On our last post we talked about the elements of a good adventure. Three of those I consider the main elements, which are the plot, the location and the cast. We already talked about the plot and suggested a few themes and some questions for you to think about on each one. Today we will talk about the location element.
The location element is where the adventure takes place, where the main acts of the story happen, where the final epic battle get fought. Those places have a significant influence on the adventure, and can make the story much more interesting and alive. It's one thing to battle kobolds on a bare dungeon room, but it's entirely different to battle them in an ancient temple dedicated to Tiamat built beneath an dragonborn's city ruin. The possibilities and images that come to your mind on the second scene are almost endless compared to the first one.
When you think about the place where the events will unfold you have to ask yourself what is different about that place that makes it special? Is there something that makes that particular location different from the others? Is there something magical, fantastic, terrible there? Those kind of questions help you think about where the adventure takes place. Sometimes the location can even be the adventure it self, like when the party needs to escape a dangerous maze-like dungeon. So when you plan your adventure, try to give the location a personality, interesting characteristics and an unique story. This will help you bring the story to life.
1) Where the adventure takes place?
2) What is special about that location? Is there something magical, fantastic, terrible about that location?
3) What's the first thing someone notice about the location?
4) What's the location original purpose?
5) Who were the location's original inhabitants?
6) What's the location current purpose?
7) Who are the location's current inhabitants? How's their relationship with each other?
8) What surrounds the location? Does it have any influence on the location?
When you answer those questions try to be brief but specific about the questions. Remember all the senses when thinking about the place, how does it look, how does it smell, the noises and so on. A good tip is to to write a list of adjectives associated with that location for you to use during the game to describe it to your players. Another good advice is to provide images to your players to help them imagine the places their characters visit. The internet is a great place to find such pictures, there are tons of artwork websites, concept arts, and WotC provides good art galleries from their books.
The place where the adventure takes place determine many other elements of the story, such as the fantastic terrains that can be found, the hazards that appear on such locations, the kind of traps that could be constructed by the inhabitants, the terrain powers that could be used and the kind of creatures that can be found and that seek those kind of places.
The location is a vital part of an adventure, it can make the difference between a boring story and a memorable adventure. So when you plan your next adventure, ask yourself what place would make the most impact on the adventures eyes? Where would the last battle seem more epic? Where would the adventure be unforgetable?
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