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Title

A King's Ransom

Author

Alex Guglielmo

Submitted / Updated

01-29-2006 / 01-30-2006

Files

Name	Type	Size	Downloads
A_Kings_Ransom.zipA_Kings_Ransom.zip Submitted: 01-29-2006 / Last Updated: 01-29-2006	zip	117.74Kb	364
First upload of the module in .zip format. Simply extract the .bic and .mod files into the appropriate folders and be sure to read the readme file.

SCORE OUT OF 10

8.27
17 votes
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Comments (20):

Posted by Estelindis at 2007-09-10 12:45:40 Voted 10.00 on 09/10/07

Very short, but excellent. I was drawn into the character of the king almost instantly. This module shows how limitations on the character one can play can, with good writing, lead to great roleplaying opportunities. You have a great talent for writing dialogue!
_________________________
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FR Deity and Faction Cloaks
Fall-from-Grace Soundset

Posted by Yanos at 2006-08-24 22:38:01 Voted 9.50 on 08/24/06

well written

Posted by Anonymous ( 168.150.xxx.xxx ) at 2006-06-18 09:12:28

I didn't quite understand what was supposed to happen. The dialogue would end and then I could only walk around the castle, did I miss something?

Posted by herrjeff at 2006-03-22 06:05:10 Voted 8.50 on 03/22/06

I didn't like the fact that this module imposes a lot of background to the PC and does not allow to freely choose which NPC you want to speak with. If you follow the imposed dialog path, there's a good scope of options that might lead to interesting information and replies, if you choose the right ones! Different endings are proposed, from punishing boldness to awarding persuasive negotiations.
Go Sens Go ;)

Posted by Boozehound Blue at 2006-03-20 21:11:13 Voted 10.00

Found myself thrown into an out of character position with zero understanding of why I was a King or why my brother(?) wanted control. Though I never wanted it, I wasn�t about to give it up just to hear his demands, so I was quietly executed. Writing was decent, and the story may have been compelling, but this fails to an extent as a side quest. I shouldn�t have to play an entire mod to understand who I am. I know who I am. (7)

Posted by Kenrae at 2006-03-01 08:26:23 Voted 8.25 on 03/01/06

Other than it isn't a sidequest, I don't see any problem with it. It's not excellent, but it's a good mod, with good writing. I like the idea itself a lot.

Posted by thegeorge at 2006-02-24 18:54:59 Voted 7.50 on 02/24/06

The pros and cons have already been adequately mentioned. My biggest concerns are that I didn't feel involved in the story and that it's not really a sidequest.

Posted by Lance Botelle at 2006-02-18 15:06:38 Voted 5.00 on 02/18/06

5.0 A KING�S RANSOM (135TH TESTED MODULE)

This is my updated scoring system structured around the format provide by Bioware. The final score is still consistent with my old system, but I hope to give clearer feedback within the new guidelines. NB: Judging any material is always subject to personal taste. I have tried hard to be as objective as possible. Remember, this is only my opinion; Bioware�s is the one that counts! If you believe I have scored your module unfairly, or I have missed something of importance, please email me at [email protected] and I will consider any comments made.

All nine Bioware points can score a maximum of 1 point each, leaving 1 point for my personal interest/like of the module.

Text of Module: (1.25 out of 3)

The Writing: (I do not scan the writing looking for errors, but if I notice something while reading it, I will note it here.) I noticed a number of typos and there were some poor sentences. (0.25)

Characterization: The characterisations were reasonable. (0.5)

Dialog Flow: Dialog flow was a little strange at times. (0.5)

Concept & Execution: (3.5 out of 6)

Originality/Creativity: This reminded me of Lord of the Rings � King Theodin � in reverse. (0.5)

Logical Flow: Everything appeared logical. (1.0)

Drama: The sudden realisation of the brother was a moment of drama. (0.5)

Pacing: This carried on much the same way as it started. (0.25)

Character Development: There was character development with some of the NPC�s. (0.75)

Multiple Paths: I am assuming there was more than one ending, although I only played one. (0.5)

Conclusion: Technically, this module scored below average in the writing in my opinion (1.25/3). The story was fairly average overall. (3.5/6). My personal score is 0.25 out of 1.0 because I was half expecting the outcome.

MY SCORE SYSTEM (IMHO):

< 5 Not up with the competition.
5 - 6 Average.
7 - 8 Above average.
> 8 An exceptional piece

PERSONAL SCORING FACTORS (IN ORDER OF MY PRIORITIES):

GRAB FACTOR: How quickly am I involved in the action? Do I have direction?
PLOT: Is the story engaging? Is subject interesting? Varied conversation choices?
CHARACTERS: Are they easily identifiable? Are they rounded/memorable?
SPELLING & GRAMMAR: Is the text easy to read? Are there quite a few errors?
OTHER FACTORS (MINOR INFLUENCE): Design for atmosphere & scenery, including sounds & props. Quality of module stability; does it break easily?
_________________________
World of Althéa Blog: Link

Posted by RobFaeth at 2006-02-17 15:47:31 Voted 6.75 on 02/17/06

Not bad at all, really. The writing was certainly above average, and the story was pretty good. Now let me criticize the hell out of it, kay?

First, this thing was absolutely full of spelling and punctuation errors. It got to the point that it bothered me, which is a severe deduction. Second, I don't like having a pre-defined character, let alone a mostly pre-defined character that I have to load up specifically for the module. Very annoying, and entirely unnecessary. Third, the end was not truly satisfying for me, and I really wish that I had some more options (as has been noted before). Fourth, though this isn't a competition about scripting, having certain "rules" like that which you have to keep is a real burden. And lastly, I didn't like my "recounting of the battle" very much (though it was great to have a split like there was occassionally), and it felt a little extrenuous to me (may be a matter of opinion, but it did bug me that I got into that long, long stream of dialogue, and couldn't get out).

