Approaching writing adventures for home games?

[TheSword]

Yeah the low prep approach doesn’t work for me. I want things detailed and described. I don’t like improv adventures. I think it is almost always more obvious than something that has been pre-planned. Maybe you can get away with it for dungeon crawls but for heists/mysteries/investigations I just don’t think it cuts the mustard.

Interesting observations though. I will definitely check out the resources suggested. Just realized these books are on audible… winning!

 

[TheSword]

Dungeons (ruins?) change too, for various reasons. Many creatures need shelter. Earthquakes/giant worms. Treasures get discovered, treasures get hidden. The king needs a new wine cellar. Matt Colville's vibrational energy.

They can but not usually while PCs are inside them. Maybe creatures move around.

On the other hand there was a great little Dungeon Adventure featuring leveled Goblin Barbarians for 3e - quite novel for the time - that featured an earthquake half way through that did change the dungeon. I liked it.

 

[zottel]

Yeah the low prep approach doesn’t work for me. I want things detailed and described. I don’t like improv adventures. I think it is almost always more obvious than something that has been pre-planned. Maybe you can get away with it for dungeon crawls but for heists/mysteries/investigations I just don’t think it cuts the mustard.

Interesting observations though. I will definitely check out the resources suggested. Just realized these books are on audible… winning!

In that case, So you want to be a Game Master should be right up your alley. Never read anything better regarding planning investigations and the like.

 

[Committed Hero]

If you are only writing for yourself, you can cut corners you wouldn't do when writing for an audience. Of course, many of us develop our thoughts further when we do write things down, but even then you can be less consistent and clear in your personal writing.

I think the biggest trap is to try and come up with player-devised contingencies. That's their job.

Say that you write "the moat is 25' across." You don't really need to add "if characters try to jump across, the difficulty is X" unless the calculation is hard to do on the fly. However, if writing about it makes you wonder about the fish in the water, perhaps you've just thought up a nasty surprise for swimming PCs. And if the party has a flying carpet you forgot about, then hopefully you get surprised at their initiative.

 

[TheSword]

If you are only writing for yourself, you can cut corners you wouldn't do when writing for an audience. Of course, many of us develop our thoughts further when we do write things down, but even then you can be less consistent and clear in your personal writing.

I think the biggest trap is to try and come up with player-devised contingencies. That's their job.

Say that you write "the moat is 25' across." You don't really need to add "if characters try to jump across, the difficulty is X" unless the calculation is hard to do on the fly. However, if writing about it makes you wonder about the fish in the water, perhaps you've just thought up a nasty surprise for swimming PCs. And if the party has a flying carpet you forgot about, then hopefully you get surprised at their initiative.

Yeah, my preference is to describe environments, occurances and circumstances alongside NPCs with ambitions, plans and tactics. The physical and the dynamic. I plan NPC contingencies regarding how their plans might be challenged probably up to the first or second degree.

Other than that the PCs get thrown in and chips land where they may.

 

[LordEntrails]

For homebrew games I write the background. This is mostly so that I understand the situation and can capture it and put down names and such. Then I create the locations, but not full level of details. I like maps, and will often create custom maps of various level of details but I never write out much. I can improve all of that. Then I create lists of NPCs, majors will have a description and goals/intents, but then will just have flexible squads of minors so I can have a combat/encounter prepped when needed.
Then, when I lay in bed at night falling asleep I think of possible paths the party might make and the reactions of the NPCs and factions.

I know things that are going to happen outside the scope of the player's immediate actions (faction A will do Y, Faction B will do Z) but I never plan what the party is going to do next. I have enough flexible stuff ready to through in a patrol or outpost or ship encounter whenever the party makes a decision that leads them that way.

I set the events in motion, the players decide where it will go and how they will try to solve it.