GM Core
Chapter 2: Building Games
Adventure Design
Source GM Core pg. 68
Creating an adventure for your players can be one of the most fulfilling parts of being a GM. This is much more challenging than using a published one but lets you express yourself, be even more creative, and tailor the game directly to the players and their characters.
Adventure plotting can start at many different points. You might begin with a particular antagonist, then construct an adventure that fits that villain's theme and leads the group to them. Alternatively, you could start with an interesting location for exploration, create or choose a map, then populate it with adversaries and challenges appropriate to the setting.
Adventure plotting can start at many different points. You might begin with a particular antagonist, then construct an adventure that fits that villain's theme and leads the group to them. Alternatively, you could start with an interesting location for exploration, create or choose a map, then populate it with adversaries and challenges appropriate to the setting.
Player Motivations
Source GM Core pg. 68
One of your most important and rewarding tasks is getting to know your players and what makes them tick, then implementing plot hooks that speak to their motivations. If your players all like similar things (maybe they all like epic storylines or all prefer tactical combat), your job will be a bit easier. For most groups, there's a mix of preferences and playstyles, and you'll want to put in a few detailed NPCs who appeal to one player's love of social scenes, a powerful villain or looming disaster to engage a player who loves stories of winning against overwhelming odds, and cute alien creatures that attract a player who's into having animal friends. If you're not sure what your players enjoy, ask them in advance what they'd like to see in the game!
Considering player motivations doesn't mean assuming you know what the players or their characters will do! It can be risky to expect PCs to react in certain ways or take certain paths. Knowing their motivations gives you a way to put in elements you expect will appeal to your players, but their decisions will still take the adventure in unexpected directions. You can try to think ahead when playing your sessions, but it's impossible to know how players will react in every imagined situation, or even how you might present the material that day. The important thing is getting the players engaged, not predicting the future.
Considering player motivations doesn't mean assuming you know what the players or their characters will do! It can be risky to expect PCs to react in certain ways or take certain paths. Knowing their motivations gives you a way to put in elements you expect will appeal to your players, but their decisions will still take the adventure in unexpected directions. You can try to think ahead when playing your sessions, but it's impossible to know how players will react in every imagined situation, or even how you might present the material that day. The important thing is getting the players engaged, not predicting the future.
Theme and Feeling
Source GM Core pg. 68
Think about the emotional and thematic touchstones you want to hit during play. Good games elicit strong emotions, and planning for them can give an emotional arc to an adventure in addition to the narrative arc. Consider what you want players to feel as they play. Is it triumph? Dread? Sadness? Optimism? None of these will be the only emotions to come out, but they'll inform how you build the settings and NPCs. Adventure Recipes gives steps to effectively implement theme and feeling.
Keeping it Varied
Source GM Core pg. 68
You can give players variety through the types of challenges the group faces (combat, social, problem-solving, and so on), the locations they explore, the NPCs they meet, the monsters they face, and the treasure they acquire. Even if you're building an enclosed “dungeon,” or complex like a cramped space station or enclosed building, you don't want to place a combat in every room, or exploration will quickly become stale.
Think in terms of sessions. If your group gets through five scenes per session, how do you make one game session feel different from another? Maybe two of the scenes in each are fairly basic combat encounters, but if you make the other scenes significantly different, or even if you set the encounters in different environments, the sessions won't feel repetitive. Also think about the tools used to solve each situation. Maybe one requires complex negotiations, another brute force, and a third sneaking about. Aim to give everybody something compelling, and ideally targeted at their motivations and abilities.
Think in terms of sessions. If your group gets through five scenes per session, how do you make one game session feel different from another? Maybe two of the scenes in each are fairly basic combat encounters, but if you make the other scenes significantly different, or even if you set the encounters in different environments, the sessions won't feel repetitive. Also think about the tools used to solve each situation. Maybe one requires complex negotiations, another brute force, and a third sneaking about. Aim to give everybody something compelling, and ideally targeted at their motivations and abilities.
