Questions for my unidentifiable number of fans

[Balabanto]

Well, you guys have seen four adventures so far, and I'm working on two more.

 

What can I do to make my adventures more enjoyable and fun for readers and players? I always take suggestions and try to improve. Only bad writers live in a vacuum.

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: Questions for my unidentifiable number of fans

 

I confess that thus far I've only gotten one of your full-length adventures (Foxbat for President), though IIRC you also had a few in Digital Hero. Given the space restraints imposed by DH, this comment wouldn't apply to those, however.

 

As both a GM and just as a reader, one thing I appreciate is little sideline stuff -- things that may or may not tie directly into the adventure, but overall add a lot of flavor to the product (like spices in a good meal). Call 'em "extras," if you will. The example from FfP would be the plot seeds (A to Z, IIRC) that you provided. An example from San Angelo: City of Heroes would be the quotes and news article snippits throughout. They may seem like "fluff," but to me they not only increase my interest and enjoyment as a reader, but they also fill in some gaps or provide examples that the GM can use in-play.

 

I once wrote a Pulp Hero adventure (it's in one of the Haymaker! issues, don't recall which one right now) where each part of the adventure was a different "Chapter" (as if from a book), and each Chapter started with a paragraph or two (boxed text) from the POV of a character going through that part of the adventure. Overall, it probably added 1/2 to 3/4 of a page, but in my mind it was worth it because (1) it helped maintain the pulp feel, and (2) it was just fun to have there.

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: Questions for my unidentifiable number of fans

 

I'm doing a second post, since this is a separate idea.

 

Another thing I like to see is some brief but good NPC info. I'm not talking the major players, but a few side characters to help bring a scenario to life. And it doesn't need to be a writeup, either full or partial. It can just be a paragraph or two about an NPC and what makes him/her unique and fitting for that scenario.

 

For instance, if a part of an adventure takes place in the city's slums, you could provide a homeless guy or a gangbanger who has info the players might need. If a fight is likely to take place at a local landmark, you might have a hapless tour guide the heroes may interact with along the way. A chase scene might involve a taxi driver who barely understands English but drives like he has a death wish.

 

One thing that really brings a game world to life is the NPCs (both regulars and one-shots) the players interact with along the way. In my experience, the players will often find a few they like that they try to "adopt" as their own.

[Balabanto]

Re: Questions for my unidentifiable number of fans

 

I confess that thus far I've only gotten one of your full-length adventures (Foxbat for President), though IIRC you also had a few in Digital Hero. Given the space restraints imposed by DH, this comment wouldn't apply to those, however.

 

As both a GM and just as a reader, one thing I appreciate is little sideline stuff -- things that may or may not tie directly into the adventure, but overall add a lot of flavor to the product (like spices in a good meal). Call 'em "extras," if you will. The example from FfP would be the plot seeds (A to Z, IIRC) that you provided. An example from San Angelo: City of Heroes would be the quotes and news article snippits throughout. They may seem like "fluff," but to me they not only increase my interest and enjoyment as a reader, but they also fill in some gaps or provide examples that the GM can use in-play.

 

I once wrote a Pulp Hero adventure (it's in one of the Haymaker! issues, don't recall which one right now) where each part of the adventure was a different "Chapter" (as if from a book), and each Chapter started with a paragraph or two (boxed text) from the POV of a character going through that part of the adventure. Overall, it probably added 1/2 to 3/4 of a page, but in my mind it was worth it because (1) it helped maintain the pulp feel, and (2) it was just fun to have there.

 

Plot stuff, always. The reason why I don't do the little novel blurbs is that I'm very picky about how things are presented.

[Balabanto]

Re: Questions for my unidentifiable number of fans

 

I'm doing a second post, since this is a separate idea.

 

Another thing I like to see is some brief but good NPC info. I'm not talking the major players, but a few side characters to help bring a scenario to life. And it doesn't need to be a writeup, either full or partial. It can just be a paragraph or two about an NPC and what makes him/her unique and fitting for that scenario.

 

For instance, if a part of an adventure takes place in the city's slums, you could provide a homeless guy or a gangbanger who has info the players might need. If a fight is likely to take place at a local landmark, you might have a hapless tour guide the heroes may interact with along the way. A chase scene might involve a taxi driver who barely understands English but drives like he has a death wish.

 

One thing that really brings a game world to life is the NPCs (both regulars and one-shots) the players interact with along the way. In my experience, the players will often find a few they like that they try to "adopt" as their own.

 

I craft NPC's like that all over the place. Everything is built to be campaign setting pieces. King of the Mountain will have an experimental map overlay that replaces part of a map from Pretty Hate Machines. Pick up a few of them. You won't be disappointed.

[Mickael]

Re: Questions for my unidentifiable number of fans

 

I've recently bought Foxbat for president, haven't had time yet to read it entirely, but the thing that makes me sad is the need for some other books to be able to use Ffp properly: I have Ckc and Arcane Adversaries, but not DEMON: Servants of Darkness, so I think at some moment I'll have a problem with the stats for the "classic morbane" or some other NPCs...

