tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post4315109403916611235..comments2024-03-28T15:54:00.960-07:00Comments on B/X BLACKRAZOR: Nostalgia BiasJBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-43916408833972900842023-07-08T06:59:37.796-07:002023-07-08T06:59:37.796-07:00I think Isle of Dread, Keep on the Borderlands, an...I think Isle of Dread, Keep on the Borderlands, and Dwellers of the Forbidden City rank high on such lists because they were pretty open sandbox adventures and a large number of folks prefer those and wish sandbox style had won out rather than adventure paths. Ruprechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00139664977453444000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-14947161438652198302021-10-30T18:10:43.071-07:002021-10-30T18:10:43.071-07:00Other than Isle of Dread, I never played any of th...Other than Isle of Dread, I never played any of the "classic" modules back in the day. But I've played in, run, or at least read through many of them more recently. <br /><br />Pretty sure those GOAT module lists are heavily influenced by player nostalgia than DM nostalgia. And most are based on heuristics rather than analysis of threat level/potential rewards, or encounter density, or anything like that.<br /><br />But of course that's just what my gut tells me. I could be way off.Dennis Laffeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03053699552003336733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-41753345365001063572021-10-28T11:27:20.972-07:002021-10-28T11:27:20.972-07:00And here I thought I was bringing "reading th...And here I thought I was bringing "reading the room" as a novel idea :)<br /><br />But I mean that in a more self-reflective way as DM. Not from the perspective of adapting to what the players want/expect, but rather adapting to the discoveries I make at the table that differ from my own expectations set when preparing for the game.<br /><br />But to your point, the rule set governs all. There's only so much the DM can do in advance or at the table, to create the thematic of Ravenloft without playing loose with the rules or railroading the players.Sir Robilarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00007504465124076115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-407737460197091052021-10-28T09:47:03.474-07:002021-10-28T09:47:03.474-07:00This phrase "reading the room" comes up ...This phrase "reading the room" comes up a lot recently. I'm not sure it applies so much to D&D.<br /><br />There's are methods to playing D&D, all (more-or-less) dependent on the DM. If the players don't fit the style of a particular DM, the DM probably needs different players. Trying to "read the room" and give the players what THEY want (especially if they have expectations that are widely divergent from a DM's particular style/method of choice) is going to become tiresome to the DM. And if the DM is tired of running, then the game isn't going to be one that lasts very long. Certainly not if one is looking for a game that has an abundance of care, consideration, and effort from the DM.<br /><br />Certain adventures facilitate certain methods/styles better. But the game itself has a favored style of play based on the rules it has (and as rules differ between editions, so too might styles). <br /><br />Dwellers gives a nice bunch of "stuff" that works well with the AD&D rule set, but it misses out on its potential for a far richer game. It also misses out on tactical objectives that will be IMPORTANT to competent PCs (i.e. those not worried ONLY about "survival").<br /><br />Ravenloft does NOT work well with the AD&D rule set, but for players wanting its particular style of play (and who understand how to "play ball" with what's offered), it's a certifiable home run. <br /><br />Would Ravenloft have been as popular without the Mentzer version of Basic that established some expectations about being narrated to? That's an interesting question. My group did NOT hold Ravenloft in any particularly high regard, but we had cut our teeth on older versions of the game (and our brand of horror viewing was more Freddy Kruger and Aliens then Hammer-schlock).JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-63279579755580173482021-10-27T22:14:10.418-07:002021-10-27T22:14:10.418-07:00I think there is a lot of conscious and perhaps su...I think there is a lot of conscious and perhaps subconscious "reading the room" that a DM does at the table. If the players aren't buying into the hook, or are debating the poor return on investment of an adventure, that may be a result of poor design, or maybe bad play/luck (not finding the treasure), or poor DM roleplaying (not selling the theme well). On the fly, I find myself throwing in a random monster if the players seem to be jones'ing for some dice rolling, or start populating on the fly those empty rooms they keep finding. Hard to save a terribly designed module, but a DM does what he can to make every session enjoyable for all. Those players that remember Dwellers or Ravenloft with fondness likely had DMs that made those modules work for them at the table.Sir Robilarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00007504465124076115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-23559703687150591112021-10-27T08:13:21.435-07:002021-10-27T08:13:21.435-07:00I think it's more difficult for PLAYERS to jud...I think it's more difficult for PLAYERS to judge based on DM performance/competence. But for the DM, I don't think it's particularly difficult to judge whether or not a module performs as a satisfactory play-aid, or whether or not it provides the required level of risk/reward and challenge for a certain level of PCs based on game system and edition.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-29191164391446247942021-10-26T19:52:14.445-07:002021-10-26T19:52:14.445-07:00Judging modules is particularly difficult because ...Judging modules is particularly difficult because a good DM and/or good players, can make a mediocre module awesome (or the reverse) possibly leaving a false impression of the modules quality. Ruprechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00139664977453444000noreply@blogger.com