Adventure Recipes
Source GM Core pg. 68
These procedures help you build an adventure skeleton or outline. You'll then go through and flesh out the details of the adventure, including adversaries and locations. As you play, you'll keep adjusting to fit the events of the game. Anything you haven't already introduced can be changed as needed. Just like with any recipe, you're meant to adjust the details to fit your group's preferences. You might stray far from your starting point, and that's OK!
These recipes use eight steps. You might want to look ahead to your future steps and make choices out of order based on what's most important for you to convey. The catch-all term “opposition” refers to the various adversaries and obstacles the PCs will face. The opposition should be thematically consistent but not necessarily monolithic. It might contain multiple individuals or groups who might not get along with one another.
These recipes use eight steps. You might want to look ahead to your future steps and make choices out of order based on what's most important for you to convey. The catch-all term “opposition” refers to the various adversaries and obstacles the PCs will face. The opposition should be thematically consistent but not necessarily monolithic. It might contain multiple individuals or groups who might not get along with one another.
- Styles: The overall vibe of your game, such as exploration, dystopian adventure, horror, infiltration, intrigue, military adventure, mystery, planar adventure, romantic adventure, or space opera. These frameworks offer guidelines for the number of sessions and types of encounters that work best.
- Threats: Thematic dangers to incorporate into your game, and ways to evoke them as you play. The style and threat are the core parts of your recipe.
- Motivations: Determine more specifically what the opposition's goals and motivations are.
- Story Arcs: This section gives you guidance on how to construct story arcs that will play out over your adventure and maybe beyond.
- NPCs and Organizations: The characters and factions you include should fit the theme.
- Locations: The adventuring sites and settlements featured in your adventure.
- Encounters: The individual rooms and locales within your adventuring sites, including the creatures and hazards found at these places.
- Treasure: The rewards you give out to characters after dealing with encounters.
Styles
Source GM Core pg. 69
These frameworks for building your adventure include some basic elements to get you started outlining an adventure. Slot ideas from the threats section into this structure, then customize as you see fit.
Exploration
Source GM Core pg. 69
Number of Sessions 3–4
Exploration Scenes 1 long voyage to reach the complex or site (sometimes called a “dungeon” in fantasy-themed games); 3 voyages through long, trapped hallways or mazes; 1 secure hangar or other staging area; 2 secret rooms
Combat Encounters 2 trivial, 8 low, 6 moderate, 2 severe. Many encounters can be bypassed through secret routes or by infiltrating the complex using skills and spells.
Roleplaying Encounters 4 conversations with security guards, workers, prisoners, or other creatures; 1 negotiation to establish a truce or business deal with the faction controlling the site
Encounter Tropes Laser-trapped hallways, security cameras, and robotic sentries, with occasional vaulted chambers, long hallways, catwalks, traps, and puzzles.
Exploration Scenes 1 long voyage to reach the complex or site (sometimes called a “dungeon” in fantasy-themed games); 3 voyages through long, trapped hallways or mazes; 1 secure hangar or other staging area; 2 secret rooms
Combat Encounters 2 trivial, 8 low, 6 moderate, 2 severe. Many encounters can be bypassed through secret routes or by infiltrating the complex using skills and spells.
Roleplaying Encounters 4 conversations with security guards, workers, prisoners, or other creatures; 1 negotiation to establish a truce or business deal with the faction controlling the site
Encounter Tropes Laser-trapped hallways, security cameras, and robotic sentries, with occasional vaulted chambers, long hallways, catwalks, traps, and puzzles.
Dystopian Adventure
Source GM Core pg. 69
Number of Sessions 5–7
Exploration Scenes 1 long voyage in outer space, plagued by attacks; 2–3 explorations of sites in urban environments or outer space; 1 prison break, heist, or other test of skill
Combat Encounters 4 trivial, 7 low, 7 moderate, 4 severe, possibly 1 extreme. Foes are often intelligent and represent rival factions, law enforcement, or outlaws.
