Starter Adventures (Shorts, 2010)

[Ed Dove]

I wrote the following review specifically as requested by Zak S in his recent blog post:

Would You Like To Be Helpful?

But, when I posted it there, Zak deleted it. So, in hope that somebody here might find it helpful even though Zak considers it unworthy of his blog, I'm reposting it here:

"Starter Adventures" by Tim Shorts is a free, 10-page (+cover) PDF collection of 8 short scenarios designed to teach new players the basics of old-school ’Generic Medieval Fantasy’ tabletop RPGs through 1-on-1 play.

It doesn’t use any specific game-system, so mentions very few game-mechanics to maintain its generic utility.

The 8 scenarios consist of 4 pairs specifically designed for each of the 4 basic ’Generic Medieval Fantasy’ character classes: Cleric, Fighter, Magic-User & Thief.

Each scenario is set in some ’Generic Medieval Fantasy’ location ("Forest", "An arena", "Busy town market and a tavern", "Mage tower and underground passage"...) and involves 1 or 2 encounters with some ’Generic Medieval Fantasy’ antagonists (humans, animals & monsters).

Each scenario also has potential long-term consequences which might affect, or even lead into, campaign play.

Even though the scenarios are so simple that it’d be easy to come up with ones like them, because they were specifically designed to teach new players the basics of old-school ’Generic Medieval Fantasy’ tabletop RPGs, and they seem well-designed to do that, I might actually use them for their intended purpose.

The only things like them that I’ve ever seen anywhere else were designed to teach new players specific game-systems.

My only critique is that the writing needs just a little more proofreading.

Starter Adventures is Here

[Maliki]

Just a quick scan, but I do think these hit the mark, quick and simple they make a nice introduction into rpgs.

[Bryce0lynch]

Ed,

I'm intrigued.

What do you mean by "the basics of old school play"? Could you elaborate on that?

[Alex]

Odd. That review seemed harmless enough. I wonder why anyone who asks for feedback would delete such. It's not highly detailed but this is a 10 page, 8 encounter, generic introduction. The only real questions I could see asking are "does it fulfill its stated purpose?" and "is it full of annoying errors?" You've answered both. Straight to the point in a review of suitably short length for such a short product. In fact, the brevity of the review left me curious to see for myself, which you'd think the author would want! I otherwise wouldn't have heard of this. Thanks for the review.

[Ed Dove]

What do you mean by "the basics of old school play"? Could you elaborate on that?

Sorry about that vague phrasing. I resorted to that because I couldn't figure out how to be more specific without also being more windy, too. But, I suppose, by asking me to "elaborate", you've inadvertently asked me to be windier. So...

These are the specific basics of old-school ’Generic Medieval Fantasy’ tabletop RPGs which "Starter Adventures" by Tim Shorts seems to be well-designed to teach:

1. Quoting from the introduction to the work itself, "These were written to help someone who has never gamed before learn the mechanics of gaming." And each of these scenarios does include several appropriate opportunities for a PC to do things that fundamental game-mechanics, such as saving throws & combat rolls, are used to adjudicate.

2. The pairs of scenarios are specifically designed to feature, and thus teach, some of the particular activities which each of the 4 basic ’Generic Medieval Fantasy’ character classes -- Cleric, Fighter, Magic-User & Thief -- are specifically designed to do especially well.

3. The pairs of scenarios are also specifically designed to teach players some of the playing skills they'll need to develop & use themselves in order to play each of the 4 basic ’Generic Medieval Fantasy’ character classes most successfully. That may be the most "old-school" thing about this work.

4. In addition, most of the scenarios also include opportunities to make significant choices -- such as between combat & communication -- thus teaching that such choices exist.

5. When scenarios do include opportunities to make significant choices, the outcomes of those scenarios are designed to be significantly different depending on which choices a player makes -- thus teaching that choices & actions can have significant, possibly even long-term, consequences.

6. And, finally, as far as I can think of at this moment, the scenarios also introduce players to various typical ’Generic Medieval Fantasy’ milieu elements -- such as places like taverns, country roads & wizards' towers, organizations like churches & thieves' guilds, and monsters like kobolds, goblins & animated skeletons.

[Ed Dove]

I wonder why anyone who asks for feedback would delete such.

I wasn't going to mention that. But, since you sort of asked, this...

http://lotfp.blogspot.com/2011/10/what- ... ssing.html

...is why. Perhaps you, as an impartial observer, can tell me how much I was at fault for all of that.

It's not highly detailed but this is a 10 page, 8 encounter, generic introduction. The only real questions I could see asking are "does it fulfill its stated purpose?" and "is it full of annoying errors?" You've answered both. Straight to the point in a review of suitably short length for such a short product. In fact, the brevity of the review left me curious to see for myself, which you'd think the author would want! I otherwise wouldn't have heard of this. Thanks for the review.

You're quite welcome! Thanks for your review of my review!