Below are some adventure types that I'd like to see. I'm sure I'm not the only one, but concede that I'm perhaps in the minority. Do a good number of other readers want these types of scenarios?
If so, is the issue in publishing them that they are not submitted very often, compared to more dungeon crawl or typical action adventures?
I'm also willing to accept that these types of adventures may be there, and I just haven't noticed. I don't read every adventure in every magazine. So if I've overlooked some gems, feel free to point them out.
Mythological quests - something that has a real epic, dangerous quest type feel. Like the quest for the golden fleece, the labors of hercules, descending into hades to rescue a soul, that sort of thing.
Under Siege - A castle, city, frontier town under siege, etc.
Battlefield (Something along the lines of a Heroes of Battle style adventure. Red Hand of Doom, The Black Company, the war of the lance, A Song of Ice and Fire, all come to mind here. Also, the structure of a battlefield adventure may be well suited to the under siege scenario mentioned above.
Spy or investigatory mission - Robin Hobb's Farseer books come to mind, as do modern spy stories, Top Secret, etc. Really anything where the idea is to investigate and learn something, confirm rumors, etc. And where avoiding combat, and/or fast and quiet combat, is rewarded.
Theft or retrieval - Steal the gem, steal back the scroll, something like this. Get in, get out, have a chance to avoid being caught, and to fight your way out and escape if you're discovered.
Politics and the quest for political power - Again, A Game of Thrones, and other NPC interaction heavy storylines come to mind. The idea being that a number of encounters are role playing, and a number of obstacles can be solved with skills. Bloody Sands of Sicarus had what looks like a good political storyline. Power of Faerun offers a number of good ideas as well.
Displaced into Earth history or myth - Maybe the PC's end up helping in an ancient battle, or end up in Arthurian England for a more mythic tale. Maybe they have to help vikings and viking hero gods stave off a troll invasion. Something like that would be cool as a change of pace, with the end returning the PC's home - or possibly giving some the option to stay, like the book and movie Timeline. Given a more historical bent, there could also be a conversion section for using the d20 modern rules.
Mercantile - something having to do with trade, money, etc. Maybe a caravan trek with encounters with monsters and rivals. Maybe an expedition to recover a caravan that didn't make it back from a jungle. Maybe something urban having to do with spying on and sabotaging someone's merchant interests.
Horror - Not something with the trappings of horror. Undead are common, for example. I'm talking about something that can really come off as scary and suspenseful. Abominations and strangeness lurking in a dungeon the PC's are trapped in, a cult kidnapping and sacrificing victims in farm country, something that ties to elements that most players will be conditioned to accept as potentially scary, then execute on that and deliver the play experience.
Mystery/Investigation - like a murder mystery, a theft investigation for the city watch, or something like that. It should be built factoring in higher level abilities, and serve as an example to GM's of how to build future scenarios that will be both viable and cool for utilizing the abilities, powers, and equipment, of the higher level PC's, instead of being wrecked by them.
Something with a bit of a fairy tale feel. I'm thinking like the movie Labrynth here. It has trappings of children's tales, fantasy genre stuff, and could bring a bit of the sense of wonder to what is often an action heavy and mechanics focused play experience.
Mythological quests - something that has a real epic, dangerous quest type feel. Like the quest for the golden fleece, the labors of hercules, descending into hades to rescue a soul, that sort of thing.
"Library of Last by Resort" by Nick Louge I think fits that bill (Dungeon 132). There's even an imprisoned titan.
Under Siege - A castle, city, frontier town under siege, etc.
You couldn't type that one a bit larger could you? I recently found out that the full manuscript I submitted on that very topic got axed in committee recently.
I'm blanking on the name but about a two years ago there was an adventure involving a race against a fiendish flind and his army of gnolls and 'loths to an ancient dungeon that you then had to defend against said baddies.
Theft or retrieval - Steal the gem, steal back the scroll, something like this. Get in, get out, have a chance to avoid being caught, and to fight your way out and escape if you're discovered.
You might get a little of that later this year depending on how good I am at interpreting innuendo.
Politics and the quest for political power - Again, A Game of Thrones, and other NPC interaction heavy storylines come to mind. The idea being that a number of encounters are role playing, and a number of obstacles can be solved with skills. Bloody Sands of Sicarus had what looks like a good political storyline. Power of Faerun offers a number of good ideas as well.
That's a tough one to pull off within the confines of what amounts to a long magazine article. "Prince of Redhand" by Richard Pett (Dungeon 131) though does a fair job of it.
Displaced into Earth history or myth - Maybe the PC's end up helping in an ancient battle, or end up in Arthurian England for a more mythic tale. Maybe they have to help vikings and viking hero gods stave off a troll invasion. Something like that would be cool as a change of pace, with the end returning the PC's home - or possibly giving some the option to stay, like the book and movie Timeline. Given a more historical bent, there could also be a conversion section for using the d20 modern rules.
Given the current mood/focus of the magazine and hobby in general I doubt you'll see this outside of someone's homebrew in the near future.
Mercantile - something having to do with trade, money, etc. Maybe a caravan trek with encounters with monsters and rivals. Maybe an expedition to recover a caravan that didn't make it back from a jungle. Maybe something urban having to do with spying on and sabotaging someone's merchant interests.
Well the next Adventure Path offers a host of posibilities in this vein.
Horror - Not something with the trappings of horror. Undead are common, for example. I'm talking about something that can really come off as scary and suspenseful. Abominations and strangeness lurking in a dungeon the PC's are trapped in, a cult kidnapping and sacrificing victims in farm country, something that ties to elements that most players will be conditioned to accept as potentially scary, then execute on that and deliver the play experience.
