Story Scenes

The easiest way to run an adventure is by breaking it up into a series of scenes. Like the scenes in a movie, the adventure and story unfolds as the PCs move from scene to scene. Each scene consists of the events that take place at a certain location and time. Within the scene, the PCs interact with the world: talking to NPCs, solving puzzles, fighting monsters, and saving the day. The outcome of the scenes determines how the story progresses, and often influences what scene will happen next. As the Gamemaster, you are responsible for creating the scenes, presenting the challenges within them, and moving the story from scene to scene.

For example, if the story is about saving a princess, it could consist of the following scenes: The PCs meet with the King, who gives them the quest to save his daughter from the evil bandits. In the next scene, the PCs hit up the local seedy tavern to get directions to the bandits lair. Following that, the PCs arrive at the bandits hideout and encounter a guardian monster. After defeating the guardian, the PCs confront the bandit leader deep in the hideout and convince him to let the princess go. The final scene consists of the PCs returning the princess home to the king and being rewarded handsomely for their efforts.

Creating a Story Scene

Once you have determined the scenes you want to create, you can begin to give each scene depth and detail. Each scene consists of the following components: Description, Objective, and Content.

The description is a narrative of what the character's experience when they enter the scene. It consists of what the characters see, hear, smell, taste, and feel and can help to set a tone for the scene. As the Gamemaster, the players depend on your description to visualize the environment. The better your description, the more accurate mental picture your players will form of the PCs location. Your description can also supply a tone for the scene, letting players know how the environment makes the PCs feel, by using evocative language like suffocating darkness or comforting warmth. See Setting the Scene for more details on setting descriptions.

The objective represents what the Gamemaster needs the scene to accomplish, such as providing a piece of information, presenting a combat challenge, or allowing the PCs to Roleplay and gain influence. When the objective has been presented, and the PCs have dealt with what has been presented, the Gamemaster is finished and can move onto the next scene. This objective will vary based on the type of scene (see Types of Scenes below). Some scenes will have more than one objective, while others will have objectives created by the players themselves (such as "I want to shop for a new shield.")

In some scenes, it will be helpful to have a Contingency: what to do if you are not able to complete the scene objective. This could require moving the objective to another scene, giving PCs information in another way, or changing the course of the story in response to the loss of that objective.

The content is the creatures, objects, and events that you fill the scene with. Like the objective, the content of a scene often depends on the type of scene that you have created. For example, a combat scene will have some sort of combat opponent (and combat stats for that opponent), while a social scene will have an NPC for the players to converse with (and likely social stats for that opponent). The content of scenes will be described in more detail in the Types of Scenes section below.

Types of Scenes

Most scenes fit into one of the following categories: Information, Combat, Social, or Obstacle. Ideally, when creating your adventure, you want to have a variety of different scene types to keep the gameplay fresh and exciting. Every group of players is different, and each person will take to some types of scenes over others. In the beginning, make sure to vary the types of scenes you use, then tailor how you create scenes in the future to be more in line with what you players enjoy.

It is important to remember that a single game scene can serve as multiple scene types and have multiple or changing objectives. A Social Scene may also serve as a Information Scene. Similarly, a particular scene could be a Social Scene or a Combat Scene, depending on the choices the PCs make. An Obstacle Scene could become a Combat Scene, if the PCs fail to safely cross the pit of venomous snakes.

Information Scenes

Like their name implies, information scenes are primarily responsible for conveying information to the PCs. Sometimes this information could be something crucial to the plot, such as the PCs learning the princess was kidnapped or that goblins attacked a caravan. Sometimes this information is not directly important to the plot, but could provide some sort of foreshadowing, such as "you notice the forest is eerily silent." Information scenes can also simply be used to introduce a location or NPC, or help to give the world flavor, set a tone, and build the setting. Your objective in these scenes it to get the information to the PCs. Once they have the information, you can run the scene to a natural ending and move on to the next scene.

There are a number of ways that the PCs can gain information in a scene. It can be given to them by an NPC, overheard from another conversation, read in a letter, researched at a library, shown in a prophetic vision, by finding a physical clue, etc. The content of your scene will depend on the mode you choose, but usually only requires you to create a description of the scene or minor NPC personality.

