Quest Models

• Kill the boss
• Collect the Things
• Kill the lieutenants
• Heist!
• Destroy the Thing
• Rescue someone

Fragility of "All or Nothing" Collection Quests

• Collect the keys
  • Tomb of the Nine Gods from ToA and the Nine Puzzle Cubes
  • Five dragon masks in Tyranny of Dragons.
• Any one key held by an adversary or destroyed prevents the completion of the entire quest.

A More Robust Model: Three of Five

• The quest only requires the majority of an odd number of keys.

• This "quest "can be lots of different things:

  • Open the door
  • Find the location
  • Summon the demon prince
  • Resurrect the fallen god
  • Complete the ritual

• "Keys" can be lots of things

  • Spell components
  • Dragon masks
  • Actual keys
  • Magical artifacts
  • Parts of a map

• The "three of five" model works with any odd number.

  • 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, etc.
  • Every increase lengthens the overall duration of the quest.
  • Why odd numbers? Avoids a stalemate.

• Advantages of "Three of Five"

  • Flexibility in the evolving story.
  • Multiple factions can be seeking the keys.
  • Showdown over the final key.
  • No risk of the loss of single key ending the whole quest.
  • No forced theft of a key from the characters.
  • Lots of meaningful choices for both characters and villains.

  Conclusion

  • Add the "three of five" quest model to your bag of tricks.
  • Replace existing "all or nothing" quests with a "three of five" variant.
  • Seek out the quest models that offer the most flexibility for the evolving story of your game.