Sites & discoveries

Sites

Interesting places that…

… tell a story, via their environment;
… are exciting to explore; and
… present players with interesting decisions

In every area/room/scene, include at least one detail or element that reflects the site's story.

Considerations:

Physical space: dimensions, construction, clearance, obstacles, footing, levels, etc.
Light sources: who has them, range/tags, who out there sees them, duration
Senses other than sight: sounds, odors, textures, heat/cold, humidity, feelings, etc.
Marching order: especially in tight spots
PCs' equipment: what they have in hand vs. stowed, load, dimensions, noise, etc.
Followers & NPCs: where they are, what they're doing, how they react
Physical and mental states: hunger, thirst, fatigue, irritability, confusion, dread, etc.
Denizens: signs of their presence, how they react to PCs

Exploration

When the PCs move on, identify the next interesting scene/situation in the site. Establish the PCs intent, compare to your prep or sense of the site. If the next scene/situation is obvious, great.

If not, you might…

… rely on a player move (e.g. Defy Danger to follow directions without getting lost, Seek Insight to see what they find, etc.);
… pick a GM move, frame the action where it'd make sense to make that move; or
… pick/roll on a relevant table, or use an example site from Book II.

Transition directly to the next scene/situation, or zoom out and: describe environment they pass through, ask the PCs questions, portray followers and NPCs, maybe Keep Company, maybe make a soft GM move. Then frame the action at the next scene or situation, and go from there.

Creating a site

1. Lay the site's foundation
- Ask questions, if they'd know of this place
- Build on what you've got: context, established details, things you've decided, your purpose for including the site
- Exploit the setting guide, using the relevant tables, procedures, and examples
2. Build up the site's story
- Look for connections to setting elements, the PCs, stuff players care about, threats, NPCs, past events, open questions.
- Ask yourself questions that arise naturally from all of the above.
- Answer those questions. Make decisions! Look for new connections/questions as you do. Repeat as needed.
- Create a timeline of the site's story. Clarify and revise as needed.
3. Sketch out the site's contents
- Populate it with various NPCs/monsters
- Identify dangers & discoveries implied by the site's foundation, story, and denizens
- Establish areas/rooms, as suggested by the foundation, story, denizens, common sense, why the PCs are here. Create new areas or rooms as if they were sites themselves.
- Describe the environment. The kinds of rooms, areas, terrain, features, construction. Specific details. Reflect the site's story!
- Arrange areas/rooms: Group them, create lists to pick from, write down connections between them, draw a nodal diagram, and/or draw a representational map.
4. Write it up
- Create maps or visuals, if you have time and you think it'll help.
- Detail areas/rooms: descriptions, impressions, questions, content, story, exits
- Subdivide as needed
- Find/create content: dangers, discoveries, NPCs. Pick from Book II or make them up!
- Make lists and tables to pick from/roll on
- Make plans: GM moves, if/thens, Die of Fate tables, custom moves, timetables, impending dooms & grim portents, etc.
- Review and revise. Make it make sense. Fix inconsistencies. Tighten stuff up.
As much as you like and find helpful.

Discoveries

Clues

Start with a revelation, what the PCs can learn. What could lead to that revelation?

Signs left in the environment (tracks, etc.)
Physical remains (blood, bone, scat, etc.)
Something out of place
Writing, art, markings (a note, graffiti, etc.)
An NPC's/monster's behavior
Noises, glimpses, scents
Rumors, reports, tales, gossip
Flashes, omens, revelations

Encounters

Who/what is the encounter with?
Where/when does it happen?
What are they doing?
Why are they here?
What do they want?
How do they react to the PCs?
Why are you putting this encounter in the game? What's at stake?

Opportunities

Useful or valuable stuff
Expendable resources
A good spot to make camp/set a trap/etc.
The means to get somewhere
A chance to ___
A novel/pleasant experience
A resource the PCs might come back for
A place of power
An arcanum
Anything else that comes to mind

Artifacts & arcana

Place them where they make sense, where they tell a story. Be generous with info. Don't imply deeper mysteries if there are none. If there are, make that clear: hint at more than meets the eye or offer an opportunity.

If they get a 7+ to Know Things, reveal some combo of what it is/does, what it's worth, how they might activate it or sell it for full value, or how they might learn more. On a 7-9, reveal the trigger of an artifact's move or the front of an arcanum; on a 10+, give them the full move or both the front and back of an arcanum.

If they can't figure it out, give them a path: tell the requirements, Make a Plan, write a love letter, or just tell them after some downtime and ask how they figured it out.

Hazards

As a description

Just describe what it is, what it looks like, what it does, how it works.

As GM moves

Write one or more GM moves that reflect some of the following, as makes sense for the hazard:

How its presence is foreshadowed or revealed
How it harms or hinders
How it escalates or gets worse
How it thwarts attempts to overcome it

If dynamic, changing: give it an **instinct**, written as "to ___" (e.g. "to bury everything").

As impending doom

Write down the ultimate bad thing that can happen (e.g. tunnel collapses, they roll Death's Door).

Write 1-4 events describing how it starts and escalates; assign each event one or more check boxes.

Optional: write a trigger that causes it to advance, fictional ("Each time the pillars are damaged") or mechanical ("Each time someone rolls doubles").

As player moves

Write a fictional trigger ("When you *<trigger the hazard>*, …") and resolution, using any combo of the following that makes sense:

___ happens (and ___ is bad)
Pick X from a list
Tell us ___
Lose ___
Take damage/suffer a debility/Death's Door
Roll +STAT (or something); on a 10+, ___; on a 7-9, ___; (optionally) on a 6-, ___

If it deals damage

What would it do to a typical person? (pick 1)

Effect	Die
Bruises & scrapes; pain; light burns	d4
Nasty flesh wounds, bruises, burns	d6
Broken bones, bad burns, terrible pain	d8
Death or dismemberment	d10

Modifiers:

... armor can't protect them	ignores armor
... it cuts through leather/hide	1 piercing, messy
... it tears metal apart	3 piercing, messy
... it knocks them around	forceful
... it's big/vicious/scary	+2 damage
... they've taken precautions	+disadvantage
... they're caught off-guard	+advantage