Creating adventures for your campaigns (and for publication)
by Roger "Module Hunt" Moore
| Polyhedron | - | 1st Ed. AD&D | - | Polyhedron #21 |
| Permissible Games | Physical quality of manuscript | Artwork and maps | ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game modules | Ideas to explore |
| - | - | Ideas to avoid | - | - |
One of the things I do during my work
hours is keep tabs on the "Module Hunt"
that DRAGON Magazine is running.
Despite being horriyfingly behind schedule
due to delays beyond our control, the
Module Hunt is still progressing,
and
people are sending in their ideas for
modules they would like to write up for
the magazine. (See DRAGON Magazine
#85, p. 54, for more information.)
Having looked at hundreds of module
queries and read through dozens of
modules, good and bad, I began developing
a set of module guidelines to detail
what we wanted to see and what we
didn't want to see. It occurred to me that
the readers of POLYHEDRON
Newszine might like to get an advance
look at the guidelines, although they are
still in rough form at the moment.
Comments and questions on these
guidelines would be most welcome.
Hopefully, the final version will be the
most complete set of module submission
guidelines ever developed. These guidelines
apply to submissions made to
DRAGON Magazine and POLYHEDRON
Newszine. Remember to always
send a query letter before you send a
module, and describe your module in
detail to give the editors a chance to say
"yea" or "nay" before you start working.
The first section of guidelines given
below apply to all module submissions.
Following these will be specific suggestions
for the ADVANCED DUNGEONS
& DRAGONS and TOP SECRET
games. Details on other game systems are
being worked out and may be included in
future articles if we get enough requests
for them.
Although these notes describe submissions
standards for our magazines, some
of these comments are applicable to
adventures that you may be developing
for your gaming group. It pays to avoid
the serious pitfalls.
The age, sex, race, nationality, ethnic
group, and religion of a person submitting
a module to us makes no difference
in our evaluation of the module. If you
are concerned that such information
would influence our judgement, then
don't send us this information. Our
judgement of a module rests upon the
quality of the module idea or module
itself. If you express yourself well, have
good ideas, and can type well (or know
someone who can), that's all we care
about.
The following game systems are acceptable
for module submissions:
ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS;
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game
(Basic, Expert, and Companion levels);
TOP SECRET game;
STAR FRONTIERS game;
GAMMA WORLD;
MARVEL SUPER HEROES game
We cannot accept modules based on
games made by other companies, as it is
too difficult to know the rules for every
game on the market to ensure module
quality. After careful consideration, we
are also not accepting modules based on
the following TSR games, due to low
reader interest: DRAGONQUEST
game; GANGBUSTERS game; BOOT
HILL game; UNIVERSE game.
However, we are willing to look at regular
article submission on most of the above
games. DRAGON Magazine is also
willing to look at regular article submissions
on games not produced by TSR,
Inc., such as the TRAVELLER game by
Game Designers' Workshop, CHAMPIONS
game by Hero Games, STAR
TREK: The Role-Playing Game by
FASA Corporation, the CALL OF
CTHULHU game by Chaosium Inc.,
or the CHILL game by Pacesetter, Ltd..
Physical quality of the manuscript
Always enclose a self-addressed stamped
envelope with your module submission,
and make sure that the envelope is large
enough to hold your entire module in case
we need to return it to you. If you do not
wish your module returned (for example,
if you have it photocopied or recorded on
computer disk), then enclose a regular-sized
SASE for us to correspond with you
about your manuscript.
Consistently poor spelling, grammar,
and sentence structure will almost certainly
cause a module to be rejected. Even
if you feel that your module idea is strong
and that you have a good grasp of English
gramar, you should have the module
proofread by at least one other person,
preferably an English teacher or professor.
This is directly to your advantage as we
will pay more money for modules which
require little editing.
Manuscripts should be typed (by type-writer
or word-processing computer) on
clean white paper; lines should be double-spaced
to allow editing. We will not
accept handwritten modules in pencil or
pen; and again, any sort of calligraphy
script or Gothic lettering is completely
unacceptable. Also, do not type the manuscript
in all capitals; we will rejcect it
immediately.
