Hey guys, can someone point me to good examples of 'Side Trek' adventures?
The reason I ask is that in my long history of gaming I have never, ever ran modules or APs for my group. That has begun to change with Pathfinder and GameMastery. In part, the reason I am doing so is because the prep time of creating everything for a group can be a bit ardous and time-consuming to the say the least (though abundantly rewarding, as well). I have decided to put this time spent on gaming to further my own hopes of establishing a small, meager side-career in writing (both in gaming and outside).
To cut to the chase (too late?), WoTC is definitely the place for new writers to get published now that they have assumed creative control over Dungeon/Dragon, and they seem to hint at a demand for Side Treks. I have written many an 'adventure' for my gaming group, but would like to see some quality Side Treks as a guideline. I understand the concept, but, as with most things in life, a close example can only be beneficial.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and for those of who you reply, double thanks!
Try Nick Logue's "Cry Wolf" (Edit: Dungeon 102). A good one-night adventure with mystery and humor.
Thanks. I will download it soon . . .any other suggestions out there in the land of messageboard?
I wrote "The Buzz on the Bridge" from Dungeon 110 to be a "side trek"/fill-in adventure for low-level play.
Like the rest of the "Dark Sun" issue, it got a lukewarm response because, IMHO, players & DMs have always expect adventures to be of a grand scale.
But side treks? Their very nature is that they're momentary distractions to a larger story. That's what I designed "Buzz" to do. (That and the fact that it could be played in one session.)
I was a little disappointed when the "side trek" category was ousted from the magazine. There were so many interesting little adventures to tell.
I wrote "The Buzz on the Bridge" from Dungeon 110 to be a "side trek"/fill-in adventure for low-level play.
Like the rest of the "Dark Sun" issue, it got a lukewarm response because, IMHO, players & DMs have always expect adventures to be of a grand scale.
But side treks? Their very nature is that they're momentary distractions to a larger story. That's what I designed "Buzz" to do. (That and the fact that it could be played in one session.)I was a little disappointed when the "side trek" category was ousted from the magazine. There were so many interesting little adventures to tell.
I ran "Buzz On the Bridge", BTW. The party was noticeably up-level from the module as written, so I converted the giant bee stats to giant wasp stats, leveled up Nicky Zelno and his lackey, and included a CN hill giant beekeeper living in a cave at the bottom of the ravine. Went very well! I added my own little touch of the bee-modified wine being so addictive that the players had to make Willpower saves to put the bottle down ... leading to the bard in particular being forced into melee with his sword because he couldn't put the bottle down and load his crossbow. Much fun. :)
Eventually, the PCs acted as intermediaries between the halflings and the giant, and the halflings built him a giant hive up in the mountains to use instead of their bridge.
-The Gneech
RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32
|
All good suggestions.
Return of the Blessed Damozel; Dungeon #92 has always held a special place for me.
Great little story of redemption. Involves a Rakshasa that can become a recurring villain. It's awesome because it leaves so much open ended, it has serious outcomes based upon the characters' actions, and can be expanded as needed.
Or, it can be as short as you want. I had a blast running it.
Thanks guys. I am hoping after school and work tonight to get my hands on all of these PDF's. Thanks again. And Simcoe, if you are still interested in writing Side Treks, WoTC's incarnation seems to be putting a premium on them, at least that is what I gather from the submissions page.
What do you think of the adventures in the Savage Tide AP? All of them to some extent seem formed by a number of interconnected "side treks" - just look at all the small quests the PCs have to complete in "There is no honor", for example.
And that's a trend the guys at Paizo are continuing also in Gamemastery modules - for example, in W1 the party has to complete a number of side treks in order to secure the trail in the Vale.
In my opinion, those are good examples of side treks which could also taken and run in a totally different campaign; how can I say? they're something more than an encounter and something less than a full-fleshed adventure.
Aidan's point is a good one. STAP is chock-full of these kinds of side treks--not only the first adventure, but all of them have one-shot encounters, mini-dungeons, and treks formed of strung-together encounters that can easily be cut and pasted at your leisure. See especially "Sea Wyvern's Wake", "Tides of Dread," "Serpents of Scuttlecove," and "Enemies of My Enemy".
Thanks for the continued input guys.
Creative Director
|
Part of the problem was, of course, that 3rd edition's stat blocks and all that make short adventures tough to write. And a corollary to that is that no one seemed to want to write short adventures. Trust me. I tried to get short adventures for the last several years, and what you saw in Dungeon was about it.
