Adventures

[Kublai]

For those who wear the mantle of GM, where are you getting your adventures from? Are you writing original stuff? Or are you adapting other game systems' modules?

So far I write all of the adventures and fluff for Verakai, but I am considering other sources.

[Mad Hatter]

I am writing my own. My players have some great backstories, so it's relatively easy. I ran one adventure (that is, some external threat the characters had to deal with), and the rest of the sessions have been character interaction and the consequences of in-game action/character history. I have some great players, and we are all really clicking, so this game is practically running itself.

As far as long-term goals of the campaign, I have some long-running plot ideas that I am going to begin to introduce.

[luke]

For our main campaign everything is sui generis. The campaign has been running so long and is so detailed that all I really need to run a game is a cast of characters and a map. For us, the cast of characters is largely already built--the world has been nearly completely explored by the players, and they know nearly everyone! And the same goes for maps--the players have travelled the world and seen its dark places, the maps are nearly all familiar to them.

In my other campaign I shamelessly dart back and forth between old DnD modules and my own stuff. The only problem with the old DnD stuff is that is all the same: discover problem, find location of problem, fight off smaller problems en route to the big problem at the end, defeat bigger problem. So far this hasn't mattered too much since I am trying to make a point as to how corrupt this land is, but it is starting to get to me.

In fact, now that I think of it, that's how the big campaign started. I had a big overarching idea and I peppered with a series of about a half dozen "adventures." Eventually, after the players got comfortable and the characters were experienced (and had a stake in their world), the game started to "run itself."

Invariably the most successful stuff I run is mix of the source material and my own ideas. I use an old map, or a short story or an old module as the basic inspiration and then layer my own stuff on top of it.

(As you know, Kublai) I am much more into interpersonal relationships, the big picture, and balance of power than about finding treasure or killing big badguys these days. I try to fit in stuff that I enjoy, but every so often i give up the goods and run a brutal dungeon crawl. (because my players like to get into a punch up every so often).

Finding what your players enjoy is key to running successful games. Ultimately, their enjoyment is paramount--if they are not having fun, what's the point? That's not to say that players should be handed success after success to keep them happy, i've known players to be quite happy when their characters are miserable. (And I've known players to be extremely unhappy while their characters might be a bit more contented, but that's another story.)

i'm rambling. I know you know all this stuff, I just wanted to chime in for the folks at home.

And I am bored at work. I needed a break.

And I am so darn happy to have the forums back.

[Bankuei]

Hi folks,

I'm still diggin through my fresh copy of the rules, savoring the taste and trying to figure out exactly what I'm going to use BW for(probably a simple Tolkienesque fantasy or maybe something in S.E. Asia, still undecided).

Nonetheless, I'm all about writing my own scenarios. And, like Luke, I'm all about the interpersonal drama that is mixed in with politics, justice, injustice, etc. My personal method is to strongly define a conflict, and the NPCs involved, and then I simply play the "Reality TV show" game: That is, I look down the list of NPCs, pick one to act in regards to the Conflict, and put them in a scene where they will interact with a PC in an interesting(probably extreme, love/hate) manner.

So I guess you could say I write the conflict, but the actual events in the gameplay itself are improved. Anyone who's interested can find out more here:

http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/collists/waystoplay.html

And if anyone wants to see an example of it being made, used, etc. can check an example I'm working on for Hero Wars:

http://indie-rpgs.com/viewtopic.php?t=6696

Anyhow, bringing it back towards BW, I'd probably define the conflict, the NPCs, and ask the players to suggest some sorts of characters who would fit in before having them Burn them through the Lifepaths. I'd also write down notes of their BITs and try to engineer some situations in which they could be used or played off of.

Has anyone noticed any scenario prep that they do differently with BW than the norm?

Chris

[mike_ravenwood]

Setting up conflict can be a little challenging if it is going to come to blows. A good Long bow shot can kill even the most devious villain in one hit, and a melee powerhouse can be cut down with White Fire before he can start pumulling the rest of the PC's. Catching your PC's off guard is a great way to inrease the danger level of even sub par baddies, and puts it through the roof if they are more powerul. As happened in my game the Knight found himself naked and fighting an assasin. His meger Brawl B2 was not mutch help against her Knife B5. While she didn't manage to score more than Incidentals she did do enough superficials to drop him three dice before help arrived. ( I rolled really badly for the assasin) . Mostly he scrambled around trying to get away from her, Locking to keep the knife away, and screaming his head off for the Castle Guards. Obviously getting the drop on the PC's is an important tool in any game, but in BW it results in Steel tests that could leave the PC drooling at their opponents while they're cut to bits.

[luke]

THIS is exactly how it should be.

Amen brother Mike!!

-abzu