Remember what I said about innuendo? ::crosses fingers:: I doubt you'll see too many sacrifice-the-virgin stories, but just recently we've had "Caverns of the Ooze Lord" (Dungeon 132) "And Madness Followed" (Dungeon 134), two very Lovecraftian adventures.
Mystery/Investigation - like a murder mystery, a theft investigation for the city watch, or something like that. It should be built factoring in higher level abilities, and serve as an example to GM's of how to build future scenarios that will be both viable and cool for utilizing the abilities, powers, and equipment, of the higher level PC's, instead of being wrecked by them.
Look no futher than Sharn in Eberron!!! That's sort of an in joke, 'cause you just can't have too many murder mysteries set there. In particular though "Murder at Oakbridge" (Dungeon ??? within the last year though) is good for murder while "Chimes at Midnight" (Dungeon 133) is like an episode of "Batman: the Animated Series."
Something with a bit of a fairy tale feel. I'm thinking like the movie Labrynth here. It has trappings of children's tales, fantasy genre stuff, and could bring a bit of the sense of wonder to what is often an action heavy and mechanics focused play experience.
"Windclipper's Revenge" by our own Wereplatypus (Dungeon 132) is a bit grimmer than that, but probably fits the bill. Also if you can wait a bit I might have something for you in a little while. ::crosses fingers again - its hard ot type liek thsi thouh::
Hope that helps some,
GGG
Mythological quests - something that has a real epic, dangerous quest type feel. Like the quest for the golden fleece, the labors of hercules, descending into hades to rescue a soul, that sort of thing.
I would love to see an adventure where the heroes descend into Khyber to retrieve a soul. This is mentioned as one of the few ways to get a soul restored in Eberron and i have been pondering what exactly that would involve. An adventure here would help tremendously. Or perhaps a dungeon article ala dreadhold.
Good luck with your submissions.
Incidentally, regarding the sacrifice, I'd rather see sacrifice the <generic citizen>, or sacrifice the high cleric/important citizen, than sacrifice the virgin. (If the editors find themselves working with material along those lines)
Regarding the Eberron murder mystery scenarios, aren't they all for mid-level? I'd be interested in seeing something for levels 12 - 16, somehwere in that range.
Good luck with your submissions.
Incidentally, regarding the sacrifice, I'd rather see sacrifice the <generic citizen>, or sacrifice the high cleric/important citizen, than sacrifice the virgin. (If the editors find themselves working with material along those lines)
Regarding the Eberron murder mystery scenarios, aren't they all for mid-level? I'd be interested in seeing something for levels 12 - 16, somehwere in that range.
The only problem with writing a mystery at high levels is that its hard to keep secrets when both sides potentially have access to 6th/7th/8th level divinations. Its not impossible, but its a lot harder.
MORE VIKINGS!
And rather less Cowbell.
I'd like to second any spy, thief-centered, and or murder mystery adventures/arcs/campaigns. Urban adventures in general usually make me happy.
What I'd really like is an AP that's centered on a long-lost island where pirates, dinosaurs and ninjas battle it out in a giant urban setting and the characters are spies, thieves, or otherwise sneaky folk. And there're UFO's, Napolean, Cthuloid horrors, and a big helping of human sacrafice.
Anything like that in the hopper?
MORE VIKINGS!
OOOOooohhhhh! There's your under-seige/battlefield adventure!
Horror - Not something with the trappings of horror. Undead are common, for example. I'm talking about something that can really come off as scary and suspenseful. Abominations and strangeness lurking
Does a Kraken count? Would tie in with the Vikings above...
Actually, that has inspired the germ of either a campaign-arc or perhaps even a full-blown AP! Ok, now I have to get my "better half" - who is also my star player and main proof-reader and creative-idea-springboard - to sit down and help me start outlining some stuff...
A Kraken could work. I'm imagining sort of a jaws above the water scenario, where the PCs are on a ship, ominously stuck at sea. Or an island fishing town being stalked, and all contact from the sea being cut off, and an expedition being mounted to hunt the kraken failing, with increasingly desperate and dangerous attempts to hold it off. Land is the only place that's safe, but even that's not all that safe.
Yeah - something along those lines was what I had in mind...
Give me some time - we're starting to outline this semi-AP here...
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An island, with indigenous peoples, and a triad of priestesses: maiden, woman, and crone.
The vikings have invaded and settled, and the indigenous people have been enthralled. But the priestesses are hidden away somewhere; it is they who have called the kraken to wreak havoc on the nascent viking holdings' maritime trade routes.
Doesn't that fall into the "Mythological quests" section?? :D
Where would the PCs fit in - helping the islander natives fight the Vikings, helping the Vikings fight the kraken, or total outsiders tracking back interruptions in trade-routes due to first the Viking incursions and then kraken depredations?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....
An island, with indigenous peoples, and a triad of priestesses: maiden, woman, and crone.
I don't know. I'd just make them tiny little twins who worship and sing to a giant catapillar.
Then when the kraken attacks he can fight catapillar, who then turns into a moth and strips the nearby sheep of all their wool!
Dude that so fits!
GGG
MORE VIKINGS!And rather less Cowbell.I've got Filth Fever, and a required material component in the casting of Remove Disease is MORE COWBELL.
Less Cowbell?!?!?!? How the heck is my Minotaur Bard gonna use his perform skill? Answer me that! I gotta have more cowbell baby.
Steven, Have you considered the triangle or perhaps the bullroarer? And then there is always interpretive dance....
;)
GGG