On 11/5/2011 at 9:49 AM, Sandy said:

So, there's a plague in Eubric now? And is this Wolfpack supposed to be different from the Wolfgang? And there are many grammatical mistakes in there...

Sorry, but this quest pitch still needs work. It would work better if the plague was raging some other place rather than Eubric.

Fixed most of it.

Edited November 5, 201113 yr by volcanicpanik

  On 11/5/2011 at 9:53 AM, volcanicpanik said:

I'm pretty sure its the Wolfpack, and where are the grammatical errors?

Actual grammatical errors marked in red, confusing lines marked in blue.

  On 11/5/2011 at 9:43 AM, volcanicpanik said:

Quest Pitch!!!

Quest XX: Plague of Horrors

QM: VP

Assignment: A terrible plague has spread across our lands, killing villagers, livestock and our crops. We need 5 experienced heroes to help us. We have suspicions that the plague is caused by the Wolfpack, if you succeed in stopping the plague and curing those infected. We will shower ye with gold and treasured possessions.

Party Requirements: Party of 5, no level limit, though recommended for level 5 and up. Needs at least 1 Ranger and a Cleric, no Barbarians.

Reward: 1000 Gold to split between you, 5 Hazmat Hats and improved reputation with the Town Watch/Town + more rewards if you cure more infected villagers.

Signups close by XXX

There's just too many issues I have with this pitch, sorry...

  On 11/5/2011 at 10:00 AM, Sandy said:

Actual grammatical errors marked in red, confusing lines marked in blue.

There's just too many issues I have with this pitch, sorry...

I'm sorry with the errors but I was a bit occupied typing it up, I have addressed the issues you have pointed out. Again, sorry.

  On 11/5/2011 at 10:06 AM, volcanicpanik said:

I'm sorry with the errors but I was a bit occupied typing it up, I have addressed the issues you have pointed out. Again, sorry.

Looks much better, but I don't like the involvement of Wolfgang in there. It just clashes with the idea of what I want to do with that faction - why would they start a genocide in a foreign land, anyway?

I've also been suggested quests where either the Hinckwells or the Shadeaux kidnap the other's children or try to assassin the other's leader, and I've asked the people presenting those ideas: WHY? Remember that having a villain without a motivation to what he or she does is childish and uninteresting. And I still wish to keep each of the reigning houses in Eubric free of being slotted purely good or purely evil.

Hope you guys remember this when planning for quests.

And just because I knock down your idea for a quest initially doesn't mean I'm not open to hearing other suggestions. On the other hand, not everyone is fit to host a quest for this game for one reason or another, and that has to be accepted as well. I don't want to force players to embark on a half-arsed quest where the QM doesn't know what they are supposed to do.

Ok, I edited it so no factions in it at all. I will persevere! No half-arsed quests from me and I know what I'm doing!

  On 11/5/2011 at 11:04 AM, volcanicpanik said:

Ok, I edited it so no factions in it at all. I will persevere! No half-arsed quests from me and I know what I'm doing!

That's a good boy!

When you've finished the quest you're on, get back to me by sending me a PM with some further information about your plans (how long you think it will take, how many battles or other events you've planned etc.) as well as one or two pictures you've taken for the quest. Then we'll discuss whether or not your quest is fit for playing.

  On 11/5/2011 at 9:21 AM, Sandy said:

What?! A private side quest? It sounds great, but I had no idea you were on one. How was it arranged, through PMs?

When I stayed behind, Zepher started a PM thread for it. He told me I wasn't allowed to tell the others. I was the reason the hallway count kept jumping up, the count was cumulative with both parties and I had to move around some. This was also where Zepher had me make up a message for Cronk to send to the rest of the party as an anagram.

Wait, what? I think I don't understand. Wait what did I do wrong in the quest? I'm all confused.

Well, Zepher, I liked your quest a lot, but I am glad I wasn't one of those who were captured for most of the quest. I can imagine that spoils the fun. The fights of single heroes against an enemy, of heroes against each other and heroes vs. NPC vs. NPC were a great touch, though.

And concerning the loot, I must say the amount of it was fair, matter is, some of the other quests' aren't IMO. I prefer quests not to produce loads of gems, elemental weapons and items, such as yours did.

The story was great, and the NPCs were also written well, especially Wren, of course. I also liked the battle description.

But the breaks between the rounds of the Arena fight were a bit long, most likely partially due to the heroes being slow, I suppose, but anyway. Overall, a nice quest, and I'm dying to meet Wren again.

  On 11/5/2011 at 7:07 PM, Peanuts said:

And concerning the loot, I must say the amount of it was fair, matter is, some of the other quests' aren't IMO. I prefer quests not to produce loads of gems, elemental weapons and items, such as yours did.

I've been thinking about this, actually, and I agree that quests should stop handing out so many goodies. As cool as they are to have, I think too much could potentially upset the balance of the game, eventually. After the very end of the quest, I actually thought that what we received, with the two Zoot's Play Things, the cookies, the gold, the extra level, and the weapons, was a really nice reward.

