FD writes:
I really enjoy prepping the “macro” parts of my campaign, but I hate creating the “micro.”
I use your node-based scenario design. I understand the factions and the major characters. I like creating all the connections between these elements and I understand the conflicts and motivations that drive the campaign. But when I have to start creating specific scenarios, that’s where I get bogged down.
For example, in my prep there’s a Cultist Dungeon. I know what’s important there. I know the connections it makes and the conflicts and the characters and all that “macro” stuff. But when I need to actually write the dungeon — room by room, challenges, puzzles, battles — that’s where it hurts.
What am I doing wrong?
Writer’s block — which, ultimately, is what you’re experiencing — is a complex beast. There are a lot things that could be triggering it. A lot of reasons why you might be locking up or bogging down.
But here’s something you could try.
We’ll use dungeons as an example. You like creating the “macro-scale” stuff: Connections, factions, central conflicts, themes, etc. So instead of just leaving that stuff behind and flipping to a “micro” room-by-room approach, instead design your dungeons from the macro perspective.
For example, you know that this Cultist Dungeon connects to other stuff. I don’t know what that stuff is for your campaign, but let’s pretend that it’s:
- Goblin arms dealers are selling the cult arcane weapons.
- The cultists are seeking the Black Temple of L’rignak, lost for generations.
- The cult is blackmailing Lord Bluemoon.
For each of these connections, brainstorm one to three leads pointing to those connections. (Following the Three Clue Rule and Node-Based Scenario Design.) For example:
Goblin arms dealers are selling the cult arcane weapons.
- Goblin arms dealer is currently staying in a guest room.
- Crates of goblin weapons.
- A contract, invoice, or some other document, placed in an iron coffer with payment in gold.
Seeking the Black Temple of L’rignak.
- Region maps detailing the search.
- L’rignak lore books.
- A small shrine dedicated to L’rignak.
Blackmailing Lord Bluemoon.
- Correspondence with Bluemoon.
- The blackmail material implicating Bluemoon.
- Bluemoon or a messenger from Bluemoon visits the cultists.
In my experience, leads to connections are easy, so they’re a good place to start. But you want to do the same thing with the other macro-level stuff you’ve already designed.
Conflict: L’rignak cultists are being targeted by Holygold paladins.
- Holygold paladin being held prisoner, awaiting sacrifice.
- Several injured cultists being treated for injuries after being ambushed by Holygold paladins in the streets.
Theme: Redemption and temptation.
- One of the cultists is thinking about leaving the cult.
- The cult leader will suggest that the PCs should join the cult.
Once you’ve finished brainstorming this list, go through each element and think about where it would be located and how it would be protected. (The latter might be literal security measures, but could also be more abstract.)
- The paladin is being held prisoner, so the cult must have cells where she’s locked up. Protection: Guards for the prisoners.
- Documents would be kept in the cult leader’s office. Protection: Locked and warded door. Documents are kept in a safe. Cult leader is often here.
- Lorebooks might be in the library or maybe the cult’s sanctuary. Protection: The librarian, who’s actually a L’rignak daemon.
- The small shrine to L’rignak is… a small shring to L’rignak. Protection: Hidden behind a secret door.
And so forth. As you can see, some of this stuff will be obvious and some elements will naturally pair up and group together. There’s no need to complicate it.
If you organize these notes, you’ll find that you now have a list of rooms stocked with cool discoveries and interesting challenges, all of which great out of your macro elements. Review the list to see if there are any glaring functional gaps — e.g. do the cultists live here? if so, where do they sleep and eat and hang out? — and fill them.
Now that you’ve got a good list of rooms, all you need to do is draw a good map featuring those rooms and you’ll have a playable dungeon.
Of course, this advice applies to other scenario structures, too. Your macro prep has indicated a social event?
- What factions and NPCs are present at the event?
- What are their agendas?
- What connections does this event have to other elements in your campaign?
- What theme or themes can you emphasize at this event?
- What campaign-wide conflicts could be manifested during the event?
And so forth.
