Writing Adventures

This is a blending of the WA One-Shot Adventure Template with my own notes

STEP ONE: The Villain

WHO is your Villain? Name, Occupation (this can be actual profession plus undercover/disguised as profession), Goal (life goal that the plan may or may not be one step closer to achieving), Attitude, Stake (what's at stake for the villain in this particular story), Stats if RPG
WHAT is your Villain planning to do?

• VILLAINOUS PLOTS

WHY does your Villain want to achieve their plan?
DOES your Villain have a deadline?
WHAT is your Villain using to carry out their plan?
EX: radiation zombies, a type of magic, super weapon, hacking, etc
WHY hasn't your Villain carried out their plan?
EX: they were double-crossed, needs to steal more money/ special items, needs more experimentation/ information, etc
EFFECTS of the Villain's plan that will be interacted with

• EX: a string of burglaries/ robberies/ murders, failed experiments wandering about, a ruined buildings to attempt to cover the Villain's tracks, etc

STEP TWO: Write the Beginning

WHERE does the adventure start, and why there?
THE HOOK: How do the characters hear about/ encounter your Villain's plan?

• SOME HOOK IDEAS

• Things to motivate characters to try and stop the plan:
  • Financial/Equipment gain

  • Moral/Deity Gain

  • Exploration/Information

  • Reputation

  • Personal stakes like friends, family, revenge

  • Character quests like avenge parents death, discover more about mysterious patron, self-improvement

  • Getting out of trouble

STEP THREE: Write the Adventure

All three of the following must be used for each incident/ encounter:

• LOCATION: Where is each event happening? (A place to add flavor and world lore)

• PROGRESSION: Some sort of method that gives the readers/rpg players a sense of progression in the story. This could be a clue or key information to “solve” an investigation/mystery, gathering pieces of a totem, dispatching a key henchman, freeing an NPC who can help them, etc.

• OBSTACLE: Things the characters need to overcome. This should not be too easy. EX: battle, trap, difficult terrain, a riddle, interrogate an NPC, etc

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STEP FOUR: The Plot Twist

Choose a complication! What is the big surprise/reveal/twist before your climax?

• SOME TWIST IDEAS

STEP FIVE: The Climax

WHERE does the final encounter with your Villain take place?
ADD an extra challenge:

• Additional units/reinforcements, etc

• Difficult terrains/ levels or cover, etc

• Conditions like dead magic bubbles, driving rain, frost, fireballs, lasers, etc

• Additional goals like stop the portal opening, prevent escape, extract the truth, keep the villain alive, get close enough to touch with magical device, etc

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STEP SIX: Epilogue

• If the villain has been defeated, how will the world change?

• Is there an additional reward for the characters?

• Which loose ends to the story need resolving?

• Does this set up a subsequent adventure?

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE AN ADVENTURE/ STORY!
NOW, GET WRITING!

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