Part of the problem was, of course, that 3rd edition's stat blocks and all that make short adventures tough to write. And a corollary to that is that no one seemed to want to write short adventures. Trust me. I tried to get short adventures for the last several years, and what you saw in Dungeon was about it.
Thanks for the weigh in, James. I wonder how WoTC has determined that Side Treks are in great demand. Perhaps, it is just a ploy to get a wider range of material from more writers to better judge future designers? Or if this is based on some actual factual (it rhymes) data they have?
What do you think of the adventures in the Savage Tide AP? All of them to some extent seem formed by a number of interconnected "side treks" - just look at all the small quests the PCs have to complete in "There is no honor", for example.
And that's a trend the guys at Paizo are continuing also in Gamemastery modules - for example, in W1 the party has to complete a number of side treks in order to secure the trail in the Vale.
In my opinion, those are good examples of side treks which could also taken and run in a totally different campaign; how can I say? they're something more than an encounter and something less than a full-fleshed adventure.
These are side treks in some since but, plot wise, they build on each other. I seriously doubt that most of these would have passed muster if they had been intended to stand alone. Not that they are bad or anything but I don't really think that the goal, or maybe mindset, of the writers is the same when considering parts of a larger adventure and a side trek.
Part of the problem was, of course, that 3rd edition's stat blocks and all that make short adventures tough to write. And a corollary to that is that no one seemed to want to write short adventures. Trust me. I tried to get short adventures for the last several years, and what you saw in Dungeon was about it.
I'm a tad surprised at that. A side Trek would seem to me to be one of the few areas where all D&D players are on something of a level playing field. If one wants to write something like There is no Honor one needs some significant writing talent on top of rules knowledge etc.
Thats is not so much the case with a Side Trek - or not the ones of our youth anyway. Generally those, by and large, seemed to follow a pretty basic formula. An ability and/or magic item has an interesting effect when combined with another ability and/or magic item. Usually this is Core theme of the Side Trek - one presumes that the authour was playing with the rule books one day and suddenly had an epiphany of 'Oh cool...if I gave this [insert some magic item out of left field] to a Mind Flayer and the Mind Flayer had previously dominated a [insert some weird monster no one normally associates with Mind Flayers] that has this other odd ball ability then the resulting synergy would be awesome.
Anyone could potentially notice some kind of combination of D&D abilities and powers and one does not need to be an authour to be able to notice this sort of thing or have a sudden epiphany when browsing one of the rule books.
I suppose having writing talent helps, though, when you try and package ones epiphany.
Thinking about this while replying to James.
From my memories of Side Treks, a lot of them seemed to have something of a formula. Now I don't believe the authours had a formula to begin with but I suspect that the nature of what a Side Trek is essentially meant that ones submission would not usually be accepted unless it fit into this formula.
At its heart a Side Trek is generally a single encounter - but a really cool one. Sometimes there might be a bit of a prelude encounter meant to set up the main one but in the end the players are going to come upon one major scene and interact with it. The encounter needs a lot of 'wow factor'. Encountering a Death Knight on a Red Dragon is cool but any DM can throw that together pretty easily. A good Side Trek Usually involves a caste of characters whose abilities or magic items interact in some unusual manner. Something that the other DMs probably never considered before. The idea should stop the editors in their tracks and of course the encounter itself should ultimately stop the players in their tracks with something like 'What...come again?!?'.
So I would think that most Side Treks start with a unique caste of characters with interesting and synergistic abilities. The writer then needs to write a short plot line around these abilities. Generally that quickly explains how the unlikely caste came together (since the players rarely find this part out - keep it short) in the first place and what their doing now.
Also, of course, a bit on how the PCs get involved in all of this. In my experience the PCs usually just wander bang into the middle of this mess while minding their own business. This keeps the adventure hook simple and allows any DM to throw this at their players which is kind of the point with a Side Trek.
After that detail what happens when the PCs bump into the unique caste of characters. In D&D it usually, but not always, involves a fight. The key here is that the players should have their socks knocked off either just as this encounter is starting or shortly into the encounter. The premise of the Side Trek should be neat but its what happens when the players get involved that has to be spectacular - and it needs to be spectacular for them.
