Gamers have gotten pretty comfortable over the years with the triumvirate of books that form the core of Dungeons & Dragons. In fact, I suspect many gamers allow their familiarity with the three-book format to keep them from closely reading the entirety of those texts. Those gamers, myself included, know generally what content is included in each book, so they simply hunt down the chapters they need as they become relevant.
But those core books, the Dungeon Master's Guide in particular, reward a close reading with lots of great advice, insights and hooks that gamers might miss otherwise. The section on adventure design, for instance, contains some terrific advice that's worthwhile for new and experienced Dungeon Masters alike.
Most of the adventure design advice resides in part two of the Dungeon Master's Guide, aptly titled "Master of Adventures." This section includes chapters on a number of design fundamentals, and the parts I want to focus on are in chapter 3, "Creating Adventures." The chapter begins by listing some of the common elements that make outstanding adventures before transitioning to a discussion on how to structure them. Keeping just those lessons in mind will prepare a Dungeon Master to craft hours of engaging adventures for his or her players.
First, let's look at one of elements stressed in the text, that of "familiar tropes with clever twists." "It might seem stereotypical to build an adventure around dragons, orcs, and insane wizards in towers, but these are staples of fantasy storytelling," the guide says. I've seen Dungeon Masters get frustrated because they don't think their ideas are original enough or because they think they have to vanquish ever fantasy storytelling convention to make their games truly original. Don't sweat it, the Dungeon Master's Guide says. Instead, embrace those fantasy clichés because people play Dungeons & Dragons precisely because they like those clichés. Stock fantasy tropes provide players with a sense of familiarity and a common vocabulary for the game. Every once in a while, a Dungeon Master should present a trope with a new twist that the players don't expect. But it doesn't have to be all that often. An occasional surprise goes a long way.
Later in the chapter, the text discusses structuring adventures with a beginning, middle and end. The text doesn't call this a three-act structure, but that's basically what it's getting at. And this is a lesson I've been applying to my own adventures since my earliest attempts at homebrewing games for my players years ago. In the first act of an adventure, introduce a problem for the players to solve. The second act escalates that problem or twists it in an unforeseen direction. The third act puts the players face to face with the problem in a climactic confrontation. During the third act, the players will either solve the conflict or fail and suffer appropriate consequences.
Three-act structures aren't going to revolutionize your game, but there's a reason this particular structure turns up again and again in all manner of storytelling. Structuring an adventure in three cohesive acts – even an adventure that doesn't have the strongest or most original premise –provides a satisfying pace and a natural sense of fulfillment for the players.
Useful knowledge awaits in the darkest corners of the D&D core books, so don't let those old tomes collect dust on your shelf. Their pages can impart powerful wisdom, but only for those dedicated enough to seek it out!
contributed by Fred Love
But those core books, the Dungeon Master's Guide in particular, reward a close reading with lots of great advice, insights and hooks that gamers might miss otherwise. The section on adventure design, for instance, contains some terrific advice that's worthwhile for new and experienced Dungeon Masters alike.
Most of the adventure design advice resides in part two of the Dungeon Master's Guide, aptly titled "Master of Adventures." This section includes chapters on a number of design fundamentals, and the parts I want to focus on are in chapter 3, "Creating Adventures." The chapter begins by listing some of the common elements that make outstanding adventures before transitioning to a discussion on how to structure them. Keeping just those lessons in mind will prepare a Dungeon Master to craft hours of engaging adventures for his or her players.
First, let's look at one of elements stressed in the text, that of "familiar tropes with clever twists." "It might seem stereotypical to build an adventure around dragons, orcs, and insane wizards in towers, but these are staples of fantasy storytelling," the guide says. I've seen Dungeon Masters get frustrated because they don't think their ideas are original enough or because they think they have to vanquish ever fantasy storytelling convention to make their games truly original. Don't sweat it, the Dungeon Master's Guide says. Instead, embrace those fantasy clichés because people play Dungeons & Dragons precisely because they like those clichés. Stock fantasy tropes provide players with a sense of familiarity and a common vocabulary for the game. Every once in a while, a Dungeon Master should present a trope with a new twist that the players don't expect. But it doesn't have to be all that often. An occasional surprise goes a long way.
Later in the chapter, the text discusses structuring adventures with a beginning, middle and end. The text doesn't call this a three-act structure, but that's basically what it's getting at. And this is a lesson I've been applying to my own adventures since my earliest attempts at homebrewing games for my players years ago. In the first act of an adventure, introduce a problem for the players to solve. The second act escalates that problem or twists it in an unforeseen direction. The third act puts the players face to face with the problem in a climactic confrontation. During the third act, the players will either solve the conflict or fail and suffer appropriate consequences.
Three-act structures aren't going to revolutionize your game, but there's a reason this particular structure turns up again and again in all manner of storytelling. Structuring an adventure in three cohesive acts – even an adventure that doesn't have the strongest or most original premise –provides a satisfying pace and a natural sense of fulfillment for the players.
Useful knowledge awaits in the darkest corners of the D&D core books, so don't let those old tomes collect dust on your shelf. Their pages can impart powerful wisdom, but only for those dedicated enough to seek it out!
contributed by Fred Love
