One of the goals of A.R.C. is to make game mastering accessible and fun. Whether you're creating a quick one-shot or planning an epic campaign, having a solid structure helps you focus on the creative parts instead of wondering if you've forgotten something important.
This template is designed to be universal - it works for gritty fantasy, modern romance, sci-fi exploration, or any other genre you want to run. Use it as a checklist, a guide, or just a starting point for your own adventures.
Start with the essentials. This section is your quick reference and helps potential players know what they're getting into.
Include:
Adventure Title - Something evocative that captures the flavor
Setting - Which A.R.C. setting you're using (or your custom world)
Expected Duration - One session? Three? An ongoing campaign?
Challenge Level - Is this beginner-friendly or for experienced players?
Player Count - How many players is this designed for?
What This Adventure Teaches - Which stats and skills will come up? What mechanics will players use?
The Pitch - Your elevator pitch. What's the hook in 2-3 sentences?
What happened before the players arrived? This is information for the GM, not necessarily what the players know at the start.
Include:
The inciting incident or crime or mystery
The truth behind what's happening
Why this situation exists now (timing matters)
The political, social, or spiritual complications
What the major NPCs want and why
How do the players get involved? A good hook gives players agency while making the adventure feel urgent or compelling.
Include:
The primary hook (the main way players get drawn in)
What players know vs. what they don't know yet
Red flags or clues they might notice early on
Alternate hooks (for different character motivations)
The immediate setup (where do they start?)
The people who matter. Give each major NPC enough detail to play them convincingly, but not so much that you're writing a novel.
Include for each NPC:
Name and role
Physical description and personality
What they want (their goal)
What they know (information they have)
Stats (when relevant for conflicts)
Secrets (what they're hiding)
Where does this adventure take place? Locations should feel alive and offer opportunities for different types of challenges.
Include for each location:
Name and general description
What's immediately obvious
What players can discover (hidden elements)
Potential encounters or complications
Connections to other locations
The actual meat of the adventure. These are the moments where players make choices and roll dice.
Include for each scene:
The situation or challenge
Possible approaches (combat, social, stealth, etc.)
Relevant stats and skills that might come up
Consequences of success or failure
How this connects to the next scene
What can go wrong? What surprises might emerge? This section helps you improvise when players do unexpected things.
Include:
Potential complications based on player choices
Twists that raise the stakes
Time pressure or escalating threats
Faction responses to player actions
How can this end? A.R.C. adventures should have multiple possible outcomes based on player choices.
Include:
Different ways the adventure can resolve
What each ending means for the characters and world
Loose threads that could lead to future adventures
How player choices shaped the outcome
What do players gain or lose? In A.R.C., rewards aren't just treasure - they're skills, relationships, reputation, and story impact.
Include:
Tangible rewards (money, items, resources)
Skill advancement opportunities (what skills did they use?)
Reputation changes (who now loves or hates them?)
Story consequences (what changed in the world?)
Your personal playbook. Tips, advice, and things you learned while running this.
Include:
Pacing suggestions (where to speed up or slow down)
Common player questions and how to handle them
Ways to extend or shorten the adventure
Connections to other adventures or campaign arcs
What to prepare before the session
You don't have to fill out every section in excruciating detail. The template is a guide, not a straitjacket. Some adventures will need more location detail, others will be NPC-heavy, and some will be almost entirely one long encounter with complications.
The goal is to have enough structure that you feel confident running the game, while leaving room for improvisation and player creativity.
Want to see this template in action? Check out our premium adventures (coming soon), which use this exact structure to deliver ready-to-run scenarios across all A.R.C. settings.