Strongly consider the terrain when designing this. Often its more or less decided but, because this is one really spectacular encounter work hard to make it interesting - without going overboard for no reason. A battle in the cauldron of an active Volcano is cool - but hard for DMs to just drop into their adventure. Having the players walk into the middle of a robbery the next time they try and sell magic items is better. The scene can be disturbed and and all sorts of strange things can be taking place inside the establishment and yet every DM that allows his/her players to sell magic items should be able to slot this adventure in no problem.
Finally wrap it all up with a brief conclusion and maybe a couple of lines considering continuing adventures.
Oh and for an example of a Side Trek...not quite a Side Trek but damn close. GGG's The Menagerie (Dungeon #126). If you stripped that down to about half the different encounters and then maybe had them more mixed together as the players entered (say several in the main room with more entering shortly after combat starts) then that would be a Side Trek.
On a side note This is a good - and very funny look at The Menagerie.
|
Creative Director
|
Honestly, I'm not sure why people were so resistant to writing shorter adventures. It certainly is a great way to get your foot in the door, but when you get down to it, writing a good short adventure is kind of hard. Again, especially in 3rd edition where a single stat block sometimes takes up a half page or more. I'll certainly be interested to see if the online version of Dungeon manages to bring short adventures back to prominence, but with them using the delve format for those adventures, writing short adventures is probably gonna be even harder.
I'll certainly be interested to see if the online version of Dungeon manages to bring short adventures back to prominence, but with them using the delve format for those adventures, writing short adventures is probably gonna be even harder.
I hope so, and they say as much in their submission guidelines, but I suppose we won't know until we see the issues.
Jeremy, thanks for your posts, links, and further clarification of a Side Trek. I appreciate it.
I have outlined a submission to WoTC, so here is keeping those fingers crossed.
I'll certainly be interested to see if the online version of Dungeon manages to bring short adventures back to prominence, but with them using the delve format for those adventures, writing short adventures is probably gonna be even harder.I hope so, and they say as much in their submission guidelines, but I suppose we won't know until we see the issues.
Jeremy, thanks for your posts, links, and further clarification of a Side Trek. I appreciate it.
I have outlined a submission to WoTC, so here is keeping those fingers crossed.
I sent in a SideTrek query a couple of weeks back as well, and if anything comes of it I'll post back in this thread later.
Last Rogue--Good luck with your submission!
James--I agree; SideTrek meets Delve Format doesn't strike me as a match made in heaven. My query had one main encounter (which I'll write in Delve Format) and 2-3 appetizer/time-killer incidents that needn't end in combat and that I have no intention of doing in the Delve Format. We'll see what the new WotC/Dungeon head honcho (Chris Thomasson, isn't it?) has to say on the matter.
I sent in a SideTrek query a couple of weeks back as well, and if anything comes of it I'll post back in this thread later.Last Rogue--Good luck with your submission!
James--I agree; SideTrek meets Delve Format doesn't strike me as a match made in heaven. My query had one main encounter (which I'll write in Delve Format) and 2-3 appetizer/time-killer incidents that needn't end in combat and that I have no intention of doing in the Delve Format. We'll see what the new WotC/Dungeon head honcho (Chris Thomasson, isn't it?) has to say on the matter.
My understanding is that they won't say anything. You'll know you've been rejected if you don't hear back in 60 days. That system actually rubs me the wrong way. I think there its useful (if painful) for a writer to actually get a rejection. At least it provides closure. You know your submission is dead and can put it behind you and work on others. This just sort of leaves things hanging.
My understanding is that they won't say anything. You'll know you've been rejected if you don't hear back in 60 days. That system actually rubs me the wrong way. I think there its useful (if painful) for a writer to actually get a rejection. At least it provides closure. You know your submission is dead and can put it behind you and work on others. This just sort of leaves things hanging.
Yeah, I agree with you there. At least some of us have gotten a bit used to the "no word" deal with the Paizo/Wizards Dungeon slush pile of the last 11 months ;)
Back to SideTreks, though...I think we'll see them sooner rather than later in the new online version of Dungeon. IIRC, the plan is to add new content every 3 days or so, and something short like a SideTrek should be easier to produce quickly. So even if Last Rogue or I never hear back about our queries, I can't help but think we're going to see a SideTrek posted online fairly soon. Then we'll see if/how the Delve Format gets implemented with it.
