I saw a TikTok (which thereafter disappeared into the algorithm) that talked about problem stacking in story writing and I was like This Needs To Be Said about module writing and home brewing adventure scenarios:

Don’t give the player characters one problem. Give them many possible problems.

We do this in a bunch of ways: Random encounter tables, action schedules, duelling factions, combat encounters, adversaries, hostile environments. In a dungeon or other exploration type scenario, it’s important to drip-feed these problems or we come across the problem of Why Would I Go To There.

So, in the beach module I’m writing, I think about the problems I’m stacking and how they’ll be fed to the player characters:

• There’s a missing lighthouse keeper
• People are being kidnapped off the beach
• The caves beneath the lighthouse are tidal and often underwater
• The bag-sistas are facing off against the franken-sharks over the treasure in the sunken pirate ship
• The lighthouse-keeper has been possessed by a dark power that escaped the wreck

Plus there’ll be some random encounters, and some location specific problems. The tidal nature will be a surprise, and force retreat until they have a swimming solution. You’ll meet the one faction before the other, foreshadowing the complexity.

Stack up the problems. The player characters can choose to engage with them or not, but the stacking is what gives your module interest.

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