On (the Game of) Writing Adventures

A few weeks back Dave and Dan had another good episode discussing the "role" of the Dungeon Master in Dungeons & Dragons...what are the responsibilities of the DM, what are the expectations placed on the DM, and why they themselves enjoy running games. While I don't think their dialogue does much to put the topic to bed, the conversation raises some interesting "thinking points" for consideration.

One concept they reach, that I don't think unreasonable, is that while there clearly seems to be a number of responsibilities (hats worn) by a DM, many DMs (including themselves) have particular responsibilities they prefer more than others. To me, this is not unlike a player saying that the thrill of combat, or the solving of puzzles, or the interaction with NPCs is their preferred portion of exploring the imaginary environment of a campaign. Clearly, the majority of us play D&D because we enjoy what it offers, but some aspects of it offer more "juice" than others.

For me, MY particular preference is for designing and running adventures. Campaign or world building is actually a bit of a slog for me...it's a means to an end, that end being the parameters for a particular adventure. And yet, I would guess I am far away from the current norm of adventure design: I have little concern for plot or story arc or the design and writing of "interesting characters" (NPCs). I enjoy creating situations and scenarios for exploration and I do so in a formulaic fashion designed around the D&D system...based on whichever edition I happen to be using at the time. 

I outlined my basic design formula waaaay back in 2015 (about four years ago). It's the method I continue to use, more or less, and the method I am currently using to repurpose the 5E adventure Dragon of Icespire Peak. It's a system based mainly on treasure allocation compared to the expected level of player characters participating in the adventure, mixed in the proper proportions of monster-obstacle-rest that I have found fully functional for pacing in actual play.

Has anyone here ever taken a screenwriting class? For those who haven't (but who are interested in the process), I'd recommend Syd Field's Screenplay as the non-nonsense instructional work on how to write a solid film script. Films we watch may have more (or less) interesting stories than others, they may have more (or less) developed characters, they may have better (or worse) dialogue, but nearly all of them follow the exact same formula when it comes to writing them. Good, bad, or meh. There are reasons films tend to be the same length (120 minutes, or 90 for those aimed at younger audiences with shorter attention spans). The plot points, their pacing, are all based on standards established over the many decades of the film industry. 

For me, the fun and enjoyment of adventure design is found working within the formula that I choose to use (as outlined, in the main, by Tom Moldvay). The adventure in D&D is, after all, only a means to an end itself:

- It delivers the experience of D&D to the players.

- It provides the method (through reward) by which players advance, opening additional opportunities (i.e. content) for play.

Dragon of Icespire Peak, despite some interesting and creative ideas, is an extremely simplistic and (for my money) poor design hindered by the 5E's variant system of advancement...in this case, the "milestone" system of simply awarding a level of advancement upon successful quest completion.

[fun side note: I developed an alternate system of level advancement also using the term "milestones" long before 5E was published. This was back in 2010 and was inspired in part by Saga Star Wars's "destiny points" to represent a more streamlined bonus. Since my "B/X Star Wars" game (later re-named "Kloane War Knights") has yet to be published, its original format has not yet seen the light of day (other than this blog), but you can see the same application in my Five Ancient Kingdoms, copyright 2013...a year before 5E was published. Pay me, WotC!]

[yes, 4E had a "milestone" rule procedure; it was not related to the awarding of experience/levels]

ANYway...Dragon of Icespire Peak divides its various adventure scenarios (called "quests") into the following types: starting quests, follow-up quests (divided into two tiers), and the main dragon quest/fight. Characters are awarded one level for each starter quest up until 3rd level, one level for every two follow-up quests (presumably up to 6th), and then one more level for defeating the dragon. The adventure states that characters "should be 6th level" by the end of the adventure (and indeed, the box says it is designed to take characters from levels one to six), but a group of completist players are going to end up being 7th level by the letter of the milestone rules...and I'm not sure I'd buy that.

Here's the treasure yields I'm considering, using the B/X fighter level chart as a baseline (yes, AD&D fighters need more XP starting at level 5, but if you subtract the 10% experience bonus most such PCs would expect to have, it amounts to the same numbers or less):

Starter Quests: 10,000 g.p. each

Follow-Up Quests (tier 1): 10,000 g.p. each

Follow-Up Quests (tier 2): 20,000 g.p. each

Dragon (main) Quest: 80,000 g.p.

