Playing the bad guy can be fun and having the whole party join in can be a great time. But how can this be applied to adventure design? With a bit of forethought and focus, an enjoyable adventure sending scoundrels on an errand for a dark lord can be woven from the threads of heroic adventure.
I recently began work on an adventure using Basic Role-Playing or MERP set in J.R.R.Tolkien's Middle Earth, titled Kings of the East. Now I think I would use The One Ring or possibly, Adventures in Middle Earth as there is a ton of material available. As a basic premise, the characters would be third sons and daughters of the humans living east of Mordor who exchange allegiance to Sauron for being made kings and queens in their lands. In this case, they would be seeking one of the destroyed Dwarven rings, which may not actually have been eaten by a dragon.
Here are some suggestions (and one hard rule) on how to approach putting such an adventure together.
[h=3]Don’t Go There - The Hard Rule[/h] Tolkien's works adhered to a specific kind of evil that didn't usually involve graphic sex or descriptions of torture, so we can use that as a guide. Discuss limits with your players or, if writing an adventure for public consumption, discuss it with your regular group and do plenty of play tests. Just because the players will take on the roles of villainous protagonists, does not mean every unethical behavior is free game.
[h=3]Leave the Comedy for Another Day[/h] It can be tempting to blunt the tension of designing a bad guy mission by employing comedic elements. Critical Role ran a one shot (here and here) around Shadow of War with some of the regular cast playing orcs. It was funny, but I would advise taking a serious approach as this gives your adventure some verisimilitude.
In addition, avoid the bad guys with a heart of gold cliche’. This adventure is not for lovable scoundrels, but certifiable villains. Create pre-gen characters that reflect the tone and nuance of your adventure.
[h=3]Stay Focused[/h] In the case of Kings of the East, my outline is tight, with little chance of side adventures. I do not want to railroad the players of course, but the adversary is not patient; no time to waste while their agents indulge in side adventures. They can burn down the halfling village on the their own time. Right now, Sauron wants his dwarf ring, k? Thanks.
This does not mean that there should not be an occasional distraction or even temptation to veer off the path. Perhaps a rival of the characters seeks to take the glory, leaving none for the characters. Spies for the “good guys” may be everywhere and need to be dealt with before the next phase of the quest.
[h=3]A Sense of Paranoia[/h] While it may be different in your adventure, generally there is no honor among thieves. Even if the group are loyal to one another, other erstwhile allies will not afford them the same courtesy. In a normal adventure, the characters are often the “only” ones who can help. In an Adversary adventure, this is unlikely. If the protagonists fall, someone else will gladly rise to take their place. Never let the player’s forget this; bake it into the adventure itself. It will be difficult to find succor anywhere and this should be used to push the characters into harder situations.
[h=3]Reward The Characters[/h] It is easy to turn on the characters at the end and betray them. In fact, making the players think this will add to the tension, but I would avoid that cliche’. If the characters succeed in their mission, give them some or all of the promised reward. Of course working for the Adversary likely means a short life, but that does not mean he won’t grant them power.
In the end making some small adjustments in tone and scope to your typical adventure design should make for an enjoyable one-shot of villainy.
This article was contributed by Sean Hillman (SMHWorlds) as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. If you enjoy the daily news and articles from EN World, please consider contributing to our Patreon!
I recently began work on an adventure using Basic Role-Playing or MERP set in J.R.R.Tolkien's Middle Earth, titled Kings of the East. Now I think I would use The One Ring or possibly, Adventures in Middle Earth as there is a ton of material available. As a basic premise, the characters would be third sons and daughters of the humans living east of Mordor who exchange allegiance to Sauron for being made kings and queens in their lands. In this case, they would be seeking one of the destroyed Dwarven rings, which may not actually have been eaten by a dragon.
Here are some suggestions (and one hard rule) on how to approach putting such an adventure together.
[h=3]Don’t Go There - The Hard Rule[/h] Tolkien's works adhered to a specific kind of evil that didn't usually involve graphic sex or descriptions of torture, so we can use that as a guide. Discuss limits with your players or, if writing an adventure for public consumption, discuss it with your regular group and do plenty of play tests. Just because the players will take on the roles of villainous protagonists, does not mean every unethical behavior is free game.
[h=3]Leave the Comedy for Another Day[/h] It can be tempting to blunt the tension of designing a bad guy mission by employing comedic elements. Critical Role ran a one shot (here and here) around Shadow of War with some of the regular cast playing orcs. It was funny, but I would advise taking a serious approach as this gives your adventure some verisimilitude.
In addition, avoid the bad guys with a heart of gold cliche’. This adventure is not for lovable scoundrels, but certifiable villains. Create pre-gen characters that reflect the tone and nuance of your adventure.
[h=3]Stay Focused[/h] In the case of Kings of the East, my outline is tight, with little chance of side adventures. I do not want to railroad the players of course, but the adversary is not patient; no time to waste while their agents indulge in side adventures. They can burn down the halfling village on the their own time. Right now, Sauron wants his dwarf ring, k? Thanks.
This does not mean that there should not be an occasional distraction or even temptation to veer off the path. Perhaps a rival of the characters seeks to take the glory, leaving none for the characters. Spies for the “good guys” may be everywhere and need to be dealt with before the next phase of the quest.
[h=3]A Sense of Paranoia[/h] While it may be different in your adventure, generally there is no honor among thieves. Even if the group are loyal to one another, other erstwhile allies will not afford them the same courtesy. In a normal adventure, the characters are often the “only” ones who can help. In an Adversary adventure, this is unlikely. If the protagonists fall, someone else will gladly rise to take their place. Never let the player’s forget this; bake it into the adventure itself. It will be difficult to find succor anywhere and this should be used to push the characters into harder situations.
[h=3]Reward The Characters[/h] It is easy to turn on the characters at the end and betray them. In fact, making the players think this will add to the tension, but I would avoid that cliche’. If the characters succeed in their mission, give them some or all of the promised reward. Of course working for the Adversary likely means a short life, but that does not mean he won’t grant them power.
In the end making some small adjustments in tone and scope to your typical adventure design should make for an enjoyable one-shot of villainy.
This article was contributed by Sean Hillman (SMHWorlds) as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. If you enjoy the daily news and articles from EN World, please consider contributing to our Patreon!
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