Mysteries as One Shots for D&D / TTRPG - Made Simple

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Prep for an investigation game can sound daunting. It doesn't have to be! Here, take some tips and steps to guide you through how to write one!
Also, the three clue rule is right here and is one of the best things in this world: thealexandrian.net/wordpress/...
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Sometimes I write adventures. You can get them for free here: corkboardsandcurio.wixsite.co...
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Music used (RU-vid Audio Library License):
A Fool's Theme - Brian Bolger
Assembling - Asher Fulero
Dead Forest - Brian Bolger
The Place Inside - Silent Partner
The Plan's Working - Cooper Cannell
The Shepherd - The Mini Vandals
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Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:00 Journey over Destination
02:40 Red threads and loose pins
04:24 Creating exciting scenes
05:28 Tailored for the characters
06:30 Outro

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20 июн 2024

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Комментарии : 123

@Commanber 6 месяцев назад

RU-vid algorithm hard at work I see, recommending me this underrated gem of a channel.

@Nightmare_Squad 10 месяцев назад

Please keep up the good work! You have a great niche in the TTRPG community and a great style to your videos. Thank you for the tips on all of these videos.

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

thank you so much

@broke_af_games9661 5 месяцев назад

a side thought: I like the idea of pixie eggs. I usually have fey linked to nature, so i have pixie seeds grow into flowers. Those flowers that bloom in sunlight are going to be seelie and those that bloom in the shade will be unseelie. :)

@Ctrl_Shift_ 10 месяцев назад

Excellent as always. Sound advice put simply. Now all I need is a corkboard.

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

Yes! Please! I need to convert as many as I can to the Way of the Corkboard. My patron demands it! (ha, more seriously, a sheet of paper work too)

@lunam9397 2 месяца назад

ive been playing in a sort of Mystery of the Week game for a few months now, and we actually tend to do 2/3 Session mysteries. In the first session we begin the mystery, in the second we do a lot of the real sleuthing, and if there's a third thats where the finale is, or it could be rolled in on session 2. The important bit is that each session ends on a big reveal if it isnt the last session of the mystery (the last session of the mystery usually itself ends with a debrief and inter-party scenes, but we still get the climax), so we still get a satisfying endpoint.

@Baahaz 10 месяцев назад

I've been running a great deal of one-shots recently, and I have to say you hit gold with this explanation. The arc of the one-shot relies on this core premise. Whether the actual goal is to assassinate, collect, transport, escape, locate, or anything else. The core mystery of the environment/faction/person keeps players committed and engaged.

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

i'm happy this resonates! One shots were a hassle when i was starting out, and always ended up lasting longer than a sesh haha, but working the structure helped me a bunch!

@_tbg 10 месяцев назад

This actually reminds me of how the game Darkwood is structured. The main story setup is very straightforward: You're trapped within ever-expanding forest that seemingly drives locals mad, your main goal is to find the "road home" and escape it, and you've only got couple basic leads to direct you. What makes it so special, is how expansive but at the same time almost entirely optional the actual mystery is; you could've gone through the entire game without really getting any wiser (and likely get the "bad", "oblivious" ending), but if you dive into it, you'll be finding layer after layer of hidden lore and hints. Would totally recommend people to check it out if they haven't already, IMO it's one of the best examples of Lovecraftian stories in video games.

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

oh wow, sadly I don't have a proper setup for gaming (and it saddens me, so many games I'd love to try... disco elysium, little nightmares... it'll have to wait!), but I like that approach a lot, yeah. "bad, oblivious ending" has merit in its own right I guess, people who are less into the slow burn type will get their fill, but i'm definitely the type of player who likes exploring.

@_tbg 10 месяцев назад

@@corkboardsandcuriosities You can actually run most (even pretty demanding) games on budget setups, as long as you're okay with 1080p / 60FPS. My PC is anything but top shelf, but it's still going strong, and I'm sure you'll be able to find something affordable whenever you decide to get into it.

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

@@_tbg do you think i could run it on mac?

@_tbg 10 месяцев назад

Gonna try posting a reply once more, maybe something was wrong with YT earlier: Darkwood and Disco Elysium both support macOS (not Little Nightmares though), but you'd have to check if your mac is good enough and passes the system requirements.

@JR-ld2xx 10 месяцев назад

Yes! More, please.

