7 Steps for Writing a Numenera Adventure
Step One: Choose the Setting
Narrow down where the adventure is likely to take place. Be only as specific as necessary and choose three themes associated with where the adventure is set.
Step Two: Pick a Story Topic
Use the in-book setting lore or find inspiration from an interesting, preferably weird, topic to largely base the story on. Focus on three themes associated with the story and jot them down.
Step Three: Generate Numenera
Using the charts available in the Numenera rulebooks, aim to generate at least 5 cyphers, 5 oddities, and an artifact.
Taking Stock of Everything Created So Far
Review your setting and story themes, along with your generated list of numenera, and see if any interesting ideas for an adventure comes up.
Step Four: Writing Out an Adventure Strand
The “Adventure Strand” is my take on Dan Wells’ 7-point story structure, modified slightly to work better with an RPG. These steps do not need to be written or even played necessarily in linear order, but they will provide a great foundation for imagining what could happen based on the adventure.
Write fast without much hesitation, and turn to the setting and story themes, as well as the generated list of numenera for ideas.
7-Point Adventure Strand
The Hook: topics to get the player involved
Shift 1: changes the adventure by introducing something new
Complication 1: makes something weird or introduces conflicts and/or challenges
Midpoint: players start to make decisions based on what they’ve learned so far
Complication 2: something makes it challenging for the players to act based on their decisions
Shift 2: the adventure changes again, possibly allowing the party an opportunity to act
Resolution: the consequences of the players’ actions reveal themselves
Step Five: Fleshing Out the Adventure
Use your story and setting themes as well as the list of generated numenera, start coming up with interesting NPCs, developments of the adventure “Shifts” from the Adventure Strand and keep turning to the earlier steps to find inspiration to breathe life and more detail into the adventure.
Step Six: Adventure Themes and Rewards
Observe the total adventure so far and come up with at least three main themes, brainstorming ideas for the overall tone of the adventure, as well as what the discovery/XP rewards will be based on.
Step Seven: Finishing Touches
Come up with any other NPCs, areas, or other places/people of interest that will fill in any gaps you see in the adventure as it stands. Find places to insert any numenera you’ve generated that hasn’t found a role or place in the adventure thus far. Consider any difficulty challenges that may arise out of specific encounters and stat them out as you feel is necessary to prepare to run the adventure.
And that’s about all you need to create adventures for Numenera!
THE INFINITE CONSTRUCT 