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<blockquote data-quote="delericho" data-source="post: 3035681" data-attributes="member: 22424"><p>Sounds like you've got a pretty good handle on it already. Just be wary of tying the plot too tightly to your flowchart - remember that PCs can, and should be able to, move off the tracks you've been laying for them. The trick is to do enough to keep them going where they want to go, without doing too much.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>It depends very much on the type of game you're running.</p><p></p><p>For a dungeon crawl, I do the following:</p><p></p><p>1. Identify a little about the place and its history. A crashed Netherese city-state will be significantly different to a Temple of Vecna.</p><p></p><p>1a. If appropriate, select the BBEG, and/or McGuffin.</p><p></p><p>2. Draw up the map, probably just in general terms.</p><p></p><p>3. Place monsters and treasure as appropriate.</p><p></p><p>For a mystery, however, you get this:</p><p></p><p>1. Describe the crime, and the victim of the crime.</p><p></p><p>2. Determine who committed the crime, and why.</p><p></p><p>3. Work out a logical trail of clues to get the PCs from the hook (dead body) to the culprit. Include at least six different clues, since the PCs will probably need at least three.</p><p></p><p>4. Design some complications. Perhaps a red herring, or perhaps the villain sends some thugs out.</p><p></p><p>For political intrigue, as I described in more detail in another thread, I do the following:</p><p></p><p>1. Set up the 'court' with all the various factions.</p><p></p><p>2. Describe the interactions between the factions.</p><p></p><p>3. Determine what has happened, who has done it, and why.</p><p></p><p>4. Work out why the PCs should care.</p><p></p><p>I have a bunch of other tricks and nonsense that I use to help out, but I don't have time to describe them all just now. Hopefully, some of this will help, at least a bit.</p><p></p><p>Oh, one more thing: unless I'm thinking I might one day submit my work somewhere (which I very rarely think, and have yet to actually do), I don't bother writing anything up in a 'professional' manner. Instead, I just use lots of scribbled notes and flowcharts. For most things other than stat-blocks, I just work from memory.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="delericho, post: 3035681, member: 22424"] Sounds like you've got a pretty good handle on it already. Just be wary of tying the plot too tightly to your flowchart - remember that PCs can, and should be able to, move off the tracks you've been laying for them. The trick is to do enough to keep them going where they want to go, without doing too much. It depends very much on the type of game you're running. For a dungeon crawl, I do the following: 1. Identify a little about the place and its history. A crashed Netherese city-state will be significantly different to a Temple of Vecna. 1a. If appropriate, select the BBEG, and/or McGuffin. 2. Draw up the map, probably just in general terms. 3. Place monsters and treasure as appropriate. For a mystery, however, you get this: 1. Describe the crime, and the victim of the crime. 2. Determine who committed the crime, and why. 3. Work out a logical trail of clues to get the PCs from the hook (dead body) to the culprit. Include at least six different clues, since the PCs will probably need at least three. 4. Design some complications. Perhaps a red herring, or perhaps the villain sends some thugs out. For political intrigue, as I described in more detail in another thread, I do the following: 1. Set up the 'court' with all the various factions. 2. Describe the interactions between the factions. 3. Determine what has happened, who has done it, and why. 4. Work out why the PCs should care. I have a bunch of other tricks and nonsense that I use to help out, but I don't have time to describe them all just now. Hopefully, some of this will help, at least a bit. Oh, one more thing: unless I'm thinking I might one day submit my work somewhere (which I very rarely think, and have yet to actually do), I don't bother writing anything up in a 'professional' manner. Instead, I just use lots of scribbled notes and flowcharts. For most things other than stat-blocks, I just work from memory. [/QUOTE]
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