Good environment and story, again, and good work. I'd rate you much higher if you had a proofreader! This thing needs some severe grammar and punctuation work.

Have fun, and good luck in the contest!

Posted by Moonroach at 2006-02-11 09:35:15 Voted 9.00 on 02/11/06

Echoing what others have said: good characters, some evocative writing. A little wordy. It wanted a proofreader and some more scripting, but this is a writing contest, so no points off. :)
The brother's character was believable; I really liked talking to him. I liked it so much that I wish I could have been cleverer about it than just passing a Persuade check at the end; playing to his desire for kingship, making him realize that he's destroying the kingdom he's trying to rule, etc. This could have been an amazing module if Rhanyon and I were both talking to my brother, with each of us trying to win him over.
I liked the description of the battle, how I was able to choose how my character described events. It's interesting to have the player learn something from the character's narration.
I felt like I didn't have quite as much control over my character's personality as I would have liked, though I certainly did have some. I didn't have the option to be power-hungry myself, for instance.

Posted by TomG at 2006-02-08 06:46:36 Voted 8.00 on 02/08/06

Good backstory, and it ws interesting bringing us into it halfway through the conversation. Some typos and some polishing would make it excellent.

Posted by teabiscuit at 2006-02-07 20:55:15 Voted 6.75 on 02/07/06

A good idea, but it lacks polish. Requiring the player to use a specific character was unnecessary, as someone already pointed out, and generally people prefer to create their own character. A better solution might have been to give the player a pregenerated character, but let them create their own if they want (maybe with guidelines, such as "if you want the module to make much sense, you should play a male human character"). A journal entry summing up the backstory would have been nice to refer back to, and could have saved some exposition in the dialogue.

The writing is generally solid and I liked the way the conversation was set up. However, there were a lot of typos, to the point where it became distracting and annoying. Also, I would have liked it if the way you dealt with the first two requests affected how successful you were in dealing with the final one, or gave you information you could pull out as evidence later. Some of the PC responses were also quite wordy and could be pared down.

Even with the things I mentioned, this was still a very intriguing module and I enjoyed playing it. With a few improvements it could really shine.

Posted by Sparrow at 2006-02-07 08:42:09 Voted 8.75 on 02/07/06

I liked it. Characters with a good background, you felt involved as a player.

Posted by War Bones at 2006-02-06 18:03:55 Voted 8.00 on 02/06/06

I like the way the conversation played out. At times, I found myself understanding Marian's arguments and asking, why not let him? The dialogue is set to a medieval tone, and the setting is apt.

Posted by MikeLM9215 at 2006-02-02 14:33:18 Voted 7.00 on 02/02/06

Go to the Module Properties and place the following script in the OnClientEnter event. Or the Map Area Properties OnEnter event.

void main()
{
object oPC = GetFirstPC();

if(!HasItem(oPC, "Silverlight")) CreateItemOnObject("Silverlight", oPC);

}

GetEnteringObject() also works. But for everyone.
_________________________
The road to Ravenloft is paved with good intentions.

Posted by MikeLM9215 at 2006-02-02 14:18:37 Voted 7.00 on 02/02/06

This is my standard score for a decent product with 8 being great and 9 being I didn't know the toolset was capable of that. I almost counted off for the sword, lack of journal entries and lack of people descriptions. There was really no reason to have the sword physical to the game. You could have scripted a CreateItemOn() on entering (see below) or just used a pretend sword. I believe using the .pic may be a rules violation anyway. You also make the mistake I made in having some of the best text hard to find. It took me three tries to find the good stuff. As far as "trechery" instead of "treachery", there are four search and replace buttons on the left side of the Conversation Editor. Lastly, if the brother levels the castle and kills all the defenders who will he rule? Saying No shouldn't cause your death, it should cause the brother to regain awareness for a moment at the illogic of destroying that which he wants to control!
_________________________
The road to Ravenloft is paved with good intentions.

Posted by The Skywalker at 2006-02-01 19:54:08

To anyone who does download my module.

First of all, thanks for looking and playing.

Second of all, I would really appreciate a review after you've played it. I know a lot of people don't like commenting for whatever reason but it really helps me as a writer determine what I need to do better. (And additionally I really do like hearing what people thought of my work, good or bad)

Posted by emperorzog at 2006-01-31 21:39:44 Voted 8.75 on 01/31/06

I felt that you did a really good job. It was a solid work. Like the posters before me not a very "new" idea, but still it worked out well. It could have used a little more proofreading, but then again I have been faulted for that myself so I won't be to harsh!
It didn't have a lot of the unique element I was looking for, but what strikes me most of all about it is that I enjoyed playing it. A solid effort.

Posted by Laban at 2006-01-31 14:25:43 Voted 8.50 on 01/31/06

A court-intrigue, long discussion with a bit of choice then a final flip-flap. Well. Why not ? Nothing new in this. But il works fine.

Posted by SaviourX at 2006-01-31 05:31:41 Voted 9.00 on 01/31/06

Writing was very good, descriptive, evocative. However, VERY wordy. Brevity is the soul of wit. A
little spell-checking would have helped. LOVED the music change near the end. Didn't like being forced to use the character, but I see why you chose to do that. Good multiple endings, though most of the multiple choices led to the same response (ie, the battle descriptions). I see what you were doing, but it could have been cut a bit here and there. Too much background in the general description. No journals or examine-descriptions. Overall, excellent, just pare where needed.

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