Adventure Problemo.... [Archive] - Wizards Community

Adventure Problemo.... [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
DarkLord93
05-16-06, 08:11 AM Hello fellow DMs. As a DM I desprately nedd some advice on how to make the ADVENTURES FUN and I mean FUN. Okay, here is the problem. No matter what campain or what adventure I make, It`s not fun. Something is missing in my adventure. I don`t know how to describe the word FUN. The PCs seem to be bored, no matter what I make. It`s like they go into a room, I describe it, they do what they do, get something, end of story they go into another room they do the same thing over and over, I know my adventures are reeeeeaaaal boring so thats why I need some help. The PCs don`t seem to be enthusiastic about any of anything. I've rea the DMG, and DMG2 and PH over and over but.... it just won`t come to me. Please give me some help. I'm the only one in ( maybe the whole country cause I`m in Korea , I dont know ) the city I think and all of them are trusting me to do a good job. They like the adventures with some fights,role-playing,exploring and getting cool stuff. Please help me out.
Illion the Red
05-16-06, 09:05 AM This is a tough one to address. The problem could be anywhere - literally. As such, there is likely no quick fix. You need to identify what your players actually enjoy. The best way to do this is to ask them. Talk to them and explain the situation as you see it and express your desire to make it an even better experience for them - but you need their help.

It may take a while for them to be able to fully express (or discover) what it is about any particular session they find fun. Use that knowledge to design adventures.

Another possible tack to take is to get the players involved in the worldbuilding for the setting in which their adventures will take place. Get their input into NPCs, organizations, and governments. This could give them a vested interst in the game and a sense of excitement when they encounter elements of the "Guild of the Seven Stars" that they helped write the history for. They may not know the current leadership of the guild, but they may just be excited for their characters to uncover some of the history that they, as players, already know.

Other things that I have found that players generally find fun:

- Anything that ties into their characters' backgrounds or futures.
- Dealing with things that no one else has ever seen.
- Staring death in the eye and watching death blink.
- Recognition - be it royal, local, worldwide, or within an organization.

Hope that helps some...
Leilond
05-16-06, 09:08 AM Leave the old "room by room" adventures.
Mistery, investigation, city underground search of information, guards corruption with a "good drink"... Wait in the shadow to see where that f...ing barman go at night

The "open door and do something" part is ONLY the final (and not necessary) end of adventure. And this too must be REALISTIC. If you open a door and fight some enemies, all enemies in the same floor will be aware of them... do not play every room as it is "sound isolated" from others.
Do not give them "go there and clean the doungeon" adventure... they must DISCOVER where the "doungeon" is, what can be found there, how to prepare and so on... Fighting and doungeon exploring are the "dice part" of the game, not the game
And another thing: throw enemy's dices where your players can see them... they'll be really MORE interested in what you're doing if the can see directly the "to hit dice" and most of all "the damage dice!!"... they will look with great attention to understand every monster how much is powerfull and if it's time to flee or to fight

You'll read a lot of Excelent suggestion here... better than mines ;)
erc1971
05-16-06, 09:30 AM Illion the Red is correct. The problem could lie in several different areas of your DM'ing and/or possibly the players.

One peice of advice I can give is try to make the world come alive, make your descriptions breathe.

Instead of telling them the meet the mayor in his office...Tell them they enter through the solod, polished mahogany doors. They find themselves in a richly appointed office. The walls are covered with trophies of the mayor's previous adventuring life (describe a few of the trophies). Several coats of arms and rewards are hung behind his desk revealing that he is on good terms with several local lords and barons, this man is one deserving of respect. The mayor himself is starting to get up thier in age, as the wrinkles beginning to form on his face and his salt and pepper colored hair reveal. However, he still appears to be a formidable man, his chest and arms well muscled, he could definately hold his own. With a powerful, yet friendly voice, he beings to speak...

This only took a few extra seconds of time (unlike me typing which took a few minutes ;) ), yet it adds life and flavor to the game. The players might be curious as to what exactly he did in his past, it could spark interest with them, and even lead to adventure hooks down the line.

