Tying Up Loose Ends

With the end of the year rolling at us at full speed, it's time for me to follow up, wrap up, or otherwise update some of the incomplete aspects of the ol' blog.

The Last Call crew. It was fun while it lasted.

The Last Call

The end of my Five Parsecs From Home campaign was ugly.

The battle of turn #2 didn't go well. Painting up a set of figures to use as Psychos was taking too long, so I resorted to using proxies to move on with the campaign. The battle turned against The Last Call crew due to a combination of poor die rolls, the opposition performing better than expected, and admittedly suboptimal tactical decision making. The result was a bitter grind as The Last Call crew put up a spirited, but futile struggle.

If I were gamemastering it as a RPG campaign, I might have fudged a few die rolls and had the Psychos fumble around a little to give The Last Call crew a chance to pull things together. Even using the options in "The Stars of the Story" section only mitigated things to a point. The outcome wasn't a true TPK, but was still a demoralizing setback. A hole that big would take a long time for The Last Call crew to dig their way free. I would have to bring in a bunch of newly painted miniatures to represent new crew in order to continue. Why not end it, call the whole thing a learning experience, and start fresh later?

I started a draft of the final stand of The Last Call crew, but left it undone. Few of the photos came out well. This would make the resulting battle report an almost unbroken wall of text. The writing alone would have to keep a reader engaged. I know the last stand has a long tradition, but I couldn't come up with a narrative that made the fight anything other than a depressing grind. I ended up abandoning the draft. Everybody only has so much time. I felt that mine would be better spent doing other things.

Beginning a new Five Parsecs From Home campaign is in the cards for next year. The ubrupt end of The Last Call campaign was rough, but it was fun while it lasted! And it fulfilled the goal of motivating me to paint more miniatures. Next time, I'd like to have a model to represent the ship and more terrain, but neither is a requirement that's cast in stone. Any decisions about the ship model or terrain will ultimately come down to time and cost. Having some more miniatures painted up and ready to go would also be prudent. Or I could just wing it. Let's see what the new year brings!

The Last Call - A Very Short Five Parsecs From Home Campaign:

Turn 0 - Crew generation

Turn 1 - Pre-battle steps, also includes campaign start steps

Turn 1 - Battle report

Turn 1 - Wrap up

Turn 1 - Error correction

Turn 2 - Pre-battle steps

I'm still not sure what I'm doing with this thing.

The YouTube Experiment

I'm still messing around with the YouTube Channel I started this year. Learning how to record audio and video, editing it, and finding ways to present it has been an engaging challenge. I think I'm closing in what to do with it, but I also want to experiment with the subjects I cover a little more.

For now, some links and short descriptions of what I've posted over there as of this post are below:

Coffee Bag Freebie Greeblies & Bits?

Short video on the scratch building parts that can be pulled off a bag of coffee.

Fixing a Squishy Based D&D Beholder Miniature

The base on this unfortunate miniature from Wizards of the Coast was far too soft to hold the figure up. Even a mighty Beholder isn't that scary if it's falling over! Fixing it by replacing the base was a quick and fun little project.

Plastic Soda Cap Greeblies & Bits?

Short video on trash bashing with these parts that come with a tasty drink!

Weathering Terrain with a Silver Marker

A quick guide on producing the appearance of bare metal exposed by wear and tear.

Soy & Teriyaki Sauce Bottle Bits

Short video on the junk build parts that come with a bottle of salty, umami flavor.

Some glass I got on my birthday. Both are helpful in the making of this blog.

More Miniature Photography Posts

Writing follow ups to The Post Where I Go On About Photography Gear and Kenko Extension Tube Set - First Impressions has been an exercise in hitting a moving target. There were several times when I thought that I had a handle on a process and started drafting a post, only from something new to upset the whole apple cart.

The simple truth of the matter is that I'm still learning and refining. How I approach miniatures photography has changed radically multiple times since I wrote those posts back in April 2021. A specific piece of gear might come and go and come back again. The camera settings have gone from one extreme to the other as I play with what works. This isn't a good place from which to teach others. I have tried to document my learning experience, but every draft has been tossed aside as no longer reflecting what I do by the time it's nearing completion.

It's going to be awhile before I dial into a preferred method and turn it into a time-tested formula. When I do, I'll be happy to share it so that others can benefit from my experience and improve their own methods.



