This weeks topic is about designing scenarios. There are some things I need to state as "scope" and explanation to this discussion. So before talking about this topic, please note:

• Yes, some people don't play with pre-made scenarios. That's fine. This is not a topic about whether you should have scenarios or not in your game.

• Yes, RPG designers do often have to design scenarios and/or give instruction and advice on how to do so. Such advise and/or instructions is found in most RPGS (D&D, Savage Worlds, GUMSHOE, Dungeon World, Call of Cthulhu, etc). Often along with pre-made scenarios. This is not a topic about whether the designer should provide support to make scenarios.

• The original topic qualified this as "for non-Dungeon Crawl games". That was not a useful nor fair narrowing of the scope. So if you want to talk about scenario design for dungeon crawls, go ahead.

OK. Since the beginning of RPGs, publishers made scenarios available for players. In some genres, it is considered almost mandatory to have a pre-made scenario. So often we designers have to make scenarios, or provide tips and instructions to the GM on how to do this.

Questions:

• What systems gives great advise or tools for building a scenario?

• What are some things we should do when building a scenario for a group?

• What are some pitfalls in scenario design?

Discuss.

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