Roleplaying Encounters 2 battles of wits, 2 chances to best opponents with deception or threats, 2 opportunities to gather information and rumors
Encounter Tropes Stakes are often more personal, such as the PCs clearing their names from a false accusation or being paid to eliminate a problem. Betrayal, ambushes, and other duplicity. Urban disasters, piracy, and unfriendly crowds. Allies are often untrustworthy and might betray the PCs during the adventure. Downtime might include hard labor, exploring seedy night clubs and dives, or criminal activities.
Exploration Scenes 1 long voyage in outer space, plagued by attacks; 2–3 explorations of sites in urban environments or outer space; 1 prison break, heist, or other test of skill
Combat Encounters 4 trivial, 7 low, 7 moderate, 4 severe, possibly 1 extreme. Foes are often intelligent and represent rival factions, law enforcement, or outlaws.
Roleplaying Encounters 2 battles of wits, 2 chances to best opponents with deception or threats, 2 opportunities to gather information and rumors
Encounter Tropes Stakes are often more personal, such as the PCs clearing their names from a false accusation or being paid to eliminate a problem. Betrayal, ambushes, and other duplicity. Urban disasters, piracy, and unfriendly crowds. Allies are often untrustworthy and might betray the PCs during the adventure. Downtime might include hard labor, exploring seedy night clubs and dives, or criminal activities.
Horror
Source GM Core pg. 69
Number of Sessions 1–2
Exploration Scenes 1 short voyage full of ill omens; 2–4 creepy areas to investigate, like haunted reactors or cursed magitech laboratories
Combat Encounters 2 moderate, 1 severe, possibly 1 extreme. Avoid trivial- and low-threat encounters, except as moments of relief in a longer adventure. Extreme-threat encounters against overwhelming foes are excellent in horror one-shots.
Roleplaying Encounters 2 conversations with doubtful authority figures, 1 opportunity to gather information and rumors, 1 revelation of a horrible truth
Encounter Tropes Surprising and jarring encounters, making it hard for the PCs to feel safe. Encounters that feel overwhelming, even when they're not. Retreat is often the right option (include a reasonable way for the PCs to escape). Environmental storytelling reveals terrible
Exploration Scenes 1 short voyage full of ill omens; 2–4 creepy areas to investigate, like haunted reactors or cursed magitech laboratories
Combat Encounters 2 moderate, 1 severe, possibly 1 extreme. Avoid trivial- and low-threat encounters, except as moments of relief in a longer adventure. Extreme-threat encounters against overwhelming foes are excellent in horror one-shots.
Roleplaying Encounters 2 conversations with doubtful authority figures, 1 opportunity to gather information and rumors, 1 revelation of a horrible truth
Encounter Tropes Surprising and jarring encounters, making it hard for the PCs to feel safe. Encounters that feel overwhelming, even when they're not. Retreat is often the right option (include a reasonable way for the PCs to escape). Environmental storytelling reveals terrible
Infiltration
Source GM Core pg. 70
Number of Sessions 2–3
Exploration Scenes 1 voyage, or a tour of a site's location and defenses; 2–3 trapped rooms and vaults
Combat Encounters 4 low, 4 moderate, 1 severe. Most combat encounters can be bypassed with stealth and subterfuge.
Roleplaying Encounters 1–2 encounters with security patrols or workers in which the PCs must avoid suspicion or resort to combat
Encounter Tropes Secure complexes with locked and trapped doors, automated defenses, and security patrols. Victory conditions that are goal or deadline oriented—controlling a fortress for 10 minutes while someone uploads a virus into the server mainframe, robbing a bank, rescuing prisoners, and so on.
Exploration Scenes 1 voyage, or a tour of a site's location and defenses; 2–3 trapped rooms and vaults
Combat Encounters 4 low, 4 moderate, 1 severe. Most combat encounters can be bypassed with stealth and subterfuge.
