RPG Scenario Pro Tip: Watch Your Boilerplate

When staring at an empty document that will eventually become a roleplaying adventure, you may find it helpful to start with introductory boilerplate. This helps you get rolling and ease your way into the writing process. Once you're revising the completed work, however, be sure to look on these passages with an ungenerous eye. Cut as much as you can, to make room for meaty content that may actually make it into play when run by the GM.

For example, if you find that you've inserted some general roleplaying advice at the head of your adventure, cut it. It belongs somewhere else—in a support article, say. Leave in advice that pertains specifically to this scenario. Anything else confuses the reader, who will be left wondering why the scenario requires the particular play style you're endorsing.

If you've written the standard paragraph telling the GM that she should carefully read the scenario before running it, and the adventure you're writing is not for an introductory product, cut it. You are almost invariably writing for an experienced GM; don't condescend to her by telling her something she already knows. At best, this is a waste of space. At worst, it's a tell, revealing your lack of confidence in your work. It hints at your fear that you didn't organize the material well, and thus requires extra study to smoothly run. Rather than shifting this responsibility onto the GM, ensure that your presentation helps her to 1) prepare beforehand and 2) quickly zero in on the passages she needs while running.