On another note, I forgot to mention that I really liked the concept of hero vs. hero, Zepher. It was definitely something new and creative in Heroica RPG.

Hey Volcanicpanik, if you're up for taking suggestions on your quest, I think the plague idea sounds really cool, but my only concern is the gems offered as rewards. As is already being discussed in the the discussion section, the trick is balance, and that includes items and drops as well, I'm thinking 5 more gems might be too much, they should be a little rarer in my opinion, which I think is one reason we are seeing more quests simply offering gold, experience, and reputation. With that said, it is your quest so the final decision lands with you, otherwise great idea and I look forward to seeing it come to reality after you finish up with mine.

Edited November 5, 201113 yr by Waterbrick Down

  On 11/5/2011 at 7:07 PM, Peanuts said:

Well, Zepher, I liked your quest a lot, but I am glad I wasn't one of those who were captured for most of the quest. I can imagine that spoils the fun. The fights of single heroes against an enemy, of heroes against each other and heroes vs. NPC vs. NPC were a great touch, though.

And concerning the loot, I must say the amount of it was fair, matter is, some of the other quests' aren't IMO. I prefer quests not to produce loads of gems, elemental weapons and items, such as yours did.

The story was great, and the NPCs were also written well, especially Wren, of course. I also liked the battle description.

But the breaks between the rounds of the Arena fight were a bit long, most likely partially due to the heroes being slow, I suppose, but anyway. Overall, a nice quest, and I'm dying to meet Wren again.

I share all of these thoughts exactly. Well done, Zepher. I thought the loot and type of fights fit the storyline perfectly. In my current quest some very nice items will drop as the opposing party is supposed to be on par with Heroica heroes in skill, gear and ability. The type of loot should fit the quest.

What I most enjoyed about the arena quest is how you permanently affected some of the characters' demeanors. It seems a few are a bit dejected and less cocky than before the quest. Others are even more eager to prove themselves now. Good stuff for character development.

  On 11/5/2011 at 7:14 PM, JimButcher said:

On another note, I forgot to mention that I really liked the concept of hero vs. hero, Zepher. It was definitely something new and creative in Heroica RPG.

Though it did sound like it came out of a cheesy game show.

That was a highly enjoyable Quest. I feel horrible, though, knowing there was an entire cavern to explore that we didn't get a chance to. Magic Compasses suck...

Alright so just a few quick thoughts right off the bat for what I learned from QMing quest 11:

-Don't eliminate all Out of Character Comments. I've realized my pet peeve is not the existence of OOC but just the abuse of them. After observing the quest as a whole, I feel allowing more OOC might have helped lighten the mood of the group and allowed them to interact more. With that said, thank you to all my questers for faithfully following my instructions and posting your questions and comments in the Discussion section. The next quest I host, I will be a little more lenient on the amount of OOC allowed in the quest thread.

-Build and photo all of your scenes before you begin the quest. I learned that doing this will help keep the thread alive, save myself a few hours of extra sleep, and overall contribute to a greater gaming experience.

-Work on making battles a little tougher. Even though my Party had a few scrapes, they never encountered a real challenge such as Sandy's mirror battle, Brick Doctor's random monsters, or Cralegoboy's Crozen.

-Give the party more concrete direction and possibly details, but don't railroad them. Toward the end of my quest I felt I hadn't setup everything to make the final puzzle more solvable and could only watch as my party trekked back and forth between all the locations except for the right one, not to mention their call for visiting Fort Bonaparte or the Heroica Library at one point. I'll do better at that next time.

So those are a few things off the top of my head, if anybody has any comments, criticisms, or questions feel free to post them and I'll do my best to answer them.

Edited November 10, 201113 yr by Waterbrick Down

Ok then, thanks for the advice, I gotta finish my mocs quickly!

  On 11/10/2011 at 7:03 PM, Waterbrick Down said:

-Give the party more concrete direction and possibly details, but don't railroad them. Toward the end of my quest I felt I hadn't setup everything to make the final puzzle more solvable and could only watch as my party trekked back and forth between all the locations except for the right one, not to mention their call for visiting Fort Bonaparte or the Heroica Library at one point. I'll do better at that next time.

That's what kinda had me. The only thing I could figure out was the Gray Plague, which was why I looked it up, and really lucked out on it. I didn't think Fort Bonaparte was really relevant to the quest, but I was clueless at that point...

I agree, the battles were fairly easy, but that's because Rumble Strike was armed to the teeth after Quest 5. One thing I really appreciated, though, was all the stores, their owners, and the things they carried. I'd want them added to the Marketplace, if only they didn't carry any rare items.

I enjoyed the Quest. Small, local, and short. Not as much experience as other Quests, but the items were more than worth it. It seemed most similar to a slightly larger-scale Quest 6.