Roleplaying Encounters 1–2 encounters with security patrols or workers in which the PCs must avoid suspicion or resort to combat
Encounter Tropes Secure complexes with locked and trapped doors, automated defenses, and security patrols. Victory conditions that are goal or deadline oriented—controlling a fortress for 10 minutes while someone uploads a virus into the server mainframe, robbing a bank, rescuing prisoners, and so on.
Intrigue
Source GM Core pg. 70
Number of Sessions 2–3
Exploration Scenes 3–4 competitions, performances, or other tests of skill; 1–2 infiltrations or escapes
Combat Encounters 2 trivial, 2 low, 4 moderate, 1 severe. Severe-threat encounters should be reserved for major reveals of the ongoing intrigue—an ally is revealed to be a foe, a schemer is exposed and calls their elite bodyguards, and so on.
Roleplaying Encounters 2–3 battles of wits; 2 political or courtroom scenes; 1 conversation with a cryptic source; 2 opportunities to gather information and rumors
Encounter Tropes Urban environments, including fights atop racing vehicles, around (and atop) furniture, and leaping or flying between rooftops. Ambushes in apparently safe social settings. Assassination attempts.
Exploration Scenes 3–4 competitions, performances, or other tests of skill; 1–2 infiltrations or escapes
Combat Encounters 2 trivial, 2 low, 4 moderate, 1 severe. Severe-threat encounters should be reserved for major reveals of the ongoing intrigue—an ally is revealed to be a foe, a schemer is exposed and calls their elite bodyguards, and so on.
Roleplaying Encounters 2–3 battles of wits; 2 political or courtroom scenes; 1 conversation with a cryptic source; 2 opportunities to gather information and rumors
Encounter Tropes Urban environments, including fights atop racing vehicles, around (and atop) furniture, and leaping or flying between rooftops. Ambushes in apparently safe social settings. Assassination attempts.
Military Adventure
Source GM Core pg. 70
Number of Sessions 2–3
Exploration Scenes 1 long voyage and 2–3 patrols, or a tour of the defenses for an invasion; 2–3 trapped enemy outposts and enemy starship squads
Combat Encounters 4 low, 4 moderate, 1 severe. Most combat encounters should be made up of 2–4 foes, typically troopers with a range of capabilities.
Roleplaying Encounters 1–2 skill challenges to convince neutral parties to become allies or raise troops' morale, 1-2 conversations with commanding officers
Encounter Tropes Fortified battlegrounds with automated defenses and security patrols. Epic starship battles in outer space or in atmosphere over a contested planet. Victory conditions that are goal or deadline oriented—defeating an enemy squad, capturing a planet or starship, infiltrating an enemy fortress, stealing an experimental weapon, and so on.
Exploration Scenes 1 long voyage and 2–3 patrols, or a tour of the defenses for an invasion; 2–3 trapped enemy outposts and enemy starship squads
Combat Encounters 4 low, 4 moderate, 1 severe. Most combat encounters should be made up of 2–4 foes, typically troopers with a range of capabilities.
Roleplaying Encounters 1–2 skill challenges to convince neutral parties to become allies or raise troops' morale, 1-2 conversations with commanding officers
Encounter Tropes Fortified battlegrounds with automated defenses and security patrols. Epic starship battles in outer space or in atmosphere over a contested planet. Victory conditions that are goal or deadline oriented—defeating an enemy squad, capturing a planet or starship, infiltrating an enemy fortress, stealing an experimental weapon, and so on.
Mystery
Source GM Core pg. 71
Number of Sessions 2–3
Exploration Scenes 2–3 trapped rooms, concealed hideouts, or other tests of skill; 2 puzzles or investigations
Combat Encounters 2 trivial, 4 low, 6 moderate, 6 severe. Solving the mystery uncovers an advantage over any powerful foe or reveals an important secret.
Roleplaying Encounters 1 battles of wits, 1 conversation with an unusual ally, 1 opportunity to gather information and rumors, 1 gathering to reveal the answer to the mystery
Encounter Tropes Encounters come naturally during investigations or upon discovering some element of the mystery. Multiple clues can send PCs to the same locations; if the mystery stalls, some creature that doesn't want the PCs to solve the mystery can attack to move the plot forward.
