D&D 5E What do you want in a published adventure? / Adventure design best practices?

[Yaztromo]

In general I like your list of initial thoughts, although there is perhaps a bit of contradiction when you look for an adventure that is both "linear" and "sandboxy".
Elements that I also like are plot twists (or anyway "surprises") and having a realistic chance of failing (i.e. no guaranteed success whatever you do because I am a very caring GM), so if, through collaboration and wit, we achieve a good result is a "real" good result.
In time I'm appreciating more and more quick / one-off adventures, but this is due just to the fact that I have less and less opportunities to play.
Does it make sense?

 

[Quickleaf]

Keep the comments flowing It's ok if you're repeating something that someone else already said.

I'm just gathering information here on ENWorld first, then going to shape this into a poll and try to more widely disseminate it on Reddit maybe. Open to suggestions on how to put a poll out there.

I just updated my OP as of [MENTION=6786253]Yaztromo[/MENTION]'s post #91. Some more interesting trends... some design elements seem to have very wide support (e.g. good maps, good boxed text)...while there are competing views of other design elements that an adventure designer needs to consider. For example:

"Normal text" layout <–––> Full-page encounter layout
Abbreviated monster stats in text <–––> Monsters in back of the book
Freedom to explore/borrow <–––> Clear guidance about adventure's "path"

---------------------------------

Good useful comprehensive maps (before area descriptions) – (6) LordEntrails, ExploderWizard, vincegetorix, Eltab, Jester David, Charles Rampant

Boxed text, direction-neutral & concise – (6) Lanefan, transtemporal, LordEntrails, Charles Rampant, Schmoe, happy hermit

Layout that's clear, useful at table, and condenses info while keeping it readable (e.g. 9 pt font, leading 11 pts, diminishing horizontal scale) – (4) Lanefan, steeldragons, hawkeyefan, ratskinner

Monsters/NPCs with motivations…and relationships! – (4) robus, ExploderWizard, hastur_nz, Charles Rampant

Clearly connected encounters/plot progression for groups preferring linear narrative – (4) shoak1, LordEntrails, Eltab, LostSoul

1e style abbreviated monster stats in room descriptions – (4) Lanefan, steeldragons, Schmoe, JohnnyP71

What ifs & Monster plans/reactions – (3) Lanefan, transtemporal, ExploderWizard

Something different/new (magic item, monster, NPC, trap, spell, etc) (3) – Lanefan, Schmoe, Charles Rampant

Limited Backstory, relevant to players/they can find out – (3) Lanefan, shoak1, Yavathol

Monster stat appendix in the back (3) – Eltab, Schmoe, happyhermit

Modular bits – (3) Eltab, Jester David, happy hermit

Compiled index of all monsters used in the adventure for DM token/minis prep – (3) css, JohnnyP71, happy hermit

Limited scope, self-contained (2) – LordEntrails, css

Event/story development track or flowchart, dynamic story – (2) Lanefan, hastur_nz

Inventive design & good/imaginative ideas – (2) hastur_nz, Jester David

Subsystems or rules variants appropriate to adventure – (2) Charles Rampant, Tony Vargas

Ways to limit rests – (2) shoak1, JohnnyP71

Maps (separate/pull-out for DMs & players) – (2) robus, JohnnyP71

3.5e/4e style full page encounters – (2) shoak1, aco175

Index if needed – (2) LordEntrails, happy hermit

Fun-to-read, flowing writing, non-formulaic – (2) happy hermit, Charles Rampant

 

[Lanefan]

Add me to

"Limited scope/self contained"

"Maps (separate/pull out for DMs & players)", though the players should be making their own maps.

I'd also add myself to "Subsystems or rules variants appropriate to adventure" if it also said "where necessary", as my concern is that as stated such things would be expected in every module; where quite a few good modules can get by without changing any rules.

Lanefan

 

[Charles Rampant]

I'd also add myself to "Subsystems or rules variants appropriate to adventure" if it also said "where necessary", as my concern is that as stated such things would be expected in every module; where quite a few good modules can get by without changing any rules.

Lanefan

I think this is a reasonable caveat. It's fun and appropriate for Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan to have rules for dried up potions (including the hilarious option to just snort the powder), but it's also okay for Lost Mine of Phandelver to be a generic adventure without any new subsystems in it.

 

[Carmen Sbordone]

It first and foremost has to be a good story. Its going to be something i want to read.

After that, i usually want to be able to break it into parts to use elsewhere. Shattered star for example, is a subpar AP, but it can be broken down into parts to be used. Or part 1 of the way of the wicked, love the jail scene and trying to breakout. Totally using it elsewhere.

 

[Ilbranteloth]

EDIT 7/7/2017: I'm going to try to be a good thread custodian! As of post #91 here's what we're talking about...

What an awesome summary of the thread so far! Thanks!

 

[Quickleaf]

It first and foremost has to be a good story. Its going to be something i want to read.

I think "good story" is both really nebulous and also really obvious. For example, I don't think anyone would say "I'm happy buying an adventure with a mediocre story." If you have a chance, I'd like to hear you elaborate on what that means to you in the context of an adventure?

