Harper Chronicles Collaborative Series

iandarksword · July 2016

There was a discussion on the Facebook page about a "series" of quests with a central character and theme, created by different authors. This originated after discussing with author Locksheon (@gornonthecob in the forums) after he created two zone specific quests under a similar premise. I've also approached Andy, (@strumslinger) and he is also very supportive of this idea. In order to gauge community interest, here's the thought process behind that premise:

Harper Chronicles (zone or quest name) - To create ease of accessibility using the Search function, (example: Harper Chronicles: Blacklake)

There would be an initial series of zone specific quests using the "Mysterious Traveler" NPC. This NPC must be used as the primary quest giver, however not necessarily as a participating NPC in quest objectives. Each leveling zone contains this NPC, leaving the Moonstone Mask as a point for "spin-off" quests. Players could participate in each quest as they level, very similar to a campaign. This would help foster interest in the Foundry throughout the leveling process and possibly increase player participation in the Foundry. The quests themselves need not be lengthy, but must also tell an episodic style story, optimal run time should be around 15-25 minutes. Each quest would be authored by a different author, however, an author could choose to do more than one zone. There is no specific deadline for completion, to ensure each author has the time to produce a high-quality quest. The purpose behind having different authors is to showcase each for their respective creative talents, to spread the workload, and save on available quest slots. As of this date, there have been several authors interested in this endeavor, the list appears as follows:

Blacklake: Ian Darksword

Tower District: Eldarth

Blackdagger Ruins: Zachariah92

Neverdeath: Harper Chronicles: Neverdeath by Locksheon (existing quest)

Helm's Hold: Helm's Hold: The Summoning by Locksheon (existing quest)

Ebon Downs:

Vellosk: Melinden (@DoctorBadger)

Pirate's Skyhold: Torontodave

Icespire Peak: Waryur

The Chasm: Ian Darksword

Rothe Valley: Instynctive

Mount Hotenow: Essenti

Whispering Caverns: Locksheon

Moonstone Mask: Keep open for spinoff or non-zone specific quests

As more authors become interested, I will update this post. I'm also tagging @melinden, @eldarth, @hustin1, @instynctive for possible input. Thanks guys & gals.

instynctive · July 2016

Sign me up for Rothe Valley, please. I'll get to work on it as soon as maintenance is done.

eldarth · July 2016

I'd have to say sign me up for Tower District as I've got a pretty solid infrastructure I can start with there already.

iandarksword · July 2016

Awesome guys. I've got it updated. My Blacklake quest is also going to contain both of the green clad "Harper Operative" companion models in their lowest level forms. I'm not naming them anything other than "Harper Operative" so they can be used in future or other quests if desired.

melinden · July 2016

I'm interested, but let me think about which zone for a bit.

torontodave · July 2016

Skyhold should be fun.

I don't want to do Blackdagger Ruins again.. ;D

instynctive · July 2016

I'd rather gouge out my own eyes than try to do anything on that Blackdagger map.

melinden · July 2016

After spending some time with the Neverwinter Campaign Setting I think I will take Vellosk. It will make me work with some material I am less familiar with.

waryur · July 2016

I'd like to give a go with Icespire Peak. Sign me up!

iandarksword · July 2016

Updated.

gornonthecob · July 2016

I'll snag Whispering Caverns for my finale.

essenti · July 2016

I would like to work on Mount Hotenow

iandarksword · July 2016

Got it updated.

iandarksword · July 2016

Guys, @eldarth created an open Google spreadsheet for us to share any characters we might want to have recurring roles in other episodes. I'll admit, I'm not an expert filling it out, but it's still useful for us to have. Feel free to update it.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kk3LpHZTqRt0mHZMQFvtom40hxTuko_T6GptOJpdaIQ/htmlview?pli=1

eldarth · July 2016

iandarksword said:
Guys, @eldarth created an open Google spreadsheet for us to share any characters we might want to have recurring roles in other episodes. I'll admit, I'm not an expert filling it out, but it's still useful for us to have. Feel free to update it.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kk3LpHZTqRt0mHZMQFvtom40hxTuko_T6GptOJpdaIQ/htmlview?pli=1

Oops - that one isn't editable.

