Studying Adventure Design: On Writing Pamphlet Adventures

The value of a low word count and a small format

So I’ve written 4 MCC pamphlets, 1 DCC pamphlet, 1 Mothership pamphlet, 1 Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland pamphlet, and 2 Primal Quest pamphlets. I’ve also written a 1000-word adventure for the upcoming Ruination Pilgrimage, which is about the upper limit of a pamphlet adventure’s word count. All that is to say, I’ve had some experience in creating concise adventures that can carry a night’s game session.

So what’s the value in that? These pamphlet don’t really sell great online and most publishers pay by word count. Pamphlets tend to only sell for $4-5 for print and just about $2 for PDF. So there’s not a huge opportunity for profit, which also means that you need to keep costs (read: art!) low. Now, you can “play” with the idea pamphlet, such as Luau Lou’s “pamphlets” that are really a judge’s screen that contains a whole adventure. Theoretically you could make some paper fortune teller that is a “pamphlet” adventure. The only true requirement (in my eyes) is that it’s done on a single sheet of paper. Anyway, the point I’m trying to present is that the value is more than monetary.

A pamphlet adventure can be a great little bonus for a Kickstarter, either as a stretch goal or as a “day-1 bonus”. So that’s a way they can create value for the “end user”, but I find great value in what I have learned through creating them. They’re fun, low-stakes, and can be completed quickly. I think of them as a great way to try out creating for a new game system that you may be less familiar with (rules-wise or with layout style). Plus, they’ve taught me how to eliminate useless words.

I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead. ~ Mark Twain

That’s probably the Mark Twain quote that every writer needs to always remember. Ever read an adventure that has a full page (or even multiple pages!) of introductory text that the GM is supposed to read and the players are expected to sit nicely and remember everything? I sure have. It’s a bad experience for both the GM and the players. The average adult can only remember 5-7 things in their short term memory. So try I try to have 5 sentences max in my descriptive text. In a pamphlet, I often try to keep to a couple sentences and imply much through the area’s name.

So in an attempt to practice what I’m preaching, and I’ll try to be brief with my writing in both pamphlet adventures and in larger ones. Write only just enough to get your point across! Don’t tell me the dwarf has a long beard or that the blood is red. Those are safe assumptions and gaps that my mind can fill in without the added word count. I only want to know if the dwarf doesn’t have a beard or if the blood is a weird color. It’s far easier to read 5,000 words than it is 10,000 words. So I heartily recommend improving your craft as a writer by creating a pamphlet adventure! Some folks even write inside their layout program!

Alright! That’s that! By the way folks, how’re you enjoying these? What kind of articles do you want to see on here? More reviews, my opinions/insights on writing/publishing, interviews with other creators? Getting feedback will help me iterate and improve!

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