The final scene is, obviously, the climax of the scenario, the denouement of the plot, the big epic fight with the villian. It’s also the hardest scene to plan. You’ll find that unless you keep a very tight grip on the possible actions of the player characters, the final scene ends up being an awful [...]
Archive > April 2009
How to write con scenarios, part IV: Core scenes
Back in part 1, I said that as a rule of thumb, you can assume you’ll have three to five scenes between opening and finale. Each of these scenes should last around half an hour each. That’s actually quite a lot of play time. Depending on your game system, that’s one or two fights (or [...]
How to write Convention Scenarios, part III: the Opening Scene
This article isn’t about running convention games, but from this point on it will be impossible for me to entirely divorce writing the game from running it. I’ll keep the GM asides to a minimum. The opening scene needs to: Get the players’ attention Introduce the player characters to each other Start them [...]
How to Write Con Scenarios, part II – Characters
First, check with the con; some conventions will specify how many players they want at a table. Normally, this number is five or six. If they have such a requirement, stick to it – it’s there for a reason. (Seating arrangements, mainly, plus it’s a lot easier for the rpg co-ordinator to look at a [...]
How to write con scenarios the Gar Hanrahan way
Disclaimer: All this is my opinion, but it’s based on what’s worked for me over the past eight years of writing con scenarios – and since writing said con scenarios has led directly to a job in the gaming industry, I’ll admit to a smidgin of ego on this topic. Contrary comments and arguments welcome.