I think the level advancement thing is easy to tailor. Do away with XP and level them when they need to level for the next adventure. This way, if you want to run a side quest, or skip a section of the adventure, you won't have to convert encounters to match the party's level when you pick up the main thread again.
I second the vote for a DM screen--throw it in as a freebie for all charter subscribers who stick with Pathfinder for six months or a year. Make sure a brief summary of the rules for all commonly used special attacks of PCs and monsters (feint, grapple, trip, bullrush, gaze attacks, improved grab, swallow whole, etc.) and magical proceedures (dispel, detect magic, counterspell) is conveniently posted, perhaps in a column on the right side of the screen. You could add some in-campaign world goodness that would help DMs make things up on the fly, like a list of deities and portfolios, a list of prominent "affiliations" (counterparts of the Seekers, Knights of the Hart, etc. in Greyhawk), and that sort of thing. Skill DCs and modifiers are important and useful, but shouldn't make up the whole screen. Put the skills section in alphabetical order and highlight each heading in a way that allows the DM to find it quickly. (Not just bold type, but a red box around it or something). It might not fit, but the core feats table might be useful as well. A short summary of duration and effect for common buffs (resist energy, shield of faith, stoneskin, etc.) would be useful too. In short, a DM screen should cut down on our need to thumb through the books. "What was the duration of bull's strength again?"
Since everybody else has said anything I might want to say, I'm just going to add my votes to a few other posters:
Since we won't be getting 3 adventures across all levels anymore, I think that this is necessary to maintain issue to issue relevance for most gaming groups.
I back this thought totally. My only regret with the change of product is the loss of three, diverse adventures every month. I love me some Adventure Paths, but the loss of flexibility is going to be felt.
I would like to have monster tokens again!
!Absolutamente! There's another thread talking about custom minis, but I'd be more inclined to see the money spent on making monster tokens of the module's critters that were included in the book (AND in the .pdf version).
As others have said, if you introduce new gods or other elements, please explain them well, as in the core beliefs or demonomicon articles.
You've really set the bar high for yourselves here. I will expect nothing less than full Core Beliefs, Ecology of, Backdrop and Demonomicon treatment for everything you put in the Pathfinder series, starting with the goblins...
I don't actually want to see new classes: Ever since they started showing up in the Miniatures handbook (or was it earlier than that), I felt that they were stupid. The whole reason PrC's exist was that, combined with the deliberately generic base classes you could make any character achetype you wanted, without changing the core.
I'll go one step further and say that a lot of the PrCs I see are characters that could've been done using the base classes, already existing feats, and a little bit of lip service. The stated intent here to have PrCs that enhance the culture rather than just be tacked onto it is by far the preferred direction. Like Ross said, I won't be using any new classes at MY table, and I'd be disappointed if they were taking pages away from other stuff that I'd rather see.
Okay. Deep breath.
In the interest of space, I'm just going to say I agree with everything Hoyle said.
I'd wish for a not as fast level advancement compared to the Dungeon magazine adventures.
Assuming Talon means advancement speed compared to the in-game calender, I agree. I don't buy into the "15-months-to-level-20" schedule. One of the things that really appeals to me about the Savage Tide is the amount of down-time the campaign involves. The voyage was a great way to represent the vastness of the world travelled and the time spent building the community and defenses later was great.
I vote for more epic travel like this and opportunities for "empire building" as the PCs work to build up their desmenes.
Ha. I'd like to see:
1) Random Encounter tables - I love 'em.
2) "Loose" AP encounters that I can drop from the path and replace with my own encounters (pretty much being done already, but it bears mentioning here)
3) Some "single scene" encounters that I can use even if I'm not running the AP.
4) At least one encounter with the Squealer (from ToH) - man, that thing ROCKS.
5) A comic. Really. I think something like OotS, Zogonia (ee!), or whatever would be really nice in Pathfinder. But that's just me.
One thing I would be interested, though I highly doubt it'll be seen, is the books to take a cue from Ruins of Intrigue by Mike Mearles. Basicly, every NPC was written with multiple secrets and motivations that the DM could pick and choose from, making everything about the adventure incredibly customizable.
I'll also throw in a vote for a DM screen, as well as random encounter tables. Tokens would be preferable to prepainted plastic minis in my humble opinion, so wouldn't mind seeing some tokens. Already got a players guide, so no need to mention that. hmmm....Not sure how feasable it would be, but some fiction would be great. One thing that realy helped understand Arcana Evolved/Unearthed was the book of short stories that came out based in the setting. Not sure what Pett and Logue and everyone else think about writing fiction, but as has been stated earlier Paizo has relations with some amazing writers.
