Revisiting Quest Locations

[Davane]

I was just wondering how people felt about quests where the same locations are visited repeatedly.

Take Barak Tor, for example, in the Games System. Both Quest 11 and Quest 13 are supposed to take place in the same location.

Do people like this idea? What about the concept of a location like a fortress, where the Heroes can explore it's secrets over several quests?

[Pancho]

I quite like the ideal of this. If it’s done right it can really add to the atmosphere of the quest.
As an example in drathe’s Return of the Black Banner quest pack there is a quest where the Heroes are tracking down Skulmar. If my memory serves me, it’s located in the same dungeon as the final level of Return of the Witch Lord, but the entire dungeon is empty, long deserted, and the traps are already sprung as per the original quest. It’s only in the final centre room that the mother of all ambushes is sprung. I thought that was quite a cool idea.

[lestodante]

I also agree with it. It is like the player can have a deja vu and should remember what was behind that corner or what way was the best to go through.
I am working on a custom questpack titled "The Faceless Sorcerer" where you have to visit the same location several times because verytime you will be able to unlock something new...
So if the player is smart he will remember wich way to go first because he left something unsolved, leaving unnecessary rooms closed.

[Shadzar]

Sooner or later depending on the size of your world, you will either revisit places or quit playing, such is the law of diminishing returns. you can't cover a world entirely with dungeons, and the oceans would be hard to have them under them unless you just had one super long dungeon that goes under an ocean to get to new places. So eventually you will have places that you return to.

[wallydubbs]

Search for the Ogre Fortress and Flight to the Surface in Against the Ogre Horde is another example. There's also Quest 5 and 14 in the Japanese quests.

I prefer it when quest areas revisited are spaced out like these 2 examples.

Like the 2 I just listed, as well as Barak Tor, the two quests are similar but not exactly the same. There's subtle differences. Revisiting locations is fine, but think in the case of Barak Tor and the Game System, it's done too soon.
In the Japanese quests you have 9 quests in between and 5 in AtOH, so the heroes will barely notice any of the differences. There's only 1 quest between Burrow of the Witch Lord and Return to Barak Tor, so the Heroes have a better chance at noticing the inconsistencies in the quest. As much as I understand why the heroes had to return so soon, I feel they could've been more spaced out.

[j_dean80]

Search for the Ogre Fortress and Flight to the Surface in Against the Ogre Horde is another example. There's also Quest 5 and 14 in the Japanese quests.

I prefer it when quest areas revisited are spaced out like these 2 examples.

Like the 2 I just listed, as well as Barak Tor, the two quests are similar but not exactly the same. There's subtle differences. Revisiting locations is fine, but think in the case of Barak Tor and the Game System, it's done too soon.
In the Japanese quests you have 9 quests in between and 5 in AtOH, so the heroes will barely notice any of the differences. There's only 1 quest between Burrow of the Witch Lord and Return to Barak Tor, so the Heroes have a better chance at noticing the inconsistencies in the quest. As much as I understand why the heroes had to return so soon, I feel they could've been more spaced out.

I changed the maps to be more consistent and left falling blocks as now a permanent structure in the return visit.

[Kurgan]

The Dark Company comes to mind. As for revisiting them.. you can replay quests, but Zargon/Morcar is advised to change things around, especially if it's being replayed due to a total party kill or failure to complete your mission.