Don't be afraid to give information to the character's readily, especially when it is crucial to the plot. If you'd like, you can create a barrier to the PCs finding information: such as requiring an investigation of a robbery, an NPC asking a favor in exchange, or requiring a Charm skill check to gather rumors. When you do put forth such barriers, make sure the information isn't crucial to your story, or if it is that the PCs are reasonably assured of success. Alternatively, you can have the PCs gain the important information even on a failure, but grant them extra information that gives them an edge with success. Creating such barriers requires you to determine the appropriate skill checks or circumstances required for obtaining the information.

For example, Jeremy's first scene has the PCs in the local tavern. The objective of this scene is to build a little setting and provide some information (the Ancient Ruins). By the end of the scene, the PCs should learn the following information:

  • The small rural town is set somewhat on the edge of civilization. It draws inhabitants looking to carve out a life for themselves on the frontier.
  • There are Ancient Ruins about a days ride to the east (with not much else in between). They occasionally attract the odd academic, but most investigators leave with more questions than they came with. No one is exactly sure why they are there or who put them there.
Anyone in the bar would be able give this information to the PCs, if engaged in friendly conversation. If the PCs don't initiate conversation, the barmaid or bartender will strike up a conversation, asking why the PCs came to town.

Combat Scenes

Combat Scenes are those in which the PCs are expected to get into a Combat Encounter with a creature or group of creatures. Combat encounters add action to a game and are designed to provide the PCs with a direct challenge. Some combats will be closely associated with the plot, providing a challenge the PCs must overcome to reach their goal. Other combats can simply be inserted to enhance the story and provide some action when the pacing feels slow.

The objective of a Combat encounter is to present the players with a physical conflict. This requires you to decide the types and number of creatures that the party will face. The Designing a Combat Encounter section will provide you with guidelines as to how to build an appropriate encounter for your PCs. Within the scene, the Gamemaster will be expected to run the opponent's side of battle, which is described in more detail in the Running a Combat Encounter section. The PCs (and a bit of luck) will decide the outcome of the scene: whether the PCs persevere over their enemies or are defeated to fight another day.

When designing a Combat Encounter, it helps to have an idea of the opponent's motivation, so you can effectively make decisions for them within the scene. First off, know why the opponents are in the scene and what motivates them to attack. For example, if the PCs are trying to rescue the princess, they may find and attack the bandits at their hideout. The bandits, in this case, fight to prevent the PCs from getting to the princess. Alternatively, if the PCs come across an Ogre in the woods, that Ogre may simply be traveling through it's natural hunting ground and see the PCs as a tasty snack.

When a combat scene is central to your storyline, the PC's success or failure can significantly influence the course of the story. When this is the case, it helps to know the result of both scenarios and how they will affect the story. If the villains succeed, it might not necessarily mean complete failure on the part of the PCs. Perhaps the villains simply get the upper hand and have an asset in the next encounter. Or the PCs could be captured and must now attempt escape. Whenever possible, try to plan a contingency for if the PCs are defeated in the scene, preferably one that does not completely end the adventure (at least until the PCs get to the climax of the adventure).

For example, Jeremy's next scene involves a group of cultists attacking the local Inn. The objective of this scene is to provide the PCs an easy combat challenge and introduce one of the antagonist groups of the adventure.

The cultists have heard that a traveler arrived with a mysterious box, so they attack the Inn in hopes of finding the box. Hearing the ruckus, the PCs are expected to jump into the fray. If they don't, the cultists will attack the tavern next, searching for the traveler who arrived with the box. When the battle looks to be no longer going their way, the cultists will flee.

Should the PCs fail to drive off the cultists, the PCs will merely be left unconscious (never killed), and the cultists will flee after a few minutes (once their actions have started to attract too much attention from the rest of the town). Regardless of the PCs success or failure, the cultists are unable to find the box.

Social Scenes

Social Scenes are those in which the PCs are expected to interact with one or more NPCs, usually with the purpose of gaining something from the interaction. The PCs could hope to obtain information, gain Influence that will benefit them later on (i.e. making friends with the mayor couldn't hurt), or Convince the NPC to act in a certain way (i.e. convince the guard to let them through the town gate). The Gamemaster's objective in these scenes is to provide PCs the opportunity to engage in roleplay with a particular NPC in attempts to achieve their goal. Alternatively, the Gamemaster can present the PCs with a Social Challenge: where the NPC represents an obstacle that the PCs can overcome with a Social Encounter (i.e. convincing the local militia of an impending attack).