Considering that even a white dragon has treasure type H (average yield: 50,000 g.p.) this should be pretty doable. Icespire Hold has 24 encounter areas total (counting the two H22 areas as "A" and "B"), which works nicely with my formulaic approach:

8 monsters areas (4 have treasure)

4 trap/hazard areas (1 has treasure)

4 "special" areas (1 has treasure)

9 empty areas (1 has treasure)

With perhaps 1 "extra" treasure area. 

Rough treasure yields for the main quest will thus be:

40,000 g.p.

20,000 g.p. 

10,000 g.p.

5,000 g.p.

2,500 g.p.

1,250 g.p.

1,250 g.p. (or 625 g.p. x2)

These are parameters I'm happy to work with; more, I'm excited to work with them. Even using a formulaic system, I find it a cool challenge to see what I can come up with, working within self-imposed design limitations. I'm not concerned with the XP yield of monsters, as combat/killing monsters isn't a requirement of the D&D editions I run. That XP is incidental, and will (hopefully) make up the difference for treasure the party misses; I never expect PCs to find every last scrap of loot in an adventure site. As I'll be taking the same approach with every "quest" in the book, there will be more than enough potential XP (found treasure) to advance the PCs...assuming they play well enough to survive and find said treasure. 

I can understand if this seems like a "soulless" approach to adventure design, but I find it to be the opposite. In practice, I've discovered that taking care of the mechanical aspect of the award system up front provides me the freedom to run adventures to the best of my ability, managing the minutia, playing the NPC adversaries (and allies), creating the experience (through pacing and narration) in the players' minds that allows them to enjoy playing D&D. Involved story arcs and fancy plot devices are paltry in comparison.

KLOANE WAR KNIGHTS - C.5 P.2

SECRETS OF THE STAR KNIGHTS

The information in the first four chapters provides all the information necessary for a starting PC Star Knight. Referees can reveal the following “secrets” to PCs as their characters grow in power and ability.

Psychic Sensing

Having developed a connection to the Star Force, all psychics have a greater awareness of things around them. When they are calm and at peace (in other words, not in the middle of combat, or a chase sequence, or some other hairy adventure moment), the Referee can use this ability to reveal useful information and clues to the players. Some things a psychic’s intuition should naturally detect include the presence of life (and life forms), psychics, corrupt psychics (i.e. Shadow Lords), and old relations (including family, friends, and former foes). The range of a psychic’s senses is determined by the character’s tier:

Tier 1: City-wide (or ship-wide if on a large vessel)

Tier 2: Planet-wide

Tier 3: System-wide (possibly extending into nearby systems)

A 10^th level psychic of the third tier are so attuned to the Star Force that they can detect things on a galaxy-wide scale, but this ability will probably only be exhibited by NPCs in most games.

The presence of multiple “detectable” items can make it difficult to pinpoint a specific item (for example, locating a single, specific person in a city of people may be impossible unless in the same small building or room), so the Referee can feel free to limit psychic sensing to a “feeling” of someone’s “presence.” Also, use of the psychic talent mask presence can disguise a character’s personal “Star Force signature,” reducing the range of a psychic tracker’s senses by a number of range bands equal to the disguised character’s tier (for example, a second tier psychic using mask presence would reduce a third tier psychic’s sensing to “city-wide”). If the mask would reduce a psychic’s tier to zero the character could still be detected in the same building or room; if reduced below zero the masked psychic cannot be detected at all.

Mentors

Each PC Star Knight is presumed to have a mentor responsible for their training; however, the PCs' demonstration of exceptional ability (and the strains brought on by the war with the Kloanes) means they are not shepherded as closely as they may have otherwise been in more peaceful times. Some PCs’ mentors may no longer be available at all.  For each PC, roll on the following chart:

ROLL 1D8	MENTOR IS…
1 to 2	Deceased
3	Alive, but too old or crippled to adventure.
4 to 7	Alive, though usually unavailable
8	Alive, but fallen to Shadow

Roll D6 to determine the tier of living mentors: 1-3 Adept, 4-6 Master. Starting (first tier) Star Knights will usually receive their missions from a mentor, and mentors may be a source of additional information or aid to the PCs (at the Referee’s discretion); however, they are far too busy with adventures of their own to accompany the PCs. At the end of every mission, the Referee can roll D6 for each active PC mentor: on a roll of “1” the mentor is no longer available in any capacity (having died or fallen to Shadow).

