Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost. Using Exploration Encounters.

In a previous blog post, I tackled the topic of how to avoid boring combat encounters. Today I wanted to talk a little about another important facet of roleplaying that often goes under-appreciated: exploration. Exploration encounters are simply that. They allow and even encourage the players to explore, interact, and investigate the environment around them. This can come in many forms, from searching for treasure, to discovering clues, and even solving puzzles. In many ways, the beginning of every encounter is an exploration encounter. The Game Master describes the scene to the players as they enter the room or crest the next hilltop. Exploration encounters are the foundation for every encounter, setting the scene as the world forms around the players. But sometimes these descriptions can feel a little lackluster. For example, which of these two sounds better?

“This room looks just like the last two except for in this one there is a small treasure chest and the walls are wet. . . .”

OR

“The heavy wooden door creaks open, revealing a dark room. . . You can hear a trickle of water echo from the chamber beyond. A quick sweep of your torch reveals the walls are slick with what appears to be some sort of dark liquid oozing from the walls. Your nose is assaulted by a musty damp smell that you cannot quite make out. . . your eyes are drawn to a small locked chest in the middle of the floor. . .Your boots slide across the smooth cobblestone floor as a thought crosses your mind, ‘where is all of this water coming from and where is it going?’”

This may have been a leading question as the second description is easily the better of the two. But why? Both descriptions reveal the important features of the room (wet walls and a treasure chest) but the second one is easier to picture. The second description engages multiple senses. We know what the room smells like, looks like, and sounds like just based upon the second description. A good rule is this: the more senses we can engage in our descriptions the better our environment and the more the players have to engage with. Consider if the room has an odor. Is it warm or cold? What sounds can be heard? Is there a breeze? What do the stones feel like? Don’t only focus on what can be seen. 

Oozing, slick, smooth, damp-- these are all great descriptive words that will help each player form a clear mental image.

I also try to add in adjectives to help make the description more vivid. Our goal here is to help our players create a vivid image in their mind-space so that they are interested in interacting with it and exploring it. Oozing, slick, smooth, damp-- these are all great descriptive words that will help each player form a clear mental image. [Try looking up some synonyms of words if you want to try some new ones and jot them down as a part of your prep.] Another way to increase your vocabulary is by reading novels and really paying attention to how authors use descriptions to paint a mental image in the minds of the readers.

The second description has also left our players with some fairly obvious hooks hidden in the room for them to interact with and we can allow the players’ interest to then dictate which things they want to investigate from there. We don't have to have every single hook figured out at that time. Try to make your descriptions and your environments interactive. This can also be a great way to foreshadow monsters, villains, and other characters. If a player seems interested in an aspect of the room, then let them explore it and be willing to improvise the details if the module or your notes do not have much. Nothing is more crushing than thinking something is an important clue only to find out that it is nothing more than a polished stone. React and change your plans according to the interests and theories of your players. Even if they don’t find the clue they are looking for, sometimes it is neat to give them a non-magical memento that they can find in their pocket later and say, “Hey, remember when we found this?”

Take the ideas that you like and add them to your own to create unique descriptions of fantastic fictional locations.

One thing that I often do is to gain inspiration for my descriptions by looking at fantasy art in the module, or by searching for art online via Pinterest or other sites. This can be a great way to expand your mind and consider worlds from other creative minds. Take the ideas that you like and add them to your own to create unique descriptions of fantastic fictional locations. This will give your locations a unique and special feel.

When you are building your encounters it is important to consider the history of your location. What is its current state? Is it a new construction? Is it dilapidated? Or is it naturally formed? What is/was its original use? What is it being used for now? How does the location's history affect how it is being used today? These are all important questions to consider when building your exploration encounter. 

If you are trying to create puzzles, I always try to follow the rule of five.

Finally, if you are able to give your players a puzzle to solve or clues to find in their environments, this is great. This can be as simple as some tracks that the players can investigate. As I mentioned before, this can be a great way to foreshadow upcoming events. It can also be a great way to begin dropping breadcrumbs that the players need in order to solve the mysteries ahead. If you are trying to create puzzles, I always try to follow the rule of five. Give the party five clues to help solve the puzzle, keeping in mind that they will likely miss two of them, misinterpret one of them, and probably successfully find the other two. 

I hope you enjoyed this and find it helpful to improving your exploration encounters. Looking for more ways to spice up your campaign? Follow these links to learn more about finding and maintaining inspiration, the Game Master’s most sacred charge, and why you should always ask your players for feedback!

Get out there and explore some unique locations! 

Take Heart!

Karington Hess

Game Master and Founder of Open Heart Games