Make sure that your typewriter keys
are clean and that they do not punch
holes in your paper. If the letters are fillled
in and hard to read, or if the "o"'s are
punched through the pages, then fix the
typerwriter or find another one.
The printed type should be dark
enough to read easily; you are advised
to change your typewriter or computer
ribbon before printing out the final copy
of your module and sending it to us.
We will also reject a computer-printed
manuscript in which the pages are so
badly centered that sentences are written
over the tear-lines between pages. If you
care about your module or article, make
it look presentable.
If you send a photocopy of your
module to us, make sure it is on letter-quality
paper. Slick, excessively gray, or
streaked photocopy paper is unacceptable.
A finished module should be accompanied
by all relevant maps and diagrams needed
to complete the adventure. Additional
drawings, sketches, and charts may be
added to clarify various points in the
adventure. Note that it is highly likely
that we will have the necessary maps,
diagrams, etc, redrawn by a staff artist
for the final printed module.
Make sure that any artwork sent with
the module is neatly done in ink, pencil
sketches are generally not acceptable.
Maps should be done in ink, should be
easily and clearly legible, and should have
the scale clearly marked. Indecipherable
maps will cause immediate module rejection;
pencil-drawn maps are also out.
ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
game modules
AD&D game modules should not be tied
to any one specific game world, but
should be easily adaptable to most
Dungeon Masters' game campaigns.
Module designers should avoid locating
their adventures in the WORLD OF
GREYHAWK Fantasy Setting, and
avoid using particular personalities, countries,
artifacts, politics, and so forth that
relate directly to that game universe (e.g.,
Codex of the Infinite Planes, Mordenkainen,
St. Cuthbert, etc.). We wish
to leave the development of this universe
to E. Gary Gygax and his associates.
Similarly, we ask that you not set your
adventures in the world of Krynn (the
setting for the DRAGONLANCE
adventure series), as this game universe is
under development by a specail team of
TSR game designers, authors, and editors.
Avoid using any material from copyrighted
sources without permission. Anne
McCaffrey DRAGONRIDERS OF
PERN books, Piers Anthony's Xanth
series, Michael Moorcock's Elric series,
J.R.R. Tolkien's LORD OF THE
RINGS series, Larry Niven's Kzinti,
and
the Cthulhu mythos created by H.P.
Lovecraft, et. al., are good examples of
material that cannot be used in your
module submission. Develop your own
materials and backgrounds; we pay highly
for originality and creativity.
It is virtually an axiom of module design
that in order to write a module, one must
study modules -- lots and lots of
modules. Youare strongly urged to find
copies of game modules that have been
published in DRAGON Magazine (regular
TSR modules are different in
design), and you should study them
closely for content, presentation, and
overall design. Which materials were
included and which were not? How are
the maps designed? Don't read just one
module, either; study several of them,
discuss them with your co-designers or
friends, and learn from them.
World-threatening, save-the-planet
sitiuations should generally be avoided as
destructive to campaign balance in any
game. Even "high-level" adventures
should have the balance of the game kept
in perspective, challenging players without
damaging the referee's world set-up.
For this reason, "god-killing" adventurers
should also be avoided.
Tastelessness should be strictly avoided.
Do not write adventures involving the
destruction of children and helpless persons;
the "It's Alive!" theme; excessive
gore, torture, or violence; descriptions of
Satan or Satanism; game versions of
major Christian, Jewish, or Moslem
religious figures; and so forth. Explicit
sex, the encouragement of drug abuse,
offensive language, and bathroom humor
cannot be used. Our periodicals have a
huge readership, and we've got a corresponding
responsibility to keep our
material exciting but clean.
Do not use non-player characters
(NPCs) to help the players excessively.
NPCs who step in and eliminate all opposition
to the player characters, accomplish
their goals for them, and generally do
everything the players want or need from
the adventure are deadly dangerous to
modules. Boredom will set in at once.
Design the adventure to challenge a party,
and let the group make it or break it on
its own. Avoid using the deus ex machina.
