So, I didn't get to do this in July...
I had to stretch it from July into August. :)
And I wrote an 8000 word adventure for Wolfgang Baur's
_Tales of Zobeck_.
So, how did the process begin?
I received the adventure summary that would serve as my outline for the adventure.
Then I broke that outline down into encounters and gave each encounter a projected word count, considering boxed text, encounter setup, stat blocks and post-encounter development.
Then I punched out my stat blocks, knowing how time and wordcount consuming they can be, and wanting to have plenty of time to both scrub them for aspects that wouldn't play well, and to better know what my remaining wordcount was.
Then I dug into my text, starting with a short 2 to 3 paragraph description of each encounter, and then developing it out from there. I went hunting for images and real world locations on wikipedia to help inspire me. As a part of this, I also sketched out maps of each encounter-- this is important because you want the terrain to augment the battle for the better, to improve the experience and give creative players something to work with through the combat. I'm thinking of a particular battle in _Keep on the Shadowfell_ with pits and narrow plank bridges as a good example.
From there, you move on to the polish and playtest phase, seeing how mechanics work, how EL choices scale, how design plays out on the tabletop. This is crucial. Without a playtest, you're just operating on the theoretical level, and you'll miss things-- there are at least 4 player brains to your 1 writing brain. They're going to find loopholes you missed.
Finally, you have a short revision period, scrubbing that text one more time, adjusting with the notes from playtest, and fixing what needs it.
Always remember-- the enemy of good is perfect!
-Ben.
