Writing Adventures

[devilish]

I usually do steps 1-4, then repeat for "spoiler", "villain #2", "potential ally", look and see what comes out of it and where the players can come into it (which is usually step 2 or 3, as the players usually end up filling the hole in some power's resources.)

Quick Question : What is your "spoiler" scenario -- is it the main hook
of the campaign (like X-files, where they would have a series of adventures
and then come back to the main hook, sister/conspiracy/smoking man)?

Thnx,
-D

 

[Munin]

I've tried about every adventure creation method known to man. I've tried the scene format mentioned earlier, played around with flowcharts, and even (much to my pain and sorrow) a completely free-form player driven format, which basically involved my players sitting around the table staring at each other and playing anxiously with their dice. My current favorite is the Puzzle-Piece format. I first read about it here, and I highly recommend it.

It provides you with enough of a structure to keep the game moving, but allows the players the freedom to advance the story at their own pace. And the best part is that it cut my prep time almost in half, and improved my game to boot.

 

[Psion]

Quick Question : What is your "spoiler" scenario -- is it the main hook
of the campaign (like X-files, where they would have a series of adventures
and then come back to the main hook, sister/conspiracy/smoking man)?

The spoiler is that random element that you are never sure about. It could be an element that plays in your favor or one that betrays you for their own purposes.

Sorry, I picked up this particular usage from Spycraft. I think this usage derived from "spoiler" in the political sense that Nader was a spoiler in the 2000 election.

 

[Pandion]

Here's a checklist I found to be pretty good for adventure creation:

http://www.wineshark.com/archives/000024.html

 

[Psion]

Here's a checklist I found to be pretty good for adventure creation:

http://www.wineshark.com/archives/000024.html

Heh... it took me about two seconds to find exception to it:

1. A clearly defined goal, known to the PCs

Okay, I know that this may be one of those sort of "know the rules before you break them" sort of things, but right now, my current adventure has a "false goal" unknown to the players.

Well, they think they know what the goal is, but really what I did is make a "hook layer" and an actual "plot layer". The hook layer is that the players must protect a passenger they are charged to take to a far off port. The actual goal is, when they arrive, find out who sacked the port and what force has the keep at their destination in its grip.

(I got this idea from
S. John's Ross's Big List of RPG Plots; I followed the advice under the "throw yourself a curve" paragraph, combining "Escort Service" as a hook layer and "Recent Ruins" as the "meat" plot model.)

So the basic points stands -- to get the players moving, they need a goal. It's just a little caveat that the goal need not be the true, final goal of the adventure.