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One thing that really changed my view of planning adventures as a GM was Fronts from Dungeon World, which go by various names in various games. Basically, a front is a macro threat. (In LotR, the fronts might be Saruman, Orc Hordes, Corruption of Denethor, weakening of the elves, etc.) There can be, say, five or so active at a single time and they might or might not be related. Each front has a description, probably a leader and some key henchmen, definitely some stakes (whether PC-specific, party-wide, and/or larger scale), and maybe about three Dangers (things that the Front is trying to do, what will happen if the Danger succeeds, and a short list of actions that the Front will take to manifest the Danger). So, for example, one of your fronts might be Orez Ragus (sue me, I'm drinking a Coke right now) the necromancer. He wants to gain power to overthrow one of the BBEGs in the campaign world, possibly ascending to the level of a demigod or the like. He has a couple of more powerful free-willed undead serving or working with him, a familiar, and some groups of zombies and skeletons. One of his Dangers (he has two plans to gain objects of power and one to boost his power once he has the two artifacts -- or through a dangerous ritual if the PCs foil his shopping trip) is "Acquire the Ebon Amulet," an artifact that grants power over souls that died at night. To do this, he will:
If the PCs prioritize stopping Orez Ragus, then good for them, they've foiled or delayed one of the Dangers (or all of them if they somehow neutralize him, but he's a wily one). If they don't, then you write a new Danger ( or a new Front, if the revealed/instantiated threat is big enough) and the PCs can get enmeshed in that. Now, as to writing the adventures as opposed to planning them, that's a bit harder, especially as PbtA systems recommend playing fast and loose with prep and that's a whole other discussion; the fact of the matter is that you can't wing it nearly as easily with 5e, for example. But if your PCs are trying to stop The Blighted One from poisoning the village of Ulikram's water supply, then maybe they notice the magic chain in the shrine, or the pale lady who's skulking around and only seen at night, etc. -- mixing in elements from Dangers from the same Front or elements from a different Front to show that the world is still moving regardless of what the PCs are doing.
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Oct 18, 2023 22:12
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| # ¿ May 20, 2024 01:53 |
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SlimGoodbody posted:Maybe they then find goblins stole the trophy when no one was looking. They track it to a newly formed goblin warren nearby via the splotches of spilled ale, only to find the goblins are already passed out drunk in the comically lovely treehouse they built. Finish it with an ambush by an owlbear or two which had come to investigate the goblin carousing. Depending on whether the party made friends with any of the colorful characters in the tribe, maybe they're assisted by them, like Biter considers the fighter his blood brother now. If you can previously establish the goblins (by having a few of them drift into town while they’re casing the joint or whatever) and use an accent you’re terrible with for them, this will be even better. (Idea stolen from a half-remembered old Car Wars supplement about Australians stealing the America’s Cup of Sailing.)
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Dec 4, 2023 10:00
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