The Golden Trio of Journey Design

RPT GM Benjamin asks:

For an anxious and galvanizing GM that attempted to study approach an excessive amount of for what is definitely wanted, how do you simply sit down and say, “I’m doing this random plot, with random PCs, and hold every little thing afloat and enjoyable?”

My brother can improvise something and I’m actually the alternative. Almost definitely it’s merely an absence of improv talent (or the insecurity).

Even with all of the sources, why am I unable to jot down and run a recreation? It’s not a film with a script. It’s not a online game as a result of the roleplaying factors are the “film” scenes and it’s not possible to have prep data move like a ebook.

Hello Benjamin.

Thanks for the nice query. Improvisation is certainly a talent you could grasp! How do you begin with nothing and improvise a whole journey that’s inventive, runs easily, and will be prepped in an hour? This drawback is handled head-on in my Grasp of the 5 Room Dungeon workshop, and I’ll share a key tip from it with you right this moment.

I exploit the 5 Room Dungeon framework as a result of it has mythic story construction baked in, primarily based on Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth mannequin. For those who comply with the 5 Room Dungeon system, you might be assured to create or improvise story.

As well as, a core approach I train within the workshop is known as Map, Monster, Chest:

• Map: Location.
• Monster: Foe, monster, impediment, or battle.
• Chest: Get together targets, treasure, reward, and journey development.

I initially encountered this framework in one in every of Aron Christensen’s books (affiliate hyperlink). He calls it Map, Monster, Treasure. I added a bit extra juice to the treasure element, and name it Map, Monster, Chest.

Monster

When developing with encounter concepts to your adventures, begin with Map, Monster, Chest. I often go along with journey battle (Monster) first.

What foe is right here?

For instance, open your monster ebook to a random web page and level. That’s your Monster.

Map

Let’s say you opened your critters information and pointed at a gorgon. I then ask, What location (Map) would make sense for that foe or battle?

What could be a cool lair for my monster?

For a gorgon that has petrification breath, I might need a lair that has a corridor crammed with lifelike stone statues, for instance.

Chest

Lastly, what’s the reward (Chest) obtainable within the location?

Maybe there’s a approach to make use of the gorgon’s physique elements to revive petrified victims to life, and people rescued will provide a few of their possessions to the celebration in gratitude.

Harvest Concepts

It’s arduous at first since you won’t have quite a lot of expertise nor an inner “library” of concepts to work from. Seize concepts from books, films, AI, and different RPGs. Copying concepts and turning them into journey materials will show you how to bear in mind them sooner or later for quicker ideation.

Put together to Improvise

Looking out on-line for random tables and turbines, or shopping for books with such, presents one other large nicely of concepts to your improv. Curate tables forward of time so you may roll or decide throughout classes when wanted.

A Good Strategy

To keep away from railroading, one other tip from the workshop: you ship the What and let gamers determine the How. All you’ll want to do is about up encounters. It’s the gamers’ job to determine how they may deal with them.

Additionally attempt to keep away from predicting what gamers will do and directing such character actions. This results in quite a lot of GM stress. “The characters will uncover the key door, discover the magical gem, then go to the throne room and place the gem within the high slot. They’ll then summon the villain who will escape however not earlier than cursing the celebration.” That’s a recipe for catastrophe as you gained’t know what decisions gamers will make or how the cube will roll.

As a substitute, create areas (Map) crammed with encounters and run the areas like a method recreation. For instance, a nanobot manufacturing unit can have a number of anticipated areas for provides, waste, and constructing bots. A number of areas can have foes, obstacles, and conflicts (Monster). And in these areas or close by are issues and data the celebration would discover priceless (Chest).

Map out your nanobot manufacturing unit, inventory it with these items, after which set gamers upon it. What they do is as much as them – you want solely referee outcomes. You may additionally think about to how sure options of the nanobot manufacturing unit would reply to a celebration intrusion, so you’ve these concepts prepared.

This strategy is far much less hectic than making an attempt to predict a story, and it offers gamers extra freedom to make their very own lives extra difficult. 🙂

Improv With Map, Monster, Chest

Do that strategy to sketch out a couple of adventures or 5 Room Dungeons. Get a little bit of follow with it, as a result of this makes a beautiful improvisation framework. Subsequent time you’ll want to create an journey on-the-fly, simply ask your self:

• Map: The place does the journey happen?
• Monster: What’s the main monster or battle?
• Chest: What reward would draw the celebration into your journey?

From these three information, you’ve a strong framework to hold the remainder of an improvised journey from. And for those who make use of the 5 Room Dungeon technique, then you definately get guided improvisation for at the very least 5 encounters that can ship a whole story.

I invite you to hold on this dialog at my Roleplaying Ideas Discord. You’ll get nice suggestions from GMs there that will help you in your quest to arrange and improvise nice adventures.

I hope this helps, Benjamin!