Exploration Scenes 2–3 trapped rooms, concealed hideouts, or other tests of skill; 2 puzzles or investigations
Combat Encounters 2 trivial, 4 low, 6 moderate, 6 severe. Solving the mystery uncovers an advantage over any powerful foe or reveals an important secret.
Roleplaying Encounters 1 battles of wits, 1 conversation with an unusual ally, 1 opportunity to gather information and rumors, 1 gathering to reveal the answer to the mystery
Encounter Tropes Encounters come naturally during investigations or upon discovering some element of the mystery. Multiple clues can send PCs to the same locations; if the mystery stalls, some creature that doesn't want the PCs to solve the mystery can attack to move the plot forward.
Planar Adventure
Source GM Core pg. 71
Number of Sessions 6–8
Exploration Scenes 3–4 long voyages through different planes, often using magic, Drift engines, spells, or a planar vessel, punctuated by combat; 1–2 scouting a demiplane, planar city or fortress, or other planar stronghold
Combat Encounters 4 low, 12 moderate, 6 severe, 2 extreme. Avoid trivial-threat encounters, except as set dressing to introduce a new plane.
Roleplaying Encounters 4 conversations with bizarre creatures, including some with alien ways of thinking; 4 opportunities to gather information and rumors
Encounter Tropes Fights showcasing otherworldly environs—in the churning colors of the Drift, in hurricane-force winds, on chunks of metal floating along rivers of lava, atop bottomless pits, or inside the cockpits of 100-foot-tall magical engines breaching the gates of Hell.
Exploration Scenes 3–4 long voyages through different planes, often using magic, Drift engines, spells, or a planar vessel, punctuated by combat; 1–2 scouting a demiplane, planar city or fortress, or other planar stronghold
Combat Encounters 4 low, 12 moderate, 6 severe, 2 extreme. Avoid trivial-threat encounters, except as set dressing to introduce a new plane.
Roleplaying Encounters 4 conversations with bizarre creatures, including some with alien ways of thinking; 4 opportunities to gather information and rumors
Encounter Tropes Fights showcasing otherworldly environs—in the churning colors of the Drift, in hurricane-force winds, on chunks of metal floating along rivers of lava, atop bottomless pits, or inside the cockpits of 100-foot-tall magical engines breaching the gates of Hell.
Romantic Adventure
Source GM Core pg. 71
Number of Sessions 4–6
Exploration Scenes 1 tour of a port of call; 1 adventure into the outskirts to fight bandits, hunt, or preserve wildlife; 1 tournament to prove a PC's love or outdo a rival
Combat Encounters 2 trivial, 3 low, 6 moderate, 1 severe. Emphasize emotional stakes and battles that end with the loss of honor or pride, not life.
Roleplaying Encounters 2 battles of wits, 1 gala or party, 1 entreaty before a socialite or political leader, 2 scenes of relaxation or carousing with unexpected import
Encounter Tropes Duels—social or combat—against romantic rivals. PCs and their foes fight only for a purpose or cause. Savvy enemies have strong connections to the PCs. Rivals might become lovers.
Exploration Scenes 1 tour of a port of call; 1 adventure into the outskirts to fight bandits, hunt, or preserve wildlife; 1 tournament to prove a PC's love or outdo a rival
Combat Encounters 2 trivial, 3 low, 6 moderate, 1 severe. Emphasize emotional stakes and battles that end with the loss of honor or pride, not life.
Roleplaying Encounters 2 battles of wits, 1 gala or party, 1 entreaty before a socialite or political leader, 2 scenes of relaxation or carousing with unexpected import
Encounter Tropes Duels—social or combat—against romantic rivals. PCs and their foes fight only for a purpose or cause. Savvy enemies have strong connections to the PCs. Rivals might become lovers.