‘Razor Construction

All Star Knights begin the game with a beamrazor and are expected to care for it with their lives; as with the ancient samurai’s katana sword, the ‘razor is considered both a tool and a symbol of the Star Knight’s honor and mission of galactic justice. It is presumed that each character received her beamrazor as a gift from her teacher, the mentor with whom she first apprenticed.

Purchasing a new beamrazor is generally outside the financial means of most PCs (credit code D). This is because they are not manufactured, but hand-crafted by a skilled Star Knight. Any Star Knight (or fallen Star Knight) of the second or third tier have the ability to construct a beamrazor; doing so requires a special credit check against credit code B. Characters add both their PRE adjustment AND their tier (+2 or +3) to the roll, but no other adjustments. Usually, Star Knights will only craft a beamrazor to replace one that has been lost to misadventure, or to gift to a new apprentice; they do not “sell them on the open market” (those available for sale have generally been stolen or taken from dead Star Knights).

A Star Knight using a beamrazor of her own construction receives a +1 bonus to attack rolls made while using the weapon.

Tiers and Trials

In order to advance in tier, characters must exemplify the honor and conscience of a dedicated Star Knight (generally, the “heroic ideal”) and pass the trials set down by tradition: the Trial of Fire and the Trial of Legacy. Each trial is described below:

Trial of Fire: character must survive single combat (i.e. “one-on-one”) with an opponent of equal or greater stature, usually defined as a beamrazor-wielding psychic of at least equal level. “Survival” means fighting until one combatant is incapacitated by wounds; the apprentice does not need to win the fight to succeed at the Trial of Fire, but it certainly reflects better on her if she does (not to mention Shadow Lords aren’t known for leaving defeated foes alive).

In the current age of the Kloane Wars, most apprentice Star Knights will eventually encounter a ‘razor-wielding opponent or two; the issue for the Referee is when and to provide such an opportunity.  Certainly, if PCs are seeking out such encounters the Referee shouldn’t withhold them; the Kloanes are just as interested in slaughtering Star Knights as they are in galactic conquest. But Shadow Lords are difficult opponents, and faced too early can result in dead PCs.

Star Knights who have achieved 4^th level but who are still only apprentices are sometimes offered the chance at a Trial of Fire with another Star Knight; this was the usual method of advancement before the Kloane Wars. The Star Knight will be pitted against a fellow PC or against an NPC Star Knight of equal level in a combat arranged by a mentor; such a combat is still fought in earnest until one opponent is reduced to 0 hit points, disarmed, or otherwise rendered helpless. Such combats seldom result in death (Star Knights instead choosing to grievously wound their opponents), but it has occurred on rare occasions, usually when one Knight bears a grudge against the other (but remember that a Star Knight always earns a corruption point for killing an “agent of the Star Force”).

Trial of Legacy: character must train a new apprentice to adept status. To train an apprentice the character must be an adept or master, and must actively search out and recruit a likely subject (if a suitable NPC is not already available the character may make a PRE check to find one, receiving one such check per game session). Such “found” apprentices are generated randomly:

ROLL 1D8	APPRENTICE CLASS IS…
1	High-Born*
2 to 3	Scientist
4 to 5	Scout
6 to 7	Technician
8	Soldier*

*High-born are less common than other character classes, while soldiers are less likely to be good candidates due to their violent nature.

The apprentice begins as a 1^st level Star Knight, and can either be “cut loose” immediately or allowed to accompany the mentor on missions. If the apprentice stays with the mentor, all XP earned by the mentor on adventures is divided evenly between the two (half and half).