Here's the Editable Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kk3LpHZTqRt0mHZMQFvtom40hxTuko_T6GptOJpdaIQ/edit?usp=sharing

The basic idea is that if you don't mind other authors including your NPC in their adventure, you can post the details in the spreadsheet. Also whether you are okay with using the NPC, or just referencing them in your stories/dialog.

If you don't want an NPC to be used by anyone else -- just don't include it -- it's only for those you don't mind others using.

tripsofthrymr · July 2016

This is an amazingly good idea.

I won't be participating.

Players have almost no incentive to explore the Foundry anymore. Cryptic needs to take serious measures to make the Foundry an integrated part of the overall game experience if the content you propose is to be enjoyed by more than a handful of players. R.A. Salvatore stated in his interview with @strumslinger that the Foundry is the most important part of the game (I searched for that video online, without any success. Anyone have a link?) Experienced players know that there are few material rewards for running foundry content yet there are many, many things that "need" to be grinded out to attain progress (personal and stronghold). New players are not steered toward the foundry in any meaningful way.

I'll repeat a suggestion I have made before. Do exactly what is proposed here, a collaboration among established foundry authors, to create a side quest related to each new module. Reward progress toward the new campaign by completing foundries. If you must, make that progress in lieu of grinding a repeatable quest from the official module for a given day. That gets more quality content into the game, reduces the perception of grind, and minimizes the risk of exploitative content as authors with an established reputation would participate (and of course Cryptic could play test the foundries before allowing the campaign reward).

Go back and do this for previous campaigns. There are always new players (or old players with alts) entering Sharandar, Dread Ring, Elemental Evil, etc for the first time. The experience would be far more enjoyable if they could choose between the official repeatable tasks and quality foundry content.

waryur · July 2016

nevermind. delete.

melinden · July 2016

This is certainly pushing me a bit. The description for the Xinlenal mythallar is pretty specific. Not to mention that the Netherese details are fussier than old lady wallpaper....

torontodave · July 2016

tripsofthrymr said:
This is an amazingly good idea.

I won't be participating.

Players have almost no incentive to explore the Foundry anymore. Cryptic needs to take serious measures to make the Foundry an integrated part of the overall game experience if the content you propose is to be enjoyed by more than a handful of players. R.A. Salvatore stated in his interview with @strumslinger that the Foundry is the most important part of the game (I searched for that video online, without any success. Anyone have a link?) Experienced players know that there are few material rewards for running foundry content yet there are many, many things that "need" to be grinded out to attain progress (personal and stronghold). New players are not steered toward the foundry in any meaningful way.

I'll repeat a suggestion I have made before. Do exactly what is proposed here, a collaboration among established foundry authors, to create a side quest related to each new module. Reward progress toward the new campaign by completing foundries. If you must, make that progress in lieu of grinding a repeatable quest from the official module for a given day. That gets more quality content into the game, reduces the perception of grind, and minimizes the risk of exploitative content as authors with an established reputation would participate (and of course Cryptic could play test the foundries before allowing the campaign reward).

Go back and do this for previous campaigns. There are always new players (or old players with alts) entering Sharandar, Dread Ring, Elemental Evil, etc for the first time. The experience would be far more enjoyable if they could choose between the official repeatable tasks and quality foundry content.

Or a 365-day campaign with a new Featured Foundry quest every day. Reward tiers at 30/60/90 etc. Legendary mounts for authors who make it into the top 365. Port that campaign to xbox and ps4 to get more authors on pc.