Combat...oh, how I love combat. Ok, "The Orc takes 7 damage and drops" Now, that just sucks. Get enthrusiastic, let your arms wave, and describe to them in gory detail what happens, but them on the battlefield. "The orc's face tenses in fear as he watches your greatsword swing down upon him. The blade smashes through his crude shield and down onto him. You can feel his skull crushing as he is slain by your might blow, blood and gore spraying from his ruined head as he collapses to the ground."

Again, this only takes an extra second or two. Granted, you need to have a large variety of violent images in your head to keep the descriptions varied, but it really enhances things. For one, it makes the players feel more powerful. And, when you are playing a game where they are supposed to be mighty heroes, there is nothing wrong with that. Descriptions like this are really going to get thier minds flowing. They will be imagining the battle going on around them while eliminating thier foes, they will see thier friends wounded in battle, and visualize themselves charging deeper into the fray to save them. Etc, etc. Bring it alive, and the players should get into it in no time.

I hope this helps, granted this just covers a small slice of the overall picture of DM'ing, but it could help spark greater interest.

Eric
wrecan
05-16-06, 09:30 AM You need an engaging plot.

A series of rooms with stuff in it is boring.

There should be a story that goes along with the journey. And one that can mirror what the PCs are going through.

For example, let's take a campaign of seasoned adventurers. They are all ready to go off to a recently discovered dungeon to do their typical sacking and looting. Just before they leave, a local lord comes ot them. He has just inherited a large estate, but one that is overrun with goblins and he wants the party's help in clearing out the goblinoids. He can't offer much money, but if the party is successful, he can offer them positions in the new territory, which would give them prestige. He is leaving in a month, and he wants the party to think about it.

The party enters the dungeon, which turns out to be the ruined catacombs of a castle governed once by an evil lord turned necromance. The walls tell the story of his plight. He began life as a good-aligned wizard. He came across a land terrorized by a dragon. He killed the dragon. The people needed a protector. He became the protector. But he was too weak to defend the territory alone. He asked others to help and was rebuffed. In desperation, he increased his power by becoming a lich. Slowly, the undead power corrupted him and made him evil. Adventurers then came and imprisoned him in this dungeon, where he has been trapped a thousand years.

The adventure ends with a confrontation with the lich. He protests he is not a bad person. He is a good person who made bad choices because he was alone.

After the party leaves the dungeon, the nobleman comes to him for help again. The themes of the dungeon resonate with their choice. Can they handle the responsibility of running a territory? If they don't, what desperate measures might the noblemen take? If they do, what depsrate measures might they have to take? Whatever their decision is, you can be sure that they will remember the adventure.

By making the story personal, my experience is that the players are more engaged. And being engaged usually translates into having fun.

It's a lot better than... You enter a room and find...[roll]... bugbears... [roll] 4 bugbears... [roll] with a chest of ... [roll]... 3000 sp and ... [roll]... a pair of bracers and... [roll]... a tapestry and... [roll] a small sized bastard sword...
Sereno
05-16-06, 01:09 PM There isn't actually a lot of good ideas for writing D&D adventures in the Core books.

If writing more complex adventures than your basic dungeon-delve is difficult for you ... I'd suggest getting a couple months worth of Dungeon magazine.

Each month features a low-, mid- and high-level adventure; generally speaking they are high-quality and most of the ones I've ever played were fun. An issue is only about $8.

They are usually set up to show you how to run them without needing to resort to "you walk into a room...."

Each one will have background information, event descriptions, NPC descriptions, artwork, maps ... everything you need to run fun adventures and, far more important, learn how to write good adventures for yourself.

Writing a good adventure is a lot like writing a good story ... if you don't have a lot of experience you probably won't do very well.

There are a lot of good resources right here on Wizards' site, too. The Vicious Venues are great for sparking imagination AND provide a single complete encounter. There used to be a series called "The Cliffhangers" which as a series of adventures modules meant to be run one-per-session and each end at a, you guessed it, a cliffhanger! :) They're probably still available in the archives. Not to mention that there are a lot of free adventure modules available, too.

Read, read, read ... then read some more. :) The more familiar you are with the forms of fantasy fiction, the better you'll be able to write stories which will lead to writing better adventures.

