You can't do nothing without the fundamental concept behind the whole wing-ding. When you got a concept, you can expand on it. It's the fundamentals of Story telling. Start with the seed, and let it grow ...

Adventure Archetype Table (2d10)

2 - Action-Adventure
3 - Attack
4 - Bad Luck
5 - Bug Hunt
6 - Conspiracy
7 - Defense
8 - Escape
9 - Framing
10 - Guard
11 - Hate
12 - Injustice
13 - Love
14 - Mystery
15 - Nothing
16 - Rescue
17 - Siege
18 - Thriller
19 - Treasure Hunt
20 - Roll Twice - Combine

Action-Adventure - As the bard once said, "The play's the thing." So too with the Action - Adventure. The only constant factor is that there is the Hero/Heroes/Heroine who faces and over comes a number of death defying situations before finding the gold, killing the bad guy, and getting the Girl/Boy/Other. Action, Action, Action, and more Action!

Attack - Point out the bad guys to the PC's. Encourage them to attack.

Bad Luck - This is a catch all. It involves really bad luck. Someone gets hit in the head with a meteor. The Ghoul accidentally flushes the 4th generation blood. Your PC's favorite Ultimate Weapon fell out of his pocket. There is usually no one behind it, it's just an accident. However, the PC may not KNOW there's no one behind it, and several red herrings can lead him to believe it was anyone from his arch rival to the paper boy.

Bug Hunt - Pick something to be the Bug. Have the players hunt and kill it.

Conspiracy - Two or more antagonists get together and do something to threaten the PCs. If you've got an adventure from way back, dig up an old NPC villain to join with your current one.

Defense - The PC's have been found by bad guys. They attack.

Escape - Confine the players in a dangerous situation. Let them try to get free. This could range from escape from a city, spirit realm, or madness/ quiet.

Framing - Someone's got a problem with the PC or someone else. He either A) sets the PCs up to be the bad guys, or B) sets someone else up and expects the PC's to do his dirty work.

Guard - Have the PC's protect a person, place, or thing. Threaten it.

Hate - Someone decides to make the players suffer; and boy. is it personal. This does not involve a fight (that's Defense), this is more of an attempt to make the PC's HURT. (Death would be too quick) The players might take it to a stand up fight, but the NPC's don't start it.

Injustice - A wrong has been committed. Only the PC's can set it right.

Love - Someone falls for the PC, but situations make it all wrong. The Elder falls for the Anarch. The MiB falls for the CoX. The Nosferatu falls for the Silver Fang. Pick a match made in Hell. If the PC abuses this Love, have the Gods of Love (i.e. YOU) make him suffer. Love is to be cherished. Or make the NPC go psychotic. Fatal Attraction sounds good...

Mystery - Well, think of any British whodunit or Hard-Boiled Detective story you've ever read and you got the idea. Remember: Who did What to Whom and How?

Nothing - A hard one to do. Nothing happens, it's really boring. Focus on really unimportant details the players don't usually worry about. Make them paranoid. Make them wonder about things at the Supermarket. The gas bill hasn't been paid. They lose their car keys for a few hours. Make them renew their driver's license. They have a car accident. The limo needs a tune up. Focus on day to day events and make those normal, everyday NPCs come to LIFE. And Don't Let Go. Have that accident haunt them. The other driver sues. He can't be found. He shows up in court with a neck brace and three big eyed children who look Cute at the Jury. THINK!

Rescue - The counterpart to escape. Someone else is stuck and the PC's need to go in and get them.

Siege - A variant of the Guard, except that it takes a LOT longer to be resolved. The Sabbat start attacking in waves. The Marauders are attacking the Horizon Realm. Many, Many, Many low level scum to die in droves.

Thriller - Sort of like the action-adventure except that it's intellectual not physical. The doctor is racing against time to save the child's life. The Computer Geek is trying to out smart the Specter that is trying to launch the nukes. Technology and smarts are more important than muscle.

Treasure Hunt - Pick something the players would like to have. Drop hints. Make them look for it.

OK, You've got the concept. Now you need to set the Mood. But what kind of mood is this adventure going to be?

Mood Table (1d10)

1 - Silly Humor
2-3 - Swashbuckling
4-5 - Realistic
6-7 - Grim
8-9 - Horror
10 - Unrelenting Nastiness

Silly Humor - The name says it all. Look at any cartoon. Nobody really gets hurt, a lot of stuff happens, in the end it's just fun and everybody chuckles. NO death, ever. If you've ever ran or played Toon, you understand this.

Swashbuckling - Drama is the name of the game for a swashbuckling mood. Be entertaining, and fate will smile upon you. Be boring, and you're dead. War gamers will have a problem. Discourage counting hexes and go for flamboyance. Hyperbole is best. If they fail, it's either way off or just missed. If they succeed, it's by the skin of their teeth or beyond their wildest dreams. Death does occur, but not without a big drawn out death scene with everybody gathering around for the final death rattle. And usually the death in some way is also a win. (i.e. dying for a noble cause)

Realistic - You're in it. Get as real to life as possible, no dramatic license. What the dice say, goes. Think an uncaring and impersonal God.

Grim - The other side to Swashbuckling. Life sucks, it's always raining, and you got a hole in your shoe. Nothing has any color. Stack the cards against the players, but only in a cosmetic sense. Things end poorly UNLESS the players work hard to make sure it doesn't. Typical WoD mood.

Horror - Beyond grim, there is Horror. The PCs have a slight chance to win, but if they break even, they should be happy. Evil is out there; it's older, more powerful, and its got the edge. Big Evil is typical and frequently the players Cannot Win. But, they can hold off the coming of the Final Night. They can hold out another day, and where there is life, there is hope. Tentacles are a must. This is like playing Kult.

Unrelenting Nastiness - Ewwwww... Hit the player's right off the bat, HARD. Keep them off balance. Deplete their resources, blood pool, quintessence, nickel and dime them to death. Everybody is evil. Your old school teacher you liked so much? He's in jail for being a child pornographer. Your Mom is always there for you? She's pimping herself to get the money for her crack habit. They can't win. They can't break even. They can't quit the game. BUT, they can get a Pyrric victory. They just might be able to take the bad guy with them. The best the players should hope for is to make sure Nobody Wins and that they get out Alive. Usually, it's one or the other. NOTE: Most players will hate you, they came to have FUN and relax - not to struggle this hard. Find out if this is their kind of fun BEFORE you run it.

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