Space Opera
Source GM Core pg. 72
Number of Sessions 6–8
Exploration Scenes 2 long voyages in outer space, punctuated with combat; 1 exploration of a dangerous complex, starship or street race, or other test of skill
Combat Encounters 4 trivial, 10 low, 12 moderate, 4 severe.
Roleplaying Encounters 2 battles of wits; 4 conversations with potential allies
Encounter Tropes Unique environments and terrain for dynamic battles. Boarding a starship during a space battle, fighting atop skyscrapers, racing enercycles, dogfights between starships, and so on. Use difficult terrain sparingly, coupled with creative ways to get around it. Large groups of low-level enemies the PCs can defeat with ease.
Exploration Scenes 2 long voyages in outer space, punctuated with combat; 1 exploration of a dangerous complex, starship or street race, or other test of skill
Combat Encounters 4 trivial, 10 low, 12 moderate, 4 severe.
Roleplaying Encounters 2 battles of wits; 4 conversations with potential allies
Encounter Tropes Unique environments and terrain for dynamic battles. Boarding a starship during a space battle, fighting atop skyscrapers, racing enercycles, dogfights between starships, and so on. Use difficult terrain sparingly, coupled with creative ways to get around it. Large groups of low-level enemies the PCs can defeat with ease.
Threats
Source GM Core pg. 72
Think of each type of threat as the deep, visceral danger the enemies represent. NPCs should be avatars of the threat, whether they're enemies who represent different aspects of the threat or allies and bystanders damaged by it. Each threat entry gives a brief description, followed by some bullet points you can use to guide you in expressing the consequences of the threat. This is followed by monsters that typify this theme. As always, you can come up with your own thematic threats too!
Corruption
Source GM Core pg. 72
The opposition wants to weaken or even change the motivation of a place, person, institution, ideal, or group.
Foes fiends, Midwives, psychic fungus, undead
- Show the effects of corruption on people and places, especially those closely connected to the PCs. Once-safe areas become less friendly and present threats, allies become unable to help or even turn against the PCs.
- Make enemies subtle; patient; willing to allow rumors, lies, diseases, and poisons time to take effect. In battle, they might be satisfied to curse PCs and their allies or otherwise inflict long-term afflictions, then retreat.
- Contrast the corruption with education, healing, and working toward progress that uplifts everyone.
- When the PCs make progress, allow them to expose agents of corruption and to inoculate allies and neutral parties against the growing threat or educate them about it.
Foes fiends, Midwives, psychic fungus, undead
Devastation
Source GM Core pg. 72
The opposition wants to destroy or lay waste to a place, person, institution, ideal, or group.
Foes dragons, daemons, Swarm
- Show the effects of destruction on people and places, especially those the PCs hold dear. Show them desperate, devoid of resources, and psychologically changed.
- Make enemies hard to reason with and overwhelming in number. In battle, they want not just to win, but to kill, maim, or devour.
- Contrast devastation with forces of preservation and order.
- When the PCs make progress, show the slow recovery from devastation.
Foes dragons, daemons, Swarm
Extremism
Source GM Core pg. 73
The opposition seeks a massive change—one they think is for the better. Their violent means of achieving it put them in conflict with the PCs.
Foes angels, cultists, jinsuls, terrorists
- Demonstrate the ruthlessness of the enemy, especially the discrepancy between their care for their cause and their ambivalence or hatred toward everything else.
- Have enemies focus purely on their goal. Have them fall back on their rhetoric or dogma to justify themselves.
- If something about the extremists' cause is just—such as preserving the natural world or protecting their people— reveal the foes' sympathetic side. Demonstrate the horror of what they're fighting against in addition to the horror of the way they fight it.
- When the PCs make progress, show uncertainty or demoralization in their foes, possibly even desertion in their enemies' ranks.
Foes angels, cultists, jinsuls, terrorists
Mayhem
Source GM Core pg. 73
Mayhem is easy to track and find, often leaving a trail of destruction in its path. Show how the senseless violence causes uncertainty and fear, disrupting both settlements and the natural order of things.
