Sixty years ago, most fantasy and science fiction authors in the United States wrote for cheap publications known as the pulp mags. Most of the 'pulps' paid a cent a word or and it was difficult for a pulp writer to make a living unless he produced dozens of short stories and novelettes every year, an enormous amount of material.
Typing all of these stories was hard enough. It was often more difficult to come up with effective, original story lines. In desperation, many pulpers turned to plot formulas for their ideas. Plot formulas -- systematic, abstract out of a wide variety of story lines -- were often helpful. Many high-quality stories were constucted with plot formulas, and they were used by talented writers as Lester Dent, the primary author of the Doc Savage novels.
GMs are expected to produce as many "stories," as a form of game scenarios, as pulp authors (and unlike pulp authors, they aren't paid for their troubles), but there are few serious counters to the "plot formulas" of the pulp novels that specifically designed for role-playing games. The following "Scenario Creation System" is an attempt to fill that gap. It's designed to provide skeletal frames for scenarios, to complement the GM's imagination, to provide him with ideas during a creative slump.
The system is not genre-specific, so GMs will to provide details that are appropriate to many campaign worlds. He will have to draw his maps and floor plans, design his own patrons and villains, and flesh out the scenario in much detail than I could possibly provide in a seven or eight page article. Read future installments of CERK for additional guidance in scenario design.
Setup
Before a GM can use this system, he has to specify what kinds of people the player characters will associate with. There are 2 kinds of NPCs, from the standpoint of this system:
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1. Patrons are potential allies or employers of the PCs. Patrons can be victims of disasters
or sources of rumors, but they can also make solicitations on the player characters.
2. Villains can launch attacks against the player characters, they will be responsible for most disasters, and they can serve as the opponents of the PCs in the solicited missions that they accept.
The GM should construct lists or tables for each of these groups, with enuies which are appropriate for his own particuhr campaign.
Then, the GM should determine the settings which are available in the game world. A list of such settings, again, would have to be provided by the game-master to suit his or her own campaign.
Once the GM has determined the type of NPCs which the player characters may encounter, and the type of settings which they may travel through, he is ready to use the Scenario Creation System. Follow each of the listed steps, as described in detail below.
Step 1: Determine Player Motivations
Motivations are the most common reasons why characters do things. Read the following list, and select a motivation which is shared by most, if not all, of the player characters.
- 1. Duty. The character's employer orders him to do things. The PC must obey if
he wants to keep his position.
2. Greed. The PC does things for the money.
3. Sympathy. The PC often coma to the aid of other peopk out of concern for their welfare or a sense of noblesse oblige.
4. Renown. The PC often pursues activides to win fame, honor, and a good reputation.
5. Whimsy. The PC often pursues activities when they seem like exciting or interesting things to do.
6. Love: The PC pursues activities for the benefit of friends, lovers or family members.
7. Survival. The PC is interested in saving himself.
8. Revenge. The PC hates an enemy, and he will pursue an acdvity to kill him or make his life difficult.
Step 2: Determine Hooks
There are four main types of hooks. These are listed below.
- 1. Solicition: Someone asks, orders or hires the player characters to do something.
2. Attack. Someone decides to make life miserable for the player characters, by following, assassinating, or kidnapping them, or doing something else to the characters or to their friends or loved ones.
3. Disaster. The PCs stumble into a situation in which innocent people are in danger, either from natural or man-made disasters, or from direct attacks by a villain.
4. Rumor. The player-characters discover or are informed of useful information.
The types of hooks which you use depend upon the motivations of the player characters. Roll 1d10, add 1 if the PCs are often pursued by a single enemy, and check Table I below.
| Table I: Hooks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motivation | Solicitation | Disaster | Rumor | Attack |
| Duty | 1-7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Greed | 1-5 | 6 | 7-9 | 10 |
| Sympathy | 1-4 | 5-8 | 9 | 10 |
| Renown | 1-2 | 3-6 | 7-9 | 10 |
| Whimsy | 1-2 | 3 | 5-9 | 10 |
| Love | 1-2 | 3-6 | 7 | 8-10 |
| Survival | 1 | 2-4 | 5 | 6-10 |
| Revenge | 1-2 | 3 | 4-7 | 8-10 |
Step 3: Describe Situations
Once you have selected the hods:, go to one of the following sections (depending on the type of hook which was rolled) to detersnine the exact situstbn which the player characters will face.
A. Solicitations
First, choose a patron, who will adc the PCs to do something. Then roll for the mission type, the activity which the characters are asked to perfortn. Roll 1d20, add 2 if the PC are motivated by Sympathy, Renown or Love, subtract 2 if they are motivated by Greed, Survival or Revenge, and then check the table below.
- 1-2: Kill or capture: The PCs msy be asked to assassinate an important figure, capture a
criminal, or hunt down a dangerous or valuable monster.