@Wonder__ 26 дней назад

I freaking love your channel. The content is EXACTLY what i have been looking for, and your voice and the vibes make it 10 times better! Keep going, I already watched all of your videos twice and I need MORE!!

@RandomProduct 3 месяца назад

I love your mysteries content! It's extremely valuable stuff :) I want to do mysteries with my players and I haven't been sure on where to start/how complex to make it. Love your vids!

@georgiemelrose9188 3 месяца назад

I love this, especially the red threads/loose pins idea

@mattackerson6728 2 месяца назад

Excellent tips and explanations. Lovely SFX... especially the blip of all-black eyes.

@corkboardsandcuriosities 2 месяца назад

That was not SFX. I in fact am a timeless eldritch entity merely masquerading in this human flesh suit.

@ranty_fugue 6 месяцев назад

Thanks for the insightful analysis. I really appreciate how you break down ways to make the at-table experience richer than the mechanics of the game or the plot!

@breadqueen5351 3 месяца назад

I can't even begin to explain how useful this video is, great job!

@elijahfenter1178 5 месяцев назад

Just found your channel through your combat video. I really enjoy the things you have to say! And also your delivery/quality is fantastic =D excited to see what else you do, keep it up!

@lilcwa 4 месяца назад

Please keep making your superbly insightful and entertaining videos. I look forward to more of your useful gamemaster content as your schedule allows for its production.

@corkboardsandcuriosities 4 месяца назад

thank you so so much! I'm trying to make my schedule work to post more often, but this is super encouraging!

@crystalkalem9289 3 месяца назад

669 likes.... do I betray the internet to help one of my fav youtubers.... or keep this video nice.... ITS TEARING ME APPART!

@ArticleNoun 10 месяцев назад

I’m just discovering the channel. Very helpful thank you

@stef4981 9 месяцев назад

Thank you for your wisdom! I often struggle with one-shots; it seems like you might have better grasp on them than I do and I know there's a lot of "how to prep a one shot" videos, but I'd really appreciate a video on "How To Keep a One-shot One Session" or something? Idk I'm not the content creator of course, so just a suggestion/request I guess? I'll still love your channel and videos regardless, thank you for the good advice!

@corkboardsandcuriosities 9 месяцев назад

yes, please! tbh I really appreciate people giving suggestions on what they'd like to see, gives me a bunch of ideas haha can't promise how soon a video on this will happen, but i really like the idea, this is something i've struggled with before haha but i found a few things that help, i'll start gathering it up!

@TheNerdySimulation 10 месяцев назад

This is such punchy and useful advice! I'm personally more drawn towards the Brindlewood Bay style of design for mysteries, leaning into the collaborative & improve elements which the aforementioned game does by not having a set solution beforehand (if you are familiar already I apologize if that felt redundant). But I might try out some plotted mysteries one day, as I am certainly not inexperienced in the department of crafting adventures ahead of a session.

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

I wasn't familiar, but... a quick look on google and from the very first line... I'm in love. I need to play this. like, now. I want to be a book club old lady.

@TheNerdySimulation 10 месяцев назад

@@corkboardsandcuriosities Yay! Glad I could introduce you to it then. I actually know some folks that would be more than down to run/teach it. I share a couple discord servers with them, one of which is all about teaching folks systems. If possible/interested I'd be happy to help connect you. c:

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

@@TheNerdySimulation OMG yes please! shoot me an email and we'll hop on discord ?

@sarajamesaerial 3 месяца назад

So glad I came across your channel, I really like your approach and style!

@koticneutralftw7016 10 месяцев назад

Nice editing on this one. I hope you find help for your cork-board related trauma soon.

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

there is no escaping the allmighty corkboard. It will take us all one day. Thank you! I tried some new things with the editing, i'm happy it's working!

@joaquinvasquez2783 3 месяца назад

Wow, this is an amazing video and the storytelling advice is incredibly useful. Thanks for making this!

@inactivated0 10 месяцев назад

Your critical friend here! This video is much easier to follow and process thanks to he longer pauses between ideas and sections. I think you are also varying your delivery in the "shape" of your sentences, or how your tone goes up and down, and varying the rhythm and speed of your words and phrases, and this is helping my understanding a lot too. More mysteries please, this is great stuff!

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

Thank you so much as always for the feedback! I do feel that the pacing of this one is a lot more comfortable compared to usual. I worried about how concise it was, but so far the response is quite nice, so maybe I didn't do as poorly as I thought haha I'm going to keep going with this pacing if it's better!