After that, i usually want to be able to break it into parts to use elsewhere. Shattered star for example, is a subpar AP, but it can be broken down into parts to be used. Or part 1 of the way of the wicked, love the jail scene and trying to breakout. Totally using it elsewhere.

Modular bits. Gotcha.

 

[Quickleaf]

Oh! Here's another bit that should be obvious, but even companies like Frog God miss it sometimes: indicate clearly on the front of the module and on its cover page what level of characters it is intended for.

Thank you.

I tend to agree, and I'm surprised others haven't mentioned levels on the cover as well. Maybe it's just assumed?

While there's the possibility of a scenario that transcends levels (e.g. something without combat, or an adventure anthology/compilation covering a wide range, or a highly adaptable adventure), those seem to be the exception rather than the rule.

 

[Ilbranteloth]

Ya know what I've often thought would be fun, and have almost never remembered or used it...

NOT have the adventure "build up to" some climactic BBEG encounter at the end.

Have it [or one of them ;} ] happen FIRST! Start off with a bang! Then the rest of the adventure is exploring the lair of the big bad you just defeated (possibly with an equal or secondary "not-quite-as-big" bad at the end).

Tough to do without "in medias res-ing" it...which can also be a fun way/scene to come in (start the adventure) on even if its not the big bad.

But, not impossible to write an adventure where you arrive/fund the dungeon/fortress/forest/underground location where the adventure is to take place and *BUH-WHAM!* the BBEG is right there in Room #1.

Maybe with some kind of time table/countdown thing "that must be stopped" is the true goal of the adventure. That way, even with dispatching the villain, the adventure itself still has a build of tension and sense of urgency through the end.

So that sort of thing did occur in some of the early adventures, perhaps a surprising one is Tomb of Horrors. Another one is the Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun.


SPOILER ALERT!!!!






Just in case people are going to play either of them...







So this didn't actually translate to the 5e version because they changed the demilich so much. In the 1e ToH, once you got to the lair of Acererak, he manifests as a "ghost" and pretends to attack you. If you ignore it, nothing happens. In addition, if you don't touch Acererak's skull, nothing happens. You can simply take all of the treasure and go.

Now in 1e, you could interrupt spellcasting. All you had to do was hit somebody that was attempting to cast a spell, and not only was the spell lost - but you lost it for the day (the spell slots were lost). So this ghost-thing looks like it's casting a spell, naturally you attack it. When you do enough "damage" it turns into an actual ghost and attacks. Maybe it was a wraith. Don't have it handy. More important, if you had found the false tomb, you already met a fake ghost spellcaster before and might know the trick. On the other hand, almost everything else that appears multiple times in the adventure is not a big deal the first time, and something bad the second.

In addition, for the greedy types in the party, the skull of Acererak had some huge gems for several teeth and its eyes. If you ignore that, then you're fine. If you touch it, then it steals a soul.

In 5e, the ghost-thingy is useless, because after the first round you'll realize it's not doing any damage, and you can't interrupt spellcasting. Plus, Acererak is probably attacking you at that point.

But a smart party didn't have to fight Acererak at all.

In the FToT, there is a shadow demon at the end, which is a guardian trapped there. I suppose it qualifies as a BBEG. But then there are several rooms, primarily one set that is a series of puzzles to figure out, and that's where the main treasure is. It's not clear if the shadow demon can't leave its room, or the level. If it can't leave its room, then as long as you ignore the fake treasure room where it is, you don't have to fight it. You can continue to the actual treasure room if you figure out the arcane rituals to do it.

 

[Ilbranteloth]

In general I like your list of initial thoughts, although there is perhaps a bit of contradiction when you look for an adventure that is both "linear" and "sandboxy".
Elements that I also like are plot twists (or anyway "surprises") and having a realistic chance of failing (i.e. no guaranteed success whatever you do because I am a very caring GM), so if, through collaboration and wit, we achieve a good result is a "real" good result.
In time I'm appreciating more and more quick / one-off adventures, but this is due just to the fact that I have less and less opportunities to play.
Does it make sense?

It's quite possible to have both a linear story and a sandbox. SKT is kind of like that.

Really, it's a matter of having a story (or better yet, multiple stories) that are occurring in the world, that the PCs can intersect with and then alter. For example, a city adventure where there is a turf war between the Zhentarim, the local thieves guild, and a new group trying to move in. There's lots of scripted events that can be present for the story (this happens at this time), and they can also have multiple options depending on what the PCs have or haven't done to that point.

For lack of a better description, it's sort of like a choose-your-own-adventure book, with a sandbox dropped on top. Where it works even better is if you have a half-dozen story lines like that going on in the background, with some of them intertwined. If it were a published adventure, it could also provide several undeveloped plot hooks, and of course leave room for the DM's own.

So there are active story lines that will continue along a certain path, unless something the PCs do changes that path. Otherwise, it's entirely a sandbox for the PCs to explore. That's pretty much how I run my campaigns.