I haven't read every post in this thread, but I will say that one thing I am really enjoying isn't even from Paizo, but rather from a reader of the magazine.
For Savage Tide, having the stat blocks for every creature on a separate, landscape orientated 8.5 x 11 sheet is wonderful. No looking up stuff anywhere, it's right there on the sheet.
Could something like this be a part of the PDF version? Even something like what they did in Red Hand of Doom would be helpful, though they didn't include the monster manual stuff.
Concerning form: A cardboard collectors case for every AP, complete with poster maps (perhaps one of the country and one of the main city or whatever the main feature is), a DMs screen with some cool art on the outside (Wayne Reynolds?) and smaller DMs maps and AP-related info on the inside (don´t give me some odd combat tables here).Definitely collect some ideas that DMs can build upon, and print them as further adventure hooks.
Player handouts - maps, portraits of possible PCs and major NPCs, scenes and settings.
The idea of some kind of collector's box sounds nice, the specific DM screen as well.
For me, some suggestions for extra sidetreks would be greatly appreciated, especially if these tie in to the flavor of the setting or the background of the main storyline. So nifty adventure hooks would indeed be a great plus.
Finally, player handouts and NPC portraits are a great way to improve the gameplay experience. We can never have enough of those.
Something I wanted to see for the last couple of years was minis for the iconic characters from Dungeon. I don’t understand why WotC didn’t authorize it. If Pathfinder uses iconics, or story specific characters, I would like to see Paizo produce minis for them.
I’d also like to see another AP or GameMastery module dealing with High Seas adventure. My group LOVES Savage Tide and has expressed and interest in continuing the Seafarer idea.
Everything else I could think of has already been posted by others.
A little side-trekkin' would not be amiss. Sometimes you want to save the world -- and sometimes you just want to go kick the pants off some orcs.
-The Gneech
Creative Director
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The support material in each Pathfinder will have lots of stuff for building side treks, and may even now and then have sites detailed and the like so that all you'll need to add is a reason to go there. And of course, the GameMastery adventures are all set in the same world as Pathfinder, so that's probalby the best place to go for additional adventures.
I want a pony.
;) sorry, couldn't resist.
My first post, here goes...
First of all, from levels 1 to 15 twice a year?? That's insane! Why the rush? Either adventure paths are way too long and take years to play through or the party levels up every session or so and the game feels more like a video game than D&D.
I think the "problem" (for me, anyway) is that there is too much combat in published adventures. And too much combat and dice rolling gets quickly boring and repetetive. In the previous adventure paths (especially AoW) it seemed like a lot of monsters were added so that characters would level up for the next instalment of the AP just so that the adventure would meet the predesigned level progression.
I would really appreciate if there would be more opportunities for story telling and roleplaying in Pathfinder adventures. At least please don't automatically insert monsters into every numbered location which is seeminly the case with Dungeon adventures. Maybe I'm a bit over the top here, but I'm trying to make a point.
So my wishlist is: slower level progression, intense but less frequent combat, more storytelling, drama, puzzles, horror, atmosphere, suspence, romances, comedy, interesting and memorable NPCs, roleplaying, cool locations, cinematic action with purpose, ....
Don't get me wrong, action and combat is great and sometimes necessary but a good adventure needs more than that.
Does anyone else share my view?
I dunno, I think -Dungeon- has had a pretty good history of including interesting NPCs and social situations. Not that I wouldn't love to see more, mind you -- but given the nature of writing adventures for as wide an audience as possible, that's a big task. The best and most compelling RP situations are ones where your character has ties both to the setting and the specific characters involved -- and there's no way an adventure designer can know your character to tie them in!
The best way to set up RP opportunities in the context of a single adventure, it seems to me, is by supplying rich background material ... which is what I gather a lot of the "not the actual adventure" part of each Pathfinder release will be.
-The Gneech
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Creative Director
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First of all, from levels 1 to 15 twice a year??
I don't expect anyone to play every Adventure Path, in the same way I don't expect anyone to play every Dungeon adventure. We're doing 2 APs a year because that way, if someone doesn't like one, they don't have to wait 12 months to get a chance at one they DO like. And again... even if you run Pathfinder Adventure Path 1, there'll be plenty of material in #2 (both in the adventure and in the support articles) you can use to bolster the AP that you are running. Also; I suspect a not-insignificant number of our readers NEVER run the adventrues; they just enjoy reading adventures and/or plucking bits and pieces out of them for their own games. Oh... and not every AP will be from levels 1–15. They'll be what they need to be. If that means we do an 1–10, or a 4–16, or a 15–25, or whatever... the APs are as long as they need to be to tell their story.