Give it real rewards, and make the campaign only playable if mod1-9 content is at 100%

@badbotlimit @Arkayne - Sanctuary ..

hrmm.. what's Sanctuary I wonder. Just popped up now when I put @arkayne 's name in.. INTERESTING. @strumslinger

waryur · July 2016

melinden said:
This is certainly pushing me a bit. The description for the Xinlenal mythallar is pretty specific. Not to mention that the Netherese details are fussier than old lady wallpaper....

Me too. With no adventure zone or pre-made icy interiors, I have to be extra mindful for asset limits. Don't want 20 maps. But I am enjoying the challenge, and hope the story is palatable too.

sandukutupu · August 2016

Anyone can freely edit this page;

http://neverwinter.gamepedia.com/Harper_Chronicles

Based on the information above it should be pretty accurate. It needs the objective filled out. Please note there are 2 ways to edit the page, normal edit and source edit. Normal is pretty simple and direct. The "source edit" lines look like this;
|-
|Harper Chronicles: Blacklake||Ian Darksword||NW-DCPA4W2Q5||August 10, 2016

Double pipes separate the fields on the table. If you mess it up, there is a page history where it can be reverted. If you find another page on the NW wiki to link from, just use this format [[Harper Chronicles]] to link to this page. Otherwise I will check on it from time to time.

valcontar73 · August 2016

Wodering why no one is picking Blackdagger Ruins or Ebon Downs.

iandarksword · August 2016

I was mulling around an idea with Ebon Downs, but I wanted to see where others took the story first. Blackdagger too, but it's going to be a bit before I've got the extra time. That's part of the reason I've not featured the Blacklake quest, I wanted to plant some breadcrumbs in the sewer junk piles to direct players to the other quests. I have a long weekend coming up, so I might update the spreadsheet and the wiki then. The quests is now out of both For Review and New tabs, so it may require searching to find.

iandarksword · August 2016

Ok. I've got the Harper Operatives added to the spreadsheet. Feel free to use them as support characters. I didn't give them names, so they could be used again by anyone else if desired. I also updated the wiki to reflect existing quest information.

mittensofdoom · September 2016

Just finished a project and looking for something to work on if you need a hand with filling the Ebon Downs or Blackdagger spots.

iandarksword · September 2016

@mittensofdoom If you'd like to pick one zone that'd be great. Remember that the Moonstone Mask contact can be used for non-zone specific quests, if you get the itch to make more. Just be sure that Harper Chronicles is in the title, it does kinda make it harder to title things with the character limit, but the purpose is to make searching for them easier.

iandarksword · September 2016

Also, if you guys hit a snag or get writer's block, but have enough to publish a "work in progress" feel free to contact me in-game and I'll try to find time to walk through with voice chat with any of you. Oftentimes we've found that when there are more than one set of eyes there is a better chance at finding things that can slip by.

ggpaladin · September 2016

I apologize for using this thread to ask a question as I am new and cannot yet start my own threads. I just created my first foundry quest and published it yesterday but I cannot seem to find it in-game. Am I doing something wrong? Does it tend to take long to get uploaded, etc? Thank you for your time.

hustin1 · September 2016

If you ever extend this to Sharandar, please consider my quest

I'd happily update the intro to make it better mesh with the greater storyline. I know that mine takes a while to run, though, so that could be a big minus.

iandarksword · September 2016

@hustin1 Just make the first contact the Mysterious Traveler in the Moonstone Mask. Work Harper Chronicles ahead of the title and that should help make it easily searchable.

hustin1 · September 2016

iandarksword said:
@hustin1 Just make the first contact the Mysterious Traveler in the Moonstone Mask. Work Harper Chronicles ahead of the title and that should help make it easily searchable.

Working on it...I keep getting "Text must be shorter" when I try "Harper Chronicles: The Redcap Snatchers" as the title.

It seems that "Harper Chronic: Redcap Snatchers" is the most it will allow. Drat. Only need three more characters.

Now if I could use "Harper Tales:" as the prefix...

Harper Chronicles Collaborative Series

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