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The Logical Conclusion
I have given GMing a lot of thought over the years and have come to the simple conclusion that logical reasoning is what distinguishes
good GMs from great GMs. When a GM has strong logical reasoning then his adventures and campaigns will make sense to the
player, but I would say that most GMs and game designers lack strong logical reasoning. There are many reasons for this,
but the main reason is that most people don't understand cause and effect and they don't understand human behavior. The good
news is that both of these can be learned with a little practice once one realizes that when something happens, even in an
imaginary world, it should have consequences.
For example, if the heroes kill off the dragon that has been plaguing the land for years then the land should change, and not necessarily for the better. So let's say the land has been focused on building fortifications and raising armies to protect its communities from the dragon. Now that is great, but now that the dragon is dead what do the communities do with their armies? Well judging by history and human nature it is very likely the communities will start to come into conflict. This is a logical outcome, not the only logical outcome, but one that the player can easily accept as it is readily explained. Most GMs stop their logical reasoning at the end of the adventure (Hurray! The dragon is dead!), but great GMs carry the events of the last adventure into the campaign. Now this does not mean that the consequences should always be noticeable, the effect has to relate to the scope of the cause.
Now that was a pretty straightforward example and the real challenge is for a GM to apply logical reasoning on the fly during his adventure. For example, instead of trying to rescue the kidnapped princess the hero kidnaps the daughter of the evil duke who is holding the princess hostage and demands a trade. Is it logical for the evil duke to write off his daughter to maintain his plot to secure the throne for himself? No, not because his love for his daughter is logical, but because it is human nature and people need to act in real ways, even if that means they behave illogically. In this case, the logical outcome is that the evil duke agrees to the trade, but intends on betraying the hero to get his daughter back and keep the princess in his custody.
Logical reasoning is easy for some and difficult for others, but from my experience with more roleplaying the better your logical reasoning becomes. Seriously, the roleplaying Michelle and I did before law school better prepared us for law school which is all about logical reasoning. Now that said there are a few tricks that can make your logical reasoning more effective for roleplaying purposes.
AVOID BAD INFLUENCES
What I mean by this is to avoid watching and reading media that is riddled with poor logical reasoning; this includes network news, most sitcoms and dramas, and the similar poor quality garbage produced for our mass consumption. Focus on the good stuff like NPR, high-quality television and movies, well-written books, and so forth. Yeah, this sounds very elitist and condescending, but it is true and your thinking is affected by what you are exposed to. Fortunately, there is plenty of good stuff out there you just need to dig a little and be more discriminating. Now if you already do this then my guess is your logical reasoning is already pretty sharp.
KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS
Here is a secret for roleplaying it is characters that make things happen. Seriously, if a king is assassinated it is not the kingdom that reacts, but the leaders and people of that kingdom. Starting out model characters on stock characters or stereotypes so that it is easier to figure out how they would react in a situation, in time you will be able to design characters as developed as any you have seen on television or read about in books.
CONSULT WITH YOUR FELLOW GMS
It is never a bad idea to bounce an idea off another GM. There are plenty on forums for this on the Internet and these forums are a tremendous resource to get feedback. One can often gain perspective from talking about an issue with someone else.
LISTEN TO YOUR PLAYERS
Now the best advice I can give you is to listen to your players and adjust accordingly. By this I mean that if your players are investigating a murder and when they start putting the clues together are coming up with different conclusions that you expected you should be listening to them and considering their points. If their outcome actually makes more sense then you should change the outcome to match what they are coming out with. Seriously, your players may have discovered how you should have set up the adventure and if it is better logical reasoning and also makes it a better adventure then change things. Even if you don't change things listen to your players because not only can it help you with your logical reasoning, but it will help you understand your players.
