Writing an adventure is a task that some GMs breeze through, whilst the rest of us mere morals, at one time or another, suffer from complete writers’ block. With the move within the gaming industry towards the narrative style of storytelling, shown with the popularity of such systems as FATE and the Star Wars RPG by Fantasy Flight Games, there is less of a need to create an adventure with all the trappings of maps and intricate plot coupled with copious amounts of boxed text, and more of a need to have a series of notes to keep the adventure on track, and “wing it,” so to speak, whilst bouncing off the interspersed shenanigans of the players. The one thing however, that remains a constant no matter the system, is the need to present a cohesive story with the sorts of ups and downs expected of a TV series or film.
In 1992, a small game company by the name of Talsorian Games produced a role playing game called Dream Park. The game got a fair amount of press in the likes of Dragon, Dungeon, and Challenge Magazines during its release, and although an independent game system, it could certainly be called an Indy Game by today’s standards. The part of this game which causes me to mention it in this article was the section on adventure design, specifically about the Beat System.
Many TV enthusiasts will understand the term “beat” to be a point in an adventure where the story changes. This may be a change of scene, a change in circumstance or a change in action. This method of storytelling is a tried and true method, often used by Hollywood writers, and is a strategy which translates very well to the tabletop. It’s also a great way to keep players interested during the game, and to help Game Masters keep track of “plot” points during an adventure, with very little being required by way of preparation.
The Beat System as portrayed in Dream Park has five distinct categories namely Hook, Cliff-Hanger, Development, Climax and Resolution, with Hook, Climax and Resolution being used only once, and Cliff-Hanger and Development alternating for long as the adventure requires. The suggested length of actual time spent on a beat will be dependent on the group and the situation, but on average, each “beat” should last approximately 30 minutes on actual game time. I have used this method extensively in two of my campaigns for the Star Wars Role Playing Game, and I found that Cliff-Hangers are the “beats” which last the longest. This is predominantly caused by combat and social interactions where role playing is heavy. Developments can also have the potential to consume a lot of time, and the rule of thumb here is to introduce no more than two plot points per “beat.”
Lets now examine the five different categories:
HOOK
The Hook is how the players get involved in the story. Plot Hooks are often displayed in game supplements as a way to start the players on an adventure by “hooking” them in. A Hook can be a Development or a Cliff-Hanger as required, but is normally the situation which is going to drive the story forward and call the characters to action. An example of a Hook from Star Wars: A New Hope would be “Scavengers sell a droid that holds the ‘MacGuffin’ of the story.”
CLIFF-HANGER
A Cliff-Hanger, as the term implies, is a moment where the story could turn at any moment. Cliff-Hangers are often tense affairs, and normally consist of a confrontation, combat, or some type of obstacle that the players need to overcome. An example of a Cliff-Hanger from Star Wars: A New Hope would be “The spy has revealed the location of the heroes’ ship and the PCs must escape before the Empire captures them.”
DEVELOPMENT
The Development is normally a “beat” that drives the story to the next Cliff-Hanger. It is a point in the adventure when information is revealed, an investigation leads to a clue, or there is some type of revelation. An example of a Development from Star Wars: A New Hope would be “After escaping the Death Star, the heroes have time to talk with the Princess and learn what was so important about the droid.”
Every good episodic story contains an even number of Cliff-Hangers and Developments, with one always following the next. Where things get interesting though is the final two points which bring the story to its conclusion, specifically the Climax and the Resolution.
CLIMAX
The Climax is the high point of the adventure. Its the moment where all that has been building up throughout the session, where plot points merge into a cohesive story and allow your players to be provided with that “Ahhh” moment that many GMs crave. The Climax can be either the “Big Reveal” or a final dose of intense combat, mostly with the Nemesis of the story or even the campaign. More succinctly, the Climax is the “pay-off” for the hard work and investigations that the players worked throughout the adventure for. The obvious example of the Climax in Star Wars: A New Hope is the final battle where the Death Star explodes. The Climax is by no means the end of the story however, which leads to the final piece of the adventure puzzle – the Resolution.