Foes akatas, beasts, bloodbrothers, dinosaurs, gremlins, orocorans
- A single powerful foe is a common source of mayhem, but a pack, herd, cult, or secret society could also be to blame. The source of the mayhem might have resulted from the natural order being out of balance or might be a distraction set off by a different foe looking to use it to further its own goals.
- Emphasize the cascading effects of unchecked mayhem. Normal trade, travel, and similar systems are disrupted, causing problems far from the immediate location of violence and disruption.
- When the PCs make progress, show how resilient systems can recover from massive disruptions but might need additional help or protection.
Foes akatas, beasts, bloodbrothers, dinosaurs, gremlins, orocorans
Subjugation
Source GM Core pg. 73
The opposition wants to rule over a group, location, or even the world. Their ultimate objective is to control and rule.
- Show how groups submit to subjugation rather than suffer the consequences of resistance. The PCs see elements of culture destroyed to ensure subjugation— are religions and churches destroyed, subverted, or replaced? Are lackeys put in place to keep oppressed populations in line?
- Make enemies self-righteous, focused, and in control of groups they've previously subjugated. Fights aren't just for the sake of violence, but steps toward greater control.
- Show opposition: open conflict, rebellion, secret groups, sabotage, and countercultural art. Give PCs the opportunity to support or participate in each.
- When the PCs make progress, have previously cowed or neutral parties be moved to rebel.
Motivations
Source GM Core pg. 73
Think about your opposition, and what their goals and motivations are. The motivation of the opposition needs to match your threat. If you have multiple adversaries, their motivations should all work toward your theme, but they might have different goals and act more as rivals or enemies. Motivations should be more than one dimensional. There should be a reason for every action the opposition takes—not necessarily a good one or a smart one, but a believable one. Be true to each character!
Consider these questions so you can use the answers when deciding what the opposition will do.
Consider these questions so you can use the answers when deciding what the opposition will do.
- What does the opposition want?
- Who or what does the opposition fear? (And no, “the PCs” isn't an answer.)
- Why is the opposition sure to succeed? If the PCs don't do anything, what makes the opposition unstoppable?
- What are the opposition's weaknesses? How can they be bribed or tricked? What's something they ignore that might be used against them?
Story Arcs
Source GM Core pg. 74
Keep several story arcs in mind. Most of these arcs will be driven by the opposition in the early going, but PCs might initiate their own story arcs. Think of what the beginning, middle, and end of each arc might look like. Imagine a logical end point the arc would reach if nothing else changes. Then, adjust it based on events in the game. As changes occur, revisit the end point you've imagined. If the adversary's plan has been derailed, what might they do instead? Story arcs should reflect the theme of the adventure and be well-positioned to show off motivations and reflect the PCs' choices.
Many arcs will last only for the duration of one adventure, but others build up and recur across the whole campaign. Include some of each so you have variety. This also provides closure, as the players can see some storylines wrapped up in the short term and others over a long period. Too many dangling plot threads can result in some being forgotten or make players feel overloaded.
Touchstones like the ones below make a story arc adaptable, not too restricted to specific scenes or characters.
Many arcs will last only for the duration of one adventure, but others build up and recur across the whole campaign. Include some of each so you have variety. This also provides closure, as the players can see some storylines wrapped up in the short term and others over a long period. Too many dangling plot threads can result in some being forgotten or make players feel overloaded.
Touchstones like the ones below make a story arc adaptable, not too restricted to specific scenes or characters.
- Use motifs. Use repeated thematic elements, visuals, phrases, and items to reinforce the connection between one adventure or segment of the story and another. The motif can also build in complexity as you move further along in the overarching story.
- Follow character growth. Respond to how the PCs changed in previous adventures. Their next undertaking should reflect who they are now.
- Escalate! Build on the previous story and show that the next threat is scarier. The first adventure might endanger a port of call, the next a planet, the next the whole system of planets orbiting a star, and so on.