These three were the glaring examples of unfinished business that I feel I should address. If there's anything else I've left undone that folks are curious about, feel free to fire off a question in the comments. Note that some projects are on hold due to the holidays. They will be resumed when time and weather permits - spray painting in the cold and wet is questionable at best.

Why Are Adventure Modules So Bad?

I've never had a great experience running published adventure modules. From "The Keep on the Borderlands" back when I was a wee lad of a Dungeon Master to "The Pit of Kutallu" one shot I ran over a month ago, I've always run into problems with the things. What's the source of these problems? Is there a better way? Is this just a middle aged man yelling at a cloud? How does this influence my own adventure writing?

Yeah, I'm criticizing a classic. I could run in this thing in my sleep. And I probably have. It's a solid D&D adventure, but it's questionable as an introductory module. Gygax didn't name anybody, forcing people running their first game to make names for NPCs up on the spot. Gygax described the details of politics within the Caves of Chaos without also providing ways for the player characters to find out or act on that information. Both of these things could have been teachable moments for those new to the hobby.

The Problems of Prose and Narrative

Modules are generally written as if they are telling a story rather than documenting a process. Someone reading prose fiction like a novel doesn't usually have to go back and look up key details. (There are exceptions like "fair play" mysteries and certain experimental works, but these meet different expectations.) Editors prefer to avoid walls of text in prose fiction because they can turn off readers. On the other hand, a gamemaster has to quickly understand how a module is intended to work and reference information from that module while running it. Skimming blocks of narration looking for a needed detail buried in the middle of a long paragraph takes up valuable time at the table. Having the information available at a glance would be more efficient, but involves a presentation and layout that borrows from technical writing.


Why Buy Adventure Modules?

I'm aware of two basic markets for adventure modules. The first are gamemasters who outsource creating the scenario, mechanics, and other aspects of an evening's adventure to a publisher. The reasons for this decision often comes down to a lack of time or familiarity with a given game or system. In order to be used to meet this need, using an adventure module should be less work than making one from scratch. Ideally, it should be as modular as the name "module" suggests - an adventure that can be slotted into an ongoing campaign with minimal preparation or adjustment. The second market are those who purchase modules as reading material. Presenting a module's contents as a narrative isn't a problem for them - it's actually a positive feature. They want to be told a story. The technical aspects of gamemastering don't concern them. Unfortunately, this runs counter to the needs of those using modules as adventures.


Background - How Much Is Too Much?

One sticking point for me is extensive background information with little or no application to the adventure. It may develop the setting and be a pleasant read, but is it needed to run the module? The motivations of an NPC and their relationships to the other NPCs in an adventure don't really matter if that NPC only serves as an XP piñata during a combat encounter. The depths of that NPC will never come up in play and become known to the players. The gamemaster doesn't need that information to run the NPC in a fight. It's space that could be better used for things more directly related to running the adventure.

Our group had a great time with this one, as I mention here. One question, though: What happens if nobody starts drowning when the player characters go overboard? The module mentions keeping things "action-packed and quick-moving" while calling for multiple tests while swimming for shore, but doesn't actually tell the gamemaster how many tests are needed or how often to call for them. One? Five? Every round? How many rounds until they get to the shore? The module doesn't say, but the process of how to handle a player character that starts drowning after failing a test while swimming for shore is described in detail.

Old School Solutions

When I ran adventure modules more often, I would thoroughly research each one before showing up with it on game night. This involved going through the contents, making notes as needed, and often running the adventure from my notes rather than the module itself. A simple read through just wouldn't provide enough familiarity with the module for a smooth experience at the table.

A notable change I would make while adapting a module is boiling down long descriptions. This seems to be where some module writers feel free to indulge in maximum verbosity. The eyes of many of my players would glaze over during a long reading of boxed text. I typically cut such descriptions down to the most important elements or used a highlighter on key phrases to use while paraphrasing at the table.

That process didn't cover the time needed to customize the module to fit into our campaign. Many modules recommend that gamemasters do this. Some provide specific advice on where and when the adventure might take place in officially supported settings. This fine tuning takes relatively little time and is an understandable limitation of adventure modules. A publisher can't take the specifics of everybody's campaign setting into account.

