The Evolution of an Idea

Things are going well. In fact I'm pleased to say that a combat section of the module actually has tactics involved that will make the players life easier if they take advantage of a situation.

Although I had the basic concept, story and layout pretty much pre-planned, I like to ad-lib on occasion as I can sometimes find inspiration that way. The combat area I have almost completed evolved that way, so I thought I'd provide the thought process here in case it inspires others.

An important thing to keep in mind when building is that everything should either have a purpose or reason for being present, or sometimes both. Such attention to detail can add to the immersiveness of a module and helps to enrich the story you are trying to tell. "The Relbonian Chronicles - Chapter One" had got to a stage where I needed to populate an area with combatants. The going was at first slow, as I found myself uninspired by the population process. For a module that (in my humble opinion) has a rich story, I couldn't help feel that the area I was working on felt a little dull in comparison to what had preceeded it. Desperate to try an add some "soul" to the area, I find myself turning to seeing what I could decorate the area with, and found something that fit very well aesthetically but needed an explanation for being present in order not to feel out of place (Apologies for not being very specific but I don't want to make too much of a spoiler for this). Remembering a previous "journal" the player would more than likely find, I concocted such an explanation, and in doing so, thought to myself "Hang on a minute, I could have this work in the players favour."

One script later, I discovered my plan was a feasable one, although I did require help from community member Axe Murderer so I could polish the script in order that it functioned as intended (Thanks Axe!). Suddenly my area was much more interesting, and to make it even better, I could introduce another creature to the area that -

1/ Was immune to the tactical advantage available to the player against the other foes present, and...

2/ Could slow down the player being able to use the advantage against the other foes present.

It's funny, but having got to that stage, working on the area has increased in speed, no doubt as a direct result of feeling more inspired. An initial test left me thinking it would be VERY difficult to complete without taking advantage of the tactic available. Using the tactic isn't exactly easy due to the immune foes, but it does make it a lot easier than not using it at all.

That's all for now. I might be taking a break from building soon as the father-in-law is unwell.