• From: Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A.
  • Registered: 2011-06-03
  • Posts: 162

Topic: Review of “Starter Adventures” by Tim Shorts

I wrote the following review specifically as requested by Zak S in his recent blog post:

Would You Like To Be Helpful?

But, when I posted it there, Zak deleted it. So, in hope that somebody here might find it helpful even though Zak considers it unworthy of his blog, I'm reposting it here:

“Starter Adventures” by Tim Shorts is a free, 10-page (+cover) PDF collection of 8 short scenarios designed to teach new players the basics of old-school ‘Generic Medieval Fantasy’ tabletop RPGs through 1-on-1 play.

It doesn’t use any specific game-system, so mentions very few game-mechanics to maintain its generic utility.

The 8 scenarios consist of 4 pairs specifically designed for each of the 4 basic ‘Generic Medieval Fantasy’ character classes: Cleric, Fighter, Magic-User & Thief.

Each scenario is set in some ‘Generic Medieval Fantasy’ location (“Forest”, “An arena”, “Busy town market and a tavern”, “Mage tower and underground passage”...) and involves 1 or 2 encounters with some ‘Generic Medieval Fantasy’ antagonists (humans, animals & monsters).

Each scenario also has potential long-term consequences which might affect, or even lead into, campaign play.

Even though the scenarios are so simple that it’d be easy to come up with ones like them, because they were specifically designed to teach new players the basics of old-school ‘Generic Medieval Fantasy’ tabletop RPGs, and they seem well-designed to do that, I might actually use them for their intended purpose.

The only things like them that I’ve ever seen anywhere else were designed to teach new players specific game-systems.

My only critique is that the writing needs just a little more proofreading.

Starter Adventures is Here

Last edited by Ed Dove (2011-10-04 21:15:04)

  • Registered: 2010-08-28
  • Posts: 44

Re: Review of “Starter Adventures” by Tim Shorts

Sounds very interesting.

  • From: Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A.
  • Registered: 2011-06-03
  • Posts: 162

Re: Review of “Starter Adventures” by Tim Shorts

islan wrote:

Sounds very interesting.

It is a little interesting -- especially for something that's free.

And, even though it does use some 'Generic Medieval Fantasy' monsters, all of those could easily be replaced with humans for use with LotFP.

Thanks for reading my review!

Last edited by JimLotFP (2011-10-04 08:08:53)

  • JimLotFP
  • Lord of All Fevers and Plagues
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  • From: Helsinki, Finland
  • Registered: 2009-10-07
  • Posts: 275

Re: Review of “Starter Adventures” by Tim Shorts

(I edited a couple posts. This isn't the place. Hell, where it first showed up wasn't the place...)

JimLotFP's Website

  • From: Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A.
  • Registered: 2011-06-03
  • Posts: 162

Re: Review of “Starter Adventures” by Tim Shorts

JimLotFP wrote:

I edited a couple posts.

Just out of curiosity, is this the first censorship of this board beyond deleting spam?


JimLotFP wrote:

This isn't the place.

This isn't the place for one person to ask why something posted here was deleted somewhere else and another person to answer them?


JimLotFP wrote:

...where it first showed up wasn't the place...

That's true.  But that was only slightly my fault.  I was just trying to be as helpful as I could.  It was other people who misinterpreted that, forcing me to explain my actual intent or just let all their misinterpretations stand.  Which would you have done?

  • From: Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
  • Registered: 2011-08-09
  • Posts: 39

Re: Review of “Starter Adventures” by Tim Shorts

Ed, have you considered starting your own blog? Just a thought.

  • From: Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A.
  • Registered: 2011-06-03
  • Posts: 162

Re: Review of “Starter Adventures” by Tim Shorts

David wrote:

Ed, have you considered starting your own blog?

I don't have good ideas of my own often enough to justify that.  What I'm good at is helping other people develop their ideas.  And I still need to learn how to communicate alot more tactfully to do even just that really well, too.

  • Registered: 2011-06-04
  • Posts: 43

Re: Review of “Starter Adventures” by Tim Shorts

I think the issue is that this is a specific forum for LotFP game products and discussions relating directly to them.  It is not the place to post links to other products, even free ones, written or published by other people/companies.

Most product specific forums are an extension of the businesses support for their products, and they protect them as such an investment.

Blogs are completely run by a single person who has the right to say what they want, offend who they want, and delete what they want.  Whether others believe the blog to be worthwhile reading is up to them.


Some forums are freely open to whatever topic related to the general subject matter of the forum which you wish to discuss.  These sort of open forums include dragonsfoot, the Boardgame Geek/RPG Geek site, and others.  These are the environments where posts like this are helpful and do not step on bloggers or business toes.

Hope this helps,we do not (usually) try to be dicks for the sake of it.

  • From: Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A.
  • Registered: 2011-06-03
  • Posts: 162

Re: Review of “Starter Adventures” by Tim Shorts

The Degenerate Elite wrote:

I think the issue is that this is a specific forum for LotFP game products and discussions relating directly to them.  It is not the place to post links to other products, even free ones, written or published by other people/companies.

Most product specific forums are an extension of the businesses support for their products, and they protect them as such an investment.

Blogs are completely run by a single person who has the right to say what they want, offend who they want, and delete what they want.  Whether others believe the blog to be worthwhile reading is up to them.

Some forums are freely open to whatever topic related to the general subject matter of the forum which you wish to discuss.  These sort of open forums include dragonsfoot, the Boardgame Geek/RPG Geek site, and others.  These are the environments where posts like this are helpful and do not step on bloggers or business toes.

Hope this helps, we do not (usually) try to be dicks for the sake of it.

I'm almost certain that isn't what Raggi meant when he said "This isn't the place."  I'm almost certain what he actually was referring to was an issue that came up in the comments to one of his blog posts recently and was raised here by the question he deleted from islan's post and the answer he deleted from my responding post.

But, nevertheless, you do have a point.  Do you, or anybody else here, think I should delete this topic because I shouldn't have posted a review of a generic old-school RPG supplement here in the first place?

  • JimLotFP
  • Lord of All Fevers and Plagues
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  • From: Helsinki, Finland
  • Registered: 2009-10-07
  • Posts: 275

Re: Review of “Starter Adventures” by Tim Shorts

I don't mind reviews of things being posted here, but I'd prefer if they have at least some thematic link to some LotFP release (since I do suppose that's what people come here for).

But personal issues should be left at the door.

JimLotFP's Website

  • From: Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A.
  • Registered: 2011-06-03
  • Posts: 162

Re: Review of “Starter Adventures” by Tim Shorts

JimLotFP wrote:

I don't mind reviews of things being posted here, but I'd prefer if they have at least some thematic link to some LotFP release...

Do you consider generic old-school RPG supplements to have at least some thematic link to some LotFP release?  And, if not, how specifically related to some other aspect of LotFP (that is, other than it being an old-school RPG) must something be for you to consider it to have at least some thematic link to some LotFP release?


JimLotFP wrote:

...I do suppose that's what people come here for...

Me too.


JimLotFP wrote:

But personal issues should be left at the door.

That'd certainly be nice.  And I did craft my original post to do that as much as possible while still explaining why I was posting my review here instead of where it'd been requested from and written for.  And I even worded my answer to islan's question to do that as much as possible while still answering his question, too.  But, because you deleted not only my answer to islan's question, but also islan's question itself too, you must consider even merely just asking a question about that issue, even when it's directly in relation to something else here, to be too "personal" for you to allow here.  And, well, that just speaks for itself.