For example, if the heroes kill off the dragon that has been plaguing the land for years then the land should change, and not necessarily for the better. So let's say the land has been focused on building fortifications and raising armies to protect its communities from the dragon. Now that is great, but now that the dragon is dead what do the communities do with their armies? Well judging by history and human nature it is very likely the communities will start to come into conflict. This is a logical outcome, not the only logical outcome, but one that the player can easily accept as it is readily explained. Most GMs stop their logical reasoning at the end of the adventure (Hurray! The dragon is dead!), but great GMs carry the events of the last adventure into the campaign. Now this does not mean that the consequences should always be noticeable, the effect has to relate to the scope of the cause.
Now that was a pretty straightforward example and the real challenge is for a GM to apply logical reasoning on the fly during his adventure. For example, instead of trying to rescue the kidnapped princess the hero kidnaps the daughter of the evil duke who is holding the princess hostage and demands a trade. Is it logical for the evil duke to write off his daughter to maintain his plot to secure the throne for himself? No, not because his love for his daughter is logical, but because it is human nature and people need to act in real ways, even if that means they behave illogically. In this case, the logical outcome is that the evil duke agrees to the trade, but intends on betraying the hero to get his daughter back and keep the princess in his custody.
Logical reasoning is easy for some and difficult for others, but from my experience with more roleplaying the better your logical reasoning becomes. Seriously, the roleplaying Michelle and I did before law school better prepared us for law school which is all about logical reasoning. Now that said there are a few tricks that can make your logical reasoning more effective for roleplaying purposes.
AVOID BAD INFLUENCES
What I mean by this is to avoid watching and reading media that is riddled with poor logical reasoning; this includes network news, most sitcoms and dramas, and the similar poor quality garbage produced for our mass consumption. Focus on the good stuff like NPR, high-quality television and movies, well-written books, and so forth. Yeah, this sounds very elitist and condescending, but it is true and your thinking is affected by what you are exposed to. Fortunately, there is plenty of good stuff out there you just need to dig a little and be more discriminating. Now if you already do this then my guess is your logical reasoning is already pretty sharp.
KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS
Here is a secret for roleplaying it is characters that make things happen. Seriously, if a king is assassinated it is not the kingdom that reacts, but the leaders and people of that kingdom. Starting out model characters on stock characters or stereotypes so that it is easier to figure out how they would react in a situation, in time you will be able to design characters as developed as any you have seen on television or read about in books.
CONSULT WITH YOUR FELLOW GMS
It is never a bad idea to bounce an idea off another GM. There are plenty on forums for this on the Internet and these forums are a tremendous resource to get feedback. One can often gain perspective from talking about an issue with someone else.
LISTEN TO YOUR PLAYERS
Now the best advice I can give you is to listen to your players and adjust accordingly. By this I mean that if your players are investigating a murder and when they start putting the clues together are coming up with different conclusions that you expected you should be listening to them and considering their points. If their outcome actually makes more sense then you should change the outcome to match what they are coming out with. Seriously, your players may have discovered how you should have set up the adventure and if it is better logical reasoning and also makes it a better adventure then change things. Even if you don't change things listen to your players because not only can it help you with your logical reasoning, but it will help you understand your players.
Writing Adventures I: Brainstorming the Idea
Before a GM can run an adventure they need to write, or design, the adventure. Writing an adventure has three parts: brainstorming
the idea, organizing the plot, and developing the challenges. Today will just be discussing brainstorming the idea. Now
the idea is important, but not as important as many GMs assume. If as a GM you can come up with a really original and clever
idea every ten adventures you are doing awesome, but remember if you aren't executing your ideas well then it doesn't even
matter how brilliant they are. Execution is a discussion for another day.
Alright, now what does an adventure idea entail? Well, it should include the hook, line, and sinker. The hook is the part that gets the hero involved with the adventure, the line is the main body of the adventure, and the sinker is the little twist in the adventure that makes it interesting. So let's give an example:
Hook: The PC is met by the heir to the kingdom (or corporation, interstellar empire, secret brotherhood, etc.) who informs the PC that his father is dying and that he is afraid a civil war may erupt for control of the kingdom. His father has told him to hire the PC to acquire a ceremonial item from ancient ruins that he can use to secure his claim on the kingdom.