- Bring in recurring characters. A recurring character is especially strong if they appear in similar circumstances each time. For instance, a space pirate might appear in the campaign only when she wants the PCs to undermine her rivals or is trying to rob them.
- Make each adventure count. While developing an arc, don't diminish individual adventures by making what happened in them inconsequential compared to the larger story. Illustrate the consequences of such adventures so the players feel a sense of accomplishment for completing one before they move onto the next. Each adventure needs some sort of denouement to show immediate and lingering effects of the PCs' victory or defeat.
- Make choices matter. Describe the consequences of PC actions and allow their choices to shape the story.
NPCs and Organizations
Source GM Core pg. 74
Allied, neutral, and adversarial NPCs and organizations can all contribute to the theme. You'll want most to follow the theme directly, like the examples in Threats. However, you can add a few counterpoints to the theme. For example, a horror game might include one or two NPCs who are more hopeful, either to grant respite from the dread or to kill off to show just how bad things are. Including NPCs who aren't adversaries makes the game universe feel more real. It also increases the stakes, as PCs have people to care about, protect, and socialize with. You'll often find that NPCs you create will become more or less important than you expected. You can “demote” an NPC if the players don't find them interesting or “promote” them if the PCs like them more than expected.
Locations
Source GM Core pg. 74
Memorable settings that include mysterious and fantastical locations for players to visit can elicit the players' curiosity. Exploring each location should be a treat in itself, not just a chore the players must complete to get from one fight to the next. As you create a locale, picture it in your mind's eye and write down minor details you can include as you narrate the game. Describing decorations, landmarks, wildlife, peculiar smells, and even temperature changes make a place feel more real. See Sidebar: Quick Environmental Details for some ideas.
Beyond monsters and loot, your locations can include environment-based challenges, from environmental conditions like blizzards to puzzles, traps, or other hazards. These challenges should suit your adventure's location: barrels of radioactive waste in an old power plant, clouds of acidic gas on an alien planet, or high-tech defenses left armed aboard an abandoned starship.
Additional Guidance: building your own hazards, environments, hazards
Beyond monsters and loot, your locations can include environment-based challenges, from environmental conditions like blizzards to puzzles, traps, or other hazards. These challenges should suit your adventure's location: barrels of radioactive waste in an old power plant, clouds of acidic gas on an alien planet, or high-tech defenses left armed aboard an abandoned starship.
Additional Guidance: building your own hazards, environments, hazards
Encounters
Source GM Core pg. 74
A robust set of encounters forms the backbone of your adventure. Encounters often feature combat with other creatures, but they can also include hazards, or you might create social encounters in which characters duel only with words. The rules for building encounters appropriate to your group's level begin below.
Some adventures have a clear and direct progression, with encounters occurring at specific times or in a specific order. Others, such as a research station filled with interconnected rooms the group can investigate in any order, are nonlinear, and the group can face encounters in any order—or even avoid them entirely. Most adventures are somewhere in between, with some keystone encounters you know the characters will need to contend with, but others that are optional.
Additional Guidance: building your own creatures, building your own hazards, encounter design
Some adventures have a clear and direct progression, with encounters occurring at specific times or in a specific order. Others, such as a research station filled with interconnected rooms the group can investigate in any order, are nonlinear, and the group can face encounters in any order—or even avoid them entirely. Most adventures are somewhere in between, with some keystone encounters you know the characters will need to contend with, but others that are optional.
Additional Guidance: building your own creatures, building your own hazards, encounter design
Treasure
Source GM Core pg. 74
Your adventure should give out an amount of treasure that's appropriate to the characters' level. You can dole out treasure in all kinds of ways. Treasure could be items carried by an adversary, rewards from a patron for completing a mission, or a shipping crate full of goods guarded by a monster. It's best to spread treasure throughout an adventure rather than stockpiled in a single hoard. This gives the players incremental rewards, letting their characters advance in frequent small steps rather than giant leaps separated by many hours of play.
Additional Guidance: assigning treasure
Additional Guidance: assigning treasure