D&D (2024) DMG adventure design advice - a bit contradictory?

[hawkeyefan]

It's not easier for you.

I'm having a lot of fun running Eve of Ruin (much to my surprise), and I do minimal preparation for each session.

(Apparently a LOT of experience running adventures helps me run these).

Cheers,
Merric

Sure, but as you say, that’s likely due to your decades of experience.

I have a similar amount of experience, but I think that drawing a small map and stocking it (or similar prep) is far easier than absorbing one of those tomes and then running it. Especially for people who may be new to GMing.

 

[Emerikol]

It's hard for a DMG to really cover adventure design. They should probably offer an entire book on it. The problem is DMs have different ideas about how to run a game and in various cases their approach works for them.

For me:
I like a matrix. I have encounters but I also have what I call standing orders and reactions. I detail out the state of an adventure area prior to the PCs appearing but I also detail out how the bad guys will react to various stimuli. This helps keep me honest as a DM. The monsters don't suddenly become a lot smarter than they should be. And of course I design their reactions based on their intelligence.

Higher level adventures often are harder than lower level ones. A tribe of goblins will react but it's not that hard to figure out things they might do. If though you have a Demon Lord or high level Wizard, the things they might do if threatened can vary dramatically. It is in these situations that a DM shouldn't be winging it.

 

[Emerikol]

Here the perception of an issue:

(1) How does the adventure play out? Determine the encounters or events that take the characters from the beginning of the adventure to the end.​

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(2) the events of the story shouldn't be pre-determined​

(1) and (2) - which are both direct quotes - seem like conflicting instructions to me. How can I determine in advance without pre-determining?

I think as that author wrote those things, I agree with you but let me illustrate how I might rework those things.

1. What is the state of the target adventure area that the players have already indicated they will pursue. Where are the bad guys located and what are their plans. Keep in mind I will have my dynamic action orders prepared as well to show what various groups will do if they find out they are under attack.

2. The events of this story will be the players choosing how they interact with the environment and the environment changing and reacting with that group.