Conversely, do not set up NPCs in an
adventure that will totally overwhelm a
party. Baba Yaga, as described in the
"Dancing Hut" module of DRAGON
Magazine #83, was an exceedingly
powerful character. However, the module
was intended for AD&D game characters
of 9th level and greater. Such characters
have a chance to avoid being killed by
her from their own assumedly considerable
powers.
Use Baba Yaga, the quasi-deities of
Greyhawk (issue #71), the major heroes of
the DEITIES & DEMIGODS Cyclopedia
(now renamed as Legends & Lore),
<Qagwaaz>
<Hiawatha>
<Stoneribs>
<Yanauluha>
<King Arthur>
<Sir Bernlad de Hautdesert>
<Sir Galahad>
<Sir Gareth of Orkney>
<Sir Garlon>
<Sir Gawaine>
<Sir Lamorak>
<Sir Launcelot du
Lake>
<Merlin>
<Morgan le Fay>
<Sir Palomides the
Saracen>
<King Pellinore>
<Sir Tristram of Lyoness>
<Gilgamesh>
<Cu Chulainn>
<Math>
<The Master
of the Wild Hunt>
<Hunapu and Xbalanque>
<Vainamoinen>
<Ahto>
<Ilmarinen>
<Kullervo>
<Lemminkainen>
<Tiera>
<Louhi>
<Son of Pohjola>
<Achilles>
<Bellerophon>
<Circe>
<Jason>
<Perseus>
<Odysseus>
<Theseus>
<Raiko>
<Yamamoto
Date>
<Yoshi-Iye>
<Elric>
<Moonglum>
<Theleb K'aarna>
<Yyrkoon>
<Fafhrd>
<Gray Mouser>
<Ningauble of the
Seven Eyes>
<Pulgh>
<Sheelba of the Eyeless
Face>
<Fjalar>
and the saints from DRAGON Magazine
issue #79 as rules of thumb for the maximum
limit on NPC powers. If you wish
to use such characters, there must be a
good reason for them to be in the adventure.
Encounters should be described fully
whenever possible. If your module is
exceptionally long or if we need space,
some specific details on monsters may be
dropped (as was done with the "Dancing
Hut" module mentioned above). In
AD&D game modules, the NPCs and
monsters encountered should follow the
following format: Type and number of
monsters (armor class, movement rate,
hti dice, hit points, damage/attack, other
special data).
For example: 4 giant warrior ants (AC
3; MV 18"; HD 3; 15, 17, 17, 20 hp; D/Att
2-8 + poison sting for 3-12, or 1-4 if
save vs. poison is made).
Treasure, encounters, monsters, NPCs,
details on the environment, and special
information required on spellcasting,
combat, altering the environment, or
accomplishing the mission should be
detailed sufficiently to allow the referee to
run through the scenario without undue
trouble.
Illogical dungeons/set-ups where monsters
are randomly thrown together
should be avoided. This does not mean
one cannot use random encounter tables,
but the tables should be logical and consistent
with the adventuring environment.
Forest encounters should include elves if
an elven band lives nearby, for example.
Also avoid wildly inconsistent mixing of
monsters (tribes of orcs and elves living
together, a 1st-level dungeon with a lich
in it, etc.). Your adventure should be
sensible and "believable."
Dungeon or indoor complexes laid out
in perfect symmetry are boring. Use your
creativity, even if the final result isn't
perfect architecture. Imagine what settings
would be most interesting and exciting
for adventurers, and go with them.
Excessively large maze areas in dungeons
or indoor areas are also boring and dull;
unles something is done to "envliven"
them, avoid using them.
Situations in your module which would
appear to violate established ../4ddg/ game
rules should be altered or justified. Normal
dwarves in the game do not use
magic, but the dwarves of Norse mythology
do (see the "Aesirhamar" module,
issue #90 of DRAGON Magazine); justifiable
variations are permissible. Some
rules violations -- having evil druids,
good assassins, charm spells that change a <update: UA>
victim's alignment, and so forth -- are
simply not acceptable.
Avoid ridiculous situations. Granted,
you may be writing a fantasy module, but
if it looks silly to you to have 100 kobolds
in a 10' x 10' room, it will look silly to
everyone. Logical, consistent, and well-developed
adventures are highly desired.