I think the "problem" (for me, anyway) is that there is too much combat in published adventures.
There's a certain amount of truth to that. Fortunately, in the Pathfinder adventures, we have a LOT more room to detail things. We don't need to cram in so many combats in order to stay on schedule, and since we don't have to hit 20th level by the end, we can set a more leisurely pace. Don't get me wrong; there'll be plenty of combat in Pathfinder (that's the focus of D&D, after all), but there'll also be a LOT of non-combat stuff as well. More than there was in the magazine Adventure Paths, I suspect.
At least please don't automatically insert monsters into every numbered location which is seeminly the case with Dungeon adventures. Maybe I'm a bit over the top here, but I'm trying to make a point.
That IS a bit over the top, but point taken.
So my wishlist is: slower level progression, intense but less frequent combat, more storytelling, drama, puzzles, horror, atmosphere, suspence, romances, comedy, interesting and memorable NPCs, roleplaying, cool locations, cinematic action with purpose, ....
Hopefully what you'll see in Pathfinder will fill this wishlist. But it's also a matter of personal opinion as well. Savage Tide, in my opinion, fits most, if not all, of these requiements. And in the end, adjusting adventures to fit your style of play is an important part of the process. Savage Tide is LOADED with story, drama, horror, atmosphere, romance, cool locations, cinematic action, etc. Don't get tricked by the fact that the rules elements (and combat stuff) takes up a bigger footprint in an adventure path; that's just the nature of rules. They take up more room. In my experience, in actual play I've had SEVERAL sessions of Savage Tide where not a single combat broke out and the PCs spent the whole time doing other things.
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Creative Director
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The best way to set up RP opportunities in the context of a single adventure, it seems to me, is by supplying rich background material ... which is what I gather a lot of the "not the actual adventure" part of each Pathfinder release will be.
Excellent point.
The fact that each Pathfinder adventure will have at least two support articles of optional stuff and background material and NPCs and history and flavor means that there'll be a LOT more to draw inspiration from in this regard.
Thanks James for the reply! Sorry I was negative but it's hard to be a happy camper (or gamer) at times like these. Anyway, what you're describing sounds really great, especially what you said about level progession and having more non-combat stuff.
Actually I haven't read or played any Savage Tide adventures because I have to say that I was somewhat disappointed with AoW and thought ST was the same. Although some of the AoW stuff was really great, especially Whispering Cairn is one of the best adventures of all times (Erik Mona rocks!), a few adventures felt like fillers or hack'n'slash.
I wish there would be many adventures by Erik in Pathfinder.
Oh, one more thing, not every AP has to be about saving the world! ;-)
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Creative Director
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One of the reasons we decided to cut Runelords off at 15th level was to avoid having to tread into the save the world zone, to be honest.
But yeah, if you get the chance, check out Savage Tide. We learned a lot about what people want and don't want in Adventure Paths with Shackled City, and then again with Age of Worms. Now, certainly, there are plenty of combats in Savage Tide, but we've been doing our best to keep any of the adventures from feeling like fillers; each one propels the campaign's plot forward, and each one offers many chances for roleplaying.
And what we've learned doing Savage Tide is going right into Rise of the Runelords.
One of the reasons we decided to cut Runelords off at 15th level was to avoid having to tread into the save the world zone, to be honest.
But yeah, if you get the chance, check out Savage Tide. We learned a lot about what people want and don't want in Adventure Paths with Shackled City, and then again with Age of Worms. Now, certainly, there are plenty of combats in Savage Tide, but we've been doing our best to keep any of the adventures from feeling like fillers; each one propels the campaign's plot forward, and each one offers many chances for roleplaying.
And what we've learned doing Savage Tide is going right into Rise of the Runelords.
This is great. It is fantastic to see a company that actually listens to its customers and learns and imroves things to make a better experience. It is what keeps me coming back to Paizo and looking for ways to support you guys.
I really like what i am hearing about Pathfinder, and can't wait for it to arrive. One thing I don't want to see is a massive dungeon that does nothing for the plot, and really doesn't make sense for being there in the firt place (Like Life's Bazaar. You could easily just play through the Malachite Fortress, cutting Jzardirune, and lose nothing from the plot).
