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Quest Builder

A tool for organizing quests using a structured framework. This guide explains the hierarchy of game structure, the three quest types, and how to design effective quests that balance structure with player agency.

Launch the Quest Builder

Understanding the Framework

Encounter - A single scene or challenge. Combat with bandits, negotiating with a merchant, solving a puzzle in a room. Discrete, happens in one location/timeframe.

Quest - A sequence of encounters with a cohesive goal. "Retrieve the relic from the cursed forest" or "attend the masquerade and see what happens." Has hooks, objectives, and potential outcomes. This is what the Quest Builder organizes.

Adventure - Multiple related quests that form a larger story arc. Has Introduction/Central Conflict/Investigation/Travel/Dungeon/Climax/Resolution structure.

Campaign Arc - A major story thread that spans multiple adventures. "The rise of the dark lord" or "the political intrigue in the capital."

Campaign - The entire game from session 1 to however it ends. All arcs, adventures, quests, and encounters.

The Quest Builder helps organize individual quests by providing fields for hooks, objectives, decision points, conflicts, and consequences. How you fill those fields depends on which type of quest you're designing.

Quests and Adventures

Adventures are larger story structures that contain multiple related quests. An adventure typically follows this structure:

  1. Introduction - Story hooks draw PCs into the adventure and hint at the central conflict. Hooks should introduce the world, may be personal to one or more PCs, and should provide basic information like a location, NPC, or other hint. Always include at least 3 hooks which speak to motivations of good, neutral, or evil characters.

  2. Central Conflict - Present the central conflict to the players incompletely, inviting curiosity and questions about possible resolutions.

  3. Investigation and Gathering Information - Opportunities for players to learn more about the conflict, gather supplies, and plan their approach. Not all questions should be answered—there should always be unknowns that may be resolved later.

  4. Travel and Exploration - The journey to the quest's location, including challenges, encounters, and discoveries. Travel should be informative, exciting, or relevant to the central conflict.

  5. Dungeon or Challenge Site - A specific location where a significant part of the adventure occurs. Detail layout, key features, traps, puzzles, and enemies that serve the antagonist's motivations or reinforce atmosphere and location.

  6. Climax and Resolution - The confrontation with the main antagonist or final challenge. Include an unexpected complication, twist, or revelation that either forces PCs to reconsider their plan or raises the stakes. Possible outcomes should be dependent on PC choices, available information, and degree of success.

  7. Return and Reward - The return journey, aftermath, rewards, and impact on the game world.

  8. Hooks for Future Adventures - Elements that can lead to future adventures or further develop the story.

Within this adventure structure, you might have: - A closed-ended main quest (retrieve the ancient artifact) - An open-ended investigation phase (figure out who stole it and why) - Multiple side quests (help the village with their bandit problem, find rare components for the wizard)

Each quest uses the Quest Builder to organize its hooks, objectives, decision points, and consequences. The adventure template provides the larger framework that contains and connects these individual quests.

Closed-Ended Quests

What is a Closed-Ended Quest?

In closed-ended quests, the objective is already known by the GM. You know what you want the players to achieve, and the players have a clear goal, such as rescuing an NPC, delivering an item, or defeating a particular enemy. The quest concludes when that goal is achieved.

Example

The players are tasked with retrieving a sacred relic from a temple hidden deep within a cursed forest. The objective is clear: retrieve the relic and bring it back to the village to lift the curse plaguing the land. The GM has defined the endpoint – retrieving and returning the relic. However, the path to achieving this goal can still offer variations and player agency.

Designing Closed-Ended Quests

Start with the end in mind. Know what the final objective looks like and then work backwards to develop the plot points that will lead the players to that conclusion.

Design Steps:

  1. Define the Objective - Determine the goal of the quest. The objective should be straightforward and unambiguous even if you design twists and turns along the way.

  2. Outline the Plot Points - Develop the key events that will occur from the start of the quest to its conclusion. These plot points guide the players through the quest and ensure that the story progresses towards the defined endpoint.

  3. Create Nuances and Options - While the main objective is fixed, allow for variations in how players can achieve it. For example, in the relic retrieval quest, players might choose different approaches: stealth to avoid the forest's monsters, negotiation with a guardian spirit, or brute force to overcome obstacles.

  4. Prepare for Player Decisions - Anticipate possible choices the players might make and how these will affect the quest. Prepare contingencies for different actions, so you can respond flexibly without derailing the quest.

  5. Include Sub-Quests and Challenges - Add layers to your quest with sub-quests and challenges that must be overcome. These can include puzzles, combat encounters, or moral dilemmas that enrich the main storyline. For instance, the players might encounter a wounded former enemy who knows a safer path through the forest in exchange for help.

Balancing Structure and Player Agency

While closed-ended quests have a predefined end, allow players to feel like their choices matter. In the relic retrieval quest, the players may come to the village because an NPC asked them to come, because they were doing a side quest that led them there, or because they got lost in the woods. As a GM, you are moving the scenery to get them into the village, but once there, you take account of their decisions.