I soon gave up on the process as a waste of time. It was essentially rewriting the module into a form that would be easier for me to use. Why bother? Writing an adventure from scratch took roughly the same amount of time and effort. I acquired modules as part of bundles and picked up Free RPG Day adventures since then, but rarely ran them. Most of the modules I own are sources of spare parts. Encounters, NPCs, plot elements, and anything else that caught my eye would be used to inspire things in my own adventures.


The Arcane Library

The adventure modules written by Kelsey Dionne and published by The Arcane Library show a possible way forward. Many of the improvements used in these modules appear in products by others. However, The Arcane Library modules incorporates more of them in one place than I've seen elsewhere. The Arcane Library modules are dungeon adventures for a certain prominent fantasy RPG and use a streamlined presentation well suited for a location based adventure.

• Each module begins with a synopsis of the adventure and the minimum background necessary to understand its context. This information gives gamemasters a roadmap they can use to navigate the contents of the module. It shows how the adventure is intended to go, which elements connect, where they connect, and what interactions might take place. Of course, things may go off the rails, but knowing where the tracks were headed is helpful.
• The opening encounter is designed to quickly involve the players and their characters. A selection of motivations for the player characters is provided. This avoids the issues of slow starts and may short circuit "why does my character care" conversations.
• Each encounter takes up exactly one page and starts by asking a dramatic question. The outcome of the encounter answers that question. Not all encounters pose a question, but it provides a direction for things to go when it appears. The encounter wraps up with a transition describing how things move towards the next encounter. The flow from question to answer to transition helps to maintain the pace of the adventure.
• The aftermath section provides ways to tie off any remaining plot threads and offers the player characters their rewards. Hooks for future adventures building on the just concluded one are also presented.
• Descriptions are short. Lengthy boxed text is avoided in favor of lists of key details that gamemasters can work into their own narration.
• The layout is used to make the important stuff easier to find.
• There's a table of contents.
• Bold text is used for key details, making them stand out from the rest of the text.
• Bullet points are used for descriptive details and other information best presented in list format.
• Things like maps and new monsters are placed in the appendices instead of cluttering up the encounter entries.

Kelsey Dionne's approach requires modification for use with other games. It is optimized for an adventure in a confined environment that limits player choice. The outline of an investigative adventure might need a flowchart rather than a synopsis to show the gamemaster where things are going. A political intrigue adventure may not be able to be divided neatly into distinct encounters. The factions involved will each advance their own plans and modify them based on events. Instead, each faction could get their own section describing their resources, motivations, and how they intend to use any opportunities to achieve their goals.

The Problem of Scale

The Arcane Library modules are an example of how things can be improved, but their short length means that they don't run into the organizational problems found in longer works. A module from The Arcane Library already has a table of contents. This is plenty for an adventure intended to be run in a single session. But as the page count of a book goes up, locating specific information becomes more difficult.

Both a table of contents and a comprehensive index would make navigating a longer module easier. I'm not sure where the cut off between "just a table of contents is fine" and "needs an index too" exists. However, I'm sure that an adventure hardcover with a page count in the triple digits would certainly need both.

This is one of my favorite AD&D modules - to read. There's so much drama and detail presented about the people and inner workings of the slavers' organization.  Unfortunately, the player characters will never experience any of it as they steamroller through the place. I've thought of making the player characters go in and have to put up with the backbiting and office politics while undercover, but I don't think that's the intended way of running this adventure.

Art in Adventure Modules

Artwork may seem to be a waste of space in an adventure module, but it can have useful functions.

• An illustration of an area or encounter can be a handy tool, especially if it can be shown to the players without also revealing the text detailing the encounter. Some classic D&D and AD&D modules have separate booklets for this purpose.
• A piece of art that is connected to the text can serve as a mental bookmark. The most common example is a description of an NPC or monster with an illustration of that NPC or monster on the same page. If gamemasters can find the picture, they can find the related description.
• Memorable art can serve as landmarks while navigating a book. Page numbers might be difficult to recall, but knowing that a particular section is near that eye-catching picture may not be.
• If nothing else, small pieces of artwork can break up walls of text and larger ones can signal the beginning or end of a section.

Writing My Own Adventures

I tended to over-prepare for adventures. The process of rewriting modules had left a mark. There was way too much unnecessary detail and not enough focus on what I needed while sitting at the table. Everything was in one cumbersome outline and I worried too much about the ending.