Back to SideTreks, though...I think we'll see them sooner rather than later in the new online version of Dungeon. IIRC, the plan is to add new content every 3 days or so, and something short like a SideTrek should be easier to produce quickly. So even if Last Rogue or I never hear back about our queries, I can't help but think we're going to see a SideTrek posted online fairly soon. Then we'll see if/how the Delve Format gets implemented with it.
Agreed. And Good Luck to you to sir!!!
Wizards has just put out a call specifically for Side Treks.
Still no word from Wizards on the one I sent in earlier but I still have about 3 weeks before my 60-day deadline is up.
Aye, me too. I actually think in retrospect I submitted an outline for something that is a bit too unwieldly for a Side Trek. All well, on to the open call.
Honestly, I'm not sure why people were so resistant to writing shorter adventures. It certainly is a great way to get your foot in the door, but when you get down to it, writing a good short adventure is kind of hard. Again, especially in 3rd edition where a single stat block sometimes takes up a half page or more. I'll certainly be interested to see if the online version of Dungeon manages to bring short adventures back to prominence, but with them using the delve format for those adventures, writing short adventures is probably gonna be even harder.
My guess as to why writing short adventures is so hard is the same reason why writing short stories is so hard. ~grins~ It is so much easier to write longer, in depth plots than to write 3 to 5 paragraphs and wrap something up. Or at least it is for me since I tend to ramble on and on without stopping or being quiet or....
~grins~
|
For side treks and plot development using them trying World of Warcraft sometime. Yes I know... I am about to get spammed for suggesting an online "Roleplaying" game can be useful. But it can.
You get a quest. It is a seemingly simple little thing. Go here and do that. A side trek really. But then they want you to go do this follow up side trek now. So you run another side trek. Next thing you know you are learning the history of the kingdom's missing king and that he is supplanted by a dragon. It's a great way to use side treks to create a full fledge adventure path.
But anyway, a side trek is difficult to write because by its nature (like a short story) it must be concise, well thought out, carefully written and have a definitive goal and way to achieve the goal.
APs and novels get to meander around exploring different ideas and locations and expose the reader/player to many events. The plot does not have to be as concise and definitive, which is really the hardest part.
Ah man, you guys have me thinking of side treks now... great like I need more to want to work on.
Back to SideTreks, though...I think we'll see them sooner rather than later in the new online version of Dungeon. IIRC, the plan is to add new content every 3 days or so, and something short like a SideTrek should be easier to produce quickly. So even if Last Rogue or I never hear back about our queries, I can't help but think we're going to see a SideTrek posted online fairly soon. Then we'll see if/how the Delve Format gets implemented with it.
Well, the first e-Dungeon Side Trek ("Teleport Gone Awry" by David Noonan) is finally up on D&D Insider. I think I actually sort of like the Delve format with Side Treks, since they're so short they eliminate most of the page-flipping problem of the format in large books/modules.
On a personal note, I got a green light on my Side Trek proposal in mid-November (about 90 days after I sent it in) and submitted the finished submission last month. Now I'm in the second half of the waiting process (60-90 days?) to see if it'll get accepted for publication.
Side Treks really can be looked at as a single encounter adventure. This is easier said than done, though. It's not easy to make a complete story with a beginning, middle and end in a single encounter but it is fun to try sometimes.
I have a few submissions for side treks currently pending with Wizards right now and once I got the hang of them they weren't too bad to make but they require a lot of focus. A full size adventure with multiple encounters is easy enough to create but the little side trek is tough.
Oh and for an example of a Side Trek...not quite a Side Trek but damn close. GGG's The Menagerie (Dungeon #126). If you stripped that down to about half the different encounters and then maybe had them more mixed together as the players entered (say several in the main room with more entering shortly after combat starts) then that would be a Side Trek.On a side note This is a good - and very funny look at The Menagerie.
I love that thread. Kudos to MiKe for writing it (and "Final Resting Place" and "Beast of Burden" and "Home under the Range" and "Imprisoned with the Pharaohs" and "Paradise Lost" - okay, that was John Milton but MiKe could have pulled that off too if he had too), the guy is all class. It was a lot fun to run with him in the party.
I'll certainly be interested to see if the online version of Dungeon manages to bring short adventures back to prominence, but with them using the delve format for those adventures, writing short adventures is probably gonna be even harder.
Warning, plug to follow: "Witching Season," which I believe made it to the Paizo semi-regular adventure proposal meeting right about the time the "No Hag" rule hit barring it from serious competition, makes it's online debut this month in the DI version of Dungeon. It was originally pitched to you guys as a 5,000 word adventure - it's about 15,000 now.... Now granted that could just be me again. It frightens me to think what would have happened had they accepted "Garden of Wonders."
