The Nonlinear Library LW - D&D.Sci Scenario Index by aphyer
Jul 23, 2024
05:44
Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: D&D.Sci Scenario Index, published by aphyer on July 23, 2024 on LessWrong.
There have been a lot of D&D.Sci scenarios, but there's a lot of variance between them in complexity and quality. Some are more difficult, and might not be a good place to start, while others are much simpler - some were very good, while others on reflection didn't flow quite right.
Unfortunately, LW karma doesn't track the quality of these scenarios very well: often mediocre scenarios are higher-karma than better scenarios (whether because they had good writing around a poor scenario, or because people upvoted before playing them, or just because more people happened to be online and see them).
If you're interested in playing D&D.Sci scenarios, but don't know where to start, this index (compiled by frequent authors abstractapplic and aphyer, we'll try to keep this updated going forwards) is a good reference point to make sure you can pick good scenarios at a difficulty level you're comfortable with.
If you're new to D&D.Sci, you should probably start with the lower-Complexity scenarios and move up to the higher-Complexity ones. Scenarios with Quality Rating 1-2 are probably less worth playing, while the higher-rated ones are ones we'd recommend.
Scenario
Complexity Rating (1=easy, 5=hard)
Quality Rating (1=low, 5=high)
Author[1]
D&D.Sci: Whom Shall You Call?
2
2[2]
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci Alchemy: Archmage Anachronos and the Supply Chain Issues
3
5
aphyer
D&D.Sci Long War: Defender of Data-mocracy
4
4
aphyer
D&D.Sci (Easy Mode): On The Construction Of Impossible Structures
1
3
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci: The Mad Tyrant's Pet Turtles
4
4[3]
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci(-fi): Colonizing the SuperHyperSphere
3
3[3]
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci 5E: Return of the League of Defenders
4
3
aphyer
D&D.Sci: All the D8a. Allllllll of it.
5
1[4]
aphyer
D&D.Sci December 2022: The Boojumologist
2
1[2]
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci September 2022: The Allocation Helm
3
4
abstractapplic
Dwarves & D.Sci: Data Fortress
3
3
aphyer
Ars D&D.sci: Mysteries of Mana
3
3
aphyer
D&D.Sci June 2022: A Goddess Tried To Reincarnate Me Into Another World
2
2[2]
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci Divination: Nine Black Doves
4
2
aphyer
Duels & D.Sci March 2022: It's time for D-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-data!
5
5
aphyer
D&D.SCP: Anomalous Acquisitions
5
2[5]
aphyer
D&D.Sci Holiday Special: How the Grinch Pessimized Christmas
3
3
aphyer
D&D.Sci Dungeoncrawling: The Crown of Command
4
3
aphyer
D&D.Sci 4th Edition: League of Defenders of the Storm
4
5
aphyer
D&D.Sci Pathfinder: Return of the Gray Swan
5[6]
2
aphyer
D&D.Sci August 2021: The Oracle and the Monk
2
4
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci(-Fi) June 2021: The Duel with Earwax
4
3
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci May 2021: Monster Carcass Auction
2
2
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci April 2021: Voyages of the Gray Swan
2
5[3]
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci III: Mancer Matchups
3
1
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci II: The Sorceror's Personal Shopper
2
5[3]
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci
3
5
abstractapplic
If you disagree with any of these ratings let us know, we're happy to review - there were some scenarios where we disagreed on the correct rating while compiling this list, and we'd appreciate your comments as an outside view, especially if you're a frequent player!
1. ^
Keen-eyed readers will notice a correlation between this column and the 'Complexity' column.
2. ^
abstractapplic: These scenarios were attempts to convey / demonstrate specific ideas with real-world relevance; I judge that they failed at this; I therefore grade them a little less generously than you might.
3. ^
abstractapplic: These scenarios were attempts to convey / demonstrate specific ideas with real-world relevance; I judge that they succeeded at this; I therefore grade them a little more generously than you might.
