I’m an advocate for brevity (though
my writing rarely demonstrates that). I prefer game rules (both in
mechanics and presentation) on the short and simplistic end of the
spectrum given my lack of time and focus in a hectic life – a subject I’ve previously discussed here – though I have in my more
than 30-year history of gaming indulged in “tome” games for both
reading pleasure and actual play. So I’ve watched the past few
years’ One Page Dungeon Contests with great delight because they
not only showcase some outstanding, system-neutral short adventures
but generate a host of free material for the gaming community every
year.
I love short scenario material, whether
a full-fledged dungeon crawl or some in-universe source prop with
adventure hooks. Way back during the 2nd edition Advanced Dungeons
& Dragons days TSR released several Deck of Encounters
sets, boxes filled with oversized cards containing brief adventure
elements keyed by location and difficulty level; I actually used one
during solo play when the gaming scene in my life seemed slow. Some
TSR boxed sets also contained one-page scenarios or adventure hooks
with related player handout props. R. Talsorian’s Cyberpunk 2020
contained a section of adventure hooks with a “screamsheet” on
one side – a one-sheet fax newspaper reporting on key events in the
Night City setting, typical of what characters might find – with
related scenario ideas on the other. The company used another concise
strategy with its Castle Falkenstein game, offering one-page
adventure outlines providing the extreme basics of set-up and plot
along with brief stats for key allies and adversaries.
I’ve admired the One Page Dungeon Contest from afar for years, though I’ve never entered. I’ve
tried to craft an interesting dungeon experience on one page; it’s
quite a formidable challenge. The best I’ve managed – combining
an adequate adventure with the constraints of one page – ended up
being a whopping two pages: Labyrinth of Set, a Pulp Egypt scenario available for free/pay-what-you-want at DriveThruRPG.
Creating an adventure with an engaging concept, enticing
introduction, and challenging encounters in one page (including a
map) seems a daunting exercise in clear, concise writing and tight
game design. The contest entries, of course, range across a wide
spectrum of quality, theme, presentation style, artistic finesse, and
layout. It takes a lot of courage to submit one’s work, whatever
it’s comparative quality, to such a very public forum. The contest
offers a good opportunity for aspiring game writers to “get
published” and gain some recognition for their work.
An esteemed panel of judges determines
the most outstanding of all the entries, but all submissions receive
recognition and online publication thanks to a creative commons
license. This year’s judges include such game-industry notables as
Ernie Gygax, Martin Thomas, Steve Winter, and Sean K. Reynolds as
well as several others from online communities and the blogosphere.
Winners in a variety of categories can receive prizes from a host of
supporting sponsors. All entries eventually find a home on the One
Page Dungeon Contest website so readers can view or download the PDFs
and decide for themselves which ones they like best. Previous years’
entries remain archived on the One Page Dungeon Contest website to
peruse and download. They offer a broad spectrum of adventures
enterprising gamemasters can customize for game system, genre, play
style, and character level.
I admire anyone who enters the contest:
they accept the daunting challenge of fitting an engaging adventure
(map and all) on one page; they have the courage to share their work
in public; and they contribute to a greater body of work available to
everyone seeking inspiration for a short adventure.
Don’t miss the April 30 deadline for
submissions to the 2014 One Page Dungeon Contest. Develop an
interesting premise, sketch out a map, and write some encounters...it
can’t take forever because it’s only one page!
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