NPC apprentices are controlled by the Referee, though they will generally follow the directions of their PC mentor. NPC apprentices do not acquire corruption points the same way as PC Star Knights; at the end of every mission, the PC mentor attempts a PRE save (add +1 if the mentor is a third tier master). Failure indicates the apprentice earned D4 corruption points during the adventure and must check for “falling to Shadow” (as described in Chapter 1).

Apprentices that are sent off on their own are handled differently. After a mission, the Referee awards the NPC XP equal to one-half what the PC mentor earned (though the mentor’s earned XP is not reduced), and then makes a PRE save for the NPC apprentice (again adding +1 if the PC mentor is a master) to see if corruption points are acquired. Because it is the lower level NPC making the PRE save (instead of the mentor), solo apprentices are much more likely to fall to Shadow than those who accompany their mentors.

To pass the Trial of Legacy, the apprentice must complete a Trial by Fire (see above). This might occur during a mission (if the NPC is accompanying the PC), or else can occur randomly (for solo NPCs). To determine random Trials, roll D6 every time the solo NPC achieves a level of experience: if the roll is less than the NPC’s new level, the apprentice has succeeded and both mentor and student are promoted to the next tier. However, if the D6 roll comes up a “6” the apprentice has been killed, and the Trial of Legacy failed.

A Star Knight may never mentor more than one apprentice at a time, regardless of whether the apprentice is accompanying the mentor or undertaking solo missions.

[to be continued] 

[Kloane War Knights is copyright 2013 by Jonathan Becker and Running Beagle Games. The X-Plorers rpg is copyright 2009, Dave Bezio & Grey Area Games. The X-Plorers trademark is used under the X-Plorers Trademark License]

KLOANE WAR KNIGHTS - C.5 P.1

CHAPTER 5: REFEREE’S GUIDE

THE REFEREE’S RESPONSIBILITIES

In addition to the responsibilities described in the X-Plorers rules, the Referee has a number of additional responsibilities associated with the KWN setting, especially with regard to player character development (both getting better and worse).

Handling PCs: Corruption

The corruption point mechanic is present for several reasons: it acts as an incentive to promote right (i.e. “heroic”) action, it adds a consequence to the irresponsible use of power, it provides justification for the existence of powerful antagonists equal to the PCs (“the Shadow Lords”), and it provides the potential for adventure stories of falling from grace and (hopefully) subsequent redemption.

That being said, not all players will be happy at the prospect of their characters falling to Shadow (and becoming NPCs). Especially with new players, the Referee should always point out when an action would gain a corruption point for the PC. Give the player a chance to reflect: Do you really want to do that? Even though players might act cavalier in their attitude as “do-gooders,” it’s important to remember that their characters have been trained to act and behave in a certain fashion; when a Referee informs players of the consequence of their actions he is simply acting as the voice of the character’s conscience and training.

Characters that “go over” to the Shadow side should generally become NPCs at the end of the game session. If the players are all interested in playing a game of psychically corrupt Shadow Lords fighting against the Galactic Republic, the Referee may decide to run the campaign in that way (pay special attention to the Damage & Death section of this book, as the PCs will be hunted by ‘razor-wielding Star Knights!).

It may seem odd that Corruption is considered a milestone, since such a character becomes an NPC under Referee control. However, Referees will no doubt wish to bring these tragic figures back as antagonists in future game sessions and the extra experience level ensures the NPC will be a tough challenge for the PCs that remain. Also, it’s always possible the PCs will find a way to redeem the character, or somehow convince the character to give up her evil ways. If that somehow happens (and the corrupted character survives the process), she will be even more powerful, having earned the milestone of Redemption.

A redeemed character retains a number of corruption points equal to her level of experience minus 1D4; if she ever goes over to Shadow again, her mind will be irretrievably shattered (the character becomes utterly psychotic or simply commits suicide) and cannot be recovered a second time. Such a character must walk a very narrow line, having almost no margin for error.

Remember: every time a character achieves a level of experience she can remove 1D4 corruption points from her character. Corruption can never be reduced below zero.

