Best practices for easy-to-run modules [+]

[Sacrosanct]

It doesn't have to be that much more work. It is more, but things like fonts are near trivial to change if you are using Styles. I also find it much easier to create in the digital format and export to a print format and then style the print format for print. XML and style sheets make it pretty easy to change styles between formats.

Changing the font is easy. It's how the changed font shifts everything around that makes it a lot of extra work. You have to go through and adjust all of the text frames and images to fit appropriately.

 

[Bae'zel]

Another one: if your pdf version has links and bookmarks, please don’t hide those behind “premium” pricing vs the “regular” version.. You already did all the work to make the pdf more usable and accessible, why make it more expensive than the version without all of that?

Greed.

 

[Voadam]

One thing I make for myself that I am not sure I have ever seen in a published module are relationship webs: just a bunch of pictures of NPCs in the situation (I steal headshots from the internet) with a name and basic description, connected to the other NPCs with various kinds of lines and arrows that give an indication of the relationship. A line with a heart means romantic ties, a line with a lightning bolt means contentious, etc... That way, with a glance I can see who feels what about whom, so when the PCs get involved I can have NPCs respond according to their relationships without having to try and keep all that stuff in my head.

I remember my brother raving about the series of these in the 1e Chicago by Night book when he was running our Vampire the Masquerade game.

The more connections and the more people in the web however the more visually complicated it gets.

 

[Reynard]

I remember my brother raving about the series of these in the 1e Chicago by Night book when he was running our Vampire the Masquerade game.

View attachment 422587
View attachment 422588

The more connections and the more people in the web however the more visually complicated it gets.

Nice. I had never seen those, but in retrospect I am not surprised that VtM had them.

 

[Fenris-77]

I spend a lot of time on layout to try and make my adventures as easy to run as possible. One thing that I think is helpful there is to include everything the GM needs to run a room/location on the same page as the location. No flipping for stat blocks or maps. So I put inset maps up in one corner and have a sidebar in my layout that I use for GM advice and monster stas blocks. Like so...

 

[Reynard]

I spend a lot of time on layout to try and make my adventures as wasy to run as possible. One thing that I think is helpful there is to include everything the GM needs to run a room/location on the same page as the location. No flipping for stat blocks or maps. So I put inset maps up in one corner and have a sidebar in my layout that I use for GM advice and monster stas blocks. Like so...

View attachment 422591

I like these a lot.
One little note, just because it bugged me: "They will wake and attack if touched" should read "They will all wake and attack if any of them are touched." I know the "Crowded" entry makes it clear, but I almost missed it on first read.

I also like how this layout leaves a lot of white space for nates, tracking hp, etc.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I spend a lot of time on layout to try and make my adventures as wasy to run as possible. One thing that I think is helpful there is to include everything the GM needs to run a room/location on the same page as the location. No flipping for stat blocks or maps. So I put inset maps up in one corner and have a sidebar in my layout that I use for GM advice and monster stas blocks. Like so...

View attachment 422591

Yeah I REALLY like this. I love the stat blocs for NPCs and magic items in the margins, instead of in the middle of the text.

 

[Fenris-77]

I like these a lot.
One little note, just because it bugged me: "They will wake and attack if touched" should read "They will all wake and attack if any of them are touched." I know the "Crowded" entry makes it clear, but I almost missed it on first read.

I also like how this layout leaves a lot of white space for nates, tracking hp, etc.

White space is key. Not just for the reasons you mention but also to help frame what is on the page and to help prevent strain and fatigue in reading and parsing. I think some designers forgte that their books are going to be used at the table.

 

[Fenris-77]

Yeah I REALLY like this. I love the stat blocs for NPCs and magic items in the margins, instead of in the middle of the text.

I think it helps the flow. You don't need those parts to introduce and describe the room as an at-the-table event, so why clutter the text with it and force GMs to skip around looking for the good bits?

 

[Fenris-77]

Yeah I REALLY like this. I love the stat blocs for NPCs and magic items in the margins, instead of in the middle of the text.

Another feature that would have been obvious if I'd chosen a dungeon location is that every room also has all the exits listed at the bottom of the room entry telling you what kind of door it is and where it goes.