The campagn-adventure design checklist

[Psion]

It seems to me lately that I have been struggling coming up with new adventure ideas that push the game forward, or simply manage to neglect them.

To address this, I was thinking that I need an adventure checklist, of things to strive to include in every adventure.

Here's my preliminary take:

1. Feature or introduce an "anchor" NPC (sympathetic/familiar NPC)
2. Feature or introduce a recurring rival or villain NPC
3. Feature a campaign backstory element or clue.
4. Feature a world element
5. Feature monster of interest (i.e. a monster in a book that you just gotta use)
6. Feature campaign organization
7. Feature "theme" element if your setting has a certain theme you wish to emphasize

The idea here to hit as many elements as practical in a given session when planning.

Thoughts?

 

[Crothian]

I actually do less then that, or maybe its a bit more. I don't have a checklist like that persay, but I do have a formula.

1) Start out with a nice role playing adventure to get the character introduced to each other and allow them to explore the starting place and set their own pace. THis also introduces them to many NPCs. I don't plan on one to be the anchor, I allow them to talk to many and then the ones they warm up to can end up being the anchor.

2) Ease them into a more traditional adventure that will have combat and will be potentially lethal. This will also introduce them to the very beginning of the overall campaign plot. They might run into the villian or at least learn of his existance.

3) THis is were the world really opens up to them. By now I've laid out a few solid plot hooks and given them oppurtunties to leave the town through different ways. THey can go after one of these that I present or they can create their own. By now the ground work is well set and the cogs are moving on the big and small plots. They are free to interact with these as they want.

 

[Shadowslayer]

That's actually pretty good stuff Psion. Not so much a checklist, but as things to keep in mind. Think I'll glom that from you.

One DM tool that I really like, and still use, was a booklet from an old 1e product. Dont hold me to it but I think it was the "DM Design Kit" or some such. It had three booklets, 2 that were mostly worthless and then one called the Adventure Cookbook. The idea was to randomly roll plot elements, such as major location, minor location, hook, ally, villain, goal etc. And every plot element had a page or two of archetypes to draw from. For example, there was a list of minor villains...the sniveling vizier, the lovable rogue, the stalwart enforcer etc etc.

Thing was, you use the random rolls to put stuff together that you may not otherwise think of, and by the time you get halfway through, you've got some cool ideas and can probably put the book down. The adventures that popped into my head after using this technique never really resembled the stuff I actually rolled in the first place. It was and is a neat tool.

Anyway, the plot elements included were these:
Theme (Comedy, Horror, Revenge etc.)
Goal (Rescue, Retrieve, Thwart Monstrous Plan, etc)
Story Hook
Settings (major, minor)
Allies and Neutrals
Master Villain
Minor Villain
Plot Style
Monster encounter
Roleplay encounter
Traps
Special Conditions (time limit, cant hurt the bad guy etc)
Villains secret Weakness
Plot Twists or Complications (NPC turns traitor, mission is a ruse, etc)

And so on.

Dont know if this is what youre after or not, but maybe you can add some of these. BTW, this product was clearly intended for adventure design rather than campaign design, though many of these elements can be applied to any overarching storylines too.

Hope this helps
Trev

 

[Psion]

That's actually pretty good stuff Psion. Not so much a checklist, but as things to keep in mind. Think I'll glom that from you.

One DM tool that I really like, and still use, was a booklet from an old 1e product. Dont hold me to it but I think it was the "DM Design Kit" or some such. It had three booklets, 2 that were mostly worthless and then one called the Adventure Cookbook.

Yup. Actually, I have Adventure Cookbook sitting right here next to me in my backpack, tucked away in my black "plots" folder along with a printout of NPC essentials and a bunch of Dragon articles. It's sort of one of my formative adventure design resources, though I only occasionally resort to it anymore. It's nice for making sure you hit the basics, though.

The intent of this particular checklist is a little more focused. It's not so much an adventure building checklist as much as it is a checklist to make sure the activities in the adventure support the evolving campaign. It sort of an "investing in the future" guide.

 

[Janx]

flatearthgames website had an adventure generator like that, but it seems to be gone now from their site.

Some other suggestions for the adventure checklist:
something for the rogue to do (sneaking, opening a lock, picking a pocket)
something for the fighter to do (monster to kill, easiest thing to include)
something for the wizard to do (detection spell, other magic, besides direct combat)
something for the cleric to do (healing, divination, people to preach to)
something to use a skill one of the PCs has (try to rotate which PC, by using different skills each adventure)

Adventure flow checklist:
if the adventure outline sounds linear, put in some choice contingencies:
go to each spot in the adventure where the text assumes the PCs will do something, and put a "if they don't do this" section in, to cover some other possibilities.

Janx

 

[Psion]

flatearthgames website had an adventure generator like that, but it seems to be gone now from their site.

Yup. It was pretty much directly cribbed from the DM Design Kit Adventure Cookbook.

I used to use it; I sort of miss it.

 

[Hjorimir]

I often wonder if the games I run are fundamentally different than the norm. I don't really create a specific adventure. My games are just one long adventure which takes place in many locations throughout the campaign setting. I'm not sure if that makes much sense, so I will attempt to elucidate further.

The idea of an adventure like B1 In Search of the Unknown (classic baby!) doesn't have a home in my campaign. Instead, events and plots that weave together from the beginning of the campaign until the end like a single tapestry. Sure, threads come and go...but they're always a part of the collective whole.

So, that being said, I prepare for a session in three phases:

1) Update my campaign notes to keep track of what the NPCs are doing (often in response to things the PCs have done).

2) Prepare any additional notes concerning locations or opponents the PCs are likely to face (I actually tend to hover about four sessions out on these details just in case the PCs use divination magic so I can be sure to reward them with some insight as required).

3) Prepare any handouts that may be needed.

That's it for me.

 

[Shadowslayer]

The intent of this particular checklist is a little more focused. It's not so much an adventure building checklist as much as it is a checklist to make sure the activities in the adventure support the evolving campaign. It sort of an "investing in the future" guide.

I hear ya. You've got a list of stuff thats important to the campaign, but is easily overlooked during the design phase for weekly adventures. Its good stuff.

One thing you might add to the list is "clue as to the secret of said place or NPC." I like the Rules of Dungeoncraft, and one of them was to give every major NPC a secret. This could extend to places as well.

Just spitballing here.

Trev

 

[Psion]

Pardon, much belated reply here...

One thing you might add to the list is "clue as to the secret of said place or NPC." I like the Rules of Dungeoncraft, and one of them was to give every major NPC a secret. This could extend to places as well.

Well, I remember reading that, and I like Winniger's Dungeoncraft a lot, but that's one admonition I could never live up to. I was all over "give every NPC a purpose". But give every NPC a secret would be a bit tougher. (Well I could do it with the secret table from NPC Essentials, convinely coded into NameGen, but they wouldn't be campaign related secrets.)

 

[Crothian]

For me its not about giving each a specific secret, but knowing which has knowledge on certain campaign only secrets. But some of the secrets can be like "vheating on wife with baker" or something more simplistic like that. Not all secrets need to be campaign huge, just personal huge.