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Where are all the fan-created scenarios?


Fitz

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I spend quite a bit of time wombling about the net looking at rpg scenarios for various systems, trying to find the mythical adventure motherlode which would mean I'd never have to do any work as a GM ever again. So far no luck, though I've found a lot of pretty good material out there.

 

One thing which is markedly absent is material written specifically for the Hero System, of any edition. There are one or two adventures out there, but nothing compared with other systems. d20 and GURPS predominate of course, as one would expect considering their market share, but even relatively obscure systems like Blue Planet have more fan-created adventure material on the web than exists for Hero.

 

What I'm wondering is why this is? Why don't Hero GMs share their work the way others do?

 

I know in my own case it boils down to laziness -- the games I run tend to be fairly unstructured when we start out, with little more than a general aim and a few nebulous notes on major NPCs/organisations/locations. It's not until after the dust clears that I could reasonably massage the original shambles of scraps of paper and cryptic notes into a proper prepared scenario.

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Re: Where are all the fan-created scenarios?

 

This is just off the top of my head, but I'd say it might be because a lot of Hero games are supers games, and a lot of supers games are tailored to suit the needs and idiosyncracies of specific PCs. Thus, they may not translate well for mass consumption.

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Re: Where are all the fan-created scenarios?

 

This is just off the top of my head' date=' but I'd say it might be because a lot of Hero games are supers games, and a lot of supers games are tailored to suit the needs and idiosyncracies of specific PCs. Thus, they may not translate well for mass consumption.[/quote']

I'd agree, mostly. I think that there are just as many Star Hero and Fantasy Hero players out there as there are Champions. It's just that no mater what genre you're playing, almost always the campaign is taylored to the group or to the GM. Vary rarely have I seen anything translate straight from one group to another without lots of modification.

 

To a degree, published adventures are pretty much the same. Personally, I've never used a published adventure without severe rewriting and reworking, and I don't know anyone else who has.

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Re: Where are all the fan-created scenarios?

 

And thus, the greatest strength of the Hero system is also its greatest weakness. My swashbuckling low fantasy scenarios are worthless for your save-the-world high fantasy, and even more so for another guy's Talislanta-like alien fantasy.

 

Although, I've got to say, I'd think there'd be a little more out there. Some scenarios can translate fairly easily with little modification, and although many times what I run is based on what the characters do, a published/fan-written scenario can serve well in getting things off the ground, or providing a background for the main character interactions.

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Re: Where are all the fan-created scenarios?

 

I wonder if one us of, or a group of us, could come up with a a Generic Adventure System?

 

What I'm imagining is a template system that leaves out all the fine details, but allows you the set up a plot, with optional subplots, that you can flesh out with your own game world and characters. Example adventures could be provided, along with how they'd translate into various genres of the standard Hero Universe.

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Re: Where are all the fan-created scenarios?

 

I wonder if one us of, or a group of us, could come up with a a Generic Adventure System?

 

What I'm imagining is a template system that leaves out all the fine details, but allows you the set up a plot, with optional subplots, that you can flesh out with your own game world and characters. Example adventures could be provided, along with how they'd translate into various genres of the standard Hero Universe.

 

You mean something like the random adventure generators from Fantasy Hero and the like, but offering a few more options? I think that could be workable, and it's something which could benefit from input from the many talented users we have on these boards.

 

and Foxx:

That's an exceptionally cool thread..... I don't often read the Champions board so I missed it -- thanks :)

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Re: Where are all the fan-created scenarios?

 

http://www.io.com/~sjohn/plots.htm

 

How's this for starters?

That's a cool link, and definately one I'll bookmark.

 

I was thinking something a bit more fleshed out, but not detailed to genre or setting specific. Actions of certian NPCs/Villains would be noted specifically, but open to interpretation for whatever game it's to be played in.

 

For instance, an example adventure involving stolen property would state what the item stolen is, but would state the relationship the player characters have to who it was stolen from, and it's level of importance. It would also list the type of theif who stole and give a generic "why" for the reason. Something like this could be adapted to any campaign by filling in the victim with an ally of the PCs and the theif with an established or entirely new villain.

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