Line: The PC must journey to the ancient ruins through many dangers and explore the ruins and return with this ceremonial item of great power and deliver it to the heir.
Sinker: The heir is actually the one slowly poisoning his father who has named someone else as his successor, but the heir with the ceremonial item will be able to either secure control or win the ensuing civil war. Now for a double twist the ceremonial item is cursed and will actually bring ruin to whoever possesses it.
That is in my opinion a pretty solid adventure idea. Is it a little hackneyed? Of course, all the good adventures are to be honest. Remember the core idea has to be solid and that usually means using a classic idea with some repackaging.
OK let's go over my major caveat about adventure ideas, which is that you don't marry one as it isn't worth the effort as the relationship is a shallow one that is doomed to failure.
"I pronounce you GM and brilliant idea; you may now force the idea upon your player!"
Believe it or not this is a common problem when a GM marries his brilliant idea and then forces his new relationship upon his player. All the player will be thinking is "by the gods, could you guys just get a room". The best ideas are subtly delivered not forced down the player's throat and the GM needs to sometimes step back from the idea. Here are a few classic examples to avoid:
Character Obsession: Sometimes the GM falls in love with one of his characters, but it is not a relationship that is destined to last. This is because this is a forbidden love and this character will come between the more important relationship between the GM and player. Warning signs are when a character is really 'cool' (in the eyes of the GM), shares the spotlight with the player, and who the player silently dislikes. The cure is to have the character die or disappear from the campaign.
Setting Obsession: Sometimes the GM will fall in love with a location or setting that the player is has had more than enough of. For me this is the Tapani Sector from WEG's d6 Star Wars and I do enjoy the setting, but my wife detests it as this point. Warning signs are when the hero tries to quickly leave or avoid a location, the GM is always trying to tie an adventure to the location, and when the location seems to dominate conversations between characters. The cure is to find another new setting to embrace and this time to not become obsessed.
Plot Obsession: Sometimes the GM will fall in love with a plot outcome and force it upon his player. A classic example is imprisonment where the GM wants the hero imprisoned as this is the story he wants to explore, but the problem is that the player does not want the hero to be imprisoned. Unfortunately, the GM is determined to tell his story and the player no matter what she does is doomed. Warning signs are highly scripted plots, limited free will for the player, and outcomes that cannot be avoided. The cure is to let the player have the ability to control the destiny of her hero and the adventure.
OK you have now been warned so you are ready to get an idea! Some have an easy time brainstorming and some really struggle with the process. We are focusing on those of us who really struggle to get an idea as the other group is just annoying and we should ignore them. So what follows is a five step plan, guaranteed or your money back, to get you some good ideas for your next adventure:
1) Ask the tough questions: These are the soul searching questions that really can help focus you on your quest for a good adventure or campaign idea. So ask these questions and be honest with yourself:
1. What is something my player might enjoy at this time?
2. What is something I might enjoy at this time?
3. What type of adventure (comedy, exploration, horror, intrigue, mystery, quest, romance, war, etc.) should I do next to keep things fresh?
4. What has really worked the last few adventures?
5. What hasn't really worked the last few adventures?
6. Should I take a break from using the Cyborg Ninja Mummy King as my main villain for an adventure and do something different?
7. Is this really a good idea? (Ask this one after you get your idea and more often than not you should chuck the first idea you get, at least from my experience.)
2) Hit the books: Take a look at the resources for the RPG you are using. A good RPG book should be inspirational and be a catalyst for adventure ideas, if it is not then it is not that good of a RPG book. You can also go to the web site for the company that makes the RPG you are using and look for ideas there, many will have forums that are very useful and some with have published adventures and adventure ideas as well, and often these are all free and provided to their loyal customers.