3-4: Steal goods. These goods could be acquired through a raid against enemies (human or monster), through grave robbery, or through a search for hidden treasure or shipwreck.
5-7: Spy The PCs may be asked to infiltrate an organization, or make out a person's home, and report on their activities.
8: Investigate. The PCs may be asked to confirm a rumor or serve as an eyewitness to an important event.
9-11: Solve crimes. A crime has been committed, and the PCs may be asked to find out who is responsible for it, possibly by the person currently accused.
12-13: Locate persons Someone is missing, and the PCs may be asked to find him.
14-15: Protect/escort. The patron, or a depedent of the patron, may expect to be attacked by a villain; or he may be traveling through dangerous terrain, and be looking for guidance or protection from anticipated hazards.
16: Diplomacy. The characters may be asked to send a message, or to mediate between feuding parties for a peace mission.
17-18: Rescue. The PCs may have to rescue someone from kidnappers. Or if the victim has oeen arrested, the PCs may have to break into the dungeon (or wherever) to save him. Or the PCs may have to save someone from a natural disaster.
19-20: Sabotage/deactivate. A villain's plan to kill many innocent people needs to be foiled. In most cases, a powerful tool, weapon or explosive device of an enemy needs to be destroyed.
Then roll for complications, valuable information thar the patron will not tell the player- character, either out of ignorance, carelessness or malice. Roll 1d3-1 for the number of complications, and then roll 1d20 or choose from the below list for each of them.
- 1: Patron deceives the player-characters about his identity.
2-3: Patron deceives them about his motives or goals; they are less ethical than was originally supposed.
4: The patron's enemies have been tipped off.
5: The patron is killed, captured, or otherwise silenced.
6-7: The patron will find a way to avoid paying or otherwise rewarding the player characters.
8-9: The player-characters will encounter more opposition than they were told.
10: The target of the mission is not who he appeals to be.
11-20: There are certain mysteries that will have to be solved for the mission to be successfully completed. The patron probably does not have the answers to these mysteries (unless another complication would lead one to believe that he does). The type of mystery depends on the type of mission and (in some cases) the roll of a d6:
- Kill/Capture:
1-4: The identity of the person to be killed or captured is unknown;
5-6: The location of the person to be killed or captured is unknown.
Rescue: The location af the person to be rescued is unknown
Find/Steal: The location of the item to be stolen is unknown
Protection: The identity of the person who threatens the patron is unknown
Deactivations
- 1-3: The location of the enemy's attack needs to be identified
4: The timing of the attack needs to be specified
5-6: The techniques for disarming the enemy's trap are unknown
Finally, choose a villain for the opposition that the character faces if he takes on the mission.
Disasters
Roll 1d8, and subtract 1 if the PCs are very high-powered (GM's discretion), and check the table or choose from the below list to determine the type of disaster which is threatening innocent people.:
| Table II: Disasters | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roll | Plains | Desert | Mountains | Seacoast | Forest | Other |
| 1 | Earthquake | Earthquake | Earthquake | Earthquake | Earthquake | Earthquake |
| 2 | Earthquake | Flood | Avalanche | Earthquake | Forest Fire | Flood |
| 3 | Tornado | Storm | Avalanche | Tsunami | Forest Fire | Volcano |
| 4 | Tornado | Sandstorm | Volcano | Storm | Forest Fire | Other |
| 5-6 | Storm | Sandstorm | Storm | Storm | Storm | Storm |
| "Storms," in this table, can refer to hutricanes, blizzards, hail storms or any other form of precipitation which threatens lives and property | ||||||
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1: Natural disaster. Cross reference a D6 roll with the terrain type that the PCs are traveling
through, and check Table II.
2-4: A genre-specific man-made disaster occurs. The type of disaster depends upon rhe tech level of the world: Low-tech (1850 U.S. or earlier) or High-tech (1850 U.S. or later).
If the campaign is set on a low-tech world, roll 1d8:
- 1-2: A plague breaks out
3: Someone is possessed by a malignant spirit
4-6: A monster or a wild animal goes on a violent rampage
7-8: Roll 1d6 on the sub-table for high-tech worlds, below.
If the campaign is set on a high-tech world, roll 1d8:
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1-2: A vehicle capsizes, or crashes, or is about to crash
3-5: A fire or some kind of industrial accident threatens innocent lives
6: People are in danger of falling to their deaths, out of a building, in an elevator, or off of a bridge
7-8: Roll on the sub table for low-tech worlds, above.
5-8: Violent crime against innocents. First, roll 1d6 and check the table below for the type of crime committed:
- 1: Assassination
2: Bombing or Arson
3-4: Robbery
5: Assault or rape
6: Hijacking or Hostage Taking
Then select the villain who was responsible for the disaster. Finally, if the PCs manage to save innocent lives, roll 1d8, and check the table below.
- 1-2: No immedhte consequences.
3,4: The innocents include a patron of some importance, calling for a solicitation roll (see Section A).