Handling PCs: Death of a Player Character

Given the war-torn background of the KWN setting, it is inevitable that some Star Knights will fall in battle. While this should usually be a somber moment for the group (remember Star Knights’ reverence for life, including their own!), it is important the Referee not lose sight that KWN is a game…and that a player with a dead character needs to be brought back into the game as quickly as possible! A player can take over an existing support character if one is available (NPC apprentices are the best for this), otherwise a new Star Knight can be created and dispatched to join the mission. Rather than requiring the player to begin play as a 1^st level character, the Referee may allow the new Star Knight to begin with XP equal to one-half that of the deceased character.

Characters that possess the ascension psychic talent, need not disappear entirely upon dying (as explained in the description of the talent), but ascended masters usually become NPCs under the control of the Referee, especially when the character’s former player is controlling a new (living and breathing) Star Knight.

Handling PCs: Milestones

Milestones are included for several reasons. They give players goals to achieve besides simple “fight the enemy, do the mission.” They allow players to better define their characters (and the campaign) over time by pursuing milestone objectives. They provide incentives for role-playing. They model the real world effect that such achievements usually grant to people. And they also provide a quicker method of advancement that rewards invested play…something vitally important to the melodrama of the space opera genre.

To some Referees, it may appear that the milestones are too easily met, or vulnerable to exploitation by over-ambitious players. For example, there’s nothing to prevent a player from saying “my dream has always been to leave my home world aboard a starship, and now that dream has been fulfilled…in the first session!” While some would object to such an “auto-level-up,” keep in mind that part of the purpose of milestones is to allow faster advancement at higher levels than would normally occur simply by fighting mooks. Players who use milestones at the early stages of their career will have slower advancement at latter stages. ALSO, many psychic talents (all of which are earned by level advancement) are unavailable to characters of low tier and characters that advance quickly through the lower levels without developing tier first may end up short-changing themselves.

In the end, however, milestones are present to provide incentive for players to become involved in subplots. The “grand romance” is a staple of the space opera genre; and yet without milestones there is no in-game benefit or reason to seek it out…despite the real life human condition of wanting companionship. Without milestones, why would any player want to take on the role of an elected dignitary or military general? The danger and responsibilities that come with the role certainly outweigh the benefits! And yet, people do seek positions of power and are changed by them, becoming more confident of their abilities as they grow in their office.

Milestones reward players for exploring other avenues of game play and are true to the genre of space opera. Players who choose to ignore them will take a long road to the heights of power; players who embrace them will reap the benefit while simultaneously helping enrich the campaign through their choices.

Handling PCs: Non-Star Knights

As stated in Chapter 1, it’s possible that players may want to play characters that are not Star Knights; alternatively, some Referees may want to use Star Knight characters in an otherwise “standard” game of X-Plorers (using either the KWN setting or a different one). Non-psychics are created in the standard fashion (and can use the High-Born class and/or the Alien rules found in this book); in place of a beamrazor, the PC can choose any one non-beamrazor weapon found in the equipment list (soldiers may choose TWO weapons). High-Born PCs may choose to start the game with a starship of Class 1 to 3, though they will still need to hire a crew for the ship.

XP gained should be adjusted when a group contains both Star Knights and non-Star Knights. If the Star Knights outnumber the non-Star Knights, all non-psychic PCs earn +10% XP for the mission; if the Star Knights are outnumbered by the “normal” PCs, the Star Knights receive a -10% penalty to earned XP.

It is possible that a non-psychic character will want to be trained by a Star Knight (who must be adept or master status). Undergoing psychic training takes a number of weeks equal to the non-psychics current level of experience, after which time the character must make a successful PRE save. Success indicates the character is now an apprentice (Tier 1) Star Knight (receiving two talents, a beamrazor, and a new beamrazor form). Such training counts as a milestone (the character goes up in level), and the PC becomes subject to all Star Knight rules, including psychic sensing (see below) and the acquisition of corruption points. Prior levels are not lost, but such a character will never be able to achieve the same level of power as a character that began their career as a Star Knight at 1^st level.

[to be continued]

[Kloane War Knights is copyright 2013 by Jonathan Becker and Running Beagle Games. The X-Plorers rpg is copyright 2009, Dave Bezio & Grey Area Games. The X-Plorers trademark is used under the X-Plorers Trademark License]