4. ^
aphyer: I thought this scenario was great, and still do, but given that ...
There have been a lot of D&D.Sci scenarios, but there's a lot of variance between them in complexity and quality. Some are more difficult, and might not be a good place to start, while others are much simpler - some were very good, while others on reflection didn't flow quite right.
Unfortunately, LW karma doesn't track the quality of these scenarios very well: often mediocre scenarios are higher-karma than better scenarios (whether because they had good writing around a poor scenario, or because people upvoted before playing them, or just because more people happened to be online and see them).
If you're interested in playing D&D.Sci scenarios, but don't know where to start, this index (compiled by frequent authors abstractapplic and aphyer, we'll try to keep this updated going forwards) is a good reference point to make sure you can pick good scenarios at a difficulty level you're comfortable with.
If you're new to D&D.Sci, you should probably start with the lower-Complexity scenarios and move up to the higher-Complexity ones. Scenarios with Quality Rating 1-2 are probably less worth playing, while the higher-rated ones are ones we'd recommend.
Scenario
Complexity Rating (1=easy, 5=hard)
Quality Rating (1=low, 5=high)
Author[1]
D&D.Sci: Whom Shall You Call?
2
2[2]
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci Alchemy: Archmage Anachronos and the Supply Chain Issues
3
5
aphyer
D&D.Sci Long War: Defender of Data-mocracy
4
4
aphyer
D&D.Sci (Easy Mode): On The Construction Of Impossible Structures
1
3
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci: The Mad Tyrant's Pet Turtles
4
4[3]
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci(-fi): Colonizing the SuperHyperSphere
3
3[3]
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci 5E: Return of the League of Defenders
4
3
aphyer
D&D.Sci: All the D8a. Allllllll of it.
5
1[4]
aphyer
D&D.Sci December 2022: The Boojumologist
2
1[2]
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci September 2022: The Allocation Helm
3
4
abstractapplic
Dwarves & D.Sci: Data Fortress
3
3
aphyer
Ars D&D.sci: Mysteries of Mana
3
3
aphyer
D&D.Sci June 2022: A Goddess Tried To Reincarnate Me Into Another World
2
2[2]
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci Divination: Nine Black Doves
4
2
aphyer
Duels & D.Sci March 2022: It's time for D-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-data!
5
5
aphyer
D&D.SCP: Anomalous Acquisitions
5
2[5]
aphyer
D&D.Sci Holiday Special: How the Grinch Pessimized Christmas
3
3
aphyer
D&D.Sci Dungeoncrawling: The Crown of Command
4
3
aphyer
D&D.Sci 4th Edition: League of Defenders of the Storm
4
5
aphyer
D&D.Sci Pathfinder: Return of the Gray Swan
5[6]
2
aphyer
D&D.Sci August 2021: The Oracle and the Monk
2
4
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci(-Fi) June 2021: The Duel with Earwax
4
3
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci May 2021: Monster Carcass Auction
2
2
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci April 2021: Voyages of the Gray Swan
2
5[3]
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci III: Mancer Matchups
3
1
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci II: The Sorceror's Personal Shopper
2
5[3]
abstractapplic
D&D.Sci
3
5
abstractapplic
If you disagree with any of these ratings let us know, we're happy to review - there were some scenarios where we disagreed on the correct rating while compiling this list, and we'd appreciate your comments as an outside view, especially if you're a frequent player!
1. ^
Keen-eyed readers will notice a correlation between this column and the 'Complexity' column.
2. ^
abstractapplic: These scenarios were attempts to convey / demonstrate specific ideas with real-world relevance; I judge that they failed at this; I therefore grade them a little less generously than you might.
3. ^
abstractapplic: These scenarios were attempts to convey / demonstrate specific ideas with real-world relevance; I judge that they succeeded at this; I therefore grade them a little more generously than you might.
4. ^
aphyer: I thought this scenario was great, and still do, but given that ...