Specific or Generic?


Dungeon Magazine General Discussion


I have seen other's comments and I have had my own internal debates, and I am still undecided. What do you prefer?

On one hand, we have adventures (or features in Dragon for that matter) that are deeply rooted in a given setting. These can be incredibly rich experiences for those gaming within that setting but sometimes less than useful for those gamers of another setting. [greater use to fewer people]

On the other hand, there is the generic approach. These adventures (or features) are intended to have broader appeal. They may be dressed in a specific setting, but they have little or no setting-specific depth and are easily ported to a different setting. The risk here is a less-interesting environment. [lesser use to more people]

Personally I've gone back and forth on my preferences. I like well-written generic adventures for the exact reason that they are easy to place. However, I also love adventures that delve into a specific setting. Here's where I admit that I have no love for FR and great love for GH and Eberron, and therefore, FR specific adventures are generally less-than-useful for me.

My current preference is for several generic adventures with periodic setting-specific adventures (maybe 2:1 with a rotation on the setting). The important part, though, is that the setting-specific adventures should be immersive with the setting; I just don't see the point of generic adventures pre-set in one of the 3 worlds.

What do you prefer?

Contributor

I prefer quality; whether it's generic or deep into a setting doesn't matter. Right now, the only game I run is set vaguely in Greyhawk. That doesn't mean I can't find a high quality Eberron adventure (as an example) useful. Maybe I don't mind it because I actually like both Eberron and FR, and so I don't mind reading it - even if it's something I'll never run.


I have to say, quality material is always welcome. I have a Forgotten Realms nut, and back in the second edition days, I DMed FR and DragonLance exclusively, but as a player I definately grew to love Greyhawk, though I have never been able to wrap my brain around DMing the setting. But several times I read some interesting articles in Dragon about Mystra or some other setting, and it gave me both an appreciation for the setting and even some ideas for my campaigns that have nothing to do with the given setting.

I really have like some of the Eberron adventures that I have read, and even though I don't plan on running Eberron, and even though the marketing REALLY ticked me off (note, the marketing, not the setting itself), I have gotten some great ideas on how to run a mystery in an urban fantasy setting. The fact of the matter is, some poeple can write "generic" without even thinking about it, and other people are inspired by a setting and would have a hard time finding their muse if they didn't use the setting the sparked their interest.

Bring em all on, I say.


Zherog wrote:
I prefer quality; whether it's generic or deep into a setting doesn't matter. Right now, the only game I run is set vaguely in Greyhawk. That doesn't mean I can't find a high quality Eberron adventure (as an example) useful. Maybe I don't mind it because I actually like both Eberron and FR, and so I don't mind reading it - even if it's something I'll never run.

My sentiments exactly.


KnightErrantJR wrote:

I have to say, quality material is always welcome. I have a Forgotten Realms nut, and back in the second edition days, I DMed FR and DragonLance exclusively, but as a player I definately grew to love Greyhawk, though I have never been able to wrap my brain around DMing the setting. But several times I read some interesting articles in Dragon about Mystra or some other setting, and it gave me both an appreciation for the setting and even some ideas for my campaigns that have nothing to do with the given setting.

I really have like some of the Eberron adventures that I have read, and even though I don't plan on running Eberron, and even though the marketing REALLY ticked me off (note, the marketing, not the setting itself), I have gotten some great ideas on how to run a mystery in an urban fantasy setting. The fact of the matter is, some poeple can write "generic" without even thinking about it, and other people are inspired by a setting and would have a hard time finding their muse if they didn't use the setting the sparked their interest.

Bring em all on, I say.

My sentiments exactly --- oh deja vu.

Community / Forums / Archive / Paizo / Books & Magazines / Dungeon Magazine / General Discussion / Specific or Generic? All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in General Discussion