If there is a reason (world and plot preferrably) for the amssive dungeon to be there, then that's fine. Its when the dungeon seems to be there for the sole purpose of giving the PCs XP so they hit the right level, that I start to worry.
Hey, now I'm starting to get really excited about Pathfinder. It is very nice that you listen to your readers.
I think I will check out Savage Tide at some point but our group is currently busy with a Ptolus campaign and there are some difficulties to fit Savage Tide thematically into it, to say the least...
Come to think of it, I'd like to add urban adventures to my wishlist of Pathfinder adventures. Ok, I think I have exceeded my monthly supply of wishes.
One of the reasons we decided to cut Runelords off at 15th level was to avoid having to tread into the save the world zone, to be honest.
Thank you very much for that. The one problem with the lvl 1-20 AP's is that after a couple of them, saving the world is in danger of becoming a little too ho-hum.
What I want for Christmas... uh, I mean... Pathfinder!
1. Halloween! No, not _actually_ Halloween, but I love Halloween (I have every October issue of Dragon going back), so it would be nice to have at least one adventure somewhere be "Halloween-themed". Even if it's not part of one of the adventure paths, a stand-alone module would be cool. Perhaps one of your "darker" gods or goddesses could be the patron/matron of a really cool, dark "harvest" festival like the original Samhain festival (pronounced sow-wen).
2. I also think a DM screen would be wayyyy cool.
3. Minis! You guys should make minis to compete with WotC.
4. Slip covers, yeah, I'd buy those.
5. NO MORE CORE CLASSES. There is a reason why UA and some other RPG systems have cut it down to only 3 core classes, because really the core classes of the PHB cover every possibility. Use your imagination, people!
I want a pony.DONE
That´s...that´s...that´s pure, unadulterated EVIL!!! Cthulhu pales in comparison to this, brought forth from the nether cesspools of evil. I´m on the brink of being driven mad just by having one short look at it.
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Or then, maybe not. There are really strange things under the sun (or the electric light of warehouses). Who comes up with things like this???
Stefan
more than slightly irritated
And what we've learned doing Savage Tide is going right into Rise of the Runelords.
This raises the question: What sorts of things have you learned from Savage Tide?
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Creative Director
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1. Halloween! No, not _actually_ Halloween, but I love Halloween (I have every October issue of Dragon going back), so it would be nice to have at least one adventure somewhere be "Halloween-themed". Even if it's not part of one of the adventure paths, a stand-alone module would be cool. Perhaps one of your "darker" gods or goddesses could be the patron/matron of a really cool, dark "harvest" festival like the original Samhain festival (pronounced sow-wen).
Horror will certainly be a recurring theme in Pathfinder. In fact, Pathfinder 2's adventure DOES feature a haunted house and a murder cult...
2. I also think a DM screen would be wayyyy cool.
Yup. It would be!
3. Minis! You guys should make minis to compete with WotC.
Minis are neat. I'm not sure what our minis plans are, though.
4. Slip covers, yeah, I'd buy those.
They're certainly being considered.
5. NO MORE CORE CLASSES. There is a reason why UA and some other RPG systems have cut it down to only 3 core classes, because really the core classes of the PHB cover every possibility. Use your imagination, people!
Alas, here you'll be disapointed. The core classes are one of the parts of the game that make the game the game. Dumping them turns the game into something else, and that's not the business we're in. So you can expect to see all 11 core classes regularly represented. In my experience, using the 3-core-class system actually STIFLES creativity in some ways (since not all players are equally imaginative—sad but true) and because using the generic classes means a lot more work to reach the same end effect. Why would I want to redesign a paladin-type character every time I needed a paladin-type character? No thanks.
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Creative Director
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What sorts of things have you learned from Savage Tide?
Let's see. Here's the first 10 that come to mind:
1: If you really detail a location, players and readers will want to stay in that location.
2: Handle tightly scripted events (such as a key shipwreck) carefully to avoid accusations of RAILROADING.
3: Recurring villians are great.
4: People like having a choice between working for the good guys and the bad guys.
5: Pirates and Dinosaurs and Demons are pretty popular.
6: Stuffy noblemen make great PC foils.
7: Showing off concept art really helps get folks excited about your campaign.
8: A separate printed Player's Guide is a must.
9: We really, REALLY need to name our iconic adventurers.
10: No matter what you do, there will be readers who don't like the adventure path, and so you need to make sure that the non-adventure stuff in your product is useful to them so they'll like the product enough to buy it anyway.
