What makes an adventure great?

OK...I am trying to write my first adventure ever (attempting to make the transition from player to DM) and I wanted to get some thoughts on the following.

What, when it comes down to it, makes an adventure great in your mind?

The reason I ask is as follows - my first attempt to write a simple adventure for a 1st level party and I am totally at a block. Its not that I cant think of any ideas. Its that all the ideas that I have are rather mundane, and have been done over and over again.

But, is it the idea of the adventure that's crucial, or is it how its done? In other words, if the premise of the adventure is "go retrieve this artifact" (or anything else that's been done before) but the artifact is interesting, there are interesting NPCs, and the descriptions really bring the characters and the setting to life, will it work? Or should I really focus on coming up with a story that hasn't been done before?

When I think about it and try to provide my own answer, it seems that some of the greatest stories told (regardless of genre) are not necessarily new stories, but simply new versions of old stories.

But I want to know what you guys think...

Thanks in advance,
Matt

It's hard to come up with something brand new, but easier to mix together pieces of things in different combinations. Players can be wowed by pretty simple stories if they make sense and if they feel their decisions were genuine and and had an effect on the story. Sometimes people like to follow a "pattern" that they've read before -- that's why some people play RPGs in the first place (they read fantasy literature and said "I'd like to be in that situation but then make different choices.").

Ideas that have been done over and over again probably earn that distinction by being fun and simple, so don't worry if your ideas appear to be mundane. As to the question "what makes an adventure great?" I would have to say it is the interaction between all of the players and the dm. Even the mundane things can be fun with the right group of people!

It also helps to personalize the adventure. By that I mean make sure the PCs feel like they are a part of the world and not just walking through it.

NTZ

And sometimes what starts out as a mundane idea grows into something quite intricate and interesting just based on decisions made along the way. I have seen this happen often times, where what started as a simple idea sprouted and wove a much more complex story.

my main advice would be don't try to make every adventure a great adventure, you will fail, just try to keep them good enough that everyone will enjoy themselves.

for each adventure though, i have a few pointers.
have something for each player, not just each character.
if one player likes combats above all else
one likes logic puzzles
one likes political intrigue
one just wants coin/items
and one is a woman (who knows what they want really, he he)
put something into each adventure you design for each player. the combat guy will sit through anything he has to to get to the battle with the invisible lev 5 hobgoblin fighters led by a beholder using it's antimagic cone to deactivate the party's magical capabilities. if you need riddles for the puzzle guy, you have the internet at your fingertips if it's not your thing to make them up or steal stuff from video games. every good game setting (including good homebrews) have enough background info to leash the intrigue guy. the game is full of items and everything has coin, just ignore rolls that get you none. and i'm sure there are stats somewhere for the crystal bunny sword that turns agressive meanies into gushing poets with every swing (just kidding ladies).

but the key is that most if not every week, each player gets his fix of the particular aspect of RPG's that they like most. i mean you can't throw a puzzle in every week but make the group figure out a mystery or something that requires the puzzle guy to flex his cranial muscle even for just a moment and he'll probably be o.k. with that. how to find out what each person likes is easy: ask or just talk to them about their favorite adventures of past and why they liked them. this should give you the idea of what they like as gamers.

write it down and check your prepared notes for the week, or the published adventure, to make sure everyone is getting a bit of what they want, if it's not there, add it.

people love my campaigns because i do this, and it's so simple. munchkin powergamers and centaur mystics (dragonlance's least useful race/class combo) have sat side by side at my table both with ear to ear grins at the end of the night because the centaur met an enchanting elven driud who praised him above the rest of the party for his oneness with nature after a long discussion with the party about the finer points of homesteading and goblin killing while the munchkin got his +3 rapier of wounding/dragonbane/fate bending upgraded to +4 because he discovered the druid was actually a diety of some kind and wrestled it into submisison.

just give the mob what it wants.

just so i make more then one point like i said i would, if you are going to have a recurring villian, it works well to pattern it after someone many of the people in the group really do not like. this works better if you don't mind the person because you can keep it from becoming a parody of the person. ie. if your players are a bit left of center politically, having the villian behave like george bush - the good intentions X10, might work out for you but if you are also not a bush fan, it's hard not to just make fun of him through the villian's behavior and no good villian gets laughed by your players, ever. the moment one of the players laughs at your villian, have them defeat him in a siutably memorable way and have his boss start to take notice of them.

What makes an adventure great? The simple answer is great players and a great DM. Not very helpful in your situation, but usually true.

Since you're just starting don't worry about running adventures based on mundane ideas. "Guarding the Caravan", "Retrieve the McGuffin" or "Kill Foozle" can all be fun if the DM is on and the players get caught up in the adventure.

In other words, concentrate on the performance aspects of running a game. Be mindful of the pacing. Don't let the game lag. Give opportunities for each player to take action. If one of your players does nothing, take positive steps to draw him in. If nothing positive works, address it after the game so as not to hamper pacing. Minimize outside distractions. No TV, phones, or ordering pizza.

As IronWolf said, plotting and intricate situations will come as you develope your campaign background and learn more about your players and their characters. If you're going to do anything complex, it becomes more important to know your audience.

Sam

In my experience, you should just try to set up circumstances which will be fun for the players to play in. What makes an adventure great is they way things happen when the PCs go through it. The exact circumstances of each encounter and the way they play out are what make some more memorable than others. The best you can do (IMO) is to set up adventures where the adventurers are challenged and have choices and see what happens. Sometimes events will make an adventure exceptional, but it's not something that can generally be planned.

Samuel Leming said:

Since you're just starting don't worry about running adventures based on mundane ideas. "Guarding the Caravan", "Retrieve the McGuffin" or "Kill Foozle" can all be fun if the DM is on and the players get caught up in the adventure.

Sam

Click to expand...

not to mention the ever popular "hunting the snipe" and "rescuing the maiden". i'll never forget the first time my first character bagged himself a snipe, sweet sweet xp they were back in 2e. not like their broken 3e or wattered down 3.5 counterparts.

Good question... I think that what makes an adventure great is the memory the players and dm have after the adventure having a good time playing the game. If I sit through an adventure and I can remember having fun and enjoying my time, then the adventure is a great adventure.

Good DM and good players there to all have fun......