Subj : Blood and Honor
To   : YL112@CORNELL.EDU
From : HAROLD GROOT
Date : Sun Jul 09 2000 02:48 pm

I don't want Andrew to think I'm picking on him, so I'll mention another 
of the "red flag" items I've seen over the years. 
 
You mentioned that an adventure you ran was based on an idea from the 
book BLOOD AND HONOR.  That by itself is perfectly OK - we all try to 
take ideas we have seen and see how characters react to them.  But there 
is a huge trap waiting - those who try to run the entire movie/book to 
its ending.  This can do a HUGE disservice to the players, trying to 
force a preconceived ending. 
 
Let me take an example from the published modules.  When the shift was 
made from 1st edition to 2nd edition AD&D, a novel was written about how 
it happened.  The novel was then turned into a trilogy of modules 
(Shadowdale, Tantras and Waterdeep).  All through out the modules there 
was a certain timeline that had to be kept to keep the players on par 
with the novel.  There were repeated instructions to the DM along the 
lines of: 
 
If the players are falling behind, give them help. 
If the players are getting ahead, slow them down. 
No matter what they try, the players cannot be allowed to do <whatever>. 
 
These statements translate (roughly) as: 
 
Reward Bad Play. 
Penalize Good Play. 
Don't Let The Characters Do Anything To Change Anything. 
 
The ending of the modules was pre-determined.  It =had= to end that way 
to coincide with the changes they were making to go from 1st edition to 
2nd edition.  But it made one of the most frustrating dungeons I've EVER 
been through.  The DM was required to pull miracles out of his hat in 
several places to save Cyric - because some of us determined very early 
that Cyric Must Die and we planned intelligently to make it happen.  The 
module, however, absolutely REQUIRES that Cyric survive so he can become 
a god in 2nd edition.  So intelligent play was severely penalized when 
there were several Deus Ex Machina rescues of Cyric. 
 
So - if there is an intriguing idea, plot twist, gadget or whatever in a 
book, great.  Put it into a campaign and have fun with it.  But DON'T 
ever try to run a book through to a set-in-stone ending. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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