This post is not sponsored by RPG Writer Workshop.
Hey, everyone! Sorry for taking so long between posts; I’m racing towards the finish line getting my first ever TTRPG adventure published while also juggling two weekly games and a full-time job. Woof.
Side note: Huge kudos to people who can manage these workloads constantly, I feel like I’m in a perpetual scramble getting things done at the moment.
When I originally wrote this, I was trying to copy the same format as my previous RPG Writer Workshop impression post. I quickly realized, however, all I was doing was waxing on about the same point each week and then finding general examples to reinforce the thought. Instead, why don’t I just give you the TL;DR version of my thoughts regarding RPG Writer Workshop’s Write Your First Adventure course:
The Write Your First Adventure course makes you a better Game Master and TTRPG author regardless of your prior experience.
In these last four weeks, I have had the most enjoyable creative writing experiences since earning my English degree. No matter how well my D&D 5e adventure is received commercially, I’m damn proud of it. I created an environment that feels immersive, characters that are complex without overshadowing the PCs, and a series of challenges that embraced abstract and direct solutions alike. While I can say some of this is due to years of experience (read as: trial and error) DMing the game, I took some great cues from the lessons provided by the Write Your First Adventure course.
When you read these lessons the first time, a lot of them feel like things you’d learn through a general English class (e.g., creating a setting, different types of conflict, narrative flow, etc.). However, each instructor in the Write Your First Adventure course takes great pains to demonstrate how you actively play these elements of storytelling instead of passively read them. For example, the lesson on Villains provides insight into turning one of the most passive forms of conflict, Character vs. Environment, into an active antagonist that dogs the players through the scenario.
Even if you decide to never publish what you write, this course forces you to really dive under the hood of your game and explore exactly how it’s intended to be played via mimicking the style, word choice, and mechanics of published modules. When running a published adventure like Curse of Strahd, it’s easy to be flippant about design choices and substitute it with homebrew for your table. It’s only when you try to rebuild Death House like a published module that you begin to understand how the encounters were meant to inform the Players and DM about the setting.
Tangent: I truly dislike the way Death House is executed, but I respect what was attempted as a bridge into the rest of Curse of Strahd.
While we’re not done with the Write Your First Adventure course, we’re getting pretty close to publication. In this month, I’ve been able to take a guided approach at exploring a brand new medium for my storytelling with the promise of a tangible product as the outcome. Some of you may not care for this approach to content creation, and that’s alright! Another benefit of this class is the absolute wealth of resources (a dedicated discord server, design process checklists, art assets, etc.) made available to you by signing up. This class has something for TTRPG development veterans and newbies alike.
The goal of publishing an adventure here is just that: a goal. If you’re a GM who simply wants to learn some new tricks, this course will provide those. If you’re looking to make some extra money off your products, this class also provides insights into publishing modules on some of the more popular marketplaces like DriveThruRPG and Dungeon Masters Guild. I simply cannot recommend this class highly enough. It’s changed the way I run my games and revealed a new creative outlet I (foolishly) thought was reserved for people with titles like Narrative Designer.
My verdict here? Join up in November, or whenever you get the first chance.
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Amethyst Wulf Games 
As someone who grew up with MUDs and Choose Your Own Adventure books, this is definitely something interesting that I should check out. Thanks for sharing!
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Please do! My first week impressions, linked in post, also show a breakdown of what you get for each of the three Path’s they have for the course! The next one starts in November!
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