Dungeons and Dragons - How To Create A Single, One Time Adventure
Dungeons and Dragons - How To Create A Single, One Time Adventure
You may play a game adventure module, or even be running quite close to the end of a long running campaign you have running over several adventure modules, but what if you have no other modules or new campaigns when you finish? Is another option that you can choose to use?
Yes there is a simple solution. Enter the quick adventure. The quick adventure is an adventure for your players to run with, yet it may be completed within 2-6 hours and it is mostly run on the fly by you, the dungeon master. Yet with a few ground rules to help keep things on track, your adventuring party are in for a great one single event of play.
What do you need? Players, yes, dungeon master, check, food and beverages, yes got those as well. A few interesting bits and pieces to help keep it all running, your entire campaign for this one single afternoon or evening can be mapped out on a single sheet of paper.
Let's go through simple and straight forward steps to help with setting up your quick adventure.
Step 1 - Theme - decide on an event or main task for your players to complete. Delve into a deep, dark dungeon, slay the monsters & grab the treasure. Or will the play be more like a save the damsel, or stop a thieves guild from stealing a priceless object, or save a princess from an assassination attempt.
Step 2 - Location - decide on a location, a dungeon, a township, a city, a vast and dank castle, a stifling hot desert, lush and green forest or other location of your choosing
Step 3 - Timings - try and keep your players on track, if they linger too long around an area, or a non player character conversation is taking to much time, or they cannot find a secret door they know is there, help them along.
Step 4 - Keep on track - have your party of adventurers hit the different key areas in your mini campaign. If they are a little behind, skip a beat, if they are ahead and are at chapter twenty when they should be at chapter twelve, slow them up.
Step 5 - Provide the unusual - throw in something unique for that one day of game play, previously weak creatures, the ones that are easily killed, are now as strong as your adventurers; spells of third level fail to work, your party members must attack anyone wearing a red sash.
Don't forget to make it fun, this may make for an interactive process stimulating much more focus on role play. Since as you play for the one sole event for 2-6 hours, there's no real time for mapping, heavy investigation in an area or lengthy non player and character conversations. The pace must flow, and be constant and continual like a quick drum beat.
Yes there is a simple solution. Enter the quick adventure. The quick adventure is an adventure for your players to run with, yet it may be completed within 2-6 hours and it is mostly run on the fly by you, the dungeon master. Yet with a few ground rules to help keep things on track, your adventuring party are in for a great one single event of play.
What do you need? Players, yes, dungeon master, check, food and beverages, yes got those as well. A few interesting bits and pieces to help keep it all running, your entire campaign for this one single afternoon or evening can be mapped out on a single sheet of paper.
Let's go through simple and straight forward steps to help with setting up your quick adventure.
Step 1 - Theme - decide on an event or main task for your players to complete. Delve into a deep, dark dungeon, slay the monsters & grab the treasure. Or will the play be more like a save the damsel, or stop a thieves guild from stealing a priceless object, or save a princess from an assassination attempt.
Step 2 - Location - decide on a location, a dungeon, a township, a city, a vast and dank castle, a stifling hot desert, lush and green forest or other location of your choosing
Step 3 - Timings - try and keep your players on track, if they linger too long around an area, or a non player character conversation is taking to much time, or they cannot find a secret door they know is there, help them along.
Step 4 - Keep on track - have your party of adventurers hit the different key areas in your mini campaign. If they are a little behind, skip a beat, if they are ahead and are at chapter twenty when they should be at chapter twelve, slow them up.
Step 5 - Provide the unusual - throw in something unique for that one day of game play, previously weak creatures, the ones that are easily killed, are now as strong as your adventurers; spells of third level fail to work, your party members must attack anyone wearing a red sash.
Don't forget to make it fun, this may make for an interactive process stimulating much more focus on role play. Since as you play for the one sole event for 2-6 hours, there's no real time for mapping, heavy investigation in an area or lengthy non player and character conversations. The pace must flow, and be constant and continual like a quick drum beat.
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