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nrg89
2016-07-02, 12:15 PM
I'm not asking for campaigns because that's unfair to one-offs. If you had to name a type of adventure you like to play, off the top of your head, what would it be? Maybe you like escorting.

Also, if ask you for a type of adventure that leaves a bitter taste, what's the first one that comes to mind?
I'll go ahead and start.

I like treasure hunts. The party finds a map, a traveller from a far away land, a letter in a bottle or any other clue to something of great value. It could be artifact that kills the big bad, for example. It's best done if you cannot proceed without at least some NPC interaction because otherwise it's no different from a typical dungeon crawl. A very good DM I had also used them to reveal stuff about NPCs or villains, meaning that I could find something of physical value to my character but also something of story telling value for myself. Now, they're not the most original adventures but they're a nice little quest to have as your third adventure in the campaign since you've begun to settle a bit in the world and you're ready to add a little depth.
Bonus points if it leads to a place that's left out of the map.

I mostly don't like escorting NPCs through danger. If they're weak and useless it feels like a chore and if they can hold their own you wonder why they needed escorting in the first place (and it can lead to action audience). The only time I liked an escorting mission was when we escorted a person who could see invisible monsters (none of the party members could on their own) and the DM made an effort to role play a likable and funny personality. But I remember too clearly being ordered around by some buffoon who got into danger all the time and ground the game to a halt, and I also remember the DM-PC who's shtick was "I'm awesome!".

Comet
2016-07-02, 02:04 PM
I love intense, immersive dungeon crawls. Quick to set up, clear motivation (gold), lots of opportunities for skillful play as well as very stupid play if you so wish, innumerable variables as to how things might go and, most importantly, you genuinely cannot know how the evening's session of gaming is going to end. That's emergent storytelling right there, no agendas or promises or expectations.

Not a huge fan of huge armies and war scenarios. You're probably either going to just engage in a sequence small-scale skirmishes or other tasks and hope for the best for the overall war effort or just straight up play a strategy game. Could probably be done well, but I still haven't quite figured out how.

nrg89
2016-07-02, 02:43 PM
Not a huge fan of huge armies and war scenarios. You're probably either going to just engage in a sequence small-scale skirmishes or other tasks and hope for the best for the overall war effort or just straight up play a strategy game. Could probably be done well, but I still haven't quite figured out how.

I've never played one that works either. I love th Heroes of Battle module for 3.5 but never got to use it as a DM. The DM that did run a battle adventure, with Cry Havoc rules I think, gave us individual units to control consisting of hundreds of soldiers each and did it really poorly because it was my biggest complaint about DnD amplifies ten times; the combat is clunky, slow and induces analysis paralysis at times.

However, I let my players break out of a city under siege once and from what I could tell, it worked but I'm not sure I would classify it as a battle scenario.

Yora
2016-07-03, 01:09 AM
I like exploring ancient ruins filled with magical wonders and clues to a history to discover.

And somewhat ironically, my least appealing type of adventure are megadungeons where you get an endless number of rooms after rooms to search for stuff that makes the characters become stronger and able to go deeper into the dungeon.

oxybe
2016-07-03, 02:05 AM
Love? Site-based adventures/campaigns.

The PCs settle down and lay roots in a town or countryside and serve as troubleshooters. Sometimes they're called away but they know that, when all is said and done, they have a bed and warm fire to return to.

Plus you get to have a consistent cast of NPCs for them to befriend or hate and even NPCs that were meant to be one-shots, like that other adventuring party or the bard from out of town, can always meet up with the PCs again if you need to reintroduce them as the PCs are based in one location.

hate? MegaDungeons and Hexcrawls.

MegaDungeons, IMO, take what would normally be a 1-2 session's worth of gimmick, a dungeon adventure, and try to stretch that gimmick for a campaign's worth of stuff. Part of the fun of treasure is not just finding it and using it, but finding what you want to keep and seeing if you can unload it for something else.

Hexcrawls, on the other hand, just feel... empty. You go from hex to hex hoping something interesting occurs and when it does, IME, for the most part you solve the problem or get the thingy then leave the location for greener pastures.

In both cases, sometimes you get a pointless speedbump random encounter to break up the monotony of "there is nothing here of note other then cave walls/still more trees".

In both cases NPCs you meet tend to be one-shot guys who you never encounter again as they're going one way and you're always on the move to someplace else.

Finally, i'll get back to a point I made previously as i've seen it happen in various campaign types: pointless treasure. While not unique to megadungeons or hexcrawls, I remember playing in an adventure path where, after finishing a leg of the adventure, our mid-level party noticed that in our bag of holding, just a few pounds shy from being full, on our "party treasure" spreadsheet we had ~20 +1 rapiers and probably just as many sets of +1 bracers of armor from the various rogues and assassins we fought.