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Questions for my unidentifiable number of fans

 

That's a tough issue. I've been frustrated in the past that Hero would publish a host of villain characters, but never use them anywhere. Instead, you get to pay for another set of villains in the scenario. For non-central characters, I like the idea of indicating the preferred choice, perhaps some options (ideally from books essential to the scenario - such as CKC where Foxbat is central) and a quick blurb on the type of abilities and power level if the GM wants to use a home grown character.

[Lawnmower Boy]

Re: Questions for my unidentifiable number of fans

 

You can count me amongst your fans, Balabanto, even if I haven't tracked down your most recent two adventures (yet). My problem is coming up with constructive criticisms. Obviously you know that the physical quality of War of Worldcraft is far inferior to Foxbat for President, and I know that you have to make these choices on a budget. I like the combination of interesting character writeups, useful settings and the gentle nudges in the direction of using your material properly. If only the writers at CO understood how to use Foxbat as well as you!

 

So, what am I looking for in future adventures? More clinics: Doctor Destroyer could get the Foxbat treatment, as you show us how to actually use an iconic but daunting character. (And I would love to see Doctor Destroyer at Maxi-Mart. So would anyone who works at a place like Maxi-Mart.) More play aids. And I, at least, am not worried about your using characters published elsewhere. ("I bought both volumes of the rulebook and this adventure, but no way am I springing for Champions Villains!"

[Balabanto]

Re: Questions for my unidentifiable number of fans

 

You can count me amongst your fans' date=' Balabanto, even if I haven't tracked down your most recent two adventures (yet). My problem is coming up with constructive criticisms. Obviously you know that the physical quality of [i']War of Worldcraft[/i] is far inferior to Foxbat for President, and I know that you have to make these choices on a budget. I like the combination of interesting character writeups, useful settings and the gentle nudges in the direction of using your material properly. If only the writers at CO understood how to use Foxbat as well as you!

 

So, what am I looking for in future adventures? More clinics: Doctor Destroyer could get the Foxbat treatment, as you show us how to actually use an iconic but daunting character. (And I would love to see Doctor Destroyer at Maxi-Mart. So would anyone who works at a place like Maxi-Mart.) More play aids. And I, at least, am not worried about your using characters published elsewhere. ("I bought both volumes of the rulebook and this adventure, but no way am I springing for Champions Villains!"

 

I will never publish an adventure in the CU again. The consequences of doing so make publishing my own gameworld ten times harder. I run a very rules solid game, because that's how you run playtests, and unfortunately, I have major issues with the CU, which boil down to these.

 

1) Magic and technology are not the same, they will never be the same.

 

2) My villains are meant to be fought. There's no point in even having a character sheet for the way Doctor Destroyer is built now. Rules as written, he could just walk across the world and kill every single hero and villain in it, leaving the world at his mercy. This is not fun for your PC's. And based on his personality, there's literally no reason for him not to do so. There's a reason my gameworld looks like this, in terms of dice of normal blast:

 

Hero-10-12

 

Experienced Hero- 11-13

 

Elite Hero 12-14

 

Villain 10-12

 

Experienced Villain 11-13

 

Low Grade Master Villain/Supervillain Team Leader/Elite Villain 13-15

 

Master Villain: 16-18

 

3) Different origin of superpowers. Different origin of humanity. Completely different history. These things make it impossible to ever publish in the CU again. Heck, I may have sabotaged myself with making the Undead Skull the villain in Foxbat for President. I don't know if I'll be able to keep him.

 

I've explained the reasons why I don't like the CU on my website at michaelsatran.wordpress.com, though that's more of a general rule for comic book worlds in general than it is specifically targeted at the CU.

 

I promise to show how to use an iconic but daunting character at some point, when I get around to writing "Biafra: Super Nation."

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: Questions for my unidentifiable number of fans

 

I promise to show how to use an iconic but daunting character at some point' date=' when I get around to writing "Biafra: Super Nation."[/quote']

 

And it's sequel, "Viagra: Super Potion."

 

(Sorry, Balabanto, I couldn't resist. Go ahead and stick a couple pins in your Bolo voodoo doll. I deserve it.)

[Balabanto]

Re: Questions for my unidentifiable number of fans

 

It's okay. Everyone knows I love the system but have a low opinion of the CU. You're allowed to make fun of me.

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: Questions for my unidentifiable number of fans

 

For me, the CU is like the buffet at Big Boy. Some of the offerings just don't make sense to me, but hey, for others they probably work well. So I pick and choose the parts I like, and leave the other stuff behind as undesireable.

 

For example, 5th (and probably 6th) edition VIPER left me cold, so I kept the 4th edition organization in my world. Thus, if I were to write a HERO adventure involving VIPER, it might not fit so well with the CU.

 

I wasn't making fun of you, BTW, just playing with the words.

[Enforcer84]

Re: Questions for my unidentifiable number of fans

 

I was making fun of you.

But not here. Somewhere else.

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: Questions for my unidentifiable number of fans

 

Don't listen to him. He's just jealous of your pants.