If the players decide to save the wounded enemy, they might have to confront that enemy with the final boss or they might gain an ally against the final boss. The end goal does not change, but their actions affect the endpoint of the adventure.

Even in structured quests, player decisions should have consequences. This ensures that players feel their actions have impact and keeps the quest engaging. Think of your quest as a road with specific waypoints and crossroads, but allow for detours and side paths that players can explore that still bring them back to the original road.

Closed-Ended vs Railroading

The critical difference between railroading and closed-ended quests is the difference between forcing players along a predetermined path with little to no room for deviation, and allowing for player autonomy and decision-making within the framework of the quest. While the endpoint is known, the journey to get there can vary significantly based on player choices and actions.

Closed-ended quests provide structure and direction without sacrificing the freedom and creativity that are the hallmarks of an engaging RPG experience, ensuring that players feel their decisions matter and that they are active participants in the story rather than merely passengers.

CRPG Examples

Closed-ended quests are common in many CRPGs like Dragon Age: Origins and Baldur's Gate. These games present clear objectives but allow for different approaches to achieving them. In Dragon Age: Origins, the quest to save the Arl's son in Redcliffe can have multiple outcomes based on player choices. The goal is to save the Arl's son, but the player is free to define what saving means and even choose to outright ignore saving the son for personal gain.

However, some games, like Fallout 4, often present the illusion of choice where all options lead to the same conclusion. This can be frustrating for players who want their decisions to have real impact. In TTRPGs, avoid this pitfall by genuinely considering and preparing for different player actions and their outcomes.

Practical Tips

  1. Prepare Thoroughly - Have a clear understanding of the quest's end and the key events leading to it. Prepare notes on possible player actions and how you will respond.

  2. Be Flexible - While the quest has a defined end, remain open to player creativity. Adapt to their choices and incorporate their decisions into the story. Possibly even changing the outcome of the quest.

  3. Engage with Player Motivations - Understand what drives your players and create opportunities for them to express their characters' motivations and backstories within the quest framework.

  4. Reward Player Agency - Even in a structured quest, find ways to reward players for creative solutions and meaningful decisions. This could be through extra experience points, in-game rewards, or narrative recognition.

Open-Ended Quests

What is an Open-Ended Quest?

Open-ended quests are designed to unfold in response to the actions and decisions that players make. As a GM, you start with a hook to gauge player interest along with the first few steps of the quest, but where it goes from there is up to the party. It's like setting out bait and seeing if players will bite, and if they do, will they chew.

Example

Suppose you set up a hook where the party learns of a masquerade. They might just ignore it, but if they do bite, you set up a few follow-up hooks:

  1. Rumor of a heist
  2. Rumor of a protection assignment
  3. Rumor of a noble attending they want to speak with who has been hard to corner

Sometimes the party will take the initial hook and ask questions of an NPC that allow you to feed them more hooks. Sometimes the party will talk amongst themselves and you can use the table chat to work in additional hooks later. At this point, you have left the quest open to be addressed by the party however they choose.

Instead of scripting out a specific quest that the party is intended to follow, such as the heist, you create a scenario and allow the party to explore how they want to interact with it. You know details about the masquerade, such as the date, the location, a list of some attendees, and some ways the party might interact with it (entry points), but nothing is set in stone. When the party begins asking questions and making decisions, you start filling in the details of the scenario.

Designing Open-Ended Quests

Creating these types of quests requires flexibility and confidence on the part of the GM. You need a solid grasp of the game world and its inhabitants so you can adapt to the decisions of the party on the fly. It's more about providing a playground of possibilities rather than a narrow path to follow.

The beauty of open-ended quests lies in the agency they offer players. When players realize that their actions can change the game world in significant ways, the engagement deepens. Players aren't just following a story; they're shaping it. This approach also mirrors life more realistically—rarely are all outcomes known from the start and the decisions you make have lasting effects on your reality.

However, this style of quest design does present challenges, particularly in ensuring that the story remains coherent and compelling regardless of the choices the party makes. It requires the GM to anticipate potential choices and have contingency plans that keep the game exciting and engaging.

During gameplay, pay close attention to the party's strategies and interests. A casual decision a player makes could open up new story opportunities that enrich the overall experience. For instance, if the party shows more interest in a minor character, you might develop that character's backstory and motives, weaving them deeper into the narrative, possibly even creating future hooks and scenarios based on that NPC.

Setup Principles

Rich Setting - Know your world, including its lore, locations, NPCs, and conflicts so you can quickly adapt to unexpected decisions by your players. If you have a hook, you need a few notes that allow you to connect NPCs and locations to the hook. Don't skimp on prep, or at the very least, write down the things you need to make up on the spot.

Introduce Hooks Early - Don't throw in your masquerade at the beginning of the session you want your players to attend. Provide the hook at least two or three sessions earlier so that your players can finish their current quest and begin learning about their new hook. This gives you a chance to build out in front of the players based on their interests and decisions.

Multiple Entry Points - When creating your hook, create multiple entry points so that your players don't feel railroaded.