5-8: The villain decides to take revenge on the player characters for foiling his plans, calling for an attack roll (see Section D).
Finally, if any player character has a dependent, roll 1d6; on a roll from 1 to 4, that dependent is one of the victims of the disaster.
C. Rumors
First, roll 3d6 to determine the type of information the PCs are given. Add 2 to the result if the player-characters are motivated by revenge; subtract 2 if they are motivated by greed. Then check the table below, rolling additional dice as instructed.
- 3,7: Reports of places which are filled with treasures, roll 1D6 and checlc the below
table for the location of the treasure:
- 1-3: Ruins or tombs
4,5: Crash sites or shipwrecks
6: Stash sites for thieves
8: Reports of persons or places which may answer important secrets
9-10: Reports of weird sightings or events; roll 1d6:
- 1-2: The sighting of strange monsters, beings, or of a person who is supposed to be dead
3: Bizarre, supernatural weather
4: Reports of hidden cities, palaces, islands, etc.
5-6: Mysterious deaths or disappearances; or the loss of contact with an outpost
11-13: Reports of unsolved crimes; roll 1d8 and check the table below for the type of crime committed:
- 1-3: Robberies of precious items
4-6: Murders
7: Kidnappings
8: Other crimes, probably violent
14-18: Information about a villain. First, select the villain. Then roll 1d10 and check the table:
- 1-3: Information about his latest activities: travel plans, purchases, meetings with
other villains, or other useful facts
4: Background information on his personal history
5: Relationships with enemies, allies or other associates
6: His motives or goals
7: An account of his powers and/or secret methods for facing them
8: His identity if previously anonymous
9: The location of his hideout, if previously unknown
10: Other information
Then, roll below for the source of the information. For unsolved crimes or information about an enemy, roll 1d10 and check the table below. For all other information, roll 1d6.
- 1-2: Innocent observer
3: Another investigator or informant
4: Announcements through the public media
5-6: Information can be discovered through personal research
7: Pawn of enemy or opponent, someone who worked for him without understanding his goals
8: Major henchman or accomplice of opponent
9: Rival to enemy/opponent
10: The enemy tells the player-characters himself, perhaps through riddles or other deliberate "clues."
Finally, for each rumor roll 1d8. On a roll of 1, the information is misleading; on a roll of 2, it is completely false.
D. Attacks
Someone tries to make life difficult for the PCs. First, choose a villain, who attacks the PCs. Then, roll 1d20; or roll 1d12 if the PCs do not have any important dependents, and check the below table to determine the nature of the attack:
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1: The characters are monitored and possibly followed.
2: The characters' reputations are attacked.
3: The enemy may steal something that is cherished by the PCs, or burglarize their homes or headquarters.
4-5: The villain asks the characters to visit him. Roll 1d10.
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1-2: The villain tries to befriend the PCs.
3-4: The villain offers to hire the PCs, or asks them ro join him as partners.
5-6: The villain tries to persuade the PCs that his cause is a just one, and their actions will do more harm than good.
7-8: The villain threatens the PCs or their dependents.
9-10: The villain challenges one of the PCs to a contest or duel.
6: The villain sends an agent to befriend the PCs. Roll 1d6.
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1-2: The agent attempts to assassinate the PCs.
3-4: The agent gathers information about the PCs and sends it to his employer.
5-6: The agent feeds the PCs misleading information.
7: The enemy will send an anonymous threat to kidnap or kill the PC.
8-10: The enemy will try to kidnap the PCs, and possibly rorture them for information (or
for pure sadistic pleasure).
11-12: The enemy will try to assassinate the PCs
13-17: The enemy will try to kidnap the PCs' dependents, possibly as part of a trap to
capture them.
18-19: The enemy will try to assassinate the PCs' dependents.
20: The enemy may send an anonymous threat to kidnap or kill the PCs' dependents.
Alternatively, attacks may be selected by the GM according to the acdons of the PCs in previ ous adventures (whether their behavior was reasonable or odious; and whether they were careful or careless) and depending on the personality and the capabilities of the enemies in previous adventures.
Finally, roll 3d6, subtract 3 if the PCs are low powered or inexperienced (GM's discretion), and check the table below to determine the villain's motivation for attacking the PCs.
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3,7: The PCs have some object, or know some information, which one or more villain(s)
would like to acquire.
8: One of the PCs has powers or a position of which he is unaware, which makes him a threat to some villain(s), and a possible asset to others.
9: The villain sees crime as a sort of sport or game, and he sees the PCs as "worthy adversaries" for a violent contest.
10-11: The villain knows that the PCs want to ruin him or destroy his plans, and he takes measures to stop them.
12-13: The PCs have already ruined the villain's life or plans, so the villain has decided to take revenge on them. 14-18: The villain wants to complete some master plan, but he expects the PC to try to stop him, so he wants to eliminate the PC.
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