Keep trying and don't give up ... it's worth the work.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DarkLord93 05-16-06, 08:11 AM	Hello fellow DMs. As a DM I desprately nedd some advice on how to make the ADVENTURES FUN and I mean FUN. Okay, here is the problem. No matter what campain or what adventure I make, It`s not fun. Something is missing in my adventure. I don`t know how to describe the word FUN. The PCs seem to be bored, no matter what I make. It`s like they go into a room, I describe it, they do what they do, get something, end of story they go into another room they do the same thing over and over, I know my adventures are reeeeeaaaal boring so thats why I need some help. The PCs don`t seem to be enthusiastic about any of anything. I've rea the DMG, and DMG2 and PH over and over but.... it just won`t come to me. Please give me some help. I'm the only one in ( maybe the whole country cause I`m in Korea , I dont know ) the city I think and all of them are trusting me to do a good job. They like the adventures with some fights,role-playing,exploring and getting cool stuff. Please help me out.
Illion the Red 05-16-06, 09:05 AM	This is a tough one to address. The problem could be anywhere - literally. As such, there is likely no quick fix. You need to identify what your players actually enjoy. The best way to do this is to ask them. Talk to them and explain the situation as you see it and express your desire to make it an even better experience for them - but you need their help. It may take a while for them to be able to fully express (or discover) what it is about any particular session they find fun. Use that knowledge to design adventures. Another possible tack to take is to get the players involved in the worldbuilding for the setting in which their adventures will take place. Get their input into NPCs, organizations, and governments. This could give them a vested interst in the game and a sense of excitement when they encounter elements of the "Guild of the Seven Stars" that they helped write the history for. They may not know the current leadership of the guild, but they may just be excited for their characters to uncover some of the history that they, as players, already know. Other things that I have found that players generally find fun: - Anything that ties into their characters' backgrounds or futures. - Dealing with things that no one else has ever seen. - Staring death in the eye and watching death blink. - Recognition - be it royal, local, worldwide, or within an organization. Hope that helps some...
Leilond 05-16-06, 09:08 AM	Leave the old "room by room" adventures. Mistery, investigation, city underground search of information, guards corruption with a "good drink"... Wait in the shadow to see where that f...ing barman go at night The "open door and do something" part is ONLY the final (and not necessary) end of adventure. And this too must be REALISTIC. If you open a door and fight some enemies, all enemies in the same floor will be aware of them... do not play every room as it is "sound isolated" from others. Do not give them "go there and clean the doungeon" adventure... they must DISCOVER where the "doungeon" is, what can be found there, how to prepare and so on... Fighting and doungeon exploring are the "dice part" of the game, not the game And another thing: throw enemy's dices where your players can see them... they'll be really MORE interested in what you're doing if the can see directly the "to hit dice" and most of all "the damage dice!!"... they will look with great attention to understand every monster how much is powerfull and if it's time to flee or to fight You'll read a lot of Excelent suggestion here... better than mines ;)
erc1971 05-16-06, 09:30 AM	Illion the Red is correct. The problem could lie in several different areas of your DM'ing and/or possibly the players. One peice of advice I can give is try to make the world come alive, make your descriptions breathe. Instead of telling them the meet the mayor in his office...Tell them they enter through the solod, polished mahogany doors. They find themselves in a richly appointed office. The walls are covered with trophies of the mayor's previous adventuring life (describe a few of the trophies). Several coats of arms and rewards are hung behind his desk revealing that he is on good terms with several local lords and barons, this man is one deserving of respect. The mayor himself is starting to get up thier in age, as the wrinkles beginning to form on his face and his salt and pepper colored hair reveal. However, he still appears to be a formidable man, his chest and arms well muscled, he could definately hold his own. With a powerful, yet friendly voice, he beings to speak... This only took a few extra seconds of time (unlike me typing which took a few minutes ;) ), yet it adds life and flavor to the game. The players might be curious as to what exactly he did in his past, it could spark interest with them, and even lead to adventure hooks down the line. Combat...oh, how I love combat. Ok, "The Orc takes 7 damage and drops" Now, that just sucks. Get enthrusiastic, let your arms