3) Don't forget the media: OK a fantastic source of ideas is the media from books to movies to the news. Even if you are running a realistic Viking campaign the evening news can be a catalyst for an adventure idea, 'wild fires in the West' could become a forest fire sweeping towards you home village, or 'coup in Chaostan' could mean someone decides to challenge the Jarl for control. All it takes is to look at things through the prism of hunting for adventure ideas, though I must give you a warning after awhile you start looking at everything as potential adventure ideas even trips to the store or helping you kid with his homework and your wife sends you wacky news stories knowing you will mentally file it away for future roleplaying purposes.
4) Recycle and repackage: Really there are very few truly original ideas, but you can make even the most hackneyed idea fresh and new by recycling and repackaging it. For example, take Seven Samurai which is an inspiration to many movies, RPGs, books, and so on, but you don't always notice it as the basic idea is often heavily repackaged. The trick to repackaging something is to give it a twist. For example, instead of having to rescue a princess kidnapped by an evil dragon make it the heroes have to rescue a dragon that has been kidnapped by an evil prince. Seriously, a few twists like this and the next thing you know the player thinks they are in the most original adventure of all time and in a way it is. Remember you don't need to reinvent the wheel you just need to make it run smoothly. My best adventures have simply been repackaging classic stories or movies and with enough smart twists it actually works better than a truly original idea. Why? Well because the classic sources are classic for a reason!
5) Take a break you need it: OK if at this point you are out of ideas then you need to take a break for awhile. Seriously, burnout is a real problem for GMs. What I do is either switch genres like go from fantasy to science fiction or take a break for a few weeks. Use this time to catch up on watching some movies and read a few books and I can guarantee that after the break you will be ready to go with some great new ideas.
Fantastic we are done talking about ideas! You are ready to go as by now you should have an adventure idea. This idea will change and morph as you get down to the serious work of designing the adventure and that is not only OK but recommended. Next time we will tackle the structure of adventures!
Alright, now what does an adventure idea entail? Well, it should include the hook, line, and sinker. The hook is the part that gets the hero involved with the adventure, the line is the main body of the adventure, and the sinker is the little twist in the adventure that makes it interesting. So let's give an example:
Hook: The PC is met by the heir to the kingdom (or corporation, interstellar empire, secret brotherhood, etc.) who informs the PC that his father is dying and that he is afraid a civil war may erupt for control of the kingdom. His father has told him to hire the PC to acquire a ceremonial item from ancient ruins that he can use to secure his claim on the kingdom.
Line: The PC must journey to the ancient ruins through many dangers and explore the ruins and return with this ceremonial item of great power and deliver it to the heir.
Sinker: The heir is actually the one slowly poisoning his father who has named someone else as his successor, but the heir with the ceremonial item will be able to either secure control or win the ensuing civil war. Now for a double twist the ceremonial item is cursed and will actually bring ruin to whoever possesses it.
That is in my opinion a pretty solid adventure idea. Is it a little hackneyed? Of course, all the good adventures are to be honest. Remember the core idea has to be solid and that usually means using a classic idea with some repackaging.
OK let's go over my major caveat about adventure ideas, which is that you don't marry one as it isn't worth the effort as the relationship is a shallow one that is doomed to failure.
"I pronounce you GM and brilliant idea; you may now force the idea upon your player!"
Believe it or not this is a common problem when a GM marries his brilliant idea and then forces his new relationship upon his player. All the player will be thinking is "by the gods, could you guys just get a room". The best ideas are subtly delivered not forced down the player's throat and the GM needs to sometimes step back from the idea. Here are a few classic examples to avoid:
Character Obsession: Sometimes the GM falls in love with one of his characters, but it is not a relationship that is destined to last. This is because this is a forbidden love and this character will come between the more important relationship between the GM and player. Warning signs are when a character is really 'cool' (in the eyes of the GM), shares the spotlight with the player, and who the player silently dislikes. The cure is to have the character die or disappear from the campaign.