There's a new process that I'm still refining. I don't worry about planning every detail or beyond the current session. What I'm mainly interested in is having ready access to the information I have prepared.

What I include in my session notes is still a work in progress.

• A sequence of events that will get derailed due to player character intervention. Key details are in bold.
• Scene descriptions (details below). Descriptive details are lists of phrases that I work in extemporaneously.
• Key NPCs. Only the ones that the player characters are likely to fight, interact with socially, or otherwise engage with mechanically have full stats. These include any special rules or notes. Again, key details are in bold. Other entries are just so that I can remember the name of the shopkeeper or other minor NPC.
• Reference sheets for any rules that I might have trouble remembering the exact mechanics of at the table.

As the workhorse of many an adventure, scenes need their share of focus. I haven't gone as far as put each on its own page, but I'm seeing the appeal. I break scenes down into three basic parts.

• How things are at the start of the scene. Example: The guy they are looking for is here.
• What might happen during the scene. Example: Do they confront the guy? Follow him around while keeping out of sight? What are the complications involved with either approach? Let's assume that they fumble their approach and they end up chasing the guy. Where does he go? Does local law enforcement get involved?
• Handling the outcome, including what the next scene might be and how to get there from here. Example: Do they catch the guy? Does he get away? Let's assume that they get their man. What information do they get out of him? How could they make use of what they've learned?

Each category (sequence of events, NPCs, scenes, etc.) gets its own document file. Right now, the docs are .pdfs on my tablet, but I'm considering uploading them to Google Docs or transferring them to Google Keep so I can access everything on my phone. That allows me to work on them while away from my tablet or PC.

I also have a pad and pen in front of me when running the game. I've yet to find a more practical way of taking notes at the table. Most of the notes are on how the players are changing the narrative during play or about things the players have taken an interest in. These notes get transcribed a day or week later. In theory.

One of the adventures in this book involves catching up with an out of control spaceship. The process of intercepting it is a dice rolling contest. When I ran it a few years ago, I couldn't find the number I needed on a page full of text. Maybe it was the lateness of the hour combined with the mental load of running the game and fatigue from a rough week at work, but I kept scanning the page and not seeing what I was looking for. Simply printing the target number in bold or having the information in a more easily digestible format - a chart summarizing the skill checks needed to get through the scene, for example - would have helped my poor, tired brain find it.

Wrapping Up

There are great adventure modules in my collection and there are some duds I hang on to for various reasons. Even the best of them have certain flaws that make them harder to run at the table. Possible solutions involve different lay outs and ways to present key information without radically altering what an adventure module is supposed to do. As an added benefit, gamemasters can borrow these methods to improve their own adventure writing.

My Favorite Stuff 2022

Here's a few things I found handy for hobby stuff throughout this year. I made similar posts to this one in 2018 and 2020. Like 2019, I skipped 2021. Unlike 2019, skipping 2021 was deliberate. I was mainly focused on catching up on existing projects as our group wasn't meeting for face to face gaming. 2022 saw a return to experimentation, new purchases, and the resulting half-finished projects.

This is what happens when I play with Canva.

Green Stuff World Silver Series Kolinsky Brush Size 2

I ordered this way back in the summer of 2021 as I was getting frustrated with the limitations of the synthetic brushes I was using at the time. I was doing more painting than usual throughout 2020 and 2021. Eventually, I felt that I was fighting with the brushes to get the paint where I wanted it to go. A little research suggested that it was time to upgrade my brushes, so I took advantage of a sale at Green Stuff World and ordered a set of three brushes sizes 0, 1, and 2.

This was not the only way I was addressing the issue. I found a local source for smaller Kolinsky brushes. These seemed to work fine, so the set of brushes from Green Stuff World went into storage as replacements for down the line.

This year, there were projects where a bigger brush was useful to cover larger areas. Up until then, I used size 0 and size 1 brushes (or their equivalents) for miniatures painting. The set from Green Stuff World included a size 2, so I gave it a try.

My old size 2 and the replacement (in package) for when I need it.

I wish I had given it a shot before. The larger belly holds more paint, allowing me to work longer before going back to my palette. The tip is good enough for most work, but I do have to break out smaller brushes with finer tips to paint some details.

The size 2 has become my utility brush. The only things I never do with it is drybrushing or other techniques that are rough on a brush. With basic care, it's lasted well enough so far, but I did order another to have a replacement on hand.

