Ok, I'm building away at this module, and I've got an area that I'm considering for Avariel type creatures. The thing is, I don't really want to make them hostile. No quests, while you do have to kinda work to get to them. I'd do a poll, but I don't really know how, so I'll just do it this way.

Is it absolutely necessary to have stuff to kill/do in every area of the module? Is it ok to just have cool stuff to showcase instead?

Of course it is. Aesthetic areas are fine and actually quite cool. Some things to bear in mind.

The key is balance and moderation. Non-interactive areas are a great touch but do not force them on players. For example, don't make players trek through these areas just for the sake of doing so, because it will quickly become boring once they've seen it all. Instead, give them a choice of entering the area (perhaps an alternate route or something) so they are free to visit or see it at will.

If you must force travel through it, make it short and possibly place a reason for the trek even at the end of the area (like a quest NPC at the very outskirts, or an item or something). This way they accomplish a single goal while enjoying the scenery doing so.

Some non-interactive areas can be a welcome change to hack n' slash but don't overdo it. Think of it like admiring an art gallery versus taking part in the picture. Eventually they will want to do something, otherwise they would be viewing screenshots of the game rather than playing it [img]smile.gif[/img] .

This may be not what you were looking for but hey, that's all I got :D

Actually, that's exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for. The area is out of the way, a bit, and totally unrelated to the main story line, or any subplots. It's just kinda there.

I'd think it's not okay to have cool stuff on showcase somewhere; I'd think it's essential. They offer the players a calm spot to hang around in, a breather from the fighting, and more importantly such changes in scenery help keep the hack and slash from becoming a grind.
You do pick a difficult subject though, by centering it around NPCs and their settlement. To make a good showcase out of those they will need to have activity scripted upon them and have interesting conversations (possibly several different ones per NPC) in addition to all the normal showcase requirements. A village can look great, but if it's near empty and all the two static NPCs say is "hello," it doesn't carry the right type of magic.

One good way of making the place interesting without adding monsters, quests or stores is by having the Avariel speak of some of the things the PC already accomplished ("They say you purged the ruins. No one has even dared go there in years"), by giving extra background information ("The goblin chief Bricksnack led his Black Tooth tribe into that mountain lair after a red dragon ate his shaman and their entire collection of spirit mushrooms...") or even by offering to take the PC on a tour through the skies so they can see the lay of the land.
It's a lot of work, but then you are looking to showcase [img]smile.gif[/img]

I like the idea of adding background information ... perhaps a foreshadowing of things to come, or even acknowledgement of certain finished quests. BUT if the area doesn't have a *tag* to it - something unique besides just eye candy, people are going to wonder *why* it's even there in the first place. Especially if it going to take a struggle to reach it. If that's the case, I can guarantee you that people are going to say, "WTF? I trekked all that way, up one mountain and down another, across dragon infested lands for THIS?"

The area needs to have a reason for being included. Just my two cents [img]smile.gif[/img]

To show off my cool critters? Or my extension ladder...Although, there will most probably be one item that is required for the forge, to make another item, that can only be obtained there, under the right conditions.