@jllav8214 6 месяцев назад

I love this channel! Instantly wanted to hear more. Made me look for a live TTRPG play :)

@agrimmagallows5195 10 месяцев назад

A weird observation but seeing your eyebrows through your bangs reminds me of how anime characters eyebrows are animated.

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

Hahahahaha i love this, I should start moving my eyebrows eve more to trip people out

@einheit02 3 месяца назад

You are so good at this! I look forward to watching every video you upload.

@MrDigital3lf 6 месяцев назад

As a GM who's flubbed some attempts at mystery before this has be really excited to try again. Alexandrian level advice! Maybe you could have Justin on a video some time. He's been promoting his book lately..

@mab_cat 3 месяца назад

This is awesome! Can't wait for more on this

@moxie9932 10 месяцев назад

You are a treasure! You have a wonderful way of breaking down the theory into actionable steps and giving examples of what it looks like in practice. I'm keeping your one-shot Bloodied Embroidery in my back pocket for a slow weekend. I really look forward to your future content.

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

i'm happy to hear it! i was worried that I was not being very concise with this one haha Ooooh if you run bloodied embroidery someday please let me know how it went! i'd love to get some feedback on it!

@diegotartaglia 6 месяцев назад

Another great video. The 2 distinct types of clues and the journey aspect of the mystery are truly insightful.

@joolsgrommers1466 10 месяцев назад

Thank you again! Daunted by the prep for the coming session and this has given me something to focus on. 🙏🙏🙏

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

I'm glad this helps! Good luck on session prep, you got this!

@joolsgrommers1466 10 месяцев назад

@@corkboardsandcuriosities 🙏🙏🙏

@namelessspook7987 10 месяцев назад

I'm a first time viewer and this video was a wonderful hook. I like that it is direct and to the point, and most importantly it works for any system. I can't wait to dig into your other videos.

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

welcome and thank you so much! i'm so glad you enjoyed this!

@diegosanches430 10 месяцев назад

Amazing videos, already one of my favorites channels!

@ghoulashy 9 месяцев назад

This is wildly useful! I developed a lovely framework because of this video. Now to put it into practice and hope it works! 🤞 I think it really helps getting an easy overview of the mystery you're making while being able to bullshit the rest around it in a cohesive way. Thank you so much for this Val, just what I needed 🤗

@corkboardsandcuriosities 8 месяцев назад

I'm so happy this was useful! I tend to use this one very often, and once you have the basic structure, or some idea or direction where you're going, it's a lot easier to start modifying the format and play around with it. Glad this method can be of use!

@mikemahaffey9121 5 месяцев назад

Although I don't play as much as I used to , I still enjoy listening about it. Keep it up.

@DangerDurians 10 месяцев назад

Amazing video, definitely bookmarking this for future reference. I recently found a wordle like game called murdle Ive been using its approach to help me write who-dunnit oneshots Now, taking a logic puzzle and dropping it straight into a ttrpg doesnt work exactly But its a great framework especially with a layer of obfuscation and contradictions from spells

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

oh! thanks, just googled it, I might play around with it haha, this looks fun Whodunnits are a whole different can of worms for RPG haha, I'm hoping to talk a bit about that too, just need to work out the quirks.. _brings out the corkboard_

@jovanstar 6 месяцев назад

I'm glad I found your channel. I like your fresh take on existing content. I tend to use similar techniques in my Call of Cthulhu games, which are definitely tailored to investigators looking for clues.

@elmarcezen 10 месяцев назад

Great video, you summarize some stuff I've always done but never stopped to think about. I love your take on the game.

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

i'm super happy you like it! I gotta be honest I was really unsure if any of this was making sense hahaha, so i'm happy to hear it does

@ADHDnD13 8 месяцев назад

Your videos are so incredibly helpful!

@corkboardsandcuriosities 6 месяцев назад

haaaaaa thank you!!!!

@gegegebebebe5087 10 месяцев назад

Nice. Today I run a City of Mist mistery. Let's see how it works. 😊

@jackorion8590 10 месяцев назад

Red thread and Loose Pins made a huge difference in how I designed the last monster of the week game that you joined. Especially because I tend to get lost in the layers of the mysteries. Your method really helped me streamline it into an action/mystery genre. Now horror game methods please!

