The next Campaign


Dragon Magazine General Discussion

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I am really enjoying "The Age of Worms". But I'm just wondering what the next campaign released be Dungeon will be and if they've given any hints about it. All I've heard so far is that it's in the works. And I wonder when it will be released. Anyone have any info?


They haven't announced it yet. All I've heard so far far is that they've picked the plan for the next adventure path and are having Wizards approve it. James Jacobs can probably tell you more though.


so potentially traumatic i have to put the 'just joking' reference at the beginning...

the Invasion of the Flumphs.


uhuh, they need to do "Invasion of the Fiend Folio" and put the flumphs as the main adversary. ;)

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Check out the editorial for issue #135 of Dungeon for the lowdown on Adventure Path 3.

Liberty's Edge

So, I have some thoughts on the Adventure Path in general. I'm not sure if this is the best place to put them, but here I go.

I really like the concept of the Adventure Path. Overall, the adventures are very good. However, they all are related. If a DM can't use one, he likely can't use any. So, whenever an adventure path is announced, we're looking at a solid year of the magazine with the AP + 2 other adventures.

Now, the AP is designed to cover 20 levels in about 12 adventures. Assuming 13 1/3 encounters before leveling, we're looking at approximately 22 encounters per adventure. Obviously this isn't happening. What's the AP missing? Sidequests.

I don't know if each AP needs to cover 20 levels. A smaller arc might be better. 5-8 levels or so might be fine. That's be closer to 6 adventuers of the scope that have been presented so far. Spread those over the course of the year, and you're looking at only 1 AP every other issue. I'd be strongly in favor of that.

Three or so of the other issues could have a "supporting side-trek" that doesn't advance the overall plot, but fits nicely into the "region" of the AP.

Personally, I'd like to see a long break between Age of Worms and the next AP. Maybe 4 months or so. It's good, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. I'd hate to see the good idea overdone to the point where it becomes perceieved as a mistake. I don't think you're there yet, but please consider my suggestion.


I have to agree with DeadDMWalking on this one, and would hope that the brilliant designers at Paizo will at least consider what he's saying.

The Age of Worms is one of the coolest things I have ever seen put together for D&D, and I have loved every installment, but one of the downsides to a 1-20 level AP is that it sort of has a railroading effect on PCs.

For instance, when I started my Age of Worms campaign, each of my players brought me a write-up of their character's background (some of which were very interesting). I wanted to incorporate these into the campaign since it was a reflection of the elements each player wanted to see, but ultimately, I had a difficult time finding room to "squeeze" them in.

Instead of plots revolving around what the PCs wanted, I ended up with plots playing second fiddle to the adventure path (and therefore overshadowed and seemingly less important to the people who wanted to see them the most).

Some of my players even expressed a bit of disappointment at the thought of being tied to one main story for their entire careers.

To correct these problems, I suggest that you shorten your adventure paths. Perhaps making them fit neatly into the level ranges (Low-Level, Mid-Level, and High-Level) of your current adventures. With this set-up, a DM could use a low-level adventure path to get a campaign rolling, maybe throw in some homebrew, or modules based on one-shot dungeon adventures (or PC backgrounds), and then jump right into the next mid-level adventure path (the three part Istivin series from Dungeons 117-119, for example).

Think about how cool it was to play the Temple of Elemental Evil, Scourge of the Slavelords, and Queen of Spiders as a super-campaign with the same batch of PCs!

Now imagine if you had a variety of adventure paths, set at the various level breaks! A DM could mix and match low, mid, and high level APs to create a multitude of incredible super-campaigns! In addition to this, the APs would be easier to write for the Dungeon staff, and I wouldn't be waiting on individual installments for an entire year. There is also less chance for burn-out on the part of both DM and Player.

In any case, I know you guys will keep the great adventures coming, but it is something that you may want to consider in regards to future adventure paths.

Cheers!

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