RESOLUTION
Resolution is the “happy” moment which acts as a full stop to the adventure. The resolution need not be the end though, and can be a Cliff-Hanger leading to the next adventure’s Hook, or the discovery or something new that may spawn further adventures later in the campaign. The return of the heroes to Yavin, and the subsequent award ceremony are good examples from Star Wars: A New Hope, but the marriage of Anakin to Padme and the assembly of the Clone Armies on Coruscant at the end of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones are also good examples of Resolutions that are springboards to further adventures.
Each beat can be as little as two to three sentences on the point you have, and can be expanded upon as you get close to that adventure. It is also a great way to keep adventure ideas and scenes in one place, similar to the concept mentioned in Episode 11 of the New Order 66 Podcast entitled, The GM Holocron 2.0. You can clip these notes into your holocron and revisit them as you see fit during your campaign.
Here is an example of an adventure in Episode Beat form:
HOOK (Looming Threat)
The PCs are approached by an aging Jedi Master who has learned that the Empire is seeking an ancient Sith artifact, believed to be the teachings of the first Sith. One of the PCs knows how to find where the item may be but needs help from an old friend who lives in the mountainous region of Naboo.
CLIFF-HANGER (Ambush)
The PCs travel to Naboo to meet with the contact only to be ambushed by Imperial Agents who also know that the contact may be able to assist them in locating the treasure. The contact is in possession of an amulet which is a key to finding the treasure.
DEVELOPMENT (Strange Bedfellows)
With the first part of the map in their possession, the PCs travel to the desert world of Solay where they meet a local infochat who has been monitoring the Imperials’ movements, and has learned that they have created a dig site out in the desert. The PCs learn that the amulet is a key to finding the correct location of a burial crypt, which the Imperials don’t have.
CLIFF-HANGER (Confrontation)
The PCs find the location of the crypt and the artifact, but are discovered by Imperials. The PCs must fight to keep the artifact from the Imperial Forces, but the forces overwhelm the PCs. The PCs soon learn that the Commander in charge, a man named Captain Belloche, is an old adversary of one of the PCs.
DEVELOPMENT (Clue/Revelation)
The PCs must find a way out of the crypt, during which they learn that the Empire’s plan is to take the device to an ancient Sith shrine on Morraban where they plan on unlocking the device’s secrets. The PCs also learn more about the device’s powers and ways to protect themselves should the device become active, as well as learning the device’s secrets.
CLIFF-HANGER (Chase)
The PCs catch up with the Imperials and must attack a speeder convoy to reclaim the artifact before the Imperials reach their transport.
DEVELOPMENT (Rescuers)
The PCs must sneak aboard the Empire’s vessel bound for the ancient Sith Shrine on Morraban.
CLIMAX (Final Battle)
The PCs fight the Imperial Forces before they have a chance to activate the ancient device. If the device is opened, ancient Sith Ghosts are awakened at the shrine and attack both the PCs and the Imperials. The PCs have the advantage here as they have learned how to protect themselves with the information they learned at the crypt on Solay. The PCs must turn off the device before they themselves become victims to the device’s wrath.
RESOLUTION (Happy Ending)
The PCs return with the artifact and deliver the same to the aging Jedi. He thanks the PCs, and pays them handsomely before hiding the artifact away in an abandoned warehouse.
Obviously in this case, I have used an iconic film as the basis of the story. This is intentional to allow you, the reader, to see the structure of the Beat system. Try breaking down the next episode you watch of a television show, and see how the writing staff create story “beats” throughout the episode. As a helping hand, here is an Episode Beat Chart Sheet which you can download and use in your game. I would also encourage you to find a copy of the Dream Park RPG and read through the Beat System to further enhance your storytelling skills.
In closing, I should also mention that the Beat System not only can be applied to designing adventures, but is also useful when designing a campaign. I have extensively used this system for campaign design, although admittedly, you are forced to apply broader strokes here due to the amount of things that can change during a campaign through PC actions, dice rolls, etc. My suggestion is to apply a 2-3 session per “Beat” for campaigns, giving the effect of a “Season” of a television show.
Writing an adventure is not an easy task, and hopefully this may give you some ideas of how to streamline your adventure design process.
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Thanks Shinagani. I wanted to make the adventure familiar to place the structure into a recognizable context for the reader. Glad you enjoyed it.
It took me getting to your Climax step to realize that this exciting adventure was a little familiar, hah. But this was a great break down of potential adventure’s story structure.