Green Stuff World does offer a Gold Series premium brush line, but I'm happy with the Silver Series so far. I also tend to place orders during their sales to offset shipping costs. Orders also take awhile to get from England to the United States.


Star Trek Adventures Rules Digest

Our group got back to face to face gaming this year. The roleplaying game we picked was Star Trek Adventures. We decided to start a new campaign given the long interruption.

The Rule Digest had come out during our group's interregnum. It contains all the rules refinements and errata that had come out since the game's launch. A rule book already incorporating every update was too good to pass up.

One of these is not like the others.

The real value of the Rules Digest turns out to be its compact size. As the name implies, it is a digest sized softcover. Not having to deal with a full sized hardback while running a game relieves me of a hassle. It can be set aside, tucked under my dice tray, or other gotten out of the way until I need it. The core book has been liberated to wander the table as a reference for the players.

The layout of the Rules Digest is done in the style of TOS as it is intended to support a campaign in that era. However, the rules apply to all eras of Star Trek. I many use it as a handy reference at the table. What I'd really like is a digest sized book that is nothing but a Star Trek Adventures rule reference, but I suspect that the market for such a product is too limited to be profitable for Modiphius. In the absence of such a thing, this book will do nicely.


Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM Lens

My wife generously gifted me this for my birthday. The idea was to get a relatively inexpensive lens for general photography. Instead, this has become my main lens for miniatures photography.

Before this, I used a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens with extension tubes for miniatures photography. The Nifty Fifty is a great lens for the price, but the focal length is a problem for shooting small objects. The camera has to be pulled back quite a bit for the lens to focus on the subject. This may push the camera back far enough for a tripod to be necessary. Extension tubes allow the lens to get closer, but selecting the right one adds to set up time. I still use this combination when I need high quality shots, but I wanted an option for taking quick photos.

Nothing I read before getting this indicated that it's a macro lens.

The EF-S 24mm is clearly marked as a macro lens. I can push it in close enough to not worry about setting up a tripod or extension tubes. This makes setting up a shot much easier. The quality isn't as sharp as the Nifty Fifty, but the trade off is sometimes worth it. The EF-S 24mm is currently my workhorse lens for miniature photography.

What Conan Taught Me About Star Trek Adventures

With the news from Modiphius, this post seems timely.

Our group ran "The Pit of Kutallu" just before the holiday season. "The Pit of Kutallu" is an adventure module for Robert C. Howard's Conan published by Modiphius in 2017 for Free RPG Day. The version of 2d20 it uses feels like the same model car as Star Trek Adventures, but after somebody dropped in a turbocharger. Our group burned through Momentum, Fortune, and Doom with abandon compared to our use of the corresponding meta currencies in Star Trek Adventures. The players were also bolder and less deliberate, even after they started paying the price in Stress and Harms to their characters.

Granted, the quick start rules in "The Pit of Kutallu" are stripped down compared to those in the Conan core book. And I ran this explicitly as a one shot. And swords and sorcery is another whole genre away from space opera. And a Free RPG Day adventure is going to be mostly fights. But I felt that there was something about the contrast between the two experiences to be examined. I put my observations and questions online and got some handy advice on running 2d20 in the future. Thanks in particular to @muttley@dice.camp and betatester at the Modiphius forums for their observations.

Momentum

Momentum in Conan models a swords and sorcery world where player characters are capable of cutting their way through waves of enemies. Buying extra dice with Momentum is cheaper in Conan than in other 2d20 games. This makes it easier land hits and succeed at tests. Rolling more dice generates more Momentum, leading to a loop where players have more Momentum at their disposal at any given time. This loop quickened the pace, making the fights feel more exciting without losing their tactical aspects.

The Momentum pool depletes faster in Conan than in Star Trek Adventures. Our group told me this pressured them into a "use it or lose it" mentality. Fights in "The Pit of Kutallu" usually ended with an empty Momentum pool due to use rather than depletion.

Getting some of that faster pace in Star Trek Adventures involves priming the pump on the Momentum pool.