5. NO MORE CORE CLASSES. There is a reason why UA and some other RPG systems have cut it down to only 3 core classes, because really the core classes of the PHB cover every possibility. Use your imagination, people!Alas, here you'll be disapointed. The core classes are one of the parts of the game that make the game the game. Dumping them turns the game into something else, and that's not the business we're in. So you can expect to see all 11 core classes regularly represented. In my experience, using the 3-core-class system actually STIFLES creativity in some ways (since not all players are equally imaginative—sad but true) and because using the generic classes means a lot more work to reach the same end effect. Why would I want to redesign a paladin-type character every time I needed a paladin-type character? No thanks.
Yes! More core classes! They're so much better than prestige classes. I want something different right from the start for my PC/NPC.
My wish list includes the follow:
- Advice to the DM on the implications of the encounter, and the different ways to resolve it.
- Advice to the DM on how to scale the adventurer, up or down levels, and up or down in size. For example, I generally find myself running parties of 5 or 6, rather than the standard scaled 4. While this is no problem in the long run, as things will balance out, I would enjoy seeing input on advise for scaling the adventure if one plans to use just one volume from the Pathfinder arc.
- Knowledge Skills. I would like to see detailed, pervasive information on what characters can find with their knowledge skills. In many cases, I am fine with the information provided to be non-essential, as long as it develops flavor for the campaign. Knowledge (Architecture) for history of design or culture. Knowledge (Nobility) to give background on local rules, etc. Just about every area in most adventures could stand to have more information placed in it suggesting how various knowledge skills can be used, or what information they provide. This is also, in my opinion, an excellent way to get campaign flavor information to the players in game.
- Discussion on the use of divination spells, and their impact in the adventure. Also include a discussion on how divination spells are viewed socially.
- OGL content. Not just monsters and magic items or spells; I would like to see good OGL content for handling different terrain or environments, perhaps accelerated crafting rules, etc. I would like to feel that, even if I do not run the adventure in that volume of Pathfinder, I found the contents on how to handle different elements of the adventure worth my time and money.
- Meta-discussions: I would enjoy seeing some discussions about the different thinking behind the scenes on designing the adventurer and world. Some of the content on the Pathfinder blog page is going into this, but I always enjoy it. Give the DMs enough information to know what the original goals and design decisions were so that when we start tweaking and modifying, we have a better idea of how our actions will fit with the overall design.
- Player Handouts: Maps, character art, pictures, scribbled notes, things to photocopy or print from PDF.
- World flavor material: Little bits to help flesh out the world, such as the goblin song already presented on the Pathfinder blog.
That's a quick version of my list. So far, I'm impressed with where you are going, and I have high hopes for what the finished product will look like.
So my wishlist is: slower level progression, intense but less frequent combat, more storytelling, drama, puzzles, horror, atmosphere, suspence, romances, comedy, interesting and memorable NPCs, roleplaying, cool locations, cinematic action with purpose, ....Don't get me wrong, action and combat is great and sometimes necessary but a good adventure needs more than that.Does anyone else share my view?
Yes. I do. 100%.
And I agree with Mr. Jacobs that "Savage Tide" is hitting most of them pretty well.The KWP's list is dead-on as well: well-thought-out down the line. Allow me to second pretty much everything he said.
But allow me to add one dissenting vote to the flood of voices here: I most emphatically do NOT want any cards, cutouts, tokens, screens, battlemats, dolls, action figures, minis of any kind, or anything else that will just get lost and/or thrown away. I can keep track of a magic item better if I don't have to somehow avoid losing a perforated picture card of it. I know this flies in the face of most of the posts on this thread, but there you have it.
My wishlist:
1) High-level/epic monsters.
2) Plots that does not involve demon lords.
3) Adventures that fits the Forgotten Realms.
4) Great art.
5) More magic items.
6) Maps of Mystery.
7) Zogonia.
8) Layout that makes sure that vital stats for an encounter are on the same page spread.
9) Side treks!
10) No new mechanics (taint, flaws and so on), stick to the core rules.
I'm really hoping this doesn't get lost 'cause of the thread getting so big.
Please, please, PLEASE, PLEASE....... make sure to include a plot summary overview like you did with AoW and ST with the first issue. It doesn't even have to be part of the bound product if it's too late in production for that. The difference in my prep time for each adventure between SCAP, which didn't have that, and AoW, which did, was HUGE.