Setting Obsession: Sometimes the GM will fall in love with a location or setting that the player is has had more than enough of. For me this is the Tapani Sector from WEG's d6 Star Wars and I do enjoy the setting, but my wife detests it as this point. Warning signs are when the hero tries to quickly leave or avoid a location, the GM is always trying to tie an adventure to the location, and when the location seems to dominate conversations between characters. The cure is to find another new setting to embrace and this time to not become obsessed.
Plot Obsession: Sometimes the GM will fall in love with a plot outcome and force it upon his player. A classic example is imprisonment where the GM wants the hero imprisoned as this is the story he wants to explore, but the problem is that the player does not want the hero to be imprisoned. Unfortunately, the GM is determined to tell his story and the player no matter what she does is doomed. Warning signs are highly scripted plots, limited free will for the player, and outcomes that cannot be avoided. The cure is to let the player have the ability to control the destiny of her hero and the adventure.
OK you have now been warned so you are ready to get an idea! Some have an easy time brainstorming and some really struggle with the process. We are focusing on those of us who really struggle to get an idea as the other group is just annoying and we should ignore them. So what follows is a five step plan, guaranteed or your money back, to get you some good ideas for your next adventure:
1) Ask the tough questions: These are the soul searching questions that really can help focus you on your quest for a good adventure or campaign idea. So ask these questions and be honest with yourself:
1. What is something my player might enjoy at this time?
2. What is something I might enjoy at this time?
3. What type of adventure (comedy, exploration, horror, intrigue, mystery, quest, romance, war, etc.) should I do next to keep things fresh?
4. What has really worked the last few adventures?
5. What hasn't really worked the last few adventures?
6. Should I take a break from using the Cyborg Ninja Mummy King as my main villain for an adventure and do something different?
7. Is this really a good idea? (Ask this one after you get your idea and more often than not you should chuck the first idea you get, at least from my experience.)
2) Hit the books: Take a look at the resources for the RPG you are using. A good RPG book should be inspirational and be a catalyst for adventure ideas, if it is not then it is not that good of a RPG book. You can also go to the web site for the company that makes the RPG you are using and look for ideas there, many will have forums that are very useful and some with have published adventures and adventure ideas as well, and often these are all free and provided to their loyal customers.
3) Don't forget the media: OK a fantastic source of ideas is the media from books to movies to the news. Even if you are running a realistic Viking campaign the evening news can be a catalyst for an adventure idea, 'wild fires in the West' could become a forest fire sweeping towards you home village, or 'coup in Chaostan' could mean someone decides to challenge the Jarl for control. All it takes is to look at things through the prism of hunting for adventure ideas, though I must give you a warning after awhile you start looking at everything as potential adventure ideas even trips to the store or helping you kid with his homework and your wife sends you wacky news stories knowing you will mentally file it away for future roleplaying purposes.
4) Recycle and repackage: Really there are very few truly original ideas, but you can make even the most hackneyed idea fresh and new by recycling and repackaging it. For example, take Seven Samurai which is an inspiration to many movies, RPGs, books, and so on, but you don't always notice it as the basic idea is often heavily repackaged. The trick to repackaging something is to give it a twist. For example, instead of having to rescue a princess kidnapped by an evil dragon make it the heroes have to rescue a dragon that has been kidnapped by an evil prince. Seriously, a few twists like this and the next thing you know the player thinks they are in the most original adventure of all time and in a way it is. Remember you don't need to reinvent the wheel you just need to make it run smoothly. My best adventures have simply been repackaging classic stories or movies and with enough smart twists it actually works better than a truly original idea. Why? Well because the classic sources are classic for a reason!
5) Take a break you need it: OK if at this point you are out of ideas then you need to take a break for awhile. Seriously, burnout is a real problem for GMs. What I do is either switch genres like go from fantasy to science fiction or take a break for a few weeks. Use this time to catch up on watching some movies and read a few books and I can guarantee that after the break you will be ready to go with some great new ideas.