I don’t know if this, specifically, will be the right approach for you. But I think it’s more likely to keep your focused on the stuff you’re passionate about, and let the details of the scenario flow from that passion.
This was an incredibly helpful article. I really enjoy when you run through examples of your structures/tools, and tie them together, etc.
When I started using the three clue rule for my prep, one of the most profound things I realized about it was that it’s not just a tool for mystery scenarios (though it’s absolutely vital for those!), but in fact, literally *anytime* there is something to be learned about the fiction of the game world, well there is a discovery process needed to find that out! From that perspective, the three clue rule is extremely general, and I’ve found the act of creative closure needed to find three clues for all these things is a really powerful tool to flesh out a game world that feels fully realized.
If there are dragon-worshipping cultists in a cave, well they might jump out and say “we’re the dragon-worshipping cultists!”, but there might also be a dragon-headed shrine, and maybe a pile of dragon scales for making necklaces – hey! That’s three clues right there!
It’s interesting because I think you touch on this idea in many of your articles, but I think this is one of the first times you’ve talked about the power of the three clue rule to flesh out game worlds explicitly. Which is interesting, because I think this perspective on the three clue rule turns it from “how you can do mystery scenarios in rpgs” to one of the most profound concepts in all of game design!
I think the two big challenges of adventure design and session preparation for most GMs that haven’t already figured it out for themselves (likely through considerable experience) are where & how to start the process, and having the right checklist or other procedure to make sure you haven’t left anything out.
This suggestion helps considerably with the former, while the latter requires understanding what you can and can’t improvise during play (still experience-dependent), and then crafting a checklist that’s tailored around those needs.
Oh my god I struggle with the same thing too! You just made my day
Excellent advice, to which I’d just add – don’t feel you need to map out all the low-level details yourself… far too many DM’s over-prepare, and unless you love that, it’s not a good thing, you’re better practicing your ad-lib skills. e.g.
1. don’t be afraid to grab some Micro-level details from elsewhere – published adventures, books, etc. For example I’ve recently stitched in two of the “mini adventures” from the recent Adventures of Faerun book, to my ongoing campaign, and one using just a map from the 2025 DMG and a tiny bit of my imagination for what to put into it; they were great! The published material did the heavy lifting of some details on locations, encounters etc, and I just stitched it into the campaign story / what the PC’s etc were doing, making up some bits at the table given how scant the material source was.
2. depending on how much ad-lib you’re comfortable with, you could just brain-storm ideas as per Justin’s example, grab a map (e.g. Dyson Logos has loads of great free maps online), maybe key the map (or not), then make up the finer details at the table – this is pretty much the “lazy GM” approach. I once ran a whole 3.5 session ad-lib, when my group went “off script” and all I had was an old AD&D book with a dungeon in it that I used for inspiration on the fly.
To make it even easier for the questioner, you don’t even need all the detail mentioned. For instance, you could skip a map and set it up as a point-crawl. Library-shrine-prison-leader’s quarters, without having to detail what those spaces look like exactly. For the comment about functional gaps, most PCs won’t notice if the DM didn’t place a sleeping quarters or kitchen for the cultists to utilize.
With DM prep time being a limited commodity and a sticking point for this person, my suggestion would be to stick with the macro, have a few bullet points for each node, and see how the adventure goes without filling in the micro.
Thank you so much for this! This is incredibly useful!
This is a brilliant article. If in the future you’d like to write (or someone link) another 27 examples so I can better learn the skill you describe here, I’d be extremely grateful. I don’t have the skills to treat your clever ideas all as part of one machine instead of as a bunch of useful suggestions; I suspect reading more of you doing things with them would help with that.
(Also, is this worth linking on your Node-Based Adventure sequence?)
I second creating a link from node based adventures to this article.
Also chiming in to say that the examples here were really helpful! Would be happy if you did more sometime!
The interesting thing about having two religious groups in conflict is the Holy order might launch offensive sorties around their holy days (meaning the unholy priests may batten down the hatches) and vice versa. The Evil priests may kidnap sacrifices and recruit before their unholy days. A way to have macro events suggest a flow to certain areas.