run into the same problems mentioned here. I don't have time to write adventures. Does anyone know of some good one-player adventures for D&D 3.x or of another RPG that has a good store of them? I would love to encourage his desire and spend some time doing something we both enjoy, but I just can't write adventures.

There were some single player challange modules back around 2nd edition AD&D time but I don't know if they ever updated them or if any other company ever did any. I don't know how old your son is but I almost think you would be better off playing Ravenloft or Ashardalon, D&D miniatures, or D&D Heroscape.

I guess the other route would be Melee/Wizard or Tunnel and Trolls and duoing some of the solo adventures.

dysjunct wrote: I think that's one of the (many) reasons for the high regard held by Call of Cthulhu. Most of the output is campaigns or books of scenarios. Very little "here's some setting information, have fun."

And I think another reason is that although they are in their 6th edition there has been very little that has changed rules wise, so any and all modules you have are still easilly usuable. That being said I am planning on picking up the 30th anniversary edition in August.

Brewmiester wrote:

wdgrant wrote: My son has been pestering me to play some D&D, but I run into the same problems mentioned here. I don't have time to write adventures. Does anyone know of some good one-player adventures for D&D 3.x or of another RPG that has a good store of them? I would love to encourage his desire and spend some time doing something we both enjoy, but I just can't write adventures.

There were some single player challange modules back around 2nd edition AD&D time but I don't know if they ever updated them or if any other company ever did any. I don't know how old your son is but I almost think you would be better off playing Ravenloft or Ashardalon, D&D miniatures, or D&D Heroscape.

I guess the other route would be Melee/Wizard or Tunnel and Trolls and duoing some of the solo adventures.

Updating 2nd adventures might work; I'll have to look for some of those. We have played Ravenloft and Heroscape, but he doesn't like that like D&D. I don't think D&D minis would scratch his itch eithr.

I'm not familiar with Melee/Wizard, but I have heard of Tunnels and Trolls. Does that system have a large number os solo adventures? I don't mind buying a new system and learning it if there is enough material. I just won't do it for 3 or 4 adventures and then I am stuck again.

Seems I'm an odd man out for not really playing mods all that often. The vast majority of my playing is all homebrew settings and adventures. Frankly I don't think I'd enjoy playing near as much if all I did was play prewritten stuff.

I used to play solo AD&D with my uncle when I was little, it was easy to scale things and similarly easy to control a few PCs by myself so it wasn't just one dude going down into the dungeon.

wdgrant wrote: Updating 2nd adventures might work; I'll have to look for some of those. We have played Ravenloft and Heroscape, but he doesn't like that like D&D. I don't think D&D minis would scratch his itch eithr.

I'm not familiar with Melee/Wizard, but I have heard of Tunnels and Trolls. Does that system have a large number os solo adventures? I don't mind buying a new system and learning it if there is enough material. I just won't do it for 3 or 4 adventures and then I am stuck again.

Eight or so for M/W, 24 for T&T. Print versions of the T&T stuff is available through Flying Buffalo www.flyingbuffalo.com/solo.htm and pdfs from DriveThruRPG. Melee/Wizard turned into The Fantasy Trip which www.darkcitygames.com/index.php has done a pretty nice reboot of.

MattLoter wrote: Seems I'm an odd man out for not really playing mods all that often. The vast majority of my playing is all homebrew settings and adventures. Frankly I don't think I'd enjoy playing near as much if all I did was play prewritten stuff.

I used to pull modules apart and use their pieces in an otherwise homegrown storyline.

Good role playing needs situation, story-arc, and characters. The idea of a deep dungeon with 20 levels and 300 rooms that just lie there waiting for someone to loot them doesn't really work, and that's the stuff that takes up so much time and effort. You're better off having a lot of smaller encounters driven by a bigger storyline, and those are easier to pull together in a short period of time (e.g., a week between sessions).

Modules are great for pulling a room or two out of. Often that's enough for an evening of gaming. The big stuff happens once every three months when the characters reach significant milestones in the bigger storyline. Those you have more time to work on, and frankly they often aren't terribly difficult to write up either because the arc drives much of the drama. Setting is what remains.

S.

MattLoter wrote: The vast majority of my playing is all homebrew settings and adventures. Frankly I don't think I'd enjoy playing near as much if all I did was play prewritten stuff.

It seems the only difference is who wrote the adventure. Someone on staff or your GM. They could both suck or be great either way.

Only advantage to the local GM is he knows your characters. I've always gotten over that hump of a pre-written module by tweaking a few things here and there to include pc character backgrounds or interests. I never play a mod straight up. It's simply far easier for me to trick up a mod, then create something from scratch.

metalface13 wrote: I think the appeal of Tolkien's world, for me at least, is there isn't a lot of whiz-bang magic and magic items laying around. Yes there is magic and magical items in LOTR, but it's not magic missles and Sword of Flame +3 to hit.

That's why I was really interested in FFG's Midnight D20 setting.

Once I get the Effing PH, I'm totally running it. Love it, love it, love it. Hopelessness is AWESOME.

wdgrant wrote: My son has been pestering me to play some D&D, but I run into the same problems mentioned here. I don't have time to write adventures. Does anyone know of some good one-player adventures for D&D 3.x or of another RPG that has a good store of them? I would love to encourage his desire and spend some time doing something we both enjoy, but I just can't write adventures.

Well, if you look at Feng Shui, I've written craploads of stuff for it. Wouldn't take long to actually type up, as I'm a packrat with all my notes. The rules are incredibly simple (3 D6s and one 20 sider for a Shot Counter) and you're golden.

Jeff White wrote: It seems the only difference is who wrote the adventure. Someone on staff or your GM. They could both suck or be great either way.

I think the difference is "adventures" vs "campaigns". Adventures are little bits of minor quests and so forth, they may very well find a place in a campaign, but a real campaign is something huge in a pretty open world. I like the feeling of being able to do whatever I want and follow whatever plot threads seem the most compelling. Prewritten stuff pretty much forces you to go in whatever direction the author had planned overall. You might get to make a quick detour, but you're still pretty much on rails.

I get the appeal of playing mods, but I much prefer the sandbox vibe to being given clearly defined "quests" to complete.