Introduction
WelcomeWriting ProcessResources
Adventure Brainstorming
Exciting PremisePrimary ObjectiveSetting and LocationsMain CharactersKey Plot PointsEscalating ChallengesIntriguing Mysteries
Adventure Writing
Outline and SummaryAnswering Open QuestionsWriting DescriptionsCommunity FeedbackPrep and PlaytestDesign and IllustrationsPublishing
Conclusion
Thank you for participating!

Setting and Locations

The next step is to figure out where your adventure is going to take place, and come up with a bunch of fun locations.

Unique Setting

I recommend trying to stay away from the generic settings ("fantasy town", "magic forest", "small village") - try to add an interesting twist to your setting, come up with something that makes it unique.

One good way to do that is to think about settings you don't normally see in the adventures, or settings you really like, or unusual biomes.

Apply the same principles you have learned in the lesson on generating ideas - combine things that are not usually combined, reverse or exaggerate ideas, swap the concrete elements for something else.

  • Exotic settings:
    • "Egyptian Pyramids" is better than "Typical Fantasy City".
    • "Amazon Tribe Village", or a "Cliff-side Village" is better than "Generic Medieval Fantasy Village".
    • "Fantasy Subway" is better than "Sewers Under the City".
  • Reverse the element:
    • Egypt is hot => Ice-Covered Egyptian Pyramids
    • Pyramids are ancient => Pyramids are just in the process of being built.
    • Pyramids are low-tech => Alien high-tech steel Pyramids.
  • Replace the element:
    • Pyramid is filled with Mummies => Egyptian Vampires.
    • Pyramid is a place to store dead Pharaoh => It is a Factory, or a Magic School.
  • Exaggerate the element:
    • Mountain-sized Pyramids.
    • A world where everyone has their own Pyramid.

Another great way to make a setting unique is to fill it with interesting inhabitants.

  • Typical fantasy village inhabited by Kobolds or Zombies.
  • Typical fantasy city inhabited by Professional Assassins.
  • Typical fantasy dungeon inhabited by Scientists and Scholars.

And, of course, you can combine both methods to make both the setting and its inhabitants unique and interesting.

Think about other aspects of your setting:

  • Physical: Geography, flora and fauna, climate, magic, technology, etc.
  • Cultural: Customs, politics, religions, occupations, fashion, history, etc.

You can apply the same principles to make one of these aspects unusual and weird:

  • Unusual flora: plants made out of meat.
  • Unusual climate: sentient tornadoes.
  • Unusual customs: annual jellyfish day celebration.
  • Unusual occupations: Kaiju tamer.

Just don't overdo it, especially for a one-shot adventure - worldbuilding can get complicated, and you should keep things simple. One or two unique aspects for the setting is enough.

Finally, what I actually do in practice most of the time - just browse ArtStation, or search Pinterest for things like "Fantasy Environment Design", or browse the Imaginary Network subreddits, and use a setting inspired by one of the images. You can find my collection of fun environments here.

Locations

Think about the specific locations you want your players to visit.

The most important location is the one where Climax is going to take place - you want some epic, dramatic, and memorable set piece.

If our adventure takes place in the Pyramids, some good climax locations would be:

  • Top of the Pyramid.
  • Pharaoh's Tomb with the Cursed Sarcophagus.
  • Secret Chamber filled with Snakes.

You also want to figure out the location where the adventure begins, and 3-5 interesting places in-between. Just picture your setting, and think about the most interesting and remarkable places.

For each location it is useful to come up with an evocative name that sparks imagination, and 2-4 important aspects - useful details, notable features, elements that the players can (or have to) interact with.

Think about the aspects of the location that can:

  • Present obstacles and dangers.
  • Present advantages or opportunities for the players to use their skills and powers.
  • Tell the players something about the world of the story.
  • Evoke curiosity.

The Tomb of Lost Souls

  • It's filled with traps and curses to present dangers.
  • Its corridors can be collapsed onto the enemies, its torches can be used to illuminate the dark corners or set things on fire, its mindless mummies can be used as weapons or a form of cheap labor.
  • Its walls have writings on them telling secrets to the ones who can discern them, and hinting at the Tomb's tragic origins.

Developing locations early in the brainstorming process is very convenient, because they can help you to establish the plot points and encounters you will be inventing later on.

Many adventure plots come down to players going on a journey through a series of locations, each presenting it's own unique opportunities, challenges, dangers. But even when your adventure isn't focused on a journey from place to place, interesting locations will always help your imagination and make the following steps easier.

Locations as Antagonists

One great way to make locations more interesting is to think about the environmental threats and dangers the players may find in the location. That turns the location from a pretty backdrop into an active part of the story that requires some creativity to deal with.

  • Icy Tundra where you must find heat to survive.
  • River of lava you must find a way to cross.
  • Crumbling temple you must escape.

Think of locations as sentient beings that "want" to do something to players - Icy tundra "wants" the players to freeze, mysterious swamps "want" the players to get lost in them. Now you can use these "desires" as a way to make the location more interactive and invent more ideas about things that might happen to players. What "strategies" would this place use to accomplish its objectives?

Icy Tundra "wants" the players to freeze.

  • It can use the howling winds to make them colder.
  • It can use snowfall to make it difficult to find shelter.
  • It can use ice to injure one of the players.
  • It can use white bears to attack players at the worst possible moment.

Action Steps

  • Choose a setting for your adventure, the general area where it is going to take place.
  • Come up with a fun and interesting twist on the setting. What are the 3 most interesting/unusual things about this region?
  • Come up with locations. Choose where the adventure begins, where the climax takes place, and 3-5 places in-between. What kind of dangers or obstacles can each location present?
  • Optional: find some cool images that depict the setting.
  • Share your ideas in the #settings-and-locations channel.