D&D 5E (2014) Blog post - Adventure Design Elements: Beginnings

[MerricB]

It's related to the recent discussion I started on the beginning of "Out of the Abyss", but I lay forth a few thoughts on what I like seeing in the beginning of an adventure in my latest blog post...

http://merricb.com/2015/09/07/adventure-design-elements-beginnings/

Of course, much of it boils down to "Give the players some goals, and give them the opportunity to pursue them", but I thought it was worth writing a little more about it. That said, there's a lot of things that I didn't get around to saying, so please let me know what I left out!

Cheers!

 

[delericho]

Good post!

Of course, as it happens I'm about to start a new campaign where the PCs are attending a party - and where they don't actually have any goals to accomplish beyond "have a good time".

(But there is a method to my madness here - the OOC goal is to establish a number of key NPCs so that when things go horribly wrong the players have some reason to care about the fate of those NPCs rather than them just being faceless nobodies. That and my usual world-building, anyway.)

 

[Gilladian]

In the 'party scenario' it is nice to give each PC a 'party night' goal. Perhaps the fighter is interested in speaking to the Captain of the Guard, or some other famous nobleman, about his dueling skills, or how he fought a particular monster, etc... Maybe the bard wants to listen to a particular person perform. A rogue could be casing the building, or trying to find out if it is true that Lady Somebody's jewels are really paste. The cleric could be wanting to speak to the Archprelate's Secretary to get permission to enter the reserve section of the Temple Library. Possibly one PC could even be a servant or disguised as a servant, and picking up useful gossip, either to share with friends or for more nefarious purposes.

Goals don't have to be earth-shattering at this point, just enough to give them each a roleplaying hook.

I'm starting to prep PotA in my own campaign world, and I'm not using factions. So I'm trying to figure out why any given PC might be in Red Larch, and what their connection to the missing/delayed (at this point I don't think anyone really thinks it is actually completely LOST, just delayed) delegation might be. Hooks are always fun to build!

 

[delericho]

Goals don't have to be earth-shattering at this point, just enough to give them each a roleplaying hook.

Yep. I'm doing much the same way but in a slightly different way: I've asked each player to create an "anchor NPC" who is in some way connected to his character and who is also at the party. Which is about providing a roleplaying hook, so that when disaster strikes the party, the PCs have reason to care about something other than just their own skins.

The one thing that may be a bit tricky is that I'll have to watch the timing of that party scene - too short and the players won't care; too long and it's liable to get boring when they really want to get on with their adventure. We'll find out if I've got it right in a month's time...

 

[ExploderWizard]

In the 'party scenario' it is nice to give each PC a 'party night' goal. Perhaps the fighter is interested in speaking to the Captain of the Guard, or some other famous nobleman, about his dueling skills, or how he fought a particular monster, etc... Maybe the bard wants to listen to a particular person perform. A rogue could be casing the building, or trying to find out if it is true that Lady Somebody's jewels are really paste. The cleric could be wanting to speak to the Archprelate's Secretary to get permission to enter the reserve section of the Temple Library. Possibly one PC could even be a servant or disguised as a servant, and picking up useful gossip, either to share with friends or for more nefarious purposes.

Goals don't have to be earth-shattering at this point, just enough to give them each a roleplaying hook.

I'm starting to prep PotA in my own campaign world, and I'm not using factions. So I'm trying to figure out why any given PC might be in Red Larch, and what their connection to the missing/delayed (at this point I don't think anyone really thinks it is actually completely LOST, just delayed) delegation might be. Hooks are always fun to build!

Heck, its a party! Great goals could be winning the drinking contest, seeing who can raise the most hell without being arrested, betting on what romantic conquests may be achieved, or even something as simple as seeing who can remember the most about the previous night.

 

[MerricB]

Heck, its a party! Great goals could be winning the drinking contest, seeing who can raise the most hell without being arrested, betting on what romantic conquests may be achieved, or even something as simple as seeing who can remember the most about the previous night.

One of the big troubles with parties in RPGs is... well... they're not real. It's not like most of the activities at a real party translate that well. Or if you "Live" Role-play it, you're probably not in a fit state for the rest of the adventure afterwards!

Cheers!

 

[ExploderWizard]

One of the big troubles with parties in RPGs is... well... they're not real. It's not like most of the activities at a real party translate that well. Or if you "Live" Role-play it, you're probably not in a fit state for the rest of the adventure afterwards!

Cheers!

Remember, these are goals the characters have before they actually get to the party. Just because a goal is stated doesn't mean there will even be a chance to reach it. The PCs could arrive with such goals only to find out that it isn't THAT kind of party. Maybe no one told them it was formal, or a costume party? The important thing is-what do the characters do once they get there? Once on the scene and realizing that their intended goals aren't likely to happen, things get interesting.

 

[Celtavian]

I like to tie adventure beginnings to PC backgrounds. Once I've looked an adventure over, I deliver enough information about the setting and start of the adventure for the players to create a background that would fit the adventure. I find attempting to incorporate PCs into an adventure that starts in an area they wouldn't be in or that has goals the PC wouldn't pursue creates a problem for the DM before play starts. I feel you can eliminate any verisimilitude or motivational problems with an adventure by giving the PCs enough information for them to tie their background to the campaign location and goals. I've always felt this was an important, often overlooked, element when starting a new campaign or adventure. If a DM is planning to run a long-term campaign around a certain theme or location, ensuring the PCs backgrounds and goals fit the campaign provides them with a good reason for pursuing the campaign goals.

Some players become particularly unhappy if they create a character with a certain personality or background only to find themselves thrust into an adventure they doesn't fit their character concept such as a ruthless assassin thrust into an adventure where he must save the local peasantry. Or a paladin thrust into an adventure where he must work with a criminal gang against other criminals. Most players don't mind creating a character to fit a certain type of campaign as long as you give them sufficient information to do so. I certainly encourage a new DM to look over the beginning of an adventure and work with his players to help them create characters that will allow them to feel as though their investment in the campaign hooks would be a goal their character would participate in.