As Gamemaster, you are responsible for roleplaying and making decisions for the NPC in a Social Scene. This usually involves knowing a little bit about that NPC: their likes and dislikes, their job or position in society, and their role in the story. It helps to have a distinct personality for the NPC, especially if they serve an important role, as this will make them more memorable for your players. You will also need to know if the NPC has any Prejudices that will affect how they interact with the PCs. See Creating Non-Player Characters for more details on NPC Social Statistics.

When an NPC interaction or Social Challenge is crucial to the story, it is important to have a contingency in place for if the PCs fail. For example, if the PCs fail to get the information from the Innkeeper, is there someone else who could provide the information? Or if the PCs cannot convince the guard to let them through, is there another way into the town? Ideally, failing a Social Challenge will make furthering the story harder, but not impossible. When the militia is not convinced of the impending attack, the attackers simply get an assent in the battle, making things a little bit harder for the PCs.

For example, later in Jeremy's story he has a scene where the PCs ask the wizard Belkemar for assistance in deciphering the strange box. Belkemar is not a charitable fellow, and so the PCs will need to convince him to help, preferably by offering Belkemar some kind of compensation in return.

Belkemar is a grizzled fellow and does not take kindly to interruptions, but the box does intrigue him. If the PCs offer him access to study the box for some time, he will be more apt to cooperate. Ultimately, when Belkemar learns of the boxes true purpose, he will want the box for himself, and may come into conflict with the PCs over it later on.

If the PCs fail to get Belkemar's help, they may be able to get information from his library in another way (i.e. breaking in, etc), but this will have the consequence of drawing Belkemar's ire (which will have complications later in the story). Alternatively, the PCs can investigate a potential Cultist supporter, and follow him to a cult meeting.

Obstacle Scenes

An Obstacle Scene is any scene that provides a physical or mental obstacle for the PCs to overcome. This obstacles can include traps, hazards (such as quicksand or an avalanche), puzzles, or other barriers (such as a locked door, wall, or deep chasm). The objective of an obstacle scene is to present the PCs with the obstacle and give them the opportunity to overcome it.

As the Gamemaster, this will involve designing the obstacle and determining possible ways the PCs may overcome it. This usually will involve one or more skills, so you will need to determine the DCs for skill checks required to bypass the obstacle (see Designing Skill Challenges for more information). It's possible that PCs will determine alternative ways to bypass an obstacle, and you will adjudicate whether or not those ways are successful.

Typically, obstacles have some sort of consequence to failure: the trap is sprung, the PCs fall into the chasm, or the PCs fail to open the puzzle box. If bypassing an obstacle is crucial to the story, it is important to give the PCs an alternative means of solving the problem (i.e. spending extra time going around the chasm, having an NPC give them a clue to the puzzle, etc).

For Example, one of Jeremy's scenes involves the PCs finding the puzzle box. This is presented to the PCs as an investigation puzzle: find out why the cultists attacked the Inn. The PCs can solve this puzzle in a number of ways. They can search the wreckage of the Inn to find the puzzle box hidden within the floorboards of one of the downstairs rooms (requiring Search skill checks). If the PCs came to the Inn's aide, they heard one of the cultists shouting "Where's the box!" If asked, the Innkeeper will mention the traveler who had possession of a strange box and lead the PCs to what remains of his room.

If the PCs do not take the initiative to solve the puzzle, the Innkeeper will ask for their help in cleaning up the wreckage, the the box can be found in that way. Alternatively, the PCs could witness the shifty traveler digging through the rubble and finding the box, before secreting it away and trying to escape.

Utility Scenes

Utility scenes are not typically important to the story, nor do they involve a challenge for the PCs. These scenes are used to "take care of business" in a way. They are used to narrate a passage of time between scenes, to give the PCs a reward for services performed, or allow the PCs to shop for new goods. Usually these scenes are narrated through, with the Gamemaster purley giving a description of what happens. Sometimes light roleplay is involved, but it doesn't typically serve a particular purpose. Sometimes these scenes can be turned into other types of scenes: when the PCs decide to haggle for their goods (making it a Social Scene) or choose to steal from a unsuspecting merchant (making it an Obstacle Scene that could turn into something else).

These scenes are generally used solely to fill in missing transitions in the plot, tie up loose ends, or take care of mundane tasks. Sometimes these types of scenes can be skipped entirely, with the Gamemaster instead summarizing the outcome of an interaction ("Yes you can purchase a climbing kit. It costs 4gp").