I review the Small Niche Games adventure module Pyramid of the Dragon for the Labyrinth Lord game.

   Full disclosure, I received a review copy of this adventure.

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cnIjFkD9RI

"There's no rails here. There are a number of ways to get to the storyline, and I like that. If I may use the term, it had a New School feel to it even though it is aimed at an Old School style of play. I can remember those First Edition modules. They were very linear, alright? (smiles) There weren't a lot of options."

Direct link at 2:28.

Wait... what?! :confused:

Quote from: Benoist;435628"There's no rails here. There are a number of ways to get to the storyline, and I like that. If I may use the term, it had a New School feel to it even though it is aimed at an Old School style of play. I can remember those First Edition modules. They were very linear, alright? (smiles) There weren't a lot of options."

Direct link at 2:28.

Wait... what?! :confused:

I found a lot of old school modules linear. It's my opinion.

Quote from: Tetsubo;435630I found a lot of old school modules linear. It's my opinion.

Are you talking strictly about module introductions (how the PCs get there), or are you talking about the overall structure of the modules (the adventures themselves), comparatively? Or both, maybe?

Quote from: Benoist;435635Are you talking strictly about module introductions (how the PCs get there), or are you talking about the overall structure of the modules (the adventures themselves), comparatively? Or both, maybe?

I'm talking about both but the intros more than anything.

I have apparently stepped into a gamer trap. I am caught holding an opinion that appears to be uncommon or unpopular. I hope it does not adversely effect this excellent module.

Quote from: Tetsubo;435639I'm talking about both but the intros more than anything.

I have apparently stepped into a gamer trap. I am caught holding an opinion that appears to be uncommon or unpopular. I hope it does not adversely effect this excellent module.

Nah, it's not about your review at all. I have the module too, and your review's pretty good.

It's just the statement that boggles my mind. I can see how you might come to that conclusion with the introductions of some modules where you basically have a short read-aloud text that basically states how the PCs got to the entrance of some dungeon or whatnot, but the adventures themselves? No way. That's completely counter-factual (thinking of modules like B2, B4, GDQ, C1, S4, WG4, WG5 etc). Unless we somehow don't understand the concept of a linear adventure the same way at all.

Thanks tetsubo! Glad you liked it!

IIRC the older modules were fairly hit or miss when it came to linear structure. For every B2 and Nights Dark Terror there were modules like Curse of Xanathon and the Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh.  They were great modules, don't get me wrong, I got a lot of use out of both of them, but CoX sent you on a wild goose chase against an unbeatable foe where your only option was to run away and find out how to defeat him while SSoS had a storm force you into a "haunted" house and had everything timed out, even down to the order the smugglers were coming back and forth from the ship.

That's why I find it hard to define old school from my personal experiences. Its easier to just use the definition accepted by the old school crowd since that's the target market anyway. And it doesn't change the way I write the adventures so that's okay. :-)

Thanks again!

Pete