Zen and the Art of Gameplay

        Okay, so I'm not an active scenario writer.  In fact, I'm just
starting my experiences using the editor fluently, and I've been studying
other scenarios to base my efforts upon.  Some are legitimately decent, and
some leave me thinking "What the hell did they think they were doing?!"
        One very important aspect of any adventure/role-playing experience
is gameplay.  Gameplay consists of a number of important subdivisions, one
of which seems severely lacking in third-party scenario design:  balance.
        Okay, let's take a trip back through time to my MUD days.  I used
to be a player/immortal on several MUDs.  One (which is still currently
being constructed) is very good, and all the staff have spent meticulous
hours keeping a decent balance of powers, making it so that nothing is too
powerful, or too weak for its specific level.  The rest were for
power-hungry dweebs who fought creatures which gave insanely high
experience, while being easy to kill.  On one particular 100 level MUD, I
as a level 13 dragon, managed to kill a level 71 random monster.  Exile, of
course, isn't a MUD, but the same basics hold true for a good MUD what does
for a good scenario.
        For the example I'll state, I will use Erika's Legacy, an often
raved-about scenario.  I want to point out right now that I enjoy the
scenario, and appreciate some of the clever dungeons and puzzles (esp. the
Frigid Fortress).  I don't want to detract from the value of the scenario
itself,  but I do need to point some things out about it.
        Number one:  It's not a shining spectacular scenario.  It's good.
Probably a lot better than I can do myself.  But here comes that balance
thing.  Playing for two hours, I managed to find boots which had a defense
of 30, and a broadsword with 30+5 dam/bonus.  To put this in perspective,
Exile III's Pachtar's Plate only defended against 11+5.  And the most
powerful weapon in Exile III, the Black Halberd, only did 20+5, and they
were both well into the game, while I received the previously mentioned
items quite early in the scenario.  It's not a one-time problem, either.
Super-party makers and treasure troves are all-too common, producing
parties much stronger than mere stats would demonstrate.  In fact, the
scenario editor can be a much stronger substitute for a character editor.
With a character editor, you can give a party what's available, and are
limited to that.  With a scenario editor, one could make a weapon that
would kill very strong creatures with a mere slash.  And conversing with a
friend on the state of third-party scenarios, he told me that once he had
seen the recipe for Knowledge Brew on sale for some absurdly low price (50
gold?  I can't remember.).  People have lost the will to play straight, it
seems.  I know I was having a natural high when I beat Rentar with my quite
natural party.  Go back to the basics of play, when you didn't have the
editors helping you out.
        Number two:  Difficulty Levels.  Maybe people have one set idea
while going into scenario creation and it changes halfway through.  Maybe
they just have a deathwish.  But scenarios seem to be consistently more
difficult than their rating would let on.  Erika's Legacy is a scenario
pre-rated Medium.  Yet soon into the scenario, in the dungeon
Resourcefulness, you face a pair of creatures (Scylla and Charybdis), which
are both invulnerable and have 5000 HP (just to taunt you).  The only way I
could make it through the dungeon was by rushing Charybdis while hasted
through lava.  As I passed by, he hit my characters for approximately 100
damage per hit.  There's that balance issue again, only this time, its on a
monster that's way too strong for his position in the game.  If Scylla and
Charybdis were endbosses and there were some sort of puzzle-ending to
destroy them, I might understand, but they aren't even close to the end of
the scenario.  If I hadn't been running the scenario with a high level
party, I would have been toasted.  Another lesson:  Make creatures with
equal compatibility to the person supposedly playing it.  If you were
making an invulnerable monster at that point (which I would frown upon
anyway), give them a reasonable damrate, like 1d4, or something of the
like.  Something which wouldn't utterly smite the party if they missed
getting through by one square.  If you want them to be damaged as they
pass, make the creature stationary or uninvulnerable with a reasonable hp
level, and give it the incredibly high damage rating.  Don't make it a
moving wall of death.
        Number three:  The initial plot of Erika's Legacy is also lacking.
In Exile I, you instantly hear about the Castle, where Micah is looking for
adventurers.  In Exile II, you're supposed to go to the fort commander for
a mission.  In Exile III, you report to Anaximander.  All of these were
examples of an initial lead for what the actual plot was.  You weren't
aware of what you were to do (with the possible exception of Exile II)
right away, but you had a starting point.  But with Erika's Legacy, there
are no arrows to that starting point.  You have to find the necessary key
to the Block, without knowing anything about either beforehand.
        Number four:  All scenarios need to have a careful game balance as
well.  This is one area where Erika's Legacy isn't so lacking as others.
But to debate the fact that Erika's Legacy isn't a heavily puzzle-based
scenario would be silly.  There needs to be a careful management of puzzles
mixed with hackslash.  Although an entirely hackslash scenario feels
lacking, an entirely puzzle scenario leaves me feeling the empty 'I want to
kill something' feeling.  People who are playing RPGs need some combat
mixed in.  You want puzzles?  Play Riven.  I want to bonk something on the
head.
        Those are four (of the many) keys to an interesting scenario.
Balance of equipment and monsters, Plot development, and Game balance.  If
someone manages to mix these well, the world is at their fingertips, as
well as $500 for the scenario contest.  Erika's Legacy is a good scenario,
but it still has a way to go before becoming Great.  In fact, of those I've
played, Erika's Legacy comes closest to being a Great third-party scenario,
but random encounters, and some more plot development wouldn't hurt.  I
hope, that people point out everything bad in my scenario to me.  I know
when I create a scenario, that I would want to know what people don't like,
so I could improve.  Don't like my opinions?  Don't listen.  They're just
opinions, but I don't want someone in my face because theirs differs.  A
scenario has to be a carefully crafted work of art.  Some people don't like
certain forms of art.  Realize this before doing anything.
        Still, if you want to flame me, feel free.  My email is
kwteach@probe.net.  I'll be glad to flame back.  Better yet, if you want to
discuss gameplay with me, I'll feel honored.

P.S. - Since the initial writing of this article, I've begun play on
Nightfall.  Originally, thinking it merely a knockoff of an Asimov book, I
avoided it like the plague, but I've found it displays well the issues I
discussed in this writing.  Its by far the best third-party scenario I've
played thusfar, while not being incredibly large, or difficult.  Right now,
if I were voting, it would be my choice for Scenario Contest winner.

Jake Wallace
http://exile.sandwich.net
