One-page adventures, design, writing and … ideas?

So, you may be considering participating in the annual one-page adventure jam. That would require you to write. Writing is a process. Trying to figure out or structure your process could lower the threshold for taking part in the jam.

There are many ways to break down a process. Process tracing itself is an interesting method used in the political and social sciences to understand and makes sense of organisational practices and decision-making. I am sure there are equivalents in psychology and related disciplines.

What has that got to do with writing a one-page adventure? Well. It can matter how we break down a process in order to understand it, and the understanding can help us make an informed decision, and importantly, to succeed at a task even when we have limited time, such as a looming deadline. If I want to take part in the one-page adventure jam, what are the obstacles for my participation? Is it time? It is often time. In one way or another, it is always about time.

It is about the time to “get” or “come up with” the idea, the time to develop the idea, and the time to get the writing done.

Sure, there may be several other factors and obstacles, such as desired play-testing, layout, design, etc, but these are desirable non-requirements that are ultimately unnecessary for participation in the jam.

Time is the least common denominator so to say. It is valid for every case or person: come up with and sufficiently develop an idea and write it down in a legible form and correct format, all within a limited timeframe.

This year’s jam has just started, and thus, the deadline still feels far away. And it is. However, as many of us tend to push things ahead, to do what must be done now, it is not entirely unlikely that some of us that would like to participate will find ourselves feeling we do “not enough time” to come up with an idea, develop it, and write the adventure.

Yet, even if you feel that you have enough or that you have too limited time now, and push it to the last minute, I hold that you in principle have sufficient time.

That is of course easy for me to say. While I do not write games or adventures for a living, most of what I do for a living is writing. This means at least two things: I know about and have experienced what some call “writer’s block”, and that I have still written and completed texts without inspiration, motivation, or satisfaction.

Sometimes the texts of the latter instance end up being better and more rewarding than the inspired texts, written when things flow fast with easy – or at least productive – enthusiasm.

But an idea is required.

An idea for an adventure can orbit one or more concepts. This can be related to a game mechanical interest (space combat, hacking as a challenge test, traversal on a low-gravity ice moon, a chase, navigating confined spaces in a spaceship, a dangerous shoot-out, and more). It can be related to an emotional struggle of player and non-player characters, and a larger political, social and violent struggle going on in the environment of the player characters. My suggestion: pick one concept and stick with it.

One-page adventures lean towards the generic, by which I mean that the player characters’ investment, if any, is generally attached on top. A mission giver, employer, benefactor, family, or an adversary, incites action. A conflict or at least friction usually follows from this. It can of course also simply be a hazard, the uncompromising lethality of a vacuum, rocks falling from orbit, dwindling resources, and the remarkable properties of the protomolecule and other leftover Builder artefacts. But it can also be an old friend or contact, perhaps a long-lost family member reconnecting with a player character to get them to do something for them. This is a catalyst, an incentive. In a larger campaign, those relationships may be keystones, the main plot, in a one-page adventure, they are more likely justifying flavouring: the call to action.

Thus, when you have an idea, and I am certain you already have several ideas, breaking it down into a) incentive/catalyst, b) goal/task, and c) hazard/challenge is a simple and maybe useful model for a one-page adventure. I covered a) above, b) is about surviving the hazard, beating the opposition, finding the McGuffin, the bounty, the artefact, retrieving what has been stolen, the kidnapped friend. In a one-page adventure, these first two elements are mainly fluff, flavour text that drives the story and characters and makes the third element, c), feel interesting and worthwhile.

For a one-page adventure, the AGE-system provides some great tools for focusing the writing on resolving hazards and challenges. Whether it is action, exploration, or social encounters, these can be broken down further: basic, advanced, and challenge tests.

Most rolls of the dice in The Expanse tend to be basic tests; simple one-off rolls against a TN. It is easy and intuitive to go to the simple one-off roll, whether for perception, investigation, persuasions, jumping, or fighting. These tests have a core function to make the players feel some level of tension and a level of mastery, or accomplishment, when they succeed.

For one-page adventures though, I would suggest designing the adventure around advanced and challenge tests. For one, they add time and pressure to the mix, which can increase the tension. The ticking clock is a great device to build short stories around and can interact well with The Churn. Also, it means the players must spread their resources, activity, and focus. The AGE-system, and thus The Expanse, allows for interesting and complex, but easily resolved, encounters to be designed and played.

When some characters are trying to repair an airlock or construct a protective wall, they are tied up to solve a critical challenge, leaving the other characters can deal with attackers or hazardous challenges.

Sometimes it is only the time used that matters, failure on a test only means that task require more time. This may come with consequences, but sometimes these are story-driven consequences, related to the narrative. Other times, the consequences are directly tied to the test.

The longer it takes, the fewer resources (e.g., air) you have for the trek across the moon’s surface to the landing pad, or the shorter time you have to get reloads and prepare for the imminent attack or flood. Other times, failure can cause complications and have severe consequences, the wall may have weak points, it may collapse. The airlock may jam, or activate prematurely forgoing safety measures, causing an explosive decompression.

Advanced and challenge tests promote both rolling dice and tying different abilities and focuses together into a cohesive and engaging storytelling test. Combined with The Churn these tests have incredible potential to drive and steer an adventure to new and interesting places during play.

The idea for your one-page adventure can thus simply be a kind of challenge test and encounter, or series thereof. This approach can simplify writing up story beats, allows for resolution of stories with many potential outcomes during play. Most of all, it speeds up the writing by giving a basic complex structure that allows for focusing the idea more towards what you want your adventure to be about.

Of course, this is only one way of going about it. But keeping in mind the competency of GMs and players, keeping details and micro-managed minute plot points to a minimum, may make it easier to write, and more enjoyable to run and play.

Originally written and posted 2 September 2024.