Re: [HOE] Biodome

["John Goff" <JohnGoff@deadlands.com>]

You know, I usually don't reply to comments about one's opinion on one of
our products...

Unless I feel the misrepresent the product in question--which I do strongly
in this case. I was the editor on Epitaph 2 and, consequently, Biodome 2, so
I have something of an informed viewpoint on the subject. :-)

> A few brief words about the adventure, "Biodome" in the latest Epitaph.
> Basically, it sucks, for two very simple reasons.  First of all, the posse
> has (and I think this may have been discussed earlier on this listserv)
> absolutely no reason to go there.  As a player playing a Templar, my first
> instinct was to tell the people who asked the posse to go there to screw
> off...

I think it was done more than sufficiently on Page 9 in the Setup portion of
the adventure. A town of decent folks is starving; the leader asks the posse
for help and is willing to pay for it if necessary. It's open-ended, sure,
but it provides ample motivation for a posse of heroes--greedy or
altruistic--to provide help.

What more do you need?

Granted, more of a roleplaying solution may be to your group's liking, but
as the adventure has to be set to be playable by as many groups as possible,
the author has to make the hook as broad as he can. I think he did so just
fine.

(SNIP)
>Personally, I
> feel that that question should be well-answered by the author of the
> adventure, and for this one, it wasn't at all...

If you've read the adventure and don't feel that's the case, I can only say
I'm sorry. It met my qualifications.

OTOH, if you've only played it, then perhaps your Marshal chose a different
approach. If so, I can't speak for that.

(SPOILER section snipped)
> I mean do they want to
> encourage posses to bitch out?  We could have fought our way out of there,
> but the Marshall wouldn't let us because the adventure is simply written
for
> a posse that will surrender.

There is the better part of a page dedicated to what happens to the posse
should they avoid the ambush (Page 21, Unjust Desserts and Page 21-22, Flies
in the Ointment)--and only a half a page dedicated to posses that don't.
Honestly, I think it was very well covered--at least as far as the space
available allowed Jay to do so.

He acknowledged that it was possible (in fact, it's not even all that hard
for a sharp group) addressed the likely outcome, provided a few pointers for
the Marshal if they did and a way to manuever the group to the final
confrontation. Basically, the bases are covered.

Now, I'll give you it's more work for the Marshal if the posse avoids
capture immediately, but that's the name of the game. We can't predict every
course of action taken by a group in an adventure, but as I said, Jay did a
good job IMHO in doing the best he could given the space restrictions.

If you've read it and got that impression, I'd ask you to go back and reread
the sections I noted. If you've only played it, I'd be inclined to think
your Marshal chose to modify it somewhat from the original format.

Just my opinion.

John Goff