Digest Format: What's the appeal?

It was quite widespread even in relatively recent years, at least in my experience.

Also, trends from 10, 20, even 40 years ago continue to have relevance for today's games, especially in a fundamentally reactionary field like old-school gaming. Let me tell you about how Unearthed Arcana was a mistake.
 
I have used a few one-page-dungeons in my game but since most are produced for a contest requiring system neutrality it takes a bit of fiddling to adapt them. The disgusting and hipsterish tone is their biggest flaw in my opinion.
 
Here's how I see it: there is all the products and systems and adventure design meta that exists out there, and then there's the game you bring to your own table. If something doesn't suit your table, then you won't bring it to your table. But to denounce its existence in the sphere of crafted products as inherently "the wrong way to do it" is just supremely narrow-minded.

As example: I believe that OSR stuff is largely a masturbatory rehashing of ground already covered, but I also understand that other people enjoy it and want it and pay money for it, so while I can declare that it doesn't suit my table's needs, I can't in good conscience say that it's the "wrong way" to make tabletop games, because that's a wholly subjective conclusion based on my admittedly narrow interface with the industry.

I think some of you may be falling into the same trap - you don't use something, or don't like the way it works, so it's automatically the wrong way to do it. I'd disagree, and point to the audience that actually uses those products as proof.
 
No one said it was wrong. Specifically:
Melan said:
Well, one-page dungeons are a cute gimmick that got taken as gospel and turned into a creative straightjacket. I don't think they are much to discuss.
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That's not a blanket condemnation---more of a dismissal. (and then Melan posted a nice one...)

@DP: Do you get a lot of use out of them?
 
I've run a few, and own several of the OPD contest compendiums. Sometimes I can't make a really good one that I want to run fit into my existing campaign, but then I could say that about any adventure regardless of its page count. But they're super low prep and run so smoothly (no flipping, no scrounging, no "uhhh let me check") that they're worth giving a shot if you never have.
 
Hey Melan! When are you going to put that blog post up about "The Greater D&D"...I am still eagerly waiting to find out what you meant! :)
 
If you have looked at my blog, you must have seen it is not being updated too much. I am occupied with my job, and various gaming projects (most importantly, running multiple campaigns). You wrote I am prolific: this is sometimes true, since I can accomplish things when I set my mind on a task and work steadily. But in truth, I also have finite time and energy. So blogging has taken a backseat, and even publishing has slowed down somewhat. I hope to pick things up again, but can't make promises.
 
Melan said:
If you have looked at my blog, you must have seen it is not being updated too much. I am occupied with my job, and various gaming projects...but can't make promises.
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I totally understand. Work+family also dominates nearly all my time (the home campaign counts as "family time")...and yet you have a MASSIVE published bibliography (in two languages, no less)---my hat is off too you. Castle Xyntillan alone is a mighty accomplishment (it's on the very top of my wish-list when I start purchasing again in a few months). What's more you've bang out two reviews on your blog in fairly quick session.

My request was of a good-natured sort---to let you know I haven't forgotten. I'm just a fan that enjoys hearing what runs through your mind about D&D. Whenever.
 
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DangerousPuhson said:
As example: I believe that OSR stuff is largely a masturbatory rehashing of ground already covered, ...
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Ha ha! Good one.

Now say something funny about 5e...you know....like that it's akin to the monkeys in the original Jungle Book movie: walking around the ruins of the old civilization---wearing the trappings of Men without understanding their true use or purpose...playing D&D dress-up...

You know, something silly like that. (You wacky provocateur!)
 
No problem at all, I took the question as good-natured.

In the end, I guess I count as prolific because I have been writing adventures since 2001 (amazingly, my crappy first effort is still up - here is a composite map Guy Fullerton made), and the time adds up. I don't actually spend too much time on most of them; but every now and then, I sit down and focus. This is surprisingly effective - you can make decent progress over a few evenings. Massive projects like Xyntillan take a longer, sustained effort, and there are inevitably long dry patches when nothing really happens. People see the 132-page module, but the 13 years of on-and-off work it took to get into this shape is less apparent. Likewise, Helvéczia will be a fairly big release when it happens, but it will be the result of a project I started in 2011. This is not easy. I think most people can (could) write decent small or medium-sized modules, if they set themselves to the task.

That does not make a professional writer - those people can write all day every day. That would kill me. It sort of does at my day job, if scientometry or the Bat Plague won't.
 
squeen said:
playing D&D dress-up...
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Makes no sense. 5e literally is D&D, so how can it be playing D&D dress-up? Now if you want dress up, look to all the products that have "compatible with the world's most popular roleplaying game" scrawled on the cover... THAT'S your imposter D&D, right there.

Also holy shit Melan, is that a link to an Angelfire site? You HAVE been at this a while.
 
DangerousPuhson said:
Makes no sense. 5e literally is D&D, so how can it be playing D&D dress-up? Now if you want dress up, look to all the products that have "compatible with the world's most popular roleplaying game" scrawled on the cover... THAT'S your imposter D&D, right there.
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I think your other jib was funnier.
Just me? :p
 
The point of a OPD is to give you something easy to just pick up and play. They're more like skeletons or wireframes for you to get inspired by, kind of like terse dungeon descriptions of old. Most of them are pretty bad though, but there's an infinite amount of them online for free, so it's just a matter of digging around for the gold.

Sometimes I'll take a OPD and just drop it into my main campaign as a specific area when I need a small dungeon. It gives me a foundation to build off of and then I customize it to my needs.
 
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