• "Close-Knit Crew" is a Talent from the Player's Guide that allows a player character to generate Momentum if the pool is too low at the start of a new scene.
• There are ways for a Human player character to finagle "Spirit of Discovery" to trade a point of Determination in to bump up the Momentum pool by three. The player just has to find a way to use a Value or Directive for the Determination spend. A pilot character will likely have a Value related to vehicle operation that can used during a travel scene. Likewise, a science officer may have a Value that can trigger when seeking out new information.
• Supporting Characters can help generate Momentum by providing an assist during a task. Assistance effectively gives players three dice instead of two for rolling against a task and for generating Momentum. Even uncontrolled Supporting Characters can provide assistance.
• A player character in the Commanding Officer role on the bridge can use "Rally" to generate Momentum. The core book is explicit about this being the purpose of the "Rally" action. Groups where the Captain is a Supporting Character can still use "Rally" even if the Captain is uncontrolled as it is a Difficulty 0 task, but a player character must still use an action to suggest that the Captain speak to the crew. Alternately, a player character Executive Officer can use "Rally" themselves.

Doom & Threat

Doom (Conan) and Threat (Star Trek Adventures) are thematically named equivalents to Momentum for the gamemaster. Doom generates faster than Threat due to how Reactions work in Conan. Reactions to parry or dodge attacks beyond the first in a round are paid for by adding to the Doom pool. This gives the players a choice between building up the Doom pool or suffering damage to their characters.

The steady trickle of Doom getting added to the pool slowly raised the stakes throughout the game. I was able to use the resulting pile of Doom to dial up the danger at the climax. Adding to the Doom pool may have an immediate benefit for the players, but there are longer term costs involved. The process gives the players a say in the amount of danger their characters will be confronting.

Players in Star Trek Adventures are often reluctant to add to the Threat pool and there are fewer ways to generate it. I find myself hoarding the initial Threat pool until the ending scene. However, there seem to be more ways to produce Threat and that heightened sense of risk than I was aware of.

• A NPC leader can issue orders to the other NPCs at the start of a scene or during a fight. This is a Difficulty 0 task for the NPC leader that should generate one or two points of Threat. This is balanced by the need for the NPC leader to use an action to perform this task.
• Some NPCs automatically generate Threat simply be showing up. The final boss of "The Pit of Kutallu" has its own Doom pool that it can use up before helping itself to the regular one.

Fortune & Determination

Fortune (Conan) is both more plentiful and easier to use than Determination (Star Trek Adventures). Linking the use of Determination with a Value or Directive makes it challenging to put into play. The single point a player character starts an adventure with encourages players to hoard it to the point of leaving it untouched. On the other hand, Conan player characters get three points of Fortune and can earn more points fairly easily. Fortune points flowed freely throughout "The Pit of Kutallu" with the only concern being saving one for the climax.

• As mentioned above, "Spirit of Discovery" is a Talent that a Human player character can use to pump up the Momentum pool by three in exchange for a point of Determination.
• I'll have to talk with our group about making sure the Values of the player characters are flexible enough to cover a variety of situations.
• I also have to continue to find ways of using Values, Directives, and Determination in our Star Trek Adventures game.

I'd welcome any other suggestions or observations about how to use elements of this system. I hope that this point is handy for other 2d20 gamemasters.

A Game I'll Never Run - Working for a Dragon

A deep dive into my own notes is a key step as I prepare a new RPG campaign. I frequently rediscover little gems that I jotted down months or years ago and promptly forgot. Something else I find are fantastic concepts for campaigns that I have absolutely no time to run. After all, I'll hopefully be busy with my current campaign for awhile.

Rather than let them lie unused, I'll be presenting them here as they turn up. Feel free to borrow anything that looks handy. Just let me know how it turned out.


The Quest Giver is a Dragon

Our adventuring party works for a great wyrm of considerable age and wide experience. The beast isn't interested in acquiring more wealth. This particular dragon's hoard is already big enough to be comfortable to lounge upon. This dragon has moved on to other things. But what are the dragon's motivations and how can the adventurers help to achieve them?

Meet the new boss?

Collecting Scholarly Knowledge

Knowledge was a means to an end in the dragon's youth. Genuine curiosity eventually overcame ambition as the dragon grew old and strong. However, a dragon showing up to ask questions is usually counterproductive. Many interactions between dragons and others involve raided livestock, looted gold, and things on fire. Employing adventurers as agents tends to work better. At least, until those adventurers start getting ideas.

