Adventures With Basic Plots

The Modules, Quests and other adventures provided for our game lines have sometimes been criticized for not developing greater story arcs or deeply involving the Player Characters. In fact, there have been so many misinterpretations that I believe an editorial is necessary. Not as a defense of our dogma, but as an encouragement for gamers to try a new approach to things, indeed to see a new dimension to gaming.

        First and foremost, no packaged adventure can intimately involve the Player Characters, as PCs are so unique to their respective gaming groups, and to lay out 'adventure hooks' would only serve some but further alienate the majority of others. Moreover, even if stories written by a far-off neutral source could in fact somehow psychicly anticipate individual Characters, it would be wrong to. The adventure provides an opportunity, a physical part of the fantasy world, but they are deliberately left generic, without far reaching consequences, in order to allow the Game Master to tailor the adventure and its characters and settings to his Campaign, much the same as he does with the rules themselves. By having 'basic plots', the GM is not forced to have the Campaign go down a path that he or his Players do not want. The purpose of the packaged adventure, just like the rules themselves, is to save the gamers time, by preparing things in advance and balancing them, but only preparing resources, not forcing the author's preferred themes upon someone else's game.

        In addition, looking at 'the basic' from a purely marketing standpoint, adventures are also designed to be independent so as not to force anyone to buy things that are simply not necessary. Indeed, we deny ourselves any cross-marketing greed by having every product stand alone. To make sequels, sagas and products that otherwise depend on the purchase of other products is, to us, unethical. Players shouldn't have to spend any more money than they need to in order to enjoy their hobby. Far be it from us at New Dimension Games to follow the lamentable (even if profitable) path that high profile game companies have in the past . . . just before they lost the respect of the fans.

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