wave, and describe to them in gory detail what happens, but them on the battlefield. "The orc's face tenses in fear as he watches your greatsword swing down upon him. The blade smashes through his crude shield and down onto him. You can feel his skull crushing as he is slain by your might blow, blood and gore spraying from his ruined head as he collapses to the ground." Again, this only takes an extra second or two. Granted, you need to have a large variety of violent images in your head to keep the descriptions varied, but it really enhances things. For one, it makes the players feel more powerful. And, when you are playing a game where they are supposed to be mighty heroes, there is nothing wrong with that. Descriptions like this are really going to get thier minds flowing. They will be imagining the battle going on around them while eliminating thier foes, they will see thier friends wounded in battle, and visualize themselves charging deeper into the fray to save them. Etc, etc. Bring it alive, and the players should get into it in no time. I hope this helps, granted this just covers a small slice of the overall picture of DM'ing, but it could help spark greater interest. Eric
wrecan 05-16-06, 09:30 AM	You need an engaging plot. A series of rooms with stuff in it is boring. There should be a story that goes along with the journey. And one that can mirror what the PCs are going through. For example, let's take a campaign of seasoned adventurers. They are all ready to go off to a recently discovered dungeon to do their typical sacking and looting. Just before they leave, a local lord comes ot them. He has just inherited a large estate, but one that is overrun with goblins and he wants the party's help in clearing out the goblinoids. He can't offer much money, but if the party is successful, he can offer them positions in the new territory, which would give them prestige. He is leaving in a month, and he wants the party to think about it. The party enters the dungeon, which turns out to be the ruined catacombs of a castle governed once by an evil lord turned necromance. The walls tell the story of his plight. He began life as a good-aligned wizard. He came across a land terrorized by a dragon. He killed the dragon. The people needed a protector. He became the protector. But he was too weak to defend the territory alone. He asked others to help and was rebuffed. In desperation, he increased his power by becoming a lich. Slowly, the undead power corrupted him and made him evil. Adventurers then came and imprisoned him in this dungeon, where he has been trapped a thousand years. The adventure ends with a confrontation with the lich. He protests he is not a bad person. He is a good person who made bad choices because he was alone. After the party leaves the dungeon, the nobleman comes to him for help again. The themes of the dungeon resonate with their choice. Can they handle the responsibility of running a territory? If they don't, what desperate measures might the noblemen take? If they do, what depsrate measures might they have to take? Whatever their decision is, you can be sure that they will remember the adventure. By making the story personal, my experience is that the players are more engaged. And being engaged usually translates into having fun. It's a lot better than... You enter a room and find...[roll]... bugbears... [roll] 4 bugbears... [roll] with a chest of ... [roll]... 3000 sp and ... [roll]... a pair of bracers and... [roll]... a tapestry and... [roll] a small sized bastard sword...
Sereno 05-16-06, 01:09 PM	There isn't actually a lot of good ideas for writing D&D adventures in the Core books. If writing more complex adventures than your basic dungeon-delve is difficult for you ... I'd suggest getting a couple months worth of Dungeon magazine. Each month features a low-, mid- and high-level adventure; generally speaking they are high-quality and most of the ones I've ever played were fun. An issue is only about $8. They are usually set up to show you how to run them without needing to resort to "you walk into a room...." Each one will have background information, event descriptions, NPC descriptions, artwork, maps ... everything you need to run fun adventures and, far more important, learn how to write good adventures for yourself. Writing a good adventure is a lot like writing a good story ... if you don't have a lot of experience you probably won't do very well. There are a lot of good resources right here on Wizards' site, too. The Vicious Venues are great for sparking imagination AND provide a single complete encounter. There used to be a series called "The Cliffhangers" which as a series of adventures modules meant to be run one-per-session and each end at a, you guessed it, a cliffhanger! :) They're probably still available in the archives. Not to mention that there are a lot of free adventure modules available, too. Read, read, read ... then read some more. :) The more familiar you are with the forms of fantasy fiction, the better you'll be able to write stories which will lead to writing better adventures. Keep trying and don't give up ... it's worth the work.