Nobody should be able to summon an
army of 20,000 demons in an adventure
-- not even the bad guys.
Don't over-reward players or under-challenge
them. We will reject modules in
which mighty treasures are guarded by
wimpy monsters, or in which characters
can walk off with blocks of diamonds the
size of cars. Take the time to make the
treasures in fantasy modules more than a
collection of gold pieces; read the tips in
the DMG, pgs. 91-92, concerning the
placement of monetary and magical
treasures,
and use your imagination.
Avoid mass-combat situations where
armies clash against armies. As of yet we
have no mass-combat rules for most of
our role-playing games. If you have
developed such a system, by all means,
send it to us!
Remember, after all, that there is no
deadline for the Module Hunt. The
Module Hunt is an ongoing search for
good modules for our magazines, not a
contest. Take your time and do a good job
the first time; don't rush things and ruin
them. Work carefully and do your best.
We have few "hard and fast" rules
about how a module should be put
together for DRAGON Magazine or
POLYHEDRON Newszine. We're
willing to take a look at any innovative
ideas which involve changes in a module's
structure, setting, the nature of the
adventure, and so forth. Such innovations
should not, however, interfere with
understanding and using the module, and
should enhance the module's playability
and enjoyability.
Below is a list of recently published
AD&D game modules from DRAGON
Magazine. You may find it helpful to read
and study these modules before writing
yours, particularly if your module is similar
in some respect to one of them:
"Fedifensor" (issue #67);
"Mechica" (issue #70);
"Forest of Doom" (issue #73);
"Can Seapoint Be Saved?"
(issue #75);
"Citadel By The Sea" (issue
#78);
"Barnacus: City in Peril" (issue #80);
"The Ruins of Andril" (issue #81);
"The Dancing Hut" (issue #83); "The Twofold
Talisman (issues #84 and 85); "Aesirhamar"
(issue #90).
We've only done one solo module
("Cavern Quest," AD&D game,
DRAGON Magazine issue #54), and we
wouldn't mind looking at others.
Low-level AD&D game modules, for
characters of levels 1-4, would be well
regarded. We get few submissions along
these lines, and we need creative, interesting
modules for these characters that
are exciting and challenging.
We are still interested in AD&D game
adventures occuring on other planes (Elemental
Plane of Fire, Arcadia, etc.). Such
modules should include all necessary
informatoin on runnin ggeneral adventures
in the given environment, possibly
submitted as a separate article (as was
done with the Astral Plane in issue #67
of
DRAGON Magazine, and the planes of
Gladsheim in issue #90). However,
some
planes have already been "claimed" and
are being worked upon by other authors.
Send a query letter before attempting to
do anything with an outer plane.
Unusual environments should be
explored. The depths of the jungle,
strange magical forests, artic environments,
other Prime Material worlds,
deserts, mountaintops, and aerial fortresses --
all beg for adventurers. Modules
that carefully detail unusual fantasy cities
(underground dwarven enclaves, elven
forest towns, etc.) would also be appreciated,
though human cites such as Barnacus
from DRAGON Magazine #80
are also acceptable if they are unusual in
some respect. We seem to have had a lot
of seaports submitted to us, but few
inland cities, river towns, etc.
We strongly recommend that you avoid
stereotyped, hackneyed, cliche-ridden
material. The following concepts and
ideas have generally worn out their welcome
with all gamers.
Rescue the kidnapped daughter of the
king, the town mayor, or the village
woodcutter;
Rescue Santa Claus or anyone who
even looks like him;
Fight against ninjas (We don't yet have
a ninja subclass that we feel makes an
acceptable NPC; if you MUST do a
ninja-related module, detail the NPC
class as a separate article and include it
with your adventure. Ninjas cannot be
player characters.) <update: OA>
Meeting any real-life personality (Alexander
the Great, Ivan the Terrible, Alister<Aleister><666>Crowley,
etc.).
