Building encounters
Answer each of these questions, in whatever order makes sense. As the encounter evolves in your mind, feel free to go back and tweak or change earlier answers.
- 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?
The more specific the answers, the more interesting the encounter! "Migrants on their way to Gordin's Delve, in need of aid" is a good encounter! But "A family from Marshedge, going to join their father in Gordin's Delve, and whose donkey (and all it carried) has wandered off the road" is much more compelling.
If you're improvising, you'll answer many of these questions instinctively, or already have some answers from context. Great! Start with what's obvious, and add specific details as you frame the encounter and play out the scene.
If you're prepping, you might leave some questions unanswered, or answer them with possibilities instead of specifics. Even answers you think are set in stone might change in response to events in play.
I'm prepping the expedition for our first adventure. I expect the PCs to follow the trail left by some crinwin dragging young Pryder through the Great Wood, back to a Green Lord tomb wherein our villain (Sajra the swyn) is lairing. I want a couple potential discoveries to introduce along the way, so I review the Great Wood entry in Book II*.*
I look at the discoveries table (Book II) and see "a crinwin, Fae, or spirit of the wild, curious or indifferent." I like the idea of a Fae who was living in the tomb but has been displaced by Sajra. I look up Creating Fae (Book II) and use that for guidance. I end up with Thornthumb, a hollow little plant-man skulking around the Great Wood, fuming over the loss of his home and his hoard. He'd love to see Sajra killed or driven out, but he's also a compulsive hoarder and thief.
I'm not sure when or where the PCs will encounter Thornthumb; but I think he'll notice them at some point and either try to steal from them (especially if he learns of the Mindgem) or approach them and offer info about Sajra (if he thinks they can defeat it).
As for this encounter's purpose and stakes: I think this guy will be fun to play, and he's got lots of potential to help, hinder, and frustrate the PCs!
Create the NPCs if you haven't already, following the steps on Creating NPCs. If there's more than one NPC, decide which one(s) the PCs are most likely to interact with and focus on them. Portray the others as a group, zooming in with more detail only as you need to.