Swords-Wizardry-Complete-revised

Designing the Adventure
Basically, the “adventure” is just the setting for the game, usually a
map and your notes about the places in it. As the players tell you where
their characters go and what they do, you’re referring to the map and
your notes to describe what happens as a result. Don’t try to plan for
all contingencies—it’s guaranteed that the players will do something
unexpected. This is a good thing; part of your fun in running the game
is when the players surprise you, not just when you surprise them.
Adventures can take place anywhere: abandoned dungeons far
underground, ruined castles, enchanted forests, ships on the high seas,
and even stranger places like the deeps of the ocean or the blasted
wastelands of some distant planet, where the characters have been
teleported by evil wizards. In general, if you have never designed an
adventure before, it is a good idea to start with a dungeon adventure,
because these are the easiest to design and run. After a couple of
sessions of dungeon adventuring, the players might be ready to strike
out into the wilderness, or venture out to the seas. Encourage them to
make whatever decisions they want to make – the epic stories of their
characters are theirs to make, as long as the players can keep them
alive. It is your job to referee the results, not to make the decisions.
Sometimes they will test your skill as a Referee, just as you test their
skills as players. It is all part of the game.
If you would like to read more ideas for designing adventures, the
Tome of Adventure Design, published by Frog God Games, is an
excellent resource.
Designing a Dungeon
Adventure
The “dungeon” is probably a vast underground complex built in the
distant past, abandoned and perhaps forgotten by civilization. Over the
centuries, monsters have taken up residence in the echoing halls and
narrow passages of this place, hoarding the treasure they have stolen
from the world above, or that was left behind by the ancient inhabitants
of these deep catacombs.
For the basic dungeon adventure, draw the dungeon floor plan on
graph paper, number the rooms (or other important locations), and then
write yourself a “key” to remind yourself what monsters, treasures,
traps, and tricks are found in these numbered locations. It will probably
be helpful to draw a cross-section map of the different levels of the
dungeon as well. The levels are important because the further down
the characters go, the more dangerous the place is – the monsters are
more deadly, and the traps are more devious – but on the other hand, the
treasures are greater. It is in the deeper dungeon levels where vast piles
of gold are to be found, and where enchanted weapons lie covered in
cobwebs along with other, stranger items with strange magical powers.
To help you get started, the diagram of a dungeon cross-section and
the sample floor plan maps included here may be a good resource for
you. Do not worry if your maps are messy and your room descriptions
are nothing but a few quick notes. The goal is not to be an artist or an
author – the goal is to be a good Referee. Whatever helps you do that
job is all you need. The players are not going to be looking at your
map or reading your notes; they are going to be experiencing the map
as adventurers, and hearing the descriptions of the rooms as if they are
seeing what you describe. It doesn’t matter what your hidden notes look
like: that is not what the players see.
Sketch of a dungeon cross-section.
Sometimes making a cross-section map of
the top levels of your dungeon can be very
helpful when you make the floorplans, but it
isn’t necessary.
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