Go On A Side-Quest: Delving Without Dawdling

A Hack For Tabletop RPGs

Do you long for compact side-quests that do not derail or take up the whole session, but still have interesting and impactful outcomes?

This module streamlines goal-oriented side-quests into a 15 minute resolution, while still making room for in-character roleplay and interesting consequences.

Why Side-Quest?

There are plenty of things that come up in RPGs that are interesting and fun to do, but might soak up an hour or two of game time. Things that fill the world with color and life. Things that make players feel like they earned something with more than just coin or combat.

Maybe players want to investigate a side plot that is not part of the main story. Maybe the characters get entangled in fallout from something they did last time they were in town. Maybe the GM wants a character to have to do some extra work to get that magic item.

The Problem

Small side-quests can take a lot of time and can leave players feeling like they wasted their whole session on fluff. Especially if there is not a big payout in XP or loot. This puts the GM in a position where they are inclined to ignore or avoid these asides, even though they add interest, complications, and nuance to the world.

For example, a player may want to have an amulet enchanted to protect against cold.

To make it more than a mundane trip to the magic shop, the GM might have the enchanter say: “To imbue the amulet with the power of winter, I need seeds from the Frost Lily which grows only in the Orsel Tundra.”

To which the response from the group is groaning and eye rolls. Everyone is dragged along for the rest of the session to fetch something for one player.

On the other hand, it is easy to say: “To enchant the amulet you spend 200 gold on materials.”

The game goes on, but is that interesting? No.

How is This Different?

With this module, the players describe their plan, make one roll, and the GM sets up the final scene or key moment of the resolution. The players jump in at that point, concluding the side-quest, for better or worse.

You bypass shopping for supplies, making camp, getting past the front gate, and other banalities. You cut to the good bit and do the thing.

What Happens Then?

You are in the crucial moment, about to attempt what you set out to do. It might be working out a tense negotiation, having a boss-fight, or escaping with the jewels. Depending on the setup roll, there may be problems to overcome or lasting complications.

At that point, it might mean acting out the pivotal scene in-character. It could also simply be describing how you complete your task after the GM describes any complications. However you play it, the default is success, no more rolls required, with possible lasting fictional consequences.