As I said, if it's too late to include bound, I'll take it any way I can get it... loose insert, separate PDF, smoke signals, ANYTHING!
Please?
My wish list includes the follow:
- Advice to the DM on the implications of the encounter, and the different ways to resolve it.
- Meta-discussions: I would enjoy seeing some discussions about the different thinking behind the scenes on designing the adventurer and world. Some of the content on the Pathfinder blog page is going into this, but I always enjoy it. Give the DMs enough information to know what the original goals and...
These are both very good suggestions. Anything that helps keep from wondering, "What were you THINKING?" ;)
-TG
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I would like to have a DM screen!
Oh yes! A dark DM screen with the spiked wheel of the Runelords on it (like the Player's Guide) with pieces of art from Wayne Reynolds covers here and there! OR a gigantic piece of Wayne's art for the whole screen! That'd be cool. :)
I'd like to have some design thoughts too in Pathfinder, similar to the designer notes we can see in other products explaining stuff like "why this encounter includes said monster", "why the treasure's there", "why that plot element is intended to be", from designer to DM. That'd be great.
Oriental adventures-esque region?
Psionics?
Wraps hands over heads to duck impending hail of Mountain Dew cans.
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Cutting off at 15th level, huh?
Sounds like that request for a climactic fight against the Tarrasque (from a thread a few months ago) is answered!
As I recall Erik or James replied that they'd agree to include the tarrasque in the 4th AP but since its CR is too low to be the climactic battle for 20th lvl PCs it would be tough to make it happen.
Of course, the thread went on to suggest templates and class levels to the tarrasque to boost the CR, but let's face it, a templated tarrasque would just "feel" wrong.
-W. E. Ray
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I'd like to see classic D&D NPCs and locales thinly disguised so that we can still have these elements updated.
It wouldn't be too difficult -- you made Tenser into Manzorian without too much trouble.
Long time gamers will see through the veil and share the truth through the messageboards or other venues.
-W. E. Ray
I'm excited to pick up the pdfs for Pathfinder. Will any sort of subscription be offered for the pdfs? I'm fishing for a discount.
The first installment of a Pathfinder Adventure Path will always have a plot summary of the entire campaign.
Cooooooooool. Thank you! :)
Are you going to go back to the older stat block format, the one that didn't take up as much space? I would like that.
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Contributor
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Are you going to go back to the older stat block format, the one that didn't take up as much space? I would like that.
We're going to go with a tweaked version of the statblock currently in use by Dungeon and Dragon, which is to say (sadly, from your point of view), we won't be using the older format.
I kind of like the "what the players should have found out" idea summary as well. I liked the Cormyr: The Tearing of the Weave adventure, but one of the things that I noticed that I was not happy with was the idea that the overall plot of the trilogy wasn't really touched on, nor were the individual elements that have to follow through from one adventure to another to make the whole trilogy work.
Upon looking at Expedition to the Demonweb Pits, I noticed that this had more of an overall plot summary and what the PCs should be doing or should have learned, but it was a self contained advenure, and had more pages than the Cormyr adventure.
Long story short, the Delve Format is really a space hog, and if I had to choose, I would rather have a bit more of a summary of the overall plot and what needs to happen to flow into another adventure and have more setup time for encouters than to just be thrown into the plot and hope that I or the players don't miss something important.
Are you going to go back to the older stat block format, the one that didn't take up as much space? I would like that.We're going to go with a tweaked version of the statblock currently in use by Dungeon and Dragon, which is to say (sadly, from your point of view), we won't be using the older format.
That's okay. I got used to it eventually :)
The Delve Format is absolutely a space hog. That's the main reason we aren't going to be using it.
If by "Delve Format" you mean WotC's new format used in Demonweb Pits and Ravenloft, thank you very, very much. I don't like the looks of these new books, to be quite honest, and something similar to Dungeon's current format, but with chapters or inserts presenting the supplemental material would be just great.
I haven't tried running one of these adventures yet, but the format looks like it wastes a lot of space on encounter set up and forces a lot of confusing page-flipping. I can make up encounter set up on the spot with the aid of my dry-erase markers and tac-tiles, and I don't need every last little rule spelled out for me. Produce something that is fun to read, and I'll make it fun to play. I always read everything through twice and highlight or abstract stat blocs anyhow as part of my preparation.
On the subject of stat blocs, I like the new format, but I'm noticing in the new monster publications that some key things like a breakdown of AC bonuses and ECL are left out. These aren't necessary for the actual NPC stat blocs, but are useful for new monster writeups.