Before that, our adventurers can find employment by:

• Tracking down and acquiring the last copy of an ancient tome before anybody else gets it.
• Convincing an elderly sage to part with their particular brand of wisdom. The sage is done with life and can't be bribed or threatened, even by a dragon or band of cutthroats. What would convince such a sage?
• Trading books with various libraries. The dragon has extra copies to spare, but wants to avoid the complications of letting others know who they are dealing with. It's best to send the adventurers as representatives.
• Swapping knowledge over networks of scholars who may not be keen on giving their secrets to a dragon.
• Establishing relations with key scholars. The dragon foresees the need to consult with them repeatedly.
• Prying a scroll of lost lore out of the cold, undead hands holding it.

Collecting Arcane Knowledge

Knowledge can be power, but magical knowledge gets to the point quicker. There is some overlap between this and acquiring scholarly knowledge. Some of the ideas presented above can be used with this motivation. In both cases, the dragon is using the adventuring party as agents to gain access to sources that would be denied otherwise.

• Meeting with a jinn or devil on their own plane and figuring out what it would take to persuade them to part with what they know. The first challenge is the logistics of arranging and traveling to the meeting.
• The dragon has learned of a tome called the Necronomicon. The knowledge it contain is both valuable and dangerous. One doesn't survive to become a great wyrm by taking unnecessary risks - best to have someone else read the book and transcribe its contents in a form safer to peruse. There is a troublesome mage who has beat the dragon's prior agents to various prizes over the decades. Perhaps the adventuring party can convince the mage to take on this task? Of course, a copy of the Necronomicon must be obtained in the first place.
• Raiding the library of a demi-lich. It is located a trapped-infested crypt, but the demi-lich should be distracted with whatever such undead do down there.
• Rumors suggest that another adventuring party has looted a rare magical item from some dungeon. How to get it without showing the dragon's hand?
• Trading magical secrets with an organization of wizards with a dodgy reputation. Both sides know that betrayal is coming, just not exactly when. The assassination attempts against the dragon's prior agents don't really count. That's just common practice.

Supporting the Imperial Dynasty

Centuries ago, the dragon took another form and founded a ruling family. Affairs of state grew boring, so the dragon left the polity in the hands of later generations. But the dragon takes family obligations seriously enough to intervene from time to time.

The dragon doesn't want to operate openly and uses agents when possible. The dynasty has to appear to be strong enough to stand on its own. Besides, the dragon isn't a pet that comes when called just because there's a handsome representation on the imperial crest. This is a situation where each side gets things it wants because both parties compliment each other nicely. The player characters could be adventurers acting as the dragon's agents, part of the imperial court, or members of the imperial government with a mysterious boss.

• The dragon and the dynasty are family, but that doesn't rule out backstabbing. There's always upstarts who think that they have what it takes to further their ambitions by getting rid their mysterious "great uncle" from out of town. Keeping an eye out for trouble is one option. Finding a place to hide the charred corpse and cooking up a cover story is another.
• The dragon is the center of a spy network. The dragon makes for a pretty good spy with superior senses, the ability to fly, and maybe even shape changing. The dynasty has used its connections and wealth to build a wider net for gathering information. Of course, such networks have vulnerable nodes that enemies can attack or co-opt. That's what the internal security and assassination branches are for. The adventurers are handy as deniable assets with no obvious connections to either the dragon or the royal family.
• A lack of money isn't a problem for either the dragon or the dynasty, but there are some problems wealth can't solve. Some folks just can't be bribed. The player characters need to find a way to persuade the source of the issue or otherwise make it go away.
• The dragon can solve some issues indirectly. Sometimes that ambitious lord making moves in the imperial court can't just be killed off. On the other hand, that lord might get called back home to deal with a crisis at precisely the right time. A dragon attack on the lord's holding might be the source of that boon. But somebody has to make sure that word get through to the lord at precisely the right time.
• The dragon and dynasty view their relationship from an interpersonal perspective rather than a political one. The dragon's long life and unusual viewpoint make it a valuable source of advice. The dragon prefers to quietly guide the dynasty along and providing indirect support while juggling more draconic interests at the same time. Besides, the player characters are around to handle any dirty work.
• There was those times when everything was going smoothly until the current ruler and most of the heirs were assassinated. The dragon was busy guiding someone never expected to take on the role of ruler while investigating the assassinations. One such incident is the source of the imperial decree forbidding multiple members of the dynasty from riding in the same airship.