Design & Development: The Abyssal Plague
The Chained God, the Abyss, and an associated plague? Why oh why didn't WotC make this into an adventure path? The idea is perfect for one, and it would have been miles better than The Chaos Scar (which I think has potential, just poorly executed). I don't mind WotC publishing novels, as I think they're great for a different kind of D&D fix. Unfortunately, D&D novels have always been hit or miss--too often the latter--and while I think it's admirable to try and get readers to branch out more, I think a better use of their time would have been to apply this concept to the table top.I know WotC catches some flak for poor adventure design, which frankly I think they do about a good a job as any other RPG publisher out there. Personally, my problem with adventures is that they're too often isolated from each other, relying on the premise that you can easily cobble them for ideas/place them modularly in your own games. As a DM with not a lot of free time on his hands, that's really not what I'm looking for: I want a complete, level 1-30 experience that is designed under the assumption that I will be using it, largely as written, through it's conclusion.
So, in case anyone at WotC reads this, I for one would like to see an Abyssal Plague adventure path (preferably set in the implied setting).
Amen to that!
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised it's not the upcoming Encounters season.
ReplyDeleteElements of it are present in this season. So far its just been plagued loggers, though.
ReplyDeleteOn the note of hit or miss D&D novels, if you haven't ever read them I highly recommend White Plume Mountain, Descent Into the Depths of the Earth, and Queen of the Demonweb Pits, all by Paul Kidd.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, they are really great examples of when a D&D novel "hits."
So why no March of the Phantom Brigade, Week 7 (or 6)?
ReplyDelete@Anon: Last week Liz was sick, and his week I was sick. Hopefully we can make it to the finale next week. :-)
ReplyDeleteAs another DM with little time on his hands I am looking at using the Abyssal Plague to write "episodic" adventures for my players. Which could work well with the overarching theme of the AP, and - as long as there are enough adventures for all levels - could easily be converted into an "Adventure Path"
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