Fantastic we are done talking about ideas! You are ready to go as by now you should have an adventure idea. This idea will change and morph as you get down to the serious work of designing the adventure and that is not only OK but recommended. Next time we will tackle the structure of adventures!
Writing Adventures II: Designing the Adventure
OK so we have the idea and now we are going to tackle the plot. Remember adventures are easy to write, but good adventures
are hard to write. This is the fundamental truth about adventure design and it can be a frustrating truth for new and experienced
narrators. The secret is to be flexible. Good adventures morph during the game due to the actions of the hero while bad
adventures are rigid and inflexible. So the question is how do you build flexible adventures?
"Good GMs create problems not solutions."
This is very, very, very important. Let's tackle an example: you decide that the Key of Loki (our MacGuffin) is in the possession of the CEO of Ragnorak Enterprises and that he has this item displayed prominently in his office which is in an orbiting office complex. You need to give some thought to what security is on the Key, but really you shouldn't worry about how the heroes will acquire it. There are a few reasons for this. First, it is fun to be surprised by your player. Second, if you have a solution in mind you make leak it to the player or worse force the player to only pursue that solution. Third, there are really too many variable for you to consider every option and there is no need to and this is a waste of time.
"Adventures should be fluid not rigid."
This is also very, very, very important. If the hero is going to kill your evil mastermind in scene 2 long before the climax so what? You can still keep your adventure mostly intact by having a lieutenant of the evil mastermind take over, but most likely the lieutenant is going to change the plan so you need to do this on the fly as well. This may seem difficult, but the trick is to know your characters and to be honest with the outcomes from the hero's actions. Players really appreciate this fluid approach and it is the mark of a highly skilled GM, though it really isn't that hard with a little practice.
So I have told you to not worry about solutions and that you should be fluid, but you still need a structure for the plot of your adventure. The thing to remember is that this structure is an outline, a guideline at best, of the adventure. When you can design an outline that is not only logical but modular then you have mastered writing adventures. Now adventures are usually organized both geographically and chronologically. So when you are organizing your adventure the outline should follow the route and timing you expect the adventure to follow.
Now I break down adventures into six components:
PRELUDE (Optional)
This is the opening of the adventure. Often with group adventures you can skip the prelude and go straight to the hook, but with duet adventures this is often a favorite part of the adventure. The goal for the prelude is to give the PC a 'slice of life' moment that can give either the PC or the setting a little more depth. It often will have little to do with the actual adventure, but can set the mood. Make sure the prelude is self-contained and has a clear beginning and end that will not occupy too much time. But if the player really is interested in a prelude then extend it and let the PC have some freedom. If a little humor or poignancy can be woven into the prelude it will be more potent.
HOOK
This is the method you use to get the PC to bite on the adventure so you can hook and reel her in. Hooks can vary greatly and include promises of wealth or power, missions to help friends or protect innocents, opportunities to defeat evil, orders from superiors, and so forth. With duet adventures the hook is incredibly important as the narrator should NEVER force an adventure on a reluctant player. When a player has freely chosen the hook it will make her more committed to completing the adventure, but when it is forced the player will be apathetic at best and possibly downright hostile to the adventure.
Usually, hooks only fail when the narrator is forcing an idea on a player that goes against the PC's goals or personality, or perhaps the player just doesn't want to pursue the hook. For example, the narrator really wants the PC to explore the Fathomless Dungeon of Eternal Peril he has spent the last two months drawing up, but the player would rather have a city adventure as she is bored with dungeons. This can be frustrating for narrators when the player rejects the hook and, by definition, the adventure. When this happens the narrator is stuck without an adventure. In these situations, the narrator should let the player control the session, use a substitute adventure, or possibly go impromptu and just throw out some vignettes. It is better to have a loose mediocre session than to force an adventure on a player. Remember your work is not wasted, with a little repackaging parts of the Fathomless Dungeon of Eternal Peril could become the Palace of the Sewer King that is under the city and which the PC needs to explore to rescue a kidnapped friend, or perhaps the entire adventure could be used at a later point when the player is in the mood for a dungeon.