It was basically joked around that the party's main form of trade currency was magical rapiers and bracers, simply because it was significantly lighter to carry then an equivalent amount of gold. but it was treasure we didn't care for.

The fighter types already had their +X longswords, axes and armours and the mages their rods and staves. we already found random/semi-random gear we cared and were excited for. the first spare +1 rapier was a backup weapon for the fighter as the rogue already had his weapon of choice. the second and onward was currency we couldn't wait to unload and trade for other gear, resources or services.

If we didn't have a way to unload these unwanted items they would have been left behind among the corpses. if you're gonna put items in the game, make sure someone in the group is either going to want to use it or have a way to dispose of it/trade it in for something they can use (be it a magic item or service... something).

because last thing you want is that magical tome that was supposed to be the party's well earned reward, to be used as a prop to stabilize the kitchen table.

Pugwampy
2016-07-03, 05:20 AM
I love a helms deep siege scenario . Nothing gets the blood pumping then this marathon encounter that takes all afternoon .4 or 5 Players hiding behind a castle . One taking control of a balistae .

These bunch of 25 or so little enemy monsters . A few holding ladders and a bunch holding a battering ram . About 3 real high level monsters with range options to annoy players but the rest is just cannon fodder .
Because of so much hitpoints the game is extremely easy going rulewise . One little disadvantage is players who are not spell chuckers or shooters

My first time i played . My fave DM introduced me to one . Very Few props lots of imagination . Our main gun was high level cleric vs 1000 low level enemies. I was in heaven.

Ever since I played Dm I made 8 sieges of my own <awesome Photos> , using toy castles , wooden bricks . Propwise I make a visual feast for my players . Everyone , players and monsters are the same level .


Hate
I like killing monsters so riddles , cluedo and political RP puts me to sleep .

Vitruviansquid
2016-07-04, 04:03 AM
Give me some objective and then some obstacles, and let me figure out how to complete that objective.

2D8HP
2016-07-04, 04:30 AM
I like exploring ancient ruins filled with magical wonders and clues to a history to discover.

And somewhat ironically, my least appealing type of adventure are megadungeons where you get an endless number of rooms after rooms to search for stuff that makes the characters become stronger and able to go deeper into the dungeon.I believe the difference is the word "endless".
:wink:
Even though I've posted long rants (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?493320-How-invested-are-D-amp-D-players-in-D-amp-D-dragons&p=20953706#post20953706)on my dislike of settings that are closer to "the real world", as a player I can remember some particularly fun sessions of Shadowrun that had no fantasy elements at all. The trick was that a very good gamemaster amped up the roll-playing aspects, and downplayed the role-playing aspects, with lots of action and suspense, resolved by many dice rolls (a chase were you roll at each corner or notable landmark lends itself well with this approach).
Other times that I've had a lot of fun involved lots of described magical elements and dialog, and almost no dice rolls at all. More boring RPG sessions seem to involve an intermediate amount of dialog (role-playing), and action resolved with dice rolls (roll-playing). So I would advise GM's to stay away from a "middle-of-the-road" approch, and to stick with what's working at the time. If the action is flowing keep the dice rolling, if the players are "playing" (doing the thespian thing), only stop them to roll dice for the suspense of it, otherwise keep 'em talking.
As a player I am interested in exploring a fantastic world, and I really don't want to think about the damn rules at all.
I could be very happy with a "character sheet" that lists my PC's name, the equipment my PC is carrying, hit points left, and nothing else!
I really only want to learn what my PC is perceiving. As to "mastering the crunch" so that my PC is "an optimal build"?
Boring!
Just tell me if the DRAGONS WINGS ARE STILL FLAPPING!
I also prefer if the Magic is well magical, so "spells" etc. that are not in the PHB please! I want wonder not accounting! I specifically don't play spell casters for that reason. Magic should be uncanny!

Try to keep world building bare bones. It's fun to read, not to play. If there's backstory, unless it's a map, journal etc.that my PC finds don't give me a damn handout! Are there no oracles, street prophets, and witches who will give voice to the backstory in character? Then use them!
One of the most successful (i.e. my players liked it) "campaigns" that I DM'd/Keeper'd (I reused the same setup for both Call of Cthullu and Dungeons & Dragons) was a mashup of the plot set-ups of "Conan the Destroyer" and "Young Sherlock Holmes" (cultist, Elder gods, yadda, yadda, yadda), I didn't map anything out on paper before hand at all! I just imagined "scenes", described them to my players, and had them roll dice to see if they did whatever they were trying to do, then on to the next scene!