The effort in the sets was one of the best parts of this Quest, in my mind. One thing I'd like to see is some more off-track stuff, like the Bloodpaw encounters, maybe a sort of mini-quest within it.

Oh, and I also assume we were supposed to go to the town watch? I sort of forgot about that...

  On 11/10/2011 at 6:53 PM, CallMePieOrDie said:

That was a highly enjoyable Quest. I feel horrible, though, knowing there was an entire cavern to explore that we didn't get a chance to. Magic Compasses suck...

Sorry that's just how it goes, there's got to be a catch to having that thing. Thanks also for waiting it to work before you finally found out that Julian was at Shrooft's. If you had gone there first thing and demanded to know where he was, the quest could have been over in a matter of days.

Technically you did have a chance to explore it after you found Julian, but I'm glad the Party chose the more noble route in destroying the ingredients. Truth be told, I hadn't even planned on you destroying them, the point of the title was more of who would the party trust, the Order of the Crimson Crown or the Guild of Invision. In the end however it became more of what was worth more, the riches within the tomb or the destruction of a deadly pathogen?

It was funny how many things actually I hadn't planned on that I ended up either reorganizing the storyline or doing away with parts all together. For instance, you missed two battle opportunities through out the quest and I hadn't even planned on the alleyway mugging that you all prevented.

For those interested, the doom of all dooms:

Reveal hidden contents

I solved that potions chest puzzle. Now get Mynatt to give me a better bow.

  On 11/10/2011 at 7:09 PM, CallMePieOrDie said:

...

The effort in the sets was one of the best parts of this Quest, in my mind. One thing I'd like to see is some more off-track stuff, like the Bloodpaw encounters, maybe a sort of mini-quest within it.

Oh, and I also assume we were supposed to go to the town watch? I sort of forgot about that...

Actually I never intended you all to visit the town-watch, the Bloodpaw Gang was more of a side thing, sort of like everyday life. You just happened to be at the same location as they were at several times, more like a coincidence than something that actually contributed to the story. It's a hard balance, but I think it's something we as QM's should strive for in providing both necessary information, as well as the superlative drivel and events that are just part of everyday Eubric life.

  On 11/10/2011 at 7:16 PM, volcanicpanik said:

I solved that potions chest puzzle. Now get Mynatt to give me a better bow.

There was an opportunity for a throwing axe, but you skipped over it in the catacombs. Besides didn't you end up with the most gold out of the group not to mention a free smelling salts and mead?

Dang! I would've been at level 11 had we opened the other door...

There was an opportunity for a throwing axe, but you skipped over it in the catacombs. Besides didn't you end up with the most gold out of the group not to mention a free smelling salts and mead?

Oh, whoops

  On 11/10/2011 at 7:21 PM, CallMePieOrDie said:

Dang! I would've been at level 11 had we opened the other door...

Not to mention if you had just gone straight at the first intersection in the catacombs.

Reveal hidden contents

I so wanted to use my will-o-wisps

WBD, I loved your quest. A tough battle may have been nice but those sets looked great. Thanks for hosting the quest

You did a great job hosting, WBD! Your quest was very imaginative, and it built up Eubric further.

I really appreciate that you took this opportunity to get even better at hosting in the future, and I think we all can learn from your tips.

  On 11/10/2011 at 7:03 PM, Waterbrick Down said:

-Don't eliminate all Out of Character Comments. I've realized my pet peeve is not the existence of OOC but just the abuse of them. After observing the quest as a whole, I feel allowing more OOC might have helped lighten the mood of the group and allowed them to interact more. With that said, thank you to all my questers for faithfully following my instructions and posting your questions and comments in the Discussion section. The next quest I host, I will be a little more lenient on the amount of OOC allowed in the quest thread.

-Build and photo all of your scenes before you begin the quest. I learned that doing this will help keep the thread alive, save myself a few hours of extra sleep, and overall contribute to a greater gaming experience.

-Work on making battles a little tougher. Even though my Party had a few scrapes, they never encountered a real challenge such as Sandy's mirror battle, Brick Doctor's random monsters, or Badboytj88's Crozen.

-Give the party more concrete direction and possibly details, but don't railroad them. Toward the end of my quest I felt I hadn't setup everything to make the final puzzle more solvable and could only watch as my party trekked back and forth between all the locations except for the right one, not to mention their call for visiting Fort Bonaparte or the Heroica Library at one point. I'll do better at that next time.

1. I agree that OoC-comments do have their place, but I would want them to be included within posts that have in-character text as well.

2. I have to admit that I'm guilty of this same problem as well. I've hosted five quests now, and in only one of them (#6) I had everything built and photographed before the quest began.

3. Definitely a hard thing to do, especially since the party gets progressively stronger constantly. I've noticed that including specials that hit all party members make for the toughest battles.

4. I'm definitely guilty of railroading, too, but on the other hand I appreciate that the quests are compact and on the short-side, so that the players won't get lost or bored. You can always continue the background story in another quest.

Thanks again!