Reward Curiosity - Curiosity is what you want from your players, and the more curious they are, the more fodder you have to build with. Moreover, curiosity can create feedback loops, where their interests and choices can create more hooks for more quests.

Allow Influence on Outcome - Your maze is boring if all roads lead to the same exit and eventually your players are going to figure that out. Open-ended quests are about player agency, meaningful choices, and appropriate rewards. That is not to say that you can't get away with recycling unused content or allow some left turns to stay right, but these should be rare.

Building the Quest

Use various tools: intriguing NPCs, hidden lore, and multiple potential conflict points. These elements are sprinkled throughout the setting so that whichever path the party takes, there's something interesting waiting for the players. It's like setting up a maze in which each twist and turn leads closer to a big prize, yet how the party gets there, and what "big prize" means, can vary based on the decisions of the party.

Open-ended questing helps your players engage in the world in a way that makes their decisions impactful. If you are successful, your players end up creating their own questlines, naturally making allies and enemies as your story progresses, defining their own rewards, and eventually creating a memorable campaign.

Side Quests

Example

One of your characters has been yammering away about a magic item for weeks. So you introduce an ancient tome that indicates the item might just be in an ancient library hidden beneath a ruined tower. The character manages to convince the rest of the party to join them on this quest.

In this side quest, the party is motivated by the promise of a magic item. The journey to the ruined tower and the exploration of the ancient library offer plenty of chances for excitement and discovery. They might encounter traps, guardians, or puzzles that stand between them and their prize.

You can extend beyond just the magic item. Include lore into the history of the ruins and library to help reinforce your main questline, add in a prayer book for the paladin to discover about his deity and give clues to why they are known as the Silent God. Include an in-depth puzzle to access a hidden chamber in the library, and make sure that the magic item has a cost to it for your greedy loot goblin, forcing a choice to develop their character a little more.

What are Side Quests?

Side quests are those little adventures that don't tie directly into your main campaign storyline. They're like the fun detours that add extra flavor to your game, giving your players something interesting to do beyond the main plot.

Importance of Side Quests

Side quests might seem like optional fluff, but they're actually incredibly valuable. They help the party gain experience, find needed gear, and develop their characters in ways that the main quest might not allow. Plus, they can bring some unexpected excitement into the game.

Uses of Side Quests

Gaining Experience and Equipment - Side quests help the party gain more experience and better gear, so they help you buffer between larger questlines, especially to power up your party as needed.

Character Development - Use them as character development. This can be pretty straightforward by incorporating backstory details, but capitalize on things like the party struggling through deadly encounters for one character's greed for a magic item.

Engaging Player Interests - Sometimes that development extends into other areas. In a library, you can have books on anything, from spellbooks to prayer books, to recipes for the wannabe blacksmith in the party.

Adding Depth to the Game World - Side quests introduce new storylines, NPCs, and lore and are a great way to slowly feed your players the lore they didn't want to read in the session 0 pamphlet you gave them. And it's rewarding and reaffirming for those who did.

Testing Player Preferences - Use these quests to help gauge what your players enjoy most to inform future quests. Maybe you add in some funhouse dungeon elements or some more intricate puzzles for those newer players to get a sense of other ways to play.

Designing Side Quests

Identify the Hook - Quests always start from a hook, and this is no different. A character wanted a magic item, and you just put something in their path to give them an avenue to get it. That is all hooks are for side quests, and they're usually pretty effective.

Outline the Key Points - Side quests tend to be a bit more linear because you want them to be short and to the point. Finding the tome, traveling to the ruined tower, and exploring the ancient library are all there is to this quest. For a side quest, 3 to 5 key points are all you need.

Include Challenges - Add layers with sub-quests, puzzles, or moral dilemmas that enrich the main storyline. Your complex little puzzle might be too much for the party. Either prepare to give them hints, prepare to let them fail, or prepare to offer an alternate route, such as waking up the Wrong Password Guardian who has a key to bypass the puzzle.

Prepare for Choices - Anticipate decisions players might make and how these will affect the quest. Maybe the party bypassed the ruins over the library by using a spell like Passwall. You can reward them for their ingenuity or allow the threats from the ruins to pile on later, maybe when they're resting.

Ending the Quest - Always allow for other ways of finishing the quest or, at least, allowing player actions to influence how it is completed. Maybe the loot goblin decides that the magic item is not worth the price. You can still reward them, possibly even with the intended item, if appropriate.

Practical Tips

Contingency Plans - Especially when it comes to combat, prepare for the unknown. You usually don't have as much room to work within a side quest, so being prepared with random encounters to make things feel challenging is never a bad idea.

Engage All Players - If you have 4 players at your table, you should engage all 4 in some way. Just because your loot goblin started the quest doesn't mean that the other three players cannot get something out of the quest or feel rewarded. This helps to create buy-in for future side quests from all your players.

Side quests add variety and depth to your campaign, keeping things fresh and engaging. They're a chance for players to explore, experiment, and experience the world you've created in new ways.