Dungeons & Dragons can be more fun to write than to play

I’ve been working on a Dungeons & Dragons adventure all year. I might have even started in 2023, I don’t remember exactly. Plans for this D&D epic go back at least as far as March, when readers may recall that Capcom stole my idea for a side quest for Dragon’s Dogma 2. But now it’s over. What now?

There are many different ways to DM a D&D game, both in terms of actually running the game and in terms of writing it. The former is largely determined by the group you’re playing with, and whether they prefer to role-play, solve puzzles, or engage in combat, and whether they prefer to take it seriously, mess up a little, or go full-on murder- tramps. The last option there isn’t fun for anyone and yet many people do it. But the writing side is more isolated, and that’s why I’ve always been drawn to it.

Writing D&D is different than playing D&D

From the moment I started playing D&D games, I wanted to put my own spin on things. I do this job because I love writing, and it’s a love that many DMs share. My first adventure was an introduction to Candlekeep Mysteries. A pretty solid story with a strong setting, a compelling boss, and great maps, but the central mystery was weak, so I rewrote it. From then on I had the error.

My first real adventure, a story spanning levels 3 to 11, was enjoyed by both groups I played it with (although one wasn’t quite halfway through, the other was finished), but it felt like a first attempt. It took certain leaps to hold the plot together, the overall motivation waned and the story revolved around immediate goals, and the world building was lax. A few buildings, some unique characters, but mostly of the PS2 fantasy game archetype, where they stand around with clear “do these side quests” activities and little else happens in the world.

Still, I had fun writing it. I had fun playing it. I learned a lot from both and like I said, my players all seemed to agree with it. But I knew I could do something better. I played with another 3-11 adventure with the same, often motivationless, drive of new maps with new NPCs that… of course, let’s say “new” side quests, and the second attempt at the formula was more interesting than the first. But it wasn’t enough. So a new adventure began.

Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dead Rising form two pillars

Ambitiously inspired by Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dead Rising, it was intended to be a complete 1-20 adventure. It had a more linear beginning to establish the world and objectives, and then featured two sprawling cities. There was a constant “tadpoles in the eye” motivation that became a background problem while completing the tasks in front of them. This world was no longer a version of free roaming while following a linear storyline, but truly open.

There are over 100 buildings to explore in each of these twin cities, offering deeper and more connected side quests, providing clues to other quests, or selling items, or all or neither. There are still level-up milestones, but players won’t know them and won’t really know how long each storyline takes until they reach the node at the end. Both cities have more distant areas to explore, and travel between locations is encouraged with new challenges along each path.

There is a Pokémon mini-game. There is a Monster Hunter mini-game. There are fishing mechanics. I’ve been working on it for so long that I don’t really know what to do now that it’s finished. “Play” is the obvious answer, and the first group (a gang at TheGamer, no less) has reached the end of the linear on-ramp and will soon experience true freedom. Since some of them have only ever played D&D through me, this will be a big first for them.

It’s hard to stick with larger D&D games

The problem is that people might not like it when they play it. It might be too sprawling and feel directionless. Worse, boring. The idea of ​​doing things in any order can lead to decision paralysis. If the world progresses out of step with the planned level, parts could become too difficult, or investing time in a longer, non-milestone quest could lead to trouble. It just might not be very good.

It didn’t really matter if the first one was good. People learned how to play, and while I played some one-shots with homebrew notes, I learned how to DM. The second adventure I wrote would have been better, but when I realized the formula was wrong, the safety wheels came off. What if it’s just 17 levels of nothing and you’re wondering when you’ll be able to fight the final boss or when it would be okay to drift off and not come back?

Dead Rising’s random “Oh, here’s a boss” character works because you can easily reload a save. Baldur’s Gate 3’s bundled quests work because you can play several hours a night for about a week and complete them all. We play D&D every three weeks and death is a big consequence. I didn’t think about it much when I was writing it, but now that all that’s left is to play, I have to.

It’s a strange feeling to be without the security blanket of writing. Throughout the year, D&D for me meant hours of writing with occasional breaks to play. I spent a lot more time alone than in a group and I enjoyed it. After the security blanket disappeared, the wyrmling was thrown out of the nest. There’s nothing left to do but play. And really, playing has always been the worst part of playing D&D.

Dungeons & Dragons

Created by

E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson