> [!info] Work In Progress ## Anatomy of a Campaign ### Theme ### Ultimate Evil ### Setting ### Player Purpose ## Anatomy of a Quest ### Objective ### Setting ### Habitation ## Anatomy of a Scene ### Goal ### Challenge ### Clues and Signs ## Notes Nonlinear * Inter-connected zones with chokepoints * Distinct zones with connection points * Central Hub with branching zones * Open: single zone with web-like connections between rooms * Linear connections between zones Dangerous * Ambush * Dangerous captive * Distracted opponents * Increasing danger * obscuring effects * toll road * tricky magic * triggered danger Interesting * behind your back * dead/inhibitor zone * evidence of failure * foreshadowing * hidden among copies * innocent captive * magic on a timer * message left behind * talkative monsters * fast travel Valuables * combat aftermath * concealed objects * deceptive object * fragile object * red herring * safe haven * secret meeting place * too big or heavy Treasure should be discrete items, not just coins Dungeon environment should be reactive, changing as a result of character action The basic structure of a quest is simple, but infinitely complex. (Explore the "5 room dungeon" method.) Present situations, not plots, and play to find out what happens. Give players as much narrative control as they can handle. 1. Receive The Quest: what needs to be accomplished or a rumor that needs to be investigated 2. Getting There: locate and travel to the quest, foreshadow future challenges 3. Being There: crawling the dungeon and searching for the quest objective, main challenges (5-room dungeon) 4. Wrap Up: Return to the guild, downtime Most conflicts should last no more than 3 or 4 turns. ### Quest Themes 1. Fetch a thing 2. Delivery a thing 3. Escort a person/creature 4. Discover something about the world 5. Investigation a mystery 6. Travel to a destination 7. Interaction with an interesting person 8. Master a new skill or ability 9. Kill a creature/person 10. Survive an onslaught or danger 11. Protect somebody 12. Destroy a thing ### Quest Components - A story, why does this place exist and what happened? - Multiple paths through the quest; PCs should have choices. - NPCs that fight and those that talk. - Something strange to be discovered. - Multiple exclusive objectives. - A discovery or twist that turns the quest into a question and hints at future quests. Beasts and Monsters should be scary, there are no simple conflicts and there are no filler fights. - Add an unusual characteristic to the beast: scales on a bear or horns on a rabbit. - Add an unusual power to the beast: snakes that fly or invisible spiders. Some quests may be known and specific, "kill the monster eating my sheep", or vague and uncertain, "we received a garbled warning from the East, go investigate". ## Give Choices Players should have the choice of three quests. 1. A quest that gives lots of resources (RP) that can be used to 'level up'. 2. A quest that grants a powerful item or piece of equipment. 3. A quest that grants reputation or advances a long term project. # Event Design Prepared events should have at least these three components. - **Description**: What does it look like to the player characters? - **Reality**: What is actually happening, which should be different than what it looks like it in some way. - **Possibility**: What are the motivations of the NPCs, why are they in this situation and what are they trying to accomplish? What resources do they have to accomplish that goal? ## License Asmythe TTRPG is published under the [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)