Also avoid game hybrids and crossed
campaigns; don't have your AD&D game
characters find a way into GAMMA
WORLD game settings or into the
STAR FRONTIERS or TOP
SECRET game universe. This can lead
to untold numbers of problems in campaign
balancing. Also avoid having game
characters enter the "modern world" to
raid shopping malls, breawk into jewelry
stores and gun shops, etc. Characters
from the AD&D game may enter other
magical universes with different physical
laws, but these worlds should be independent
of other game systems.
Those who want to design modules for
the TOP SECRET game should read the
guidelines given above for the AD&D
game, paying attention to those parts
which could apply to all game systems
(such as the remarks about module
"tastelessness"). Some of the guidelines
below repeat the statements made for the
AD&D game. Putting them into the
terms of hte TOP SECRET game, however,
often clarifies the point to those
doing material for that game.
Again, though we cannot do modules
on non-TSR games, DRAGON Magazine
is willing ot look at article material
on other games such as the JAMES
BOND 007 Role-Playing Game by
Victory Games, the MERCENARIES,
SPIES & PRIVATE EYES Game by
Flying Buffalo, the BEHIND ENEMY
LINES game by FASA Corp., or the
TIMEMASTER game by Pacesetter,
Ltd.
TOP SECRET game adventures, by their
nature, should all take place on Earth in
the current time period. We are not
accepting adventures set in World War II
(though the idea IS interesting) or in
other times past. We are also not interested
in modules that attempt to recreate
historical events, such as the capture of
Gary Powers by the USSR, the Bay of
Pigs invasion, attacks on or by the SLA,
etc.
It is possible to postulate that certain
things exist in the TOP SECRET world
that may exist in the very near future. A
small space station may be in Earth orbit,
laser surgery and laser weapons may be
somewhat more common than they are
now, and so forth. A rule of thumb would
be to allow scientific developments that
could appear within the next 5-10 years in
TOP SECRET game modules.
The TOP SECRET game world is
assumed to be very much like the one we
live in now, but subtlely different. Some
differences may be noticed by reading the
various modules concerning the TOP
SECRET game that have been published
by TSR, Inc. None of these alterations
are critical; most involve the existence of
various persons or organizations that do
not exist in real life (such as the Children
of Neptune, from the "Whiteout" module
in DRAGON Magazine, issue #87).
Feel free to create your own new organizations
or to build upon those previously
established.
Avoid using any material from copyrighted
sources without permission. Various
spy novels by Len Deighton, John
LeCarre, Ian Fleming, Robert Ludlum,
Alistair MacLean, and others may not be
directly adapted into TOP SECRET
modules. Note that Ian Fleming's James
Bond novels are licensed for gaming use
by Victory Games, Inc., and James Bond
(as well as his numerous allies and enemies)
cannot be used in particular.
World-threatening, save-the-planet situations
should generally be avoided as
destructive to campaign balance in any
game. The game balance must be kept in
perspective, and the adventure should
challenge the players without damaging
the referee's world set-up. Scenarios
which involve the threat of immediate
nuclear holocaust, major land and sea
battles, and huge invasions of aliens from
space should not be used.
Because TOP SECRET gaming takes
place in the modern world, it is also wise
to avoid using material that could be
offensive to particular ethnic groups. We
cannot lay down specific guidelines for
avoiding this problem, and feel it best to
take up the matter on a case-by-case
basis. Keep this in mind, however.
Do not use NPCs in an adventure who
will totally overwhelm a party. One would
imagine that an enemy agent on the level
of James Bond or Derek Flint would be a
terrible opponent, so he should not be
sent against lower-level agents. He can be
reserved for high-level agents to
encounter. If you wish to use such characters,
there must be a good reason for
them to be in the adventure.
Encounters should be fully described. If
your module is exceptionally long or if we
need to trim it for space, some specific
details may be dropped. It is best to draw
up a ready-reference chart listing the
NPCs encountered and their personal
game statistics, rather than list the statistics
where the NPC first appears in the
module. The wapons and equipment
carried by an NPC, along with relevant
personality and reaction notes, may be
included with the first mention of the
character, if appropriate.
All encounters, NPCs, hazards,
rewards, details on the environment, and
special information required for combat,
altering the environment, or accomplishing
the mission should be given to allow
the referee and players to run through the
scenario without trouble.
