I'm very impressed with the way Paizo has been innovated with gaming. I have not investigated the modules however. How do people feel about them? With D&D changing over the years, from 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc, the modules have kept the same format since the 70's.
I want get some feedback. I wish to undertake writing a module but I'd like to know if there would be any interest. In addition to an entirely new layout the goal of the module would be designed for players with no GM experience to open it up and with very little pre-read preparation run a very smooth game that would be very challenging for experienced players. I've calculated it, and I've ran and played in over a 1000 sessions. Taking the GM reigns is hard and daunting, I want to make a module that takes all that stress and apprehension away. I'm sure there are a lot players who are just like me, we want a good story with some plot surprises but combat that will put our lives in danger as we've made a very powerful character.
I personally think modules should be designed to be played at the spur of the moment, so you can just bust it out when you and your friends are bored. I find modules in general require so much prep work that its faster to just make my own adventure.
I also think modules should make game mastering easier, they should be devoid of moments of the game master looking things up. I want to design a very tight and smooth module.
Is this a poor idea or a good one? If I get significant feedback, I will begin writing and hope to publish via kickstarter by February.
For those of you who agree, what is a gripe you have with regular modules, or things you wish they'd do?
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
Check out Crypt of the Everflame. It was made as sort of an introduction for Pathfinder, so it spells out some of the rules as you go. I assume the module in The Beginner's Box is good at this too, but I've never read it.
If you have not 'investigated' paizos modules, perhaps you should do so before you come to the conclusion that modules haven' changed since the 70's (not quite true).
Your Idea sound fine, but it is hardly something never done before - either in Paizos modules (Crypt of the Everflame, Into the Hauted Forest, Beginners Box) or other games (Dragon Age, Buffy, Call of Cthulhu). In other words - Creating an easy-prep out of the box module for inexperienced GMs is a great thing, but don't assume that the idea to do so is already an innovation.
Also: While I am aware that the writing style of a forum post is not the same as the writing style for a work to be published - if you want to do a kickstarter, you should probably try to inspire confidence in your style - your post doesn't, aka it is a bit hard to read.
(No offense intended, as I said/wrote - I like the idea of more fast to prepare easy to run modules and I may buy them/invest into the kickstarter, if I am confident that they will work).
If you are serious about writing (and by your post I'd say yes). Take the time to read as many of the modules printed so far. If you listen podcasts there are several interviews with authors that you can learn from as well.
Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it.
A) I will look into Crypts of the Everflame, Into the Haunted Forest, and the Beginner's Box.
B) Yes, my posting is of course not my writer's voice, but my speaking voice. Hence the numerous errors.
C) I'm not in the US anymore which is why I'm very curious as to the experience of those who have run Paizo's modules. If they fill the gap that I feel that 3.5 and earlier modules left then my goal would be redundant.
However I do have a passion for gaming, and would love a chance to make a contribution to the community. I figured I'd make the first one free, but as part as a lvl 1-20 campaign then hopefully charge enough to make it worth the man-hours invested.
I think I might need to clarify. My goal is not to create a module for beginner players, but more along the lines for beginner GMs. The beginner box is a simplified version of Pathfinder.
In my experience a player has usually had quite a few games as a player before trying his or her hand at game mastering. He or she now finds himself in a position of needing to know far more rules than he had to previously. In addition, his players are usually quite experienced, leading to easy combat encounters.
My plan is to make an event based adventure instead of a room based adventure. It should read a bit like a which-way-book (or choose your own adventure).
As minimal prep time as possible. Ideally the GM can just read the intro, begin play, and be just as surprised as the players as the story unfolds.
Events tied to players themselves giving them the more involved feel that is usually only provided by a GM writing an adventure specifically based on their back-story.
I think a module should be presented in such a fashion that nothing will need to be looked up on a secondary book.
A general ease of GM burden. Example, normally you would calculate the distance and number of barriers to determine the perception DC of a group of creatures sleeping in a barracks two rooms away from the party who are in combat. You would then see which monster wakes up, then alerts the others, then they equip weapons, then you would calculate how fast they can get to the parties room. Instead it would be; If the combat persists for 3 rounds the gnolls in the barracks wake and arrive in the room by the 8 round.
Most of the pathfinder modules and AP I have seen are already pretty stand alone (aside from the occasional monster requiring the beastiary to be opened or a skill that requires the CRB be opened).
So all you would really need to do is write a module and include stats for all of the monsters/NPCs and spell out all of the skills in a side bar. IE a sidebar description of the perception skill on a page where the perception skill is needed.
But that being said the idea still seems good for first time GMs and impromptu gaming sessions.
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