As I prep a one-shot of The Warren (the PbtA game about a colony of rabbits: yes, rabbits) I got to thinking about making a place "gameable".
What works in fiction does not work in tabletop RPGs. I can describe a meadow, sun-struck and brimming with bee buzz. It's unbearably green and the smell of the honeysuckle here at summer's peak is almost erotic. That's fun to read and fun to imagine. But try giving that to your RPG table:
"OK, sounds nice. I lay down in the grass.""You lay down in the grass. It's green and itchy."
"OK... I smell the flowers."
"You smell the flowers. They smell so sweet."
What's missing is a game-able element. Why would a Player want to come here? Why would a Player not want to come here?
Every location needs both an opportunity and a threat. With these two elements, you create a push and a pull— tension— and promote meaningful risk-taking.
The Overgrown Meadow
- Opportunity: Glean the wisdom of Old Mole, the local healer and wise-beast
- Threat: The hungry Red-Tailed Hawk, circling in the gray sky.
The Collapsed Barn
- Opportunity: Electrical wire to be fashioned into incredible devices.
- Threat: The Rats that live amongst the nails and rotting wood.
The Highway
- Opportunity: Exquisite foraging beyond the guardrail.
- Threat: Machines on black wheels, appearing suddenly, striking you dead, then disappearing over the hill.
Wrapping Up
None of this is groundbreaking, of course. But when I'm prepping a game, I find it very helpful to have a few terms to facilitate my creativity. Prevents a lot of thrashing about.
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