Illogical adventuring set-ups where
agents and hazards are randomly thrown
together should be avoided. This does not
mean one cannot use random encounter
tables, but the tables should be logical
and consistent with the adventuring environment.
U.S. Army personnel will be
met on a more-or-less random basis on
the grounds of Ft. Knox, for example,
but you aren't likely to meet hordes of
gangsters, Chinese secret agents, and
SWAT teams there (unless you have a
very unusual module). Also avoid wildly
inconsistent mixing of NPC encounters
(like Russian, Chinese, and Albanian
secret agents all working together). Your
adventure should be sensible and believable.
Situations in your module which violate
established TOP SECRET game rules
should be altered or justified. If you alter
the effectiveness of an agent's disguise,
weapon, explosives, or hand-to-hand
attacks, make sure you explain why this is
happening. Some rules violatoins are
simply not acceptable in modules, such as
the addition of a new means of figuring
Life Levels or variant hit location charts.
Stay within the established rules.
One may add new material to a module
that expands upon the old rules. The
"Whiteout" adventure in DRAGON
Magazine #87 included rules for arctic/antarctic
adventuring. You could include rules for
jungle combat, undersea adventuring, and
so forth is such are relevant to
your adventure.
Avoid ridiculous situations. If it looks
silly to you to have 100 nuclear missiles
hidden in Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo, it
will look silly to everyone. Nobody should
build giant undersea cities in Los Angeles
harbor or steal nuclear submarines as if
they were handy.
Do not give PCs incredibly powerful
items such as howitzers, miniature atomic
weapons, or 10,000-gigawatt laser pistols.
Most adventures work best with few items
of a powerful nature; at most, a few portable
LAW weapons or a flamethrower
should prove sufficient (depending on the
nature of the opposition).
Below are two recently published TOP
SECRET modules from DRAGON
Magazine, with comments on interesting
and important aspects of each. You may
find it helpful to read and study these
modules before writing yours.
"Wacko World" (DRAGON issue #79)
-- Adventure for 4-8 agents of the Investigation
Bureau. Agents must check out
an amusement park for evidence linking it
to an extortion racket with broad criminal
powers. During the investigation, agents
encounter important NPCs an dmay
stumble upon a terrorist assassination
plot. Notes on two new skills, disguises,
crowd density, and tapping phone lines
are provided, along with a timetable of
events for the adventure.
"Whiteout" (DRAGON issue #87) --
Adventure for 8 agents from all bureaus.
Agents investigate an independent
research station in Antarctica following
some unusual happenings. During the
investigation, agents may discover a terrorist
plot involving the survivalists who
inhabit the station. Rules on cold weather
conditions, antarctic travel, daytime and
nighttime encounters, and code names
are given.
Some ideas to explore
We've never done a solo module for TOP
SECRET gaming before, but we'd be
interested in looking at one. Again, many
of our readers are isolated or have trouble
finding other gamers, and something that
would allow solo play or play without a
referee for several players would be of
interest.
Unusual environments should be
explored. The "Whiteout" module in
DRAGON Magazine #87 investigated
Antarctica. What about the steaming
jungles of Thailand, the outback of
Australia, the inner cities of the American
east coast? Adventures aboard submarines,
supersonic jet liners, and anywhere
else that a secret agent might face death
for high stakes should be considered.
Some ideas to avoid
Again, we strongly recommend that you
avoid sterotyped material. Do not have
your agents rescue the beautiful daughter
of a mad scientists; fight terrorists who
have kidnapped the President; search
for stolen nuclear weapons; raid small islands
where large amounts of drugs are kept;
serve as bodyguards to rock groups; meet
any real-life personality (President
Reagan, the Soviet Premier, Patty
Hearst, the Ayatolla Khomeni, etc.), or
get involved in plots against the Olympics.
We've seen dozens of plots involving
the above, and we don't want to see any
more of them. Surprise us, and we may
surprise you.
Also avoids game hybrids and crossed
game systems. This can lead to horrible
problems in campaign balancing.
<c6 image>