Re: [HOE] The Unity (spoilers)

[PEGShane@aol.com]

Spoiler




In a message dated 4/4/2002 7:10:58 PM Eastern Standard Time, matt@severian.chi.il.us writes:


> But back to the Unity.  Has anyone here actually *run* it yet?  It
> all looks so forced and linear!  Yeah, sure, as a climax to the
> story it's real rock 'em-sock 'em stuff.  But as a module it's so
> strictly forced.  If you've read it, you know what I mean: "The
> posse shouldn't fight that, so force them away from it."  "Only
> one choice will work to get out of this situation."  "If they
> don't go for such-and-so-vehicle, bring up another hundred mooks
> from stage left."  Add the simplicity of quick combat and the
> posse are practically spectators.
>
> (I haven't read to the end ... I'm willing to assume that it gets
> better.  But up to receiving The Box they don't have darned much
> liberty.)


If by better you mean "less linear," then no, it doesn't. This is a very linear adventure as it has a very specific story to tell. Most written adventures are by their very nature--it's hard to write Chapter Two if you don't know what happens at the end of Chapter One. This is a complaint as old as RPGs. Either you publish a scenario--"There's a wizard in a dark tower 10 days from here. What do you do?"' or you funnel them through a course. Some courses may be narrower than others, but they're still linear.

All that said, I make no excuses for The Unity. I think it does exactly what it should. I could either just tell you the story of what happens, or I could find a way to involve your heroes in the culmination of the campaign world they've been playing in for weeks/months/years. And without sounding too immodest, I think the Unity does a Hell of a job at the latter.

Love ya' all,

Shane