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

haha you do action a lot better than I do, I still got a long way to go on that one horror is coming! I promise! I just need to let it simmer a bit hehehe

@jackorion8590 10 месяцев назад

@@corkboardsandcuriosities Bask yourself in the shadows, my friend. I'd love to hear your thoughts on short cuts and tips on building dread for a reveal. I envy how comics can do the "page-turn" effect. Not sure how to do that in TTRPG yet.

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

it's only a matter of time until we crack the code@@jackorion8590

@doofisconfused 10 месяцев назад

all of your videos are so interesting! these videos are so concise but grant so much insight and inspiration! i've totally got to write up a mystery now!

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

i'm happy this makes sense! i was so worried that I was not very concise on this one hahahha, good luck on your mystery! i might go write one more myself hahaha

@mpericic 10 месяцев назад

I'm very glad I found your channel, thank you for the content!

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

thank you! glad you like it!

@SpiderDilly 10 месяцев назад

Another fantastic video! Thank you for these and thank you for being awesome! ~You are loved and you matter

@corkboardsandcuriosities 9 месяцев назад

... This is what i needed to hear today Thank you 💜

@marcopagnini1349 10 месяцев назад

Yet again another little masterpiece of a video. Informative, full of good advices, with both the editing and the script getting even better from previous videos. Touché

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

aaaaajndivunsdfivn thanks so much! i'm happy these changes are working, I had a lot of fun with the editing

@missmoonlight7366 8 месяцев назад

I'm so excited I found your channel! You have great topics with even better tips (especially for my chaotic self trying to GM cool Oneshots) and somehow you manage to teach all that perfectly wrapped up in short and interesting videos - I'm in love

@corkboardsandcuriosities 8 месяцев назад

sdfihbsifuhdsiufh thank you so much and welcome!!

@herbertwilliam3348 10 месяцев назад

One more gem, thank you

@EngineerWhen 10 месяцев назад

This was really useful, thanks! I always struggle with structuring clues in these kinds of game, I hope this method will help.

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

I hope it helps! And this is only one way out of so so many. There's so many structures and tricks out there, mystery can take so many forms. This one should help specifically for one shots. I hope this method works out for your gaming style, and if it doesn't there's plenty more out there! I'm hoping to make more on the topic

@ADarkandStormyNight 10 месяцев назад

Yes! A new Corkboards & Curiosities!

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

you flatter me haha

@kagaho 10 месяцев назад

Thank you for the video! 🐟

@alexandreramalho9637 19 дней назад

this is so perfect

@feildpres 10 месяцев назад

I love how deeply you dive into the mechanics of a game. Mysteries are daunting to run for ttrpgs, due mainly to their status as a colabrative and improvisational type of game, which means that GMs dont have as tight a control over the pace or the release of clues as, say, a novelist would. This video really helps to overcome that. Another 10/10 banger!

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

I'm so glad to hear that! Mystery genre is among my faves, and I perhaps do a bit too much thinking on it haha, I'm so glad this helps! I'm hoping to do more on the topic, there's so much more to say about it!

@Siryphas Месяц назад

You should check out Witcher TRPG by R. Talsorian Games. They have a mechanic in their Bestiary (A Witcher's Journal) called the Investigation System. It allows you to build a mystery like a combat encounter. The Mystery is an opponent with a health pool called Complexity. The players then have their characters make Evidence Checks when they find a Clue. If they succeed, they deal damage to the Complexity. This allows the characters to solve the mystery using their own skills rather than putting the mystery in the players in a meta space. It's pretty awesome tbh

@danielzarkos 10 месяцев назад

Love the accent and the content! She is lovely!

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

Aaah thank you!!! hahaha, but don't get too attached to the accent, it keeps changing and i have no control over it

@Fernando_Cabanillas 10 месяцев назад

Seriously your vids are very helpful. I have had my hands at a few mysteries and i feel like i could have done better, now i see a few ways to improve. I just wish ya posted more frequently

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

haaa thank you so much! haha I promise i'm gonna try my best to upload more often, the month of july has been insanely busy, but in the time that I wasn't home I got so many ideas of stuff I want to make, now it's just a matter of getting it done!

@Fernando_Cabanillas 10 месяцев назад

@@corkboardsandcuriosities glad to hear, keep up the amazing work, looking forward for what ya got in store :)

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

@@Fernando_Cabanillas Seeing you in the comments each time is a great motivator, thank so much for sticking with me!

