Writing RPG adventures: How much detail is too much?

I’m playtesting The Dead Undead, the next Other London investigation for Desk 17, the Met’s occult crimes unit. In The Dead Undead, the PCs are investigating murdered vampires.

I wrote the investigation before Christmas, but it’s taken me a few months to get it to the table.

Draft cover for The Dead Undead

I know I’ve been critical about published adventures on my blog recently, so I may be sensitive to how I’ve written the investigation. But as we played, I wondered whether I’d put enough information in.

It’s a balance. I want to include enough detail but not too much. I want to give GMs enough information to run the investigation, but I don’t want to overwhelm them with details or make them worry about getting it “wrong.”

Reddish sand

For example, I wrote, “Audu’s bedroom contains a coffin containing sandy red soil.” (Audu is a vampire.) That’s all I say about the soil.

As the PCs sent the soil for analysis, I decided on the spur of the moment that the results would show that the soil was from Morocco. As a result, I’ve started to give other elements in that location a North African vibe.

That’s just how I’ve done it – I don’t mind if another GM decides differently and decides that the soil comes from Romania, or anywhere.

But because I’ve decided that the soil comes from Morocco, and as I’m the investigation’s author, does that make it canon? Does that mean I should update the text to include that detail?

Questions that set the scene

I try to write Other London investigations in a way that lets the GM (and players) make it their own. Creating characters is collaborative, and the players decide (during session zero) where the Desk 17 office is located, what makes it unusual, and who the support staff are.

Scenes start with a question to get the players to contribute to the scene. (In this case, What do you find unsettling about the sculptures and artwork here?)

I’m telling the reader that it’s okay for them to make the investigation their own. At least, I hope I am.

So, no, it isn’t canonical that the red soil comes from Morocco, and that detail won’t be in the final investigation.

But we’re all different…

Perfect Organism

Perfect Organism is my scenario for the ALIEN rpg set shortly after the events of Aliens – the Colonial Marines and ICC are investigating the loss of the Sulaco.

I’ve written the scenario in the style of a normal ALIEN cinematic scenario with pregens, acts and events for each act.

However, because I write concisely (and I’m not paid by the word…), I’ve not padded it out with unnecessary details. So the events are merely bullet points that the GM can flesh out to suit their game. (Eg, “On the ground, the convicts start coming around, and radio Kathar Station for help.”)

And of course, one piece of feedback wanted me to expand on those bullet points to make them more like the events in Free League’s adventures. As I find Free League’s adventures to be overwritten, I didn’t do that.

We’re all different

We’re all different.

What is too much detail for me might not be enough for someone else. 

But when it’s my game, I get the final decision.