This keeps problem solvers in your group happy and breaks the action up for good pacing.
The PCs are victorious over the challenge of the first room and are now presented with a trial that cannot be solved with steel. You can use the 5 Room Dungeon story framework for your campaign, guaranteed. The genre, game system, setting, character types, and other details do not matter. It's the story framework that matters most for great gaming. All game systems: D&D, Pathfinder, FATE, PtBA, Savage Worlds, 13th Age, etc.Įach room in the five room dungeon template guides you through the stages of building a complete story.Science fiction, modern, steampunk, anime, and all other genres.I named it 5 Room Dungeons, which in hindsight is why many game masters don't think this format will work for their non-dungeon campaigns.īut you can use the 5 Room Dungeons format for any type of adventure: When I invented this framework in 2002-2003, I was thinking it would work for all adventure types.
Narrative tricks may not always work, and sometimes all players need is a break to grab snacks and chat a bit before diving back in.There's been a bit of confusion about how to use this quick adventure building method. Plentiful communication between a DM and their players can set expectations before a campaign even begins, and can help either side understand what the other needs from them during a session in terms of attention and immersion. The one thing that all Dungeons & Dragonsplayers have in common is that they are human, and at times need a bit of a break to roam around and get any jitters out before continuing a session. Mission failure should never be used as a punishment, but more as a challenge to keep PCs moving forward and to avoid stalling. Starting a mission under the guise that it is time-sensitive, and could potentially go awry if the players do not address it in time can work under the right circumstances.
Puzzles and mazes can also motivate an entire party to talk things out and put their heads together to figure out the best course forward.ĭepending on the type of D&D campaign and the expectations set beforehand by the DM and players, having the potential for a quest failure could be an exciting way to continuously keep a party on track.
Situations like surprise encounters with low-level monsters can be a refreshing break from heavy narration or a travel montage, but won’t leave too much time for players to grow bored with lengthy combat. Player-interactive moments are a great way to keep the energy up at a Dungeons & Dragons table, while also still involving all the players. Hinting that there is something valuable can focus in players, and get them back into a playing mindset by having to work together to acquire it. Depending on what type of campaign and what level, Dungeon Masters can introduce a hidden treasure that requires the party’s combined effort to discover a hefty reward for carrying out a contract, or a purported magical item hidden somewhere in the vicinity.
Offering up some sort of reward, treasure, incentive, or D&D magic item can be another way to catch a party’s attention.