@Fernando_Cabanillas 10 месяцев назад

@@corkboardsandcuriosities i am sticking around cause the great content, so thank you

@farowla787 10 месяцев назад

I feel like one shots are a bit underrated, glad to see you make such a good video on them! Keep up the awesome work! You've got a really nice style and delivery!

@corkboardsandcuriosities 9 месяцев назад

aaah thanks so much! to be honest, when it comes to writing my own scenarios to share with people, i've only really done one shots so far, so they're what i'm most used to as a writer! but i'm hoping to soon take the step and write down a mini campaign i've had in mind for a while haha

@phoenixdzk 10 месяцев назад

I love this! I feel like if my RPG can get the players to express their character features and drive the plot forward at the same time, it's a win By the way thank you so much for suggesting Dread! I cleaned up the old Jenga tower & had a really fun horror one shot!

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

ahmahgahdddd you actually tried it!!! i'm so happy! what theme did you run!! I need to figure out how to do a video involving dread someday hahaha, it's too good a game

@phoenixdzk 10 месяцев назад

@@corkboardsandcuriosities I got the full guide and convinced my buddies to play a sort of swampy forest battle with spider-crocodile hybrids; one of my friends hates dice games but is super competitive so Jenga was a welcome game mechanic for him. I might replace sleight of hand checks in my d&d games with a Jenga tower from now on!

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

@@phoenixdzk damn that's a really good idea! I ran only games from the book, but i imagine creating our own story for it must be quite straightforward. I've been missing this game so much, my group and I are online only

@broke_af_games9661 5 месяцев назад

Great video

@ctso74 10 месяцев назад

Eggsellent eggsplanation!

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

your eggstremely kind words make me eggsited to make more

@JoshuaDuaneClark 9 месяцев назад

Corkboard: Check Curiosities: Check

@corkboardsandcuriosities 9 месяцев назад

__deeply bows__ happy to oblige

@TheADHDM 10 месяцев назад

Nice try, I'm not gonna buy a corkboard and some red twine just to write a mystery! Until this weekend. All analogue media that puts stuff in physical space instead of falling out of my brain is a win.

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

my ultimate goal: get everyone here to become a corkboard goblin. It's only a matter of time until the madness gets to you too, Skyler...

@corrput 10 месяцев назад

Journey over destination? 👀 Brandon Sanderson fan?

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

Just googled but I am not familiar, sorry to disappoint hahaha, is journey over destination a recurring concept in his books?

@magoschonkers711 10 месяцев назад

Have you played Call of Cthulu? It's a great game for this type of stuff and has really fun chase mechanics.

@magoschonkers711 10 месяцев назад

It also has that Americana vibe baked into it that is in so many iconic mystery novels.

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

Oooooh yes! it's one of my favourite games! Started almost two years ago and we are starting the last chapter of our campaign right now, my heart breaks. It's a lovely game, and much easier to pick up than I initially anticipated. I actually signed up for a class on adventure writing for Call of Cthulhu, so wish me luck!

@magoschonkers711 10 месяцев назад

@@corkboardsandcuriosities I will! I recently moved away from dnd to try other games. There's this one guy who analyzed AD&D and is writing a book to explain all its mechanics, so I'm waiting for that to come out. It's really insane how much that first edition did.

@corkboardsandcuriosities 10 месяцев назад

@@magoschonkers711 Oh do you mind letting me know the name of the book?

@magoschonkers711 10 месяцев назад

@@corkboardsandcuriosities it is not out yet but a book he's taking a lot of inspiration from is appendix N. It kinda shocked me how sophisticated AD&D is

@s.j.carroll6185 3 месяца назад

1:20 ⚫👄⚫

@FiddleForge 6 месяцев назад

Got a murder mystery coming up next session. The museum director is sacrificing staff to raise a mummy back to life in the basement. Excited to plant clues and give suspect testimony!

@corkboardsandcuriosities 6 месяцев назад

oh i love that, might steal that premise someday if that's okay haha, i have a few friends who have been wanting to try monster of the week

@FiddleForge 6 месяцев назад

Absolutely. Yeah, I'm trying a campaign based on Warehouse 13 where the players go around looking to contain dangerous artifacts and creatures of unique natures. Chance to give them lots of variety. One player is excited to have a high seas mission soon.