I like killing monsters so riddles , cluedo and political RP puts me to sleep .
Yes!
Every problem my PC encounters should be solvable with either a sword or running!
:smile:

For some good literary sources of the genre (or just want to read BADASS! stories, which were published from 1939 to 1977:

Induction (http://www.baen.com/Chapters/ERBAEN0087/ERBAEN0087___1.htm)

The Jewels in the Forest (http://www.baen.com/Chapters/ERBAEN0088/ERBAEN0088___2.htm)

The Bleak Shore (http://www.baen.com/Chapters/9781625791528/9781625791528___2.htm)

Lean Times in Lankhmar (http://www.baen.com/Chapters/ERBAEN0089/ERBAEN0089___2.htm)

In the Witch's Tent (http://www.baen.com/Chapters/ERBAEN0090/ERBAEN0090___1.htm)

The Circle Curse (http://www.baen.com/Chapters/ERBAEN0088/ERBAEN0088___1.htm)

The Sadness of the Executioner (http://www.baen.com/Chapters/ERBAEN0092/ERBAEN0092___1.htm)

Beauty and the Beasts (http://www.baen.com/Chapters/ERBAEN0092/ERBAEN0092___2.htm)

Sea Magic (http://www.baen.com/Chapters/ERBAEN0093/ERBAEN0093___1.htm)

The Cloud of Hate (http://www.baen.com/Chapters/ERBAEN0089/ERBAEN0089___1.htm)

LadyFoxfire
2016-07-05, 01:52 AM
I hate adventures where you're just trying to find a piece of information; for example, we just spent a session and a half trying to figure out where the hidden temple we were looking for was. It's extremely frustrating and boring.

My favorite kind of adventure is when you know a fight is coming, and have time to prepare; setting traps, coming up with strategies, blocking off avenues of escape, etc; and then doing the fight, and seeing if your plans survive contact with the enemy.

Quertus
2016-07-05, 02:36 PM
I like most anything done well, but... I suppose my favorite is a puzzle. Not just a riddle (I love those, too!), but something where you have to puzzle through how everything makes sense. Whether that's a "rules of reality" puzzle, or a "why did this person do X" puzzle.

As to what I hate? When done right? Um... offhand, just things that probably don't belong in most RPGs. :smallyuk:

MintyNinja
2016-07-05, 02:58 PM
I love urban adventures (and campaigns). It might have something to do with my penchant for playing thieves, spies, and other shadowy types but the city always feels like home. Especially if my GM will allow property prices and construction rules. Then it actually becomes a home.

On the flipside, I don't care for dungeons. It's isolated, nonsensical, random at some times and there's just nothing in it that I care for.

LibraryOgre
2016-07-05, 04:28 PM
The Night Below.

Bear with me on this.

The Night Below was a mega-campaign released in 2nd edition. The first part is a wonderful game setting, the Haranshire, with lots for PCs to do and lots of NPCs to interact with. We've always started with a mysteriously missing person, and searched high and low for her until we uncover the secrets and venture into... the Night Below, the Underdark, chasing down that almost-cold trail.

And the game grinds to a halt because, instead of dealing with established NPCs and helping to solve problems and fight bad guys, you're slogging through a maze of twisty passages, all alike, with no clear goal as to how you need to get to where you're going.

A friend of mine has run it several times, and every time, it happens the same way.

QuickLyRaiNbow
2016-07-08, 01:22 PM
I strongly prefer games with no clear goal. There's a world that's familiar to all the players and they get plonked in it. There's no big bad, there's no real hook, either. They're hard to run but very rewarding if the chemistry between players and between players and GM is good, and the GM can think on his/her feet well.

I do not like games that serve a world purpose rather than a character purpose. I played a game in which the antagonist was a bloke attempting to ascend to godhood; ultimately he succeeded. The DM's expectation was that his players would enjoy being part of something that changed the world forever, that we'd like our characters from this one-shot ending up as part of the mythology. I found it a totally cold, pointless experience.

My biggest pet peeve in all of roleplaying games, though, is buff-stripping during cinematics in cRPGs. I KNOW THIS FIGHT IS GOING TO END IN COMBAT STOP MAKING MY CASTER NAKED FOR IT.

No-Kill Cleric
2016-07-08, 04:55 PM
I really enjoyed a part of the first campaign I was in where we were among the high ranking nobles, learning about the politics of the realm. I liked the intrigue and elegance. We were influential and important people. Later, we were framed for an assassination attempt on the king, and we had to run for it. After a party split over whether we should leave the city or hide in the slums, we came back together to assassinate the princess (who had been replaced by a succubus). The amount of planning and strategy that went into that was fun. Another campaign involved our group infiltrating an isolated nation and figuring out why it fell off the map. Turns out Lord Farquaad pays attractive courtesans quite well.

The worst one was an open world scenario which resulted in us all realizing that one of our players should never be in a position of power again. Their one track mind on turning minor profits from being merchants delayed the grand adventure of figuring out why all of the gods were randomly gone by several sessions. Between this one person getting all of the kills and another player determined to act out their Assassin's Creed OC's entire story, it was no wonder that campaign died.


I'd love to play a Kingdom Building campaign sometime, with the right group. I like having creative influence over the landscape. I'm an artist at heart, I love designing buildings and how they function.