SCENES
Scenes are the heart of the adventure. With a dungeon the scenes are pretty much laid out geographically and thus chronologically, but with other adventures it gets more complicated. To get a grasp on this here are some basic questions:
A. Is there a timeline?
B. Where will the action happen?
C. What might the players do?
Once you answer these questions you will have an outline of scenes. Don't fret too much on the detail, but a crude map or two and some descriptive notes are all that you need. Remember players do not enjoy long flavor text. We will go over designing the challenges in the next outing, and for now all you need is some notes on the scenes.
VIGNETTES (Optional)
Vignettes are optional components of an adventure that are similar to the prelude as they give the PC either a 'slice-of-life' moment or a self-contained mini-adventure that is relatively quickly resolved. Vignettes are diversions that can be used to spice up an adventure, slow down the PC, or just add some depth to the setting. Vignettes are very useful when an adventure is dragging or the PC is flying through the adventure and there is a lot of time left in the session. The beauty of vignettes is that they can be dropped in an adventure as desired so you might have a few drawn up and can use them as needed over the course of several adventures.
CLIMAX
The climax is the really the point of the adventure, this is where the PC faces off against the dragon or reveals who the murderer is. It is hard to pull off a good climax and mostly impossible to pull off the ideal climax that is in your head. Just let the dice fall as they fall and don't try to force a climax. To be honest, I spend little time worrying about the climax and almost never design this part of the adventure. Let the hero find her climax and just make the most of it when it comes.
RESOLUTION
In group adventures this is mostly the rewarding of mechanical rewards (like XP), the dividing up of any treasure or spoils, and maybe some roleplaying of the reactions of key NPCs to the actions of the PCs. With duet adventures the roleplaying will be more significant, but it is generally the same. One thing to consider is that some resolutions may extend into future adventures. For example, if the PC killed the evil king at the end of the adventure the repercussions of this could extent throughout the campaign with a possible succession war, coronation of new king, appointment of new ministers, and maybe even coup attempts by former supporters of the evil king. Players do like it when a NPC mentions some past exploit they performed even if was years ago in game time.
"Good GMs create problems not solutions."
This is very, very, very important. Let's tackle an example: you decide that the Key of Loki (our MacGuffin) is in the possession of the CEO of Ragnorak Enterprises and that he has this item displayed prominently in his office which is in an orbiting office complex. You need to give some thought to what security is on the Key, but really you shouldn't worry about how the heroes will acquire it. There are a few reasons for this. First, it is fun to be surprised by your player. Second, if you have a solution in mind you make leak it to the player or worse force the player to only pursue that solution. Third, there are really too many variable for you to consider every option and there is no need to and this is a waste of time.
"Adventures should be fluid not rigid."
This is also very, very, very important. If the hero is going to kill your evil mastermind in scene 2 long before the climax so what? You can still keep your adventure mostly intact by having a lieutenant of the evil mastermind take over, but most likely the lieutenant is going to change the plan so you need to do this on the fly as well. This may seem difficult, but the trick is to know your characters and to be honest with the outcomes from the hero's actions. Players really appreciate this fluid approach and it is the mark of a highly skilled GM, though it really isn't that hard with a little practice.
So I have told you to not worry about solutions and that you should be fluid, but you still need a structure for the plot of your adventure. The thing to remember is that this structure is an outline, a guideline at best, of the adventure. When you can design an outline that is not only logical but modular then you have mastered writing adventures. Now adventures are usually organized both geographically and chronologically. So when you are organizing your adventure the outline should follow the route and timing you expect the adventure to follow.