GGG
PS I hope those of you who read "Witching Season" like it. Actually I hope those of you who don't read it, like it as well, and speak of it often. ;)
Back to SideTreks, though...I think we'll see them sooner rather than later in the new online version of Dungeon. IIRC, the plan is to add new content every 3 days or so, and something short like a SideTrek should be easier to produce quickly. So even if Last Rogue or I never hear back about our queries, I can't help but think we're going to see a SideTrek posted online fairly soon. Then we'll see if/how the Delve Format gets implemented with it.Well, the first e-Dungeon Side Trek ("Teleport Gone Awry" by David Noonan) is finally up on D&D Insider. I think I actually sort of like the Delve format with Side Treks, since they're so short they eliminate most of the page-flipping problem of the format in large books/modules.
On a personal note, I got a green light on my Side Trek proposal in mid-November (about 90 days after I sent it in) and submitted the finished submission last month. Now I'm in the second half of the waiting process (60-90 days?) to see if it'll get accepted for publication.
Good luck Smith!
-GGG
Warning, plug to follow: "Witching Season," which I believe made it to the Paizo semi-regular adventure proposal meeting right about the time the "No Hag" rule hit barring it from serious competition, makes it's online debut this month in the DI version of Dungeon. It was originally pitched to you guys as a 5,000 word adventure - it's about 15,000 now.... Now granted that could just be me again. It frightens me to think what would have happened had they accepted "Garden of Wonders."
GGG
PS I hope those of you who read "Witching Season" like it. Actually I hope those of you who don't read it, like it as well, and speak of it often. ;)
GGG - Congrats on getting "Witching Season" published, and thanks for your support. If/when my Side Trek gets published, I'll be back here to talk some more about it. You might be interested in it since its plot focuses on a piece of fluff from an old TSR campaign world that I believe you're a fan of.
I'm looking forward to "Witching Season" for a couple of reasons. First, it most interested me of the adventures hinted at in the Issue #153 blurb. Second, January was a very sparse month for content for online Dungeon. I hope D&DI Dungeon hits its stride soon; it'd be great to have quality monthly adventures from that and Paizo's Pathfinder and GameMastery lines...a win-win-win situation in my book.
GGG - Congrats on getting "Witching Season" published, and thanks for your support. If/when my Side Trek gets published, I'll be back here to talk some more about it. You might be interested in it since its plot focuses on a piece of fluff from an old TSR campaign world that I believe you're a fan of.
New Jersey! Oh you might mean Mystara too I suppose. ;)
I'm looking forward to "Witching Season" for a couple of reasons. First, it most interested me of the adventures hinted at in the Issue #153 blurb. Second, January was a very sparse month for content for online Dungeon.
Well somehow I think cover-boy Steve Greer is going to take the top spot with his high-level adventure, which probes the interior of an impregnable phallus -well actually it's a fortress set in the midst of the negative energy plane, but that's what we where calling around the table at Gen Con last year. It features a special guest villain who ranks as one of the best-known baddies in the history of the game.
Good luck if you play in it, or "Witching Season" for that matter, both are pretty old school killers that don't always play fair. "Season" for instance runs a bit like a Call of Cthulhu game, minus the squiggly horrors beyond comprehension. Nope all the evil here is perfectly human even if the perpetrators are slightly less than.
GGG
New Jersey! Oh you might mean Mystara too I suppose. ;)
GGG - Congrats on getting "Witching Season" published, and thanks for your support. If/when my Side Trek gets published, I'll be back here to talk some more about it. You might be interested in it since its plot focuses on a piece of fluff from an old TSR campaign world that I believe you're a fan of.
Sorry to disappoint...not New Jersey.
"Night of the Straw Men" is my baby, however, and it just got put up on e-Dungeon.
It's not from the (in)famous Paizo slush pile; I gave up on my 3 proposals from that when Wizards dissipated it and told everyone to resubmit ideas. Instead, it's the signature encounter from a 2nd Edition Mystara adventure I started writing about 12-14 years ago (crap, I'm getting old!!). When WotC put out the call for Side Trek submissions last summer, I thought that the festival showdown with the villain
I hope folks enjoy it and I'm happy that I was able to make one small contribution to the D&D 3.5 body of work just before the 4E tide sweeps in.