Hello!
I'm a relative newcomer to scenario design (though I've been running and playing games on and off for twenty years) but here are some of my favorite resources for scenario design. Please share some of yours as well!
Alexandrian Articles:
- Three Clue Rule: https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/1118/roleplaying-games/three-Clue-Rule
- Node-based Scenario Design: https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/7949/roleplaying-games/node-based-scenario-...
- One-Shots by Skorkowsky:
Tools:
- Nimbus Note: https://nimbusweb.me/note.php, my favorite notes app. (A lot of writers like Notion.)
Basic Advice:
When I write scenario, I typically:
- Have an establishing scene, where the players introduce each other OR are plopped, in medias res, into the action. Motown Showdown starts in the former manner (the players already know their goal, the establishing shot allows them to decide how they want to accomplish it) whereas Run Off begins in medias res, with a PC in serious danger at the top of the game.
- Have ~3 scenes that build up various facets of the plot. The scenes should usually be non-sequential (see node-based design) and the players should be able to skip or avoid a scene and still have the plot hang together.
- Have 1 scene that provides the climax, where the consequences of whatever the players did in the other scenes "come together" and they have any necessarily confrontations with antagonists.
- Have a "conclusion" section for the game moderator, with tips on how to satisfyingly close out the session and tie in its core themes.