Now I break down adventures into six components:
PRELUDE (Optional)
This is the opening of the adventure. Often with group adventures you can skip the prelude and go straight to the hook, but with duet adventures this is often a favorite part of the adventure. The goal for the prelude is to give the PC a 'slice of life' moment that can give either the PC or the setting a little more depth. It often will have little to do with the actual adventure, but can set the mood. Make sure the prelude is self-contained and has a clear beginning and end that will not occupy too much time. But if the player really is interested in a prelude then extend it and let the PC have some freedom. If a little humor or poignancy can be woven into the prelude it will be more potent.
HOOK
This is the method you use to get the PC to bite on the adventure so you can hook and reel her in. Hooks can vary greatly and include promises of wealth or power, missions to help friends or protect innocents, opportunities to defeat evil, orders from superiors, and so forth. With duet adventures the hook is incredibly important as the narrator should NEVER force an adventure on a reluctant player. When a player has freely chosen the hook it will make her more committed to completing the adventure, but when it is forced the player will be apathetic at best and possibly downright hostile to the adventure.
Usually, hooks only fail when the narrator is forcing an idea on a player that goes against the PC's goals or personality, or perhaps the player just doesn't want to pursue the hook. For example, the narrator really wants the PC to explore the Fathomless Dungeon of Eternal Peril he has spent the last two months drawing up, but the player would rather have a city adventure as she is bored with dungeons. This can be frustrating for narrators when the player rejects the hook and, by definition, the adventure. When this happens the narrator is stuck without an adventure. In these situations, the narrator should let the player control the session, use a substitute adventure, or possibly go impromptu and just throw out some vignettes. It is better to have a loose mediocre session than to force an adventure on a player. Remember your work is not wasted, with a little repackaging parts of the Fathomless Dungeon of Eternal Peril could become the Palace of the Sewer King that is under the city and which the PC needs to explore to rescue a kidnapped friend, or perhaps the entire adventure could be used at a later point when the player is in the mood for a dungeon.
SCENES
Scenes are the heart of the adventure. With a dungeon the scenes are pretty much laid out geographically and thus chronologically, but with other adventures it gets more complicated. To get a grasp on this here are some basic questions:
A. Is there a timeline?
B. Where will the action happen?
C. What might the players do?
Once you answer these questions you will have an outline of scenes. Don't fret too much on the detail, but a crude map or two and some descriptive notes are all that you need. Remember players do not enjoy long flavor text. We will go over designing the challenges in the next outing, and for now all you need is some notes on the scenes.
VIGNETTES (Optional)
Vignettes are optional components of an adventure that are similar to the prelude as they give the PC either a 'slice-of-life' moment or a self-contained mini-adventure that is relatively quickly resolved. Vignettes are diversions that can be used to spice up an adventure, slow down the PC, or just add some depth to the setting. Vignettes are very useful when an adventure is dragging or the PC is flying through the adventure and there is a lot of time left in the session. The beauty of vignettes is that they can be dropped in an adventure as desired so you might have a few drawn up and can use them as needed over the course of several adventures.
CLIMAX
The climax is the really the point of the adventure, this is where the PC faces off against the dragon or reveals who the murderer is. It is hard to pull off a good climax and mostly impossible to pull off the ideal climax that is in your head. Just let the dice fall as they fall and don't try to force a climax. To be honest, I spend little time worrying about the climax and almost never design this part of the adventure. Let the hero find her climax and just make the most of it when it comes.
RESOLUTION
In group adventures this is mostly the rewarding of mechanical rewards (like XP), the dividing up of any treasure or spoils, and maybe some roleplaying of the reactions of key NPCs to the actions of the PCs. With duet adventures the roleplaying will be more significant, but it is generally the same. One thing to consider is that some resolutions may extend into future adventures. For example, if the PC killed the evil king at the end of the adventure the repercussions of this could extent throughout the campaign with a possible succession war, coronation of new king, appointment of new ministers, and maybe even coup attempts by former supporters of the evil king. Players do like it when a NPC mentions some past exploit they performed even if was years ago in game time.
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