🗺️ The GM's Guide: Writing Adventures That Players Actually Play
A Personal Look at Campaign Design for Monsters! Monsters! 2.7
Welcome, GMs! This isn't just a guide on generic adventure writing; this is how I write every adventure for my games of Monsters! Monsters! 2.7, set within the Tygerian Isles on the world of Zimrala.
Writing a great Gamemaster (GM) adventure is less about writing a novel and more about designing a sandbox full of high-stakes problems. The story shouldn't be a rigid, linear plot; it must be a flexible framework that provides engaging situations and conflict. The true story unfolds through your players' choices and their interactions with the living, breathing world you create.
1. 🤝 Lay the Foundation: The "Session Zero" Mindset
The most important prep happens with your players. Getting their buy-in early ensures they are invested in the outcome.
Know Your Audience: Before you commit to an adventure, check the temperature. Ask players about their desired game tone (e.g., comedic, grimdark), preferred styles (e.g., political intrigue, dungeon crawl, mystery), and what they expect to be doing.
Incorporate Backstories: Work with your players to weave their characters' pasts into the world. If an important NPC is an old rival or a key location is an ancestral home, they will have a personal motivation to engage with the main plot.
Establish the Rules of Play: Discuss house rules, progression rates, and other logistics. This ensures a smooth experience and sets expectations for combat difficulty and roleplay depth.
2. 🌍 Develop the Core Conflict and a Living World
Your primary focus should be on the main problem in the world, not on the specific path the players take to solve it.
Define the Main Problem (Plot A): Create a central, high-stakes issue that the players will want to resolve. Ensure there are visible, escalating consequences for their actions—or their inaction.
Design a Believable Antagonist: Your villain must have clear motivations, goals, and resources. They shouldn't just exist for the heroes to fight. What is their plan? What steps are they taking right now to achieve their goal?
Outline Supporting Plots: Add smaller-stakes, concurrent plots that don't need the heroes' immediate attention. These sub-plots add depth and complexity, making the world feel truly alive.
Worldbuilding with Sensory Details: Detail key locations and NPCs, but keep the descriptions brief. Focus on sensory details (sights, sounds, smells) to build atmosphere. Remember: The world should continue to move even without the players’ direct input.
3. 🧩 Structure the Adventure: Designing Situations
Instead of a rigid, chapter-by-chapter plot, plan flexible situations and potential scenes that allow maximum player agency.
The Hook: Start with a compelling event that grabs attention and provides a clear call to action. Don't force the adventure; give them a clear, immediate reason to care.
Outline Potential Scenes: List potential encounters—combat, social, exploration, traps—in the order you expect them to appear, but be ready to shuffle the deck. For a typical session, plan between two and ten scenes, alternating between high-tension action and lower-stakes roleplay or exploration.
The Rule of Three Clues: This is critical! Ensure essential information needed to progress the story has at least three different ways of being discovered. If a player fails a single investigation check, the entire adventure shouldn't grind to a halt.
Pacing and Climax: Build tension gradually towards a climactic encounter that feels earned. The climax should directly address the main problem (Plot A) and provide a satisfying sense of closure to the immediate arc.
4. 🐅 A Personal Touch: Writing for the Tygerian Isles on Zimrala
When I approach writing adventures for my own setting, the Tygerian Isles on Zimrala for Monsters! Monsters! 2.7, I find it crucial to emphasize the tension between cosmic authority and local chaos.
The Ether Dragon Effect: Since the Ether Dragons control the multiverse portals and facilitated the massive evacuation to Zimrala, their presence is felt everywhere. I always make sure there is a cosmic element to the local conflict. This ensures even the smallest quest has high stakes.
Conflict of Cultures: The Isles are a haven for disparate, salvaged populations. This means every social encounter is a high-wire act of diplomacy. I focus on using NPCs from different evacuated worlds to create natural conflicts that players must navigate socially.
Echoes of the Past: The name "Tygerian" implies a history of military and strategic importance. I tie local challenges to this history—a forgotten military bunker or the children of old soldiers dealing with the consequences of a past conflict.
5. 🌌 The Horizon: The Leo Galaxy Sector Campaign
This campaign is the "Great Experiment" in action. We are taking the pulp soul of Ken St. Andre's Games like Starfaring, the gritty monster-mechanics of Monsters! Monsters! 2.7, and the massive scale of Open D6 to build a Space Opera Renaissance Noir. You’ll see how I handle the "Ether Dragon Effect" on a galactic scale and how the ancient threat of Mighty Ophidious creates high-stakes problems that ripple across the multiverse portals. Stay tuned to the blog as we drop the playtest materials and sector maps!
6. 🛠️ Preparation and Execution: Stay Flexible
A good GM's most powerful tool is adaptability.
Keep Prep Light (Session by Session): Focus detailed preparation on the immediate upcoming session, as players will take unexpected paths.
Create Essential GM Aids: Have lists handy for easy reference: important NPC stats, random names, and quick notes on local politics or factions.
Be Adaptable, Don't Railroad: The story is created by the interaction of the players with your prepared elements. If they ignore your prepared dungeon and decide to open a bakery, find ways to bring the conflict to the bakery!
Ensure Meaningful Consequences: Every significant player action should have a visible, lasting impact on the world.
🎲 Conclusion: Earl's GM Notes
By focusing on defining problems and creating flexible situations, you empower your players to become the true protagonists and co-authors of an adventure they will never forget. Remember: Always Lead with Conflict, NPCs Lie, Keep the Cosmic Apocalypse in the Background, and Prioritize Fun Over Rules.
Yours for now, Captain Hedges
Product Identity & Legal The following items are designated Product Identity of Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. / The Adventures of Captain Hedges: The world of Zimrala, the Tygerian Isles, the Leo Galaxy Sector, the Ether Dragons and their portal mechanics, the specific "Hedge Wizard of the Shreveport Cabin" persona, and the character "Mighty Ophidious." Monsters! Monsters! is a trademark of Ken St. Andre and Troll Godfather Press and is used with permission. © 2025 Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. All rights reserved.
The guide is ready, Captain. Would you like me to begin the next post, focusing specifically on the first playtest encounter for "The Serpent's Coil" in the Black Desert?
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