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The Conduct of Adventuring:

A Framework for Company and Master

In the pursuit of fortune, glory, and knowledge, adventuring is at once a marvel of imagination and a trial of discipline. While the perils of dungeons, wilds, and hidden places may vary with each undertaking, the conduct of play demands order lest chaos undo both the boldest designs and the most careful preparation. This treatise endeavors to provide a structure by which Dungeon Masters and players alike may navigate the intricate dance of decision, chance, and consequence.

Herein are laid forth the phases through which an adventure proceeds, the offices by which a company may govern itself, and the principles by which each member may act with clarity, purpose, and courage. By observing these precepts, the adventuring company may maximize efficiency, maintain cohesion, and heighten the drama and peril that give the enterprise its enduring thrill. Likewise, the Dungeon Master is armed with tools to adjudicate fairly, challenge deftly, and weave a tale that balances hazard with opportunity, tension with reward.

Let it be known that the following pages do not constrain the imagination, but rather give it structure; do not regard them as chains, but as the framework upon which the edifice of adventure may be built, resplendent, robust, and ever memorable. Through understanding, preparation, and shared responsibility, the company of adventurers shall stride boldly into the unknown, and return to tell their tale—or to join the lament of those who were less fortunate.

Phases of Play

At the table, the conduct of the adventure is divided into a series of simple, readily understood phases. These phases are not arbitrary distinctions, but deliberate structures intended to impose order upon the chaos of exploration, conflict, and chance. By resolving play through a common sequence of steps, both Dungeon Master and players share an understanding of what is occurring, what may be attempted, and when decisive action must be taken.

Each phase serves a distinct purpose, guiding the flow of play from declaration to resolution and onward again, forming a continuous and unbroken cycle of proceedings. When properly observed, this system hastens play, limits confusion, and ensures that no voice or action is lost amid disorder. The repetition of these phases creates rhythm and expectation, allowing the dangers of the adventure to arise from the dungeon itself rather than from uncertainty at the table.

Thus, these phases form the backbone of the game’s operation: a framework within which imagination is given structure and risk is given meaning. Mastery of this cycle by both Dungeon Master and players alike is essential, for it is through this never-ending loop of procedure that the adventure lives, advances, and ultimately reaches its conclusion; be it triumph, retreat, or ruin.

Gathering

The Gathering constitutes the first stage of play encountered in any adventure, and in truth much of it unfolds away from the table, beginning from the very moment the previous session concludes. During this interval, player characters are presumed to rest within a place of relative safety, to pursue rumors and intelligence, to negotiate with merchants and hirelings, and to otherwise prepare themselves for the perils yet to come. Owing to the measured and unhurried nature of this stage, the greater portion of its business may be conducted through correspondence, notices, or other means outside of direct play, with the Dungeon Master responding to and confirming such actions as required. A well-established and disciplined company should be capable of navigating this phase with minimal oversight, though newer players will often require guidance and correction until familiarity is gained.

It is during the Gathering that best practice strongly encourages both players and Dungeon Master to maintain a common quest board, a device of considerable utility and no small importance. This board serves not only as a chronicle of prior exploits and unfinished business, but also as a clear and public declaration of intent regarding future undertakings. Matters of rumor, contract, grievance, and opportunity are set forth plainly, allowing the company to weigh risk against reward without resorting to aimless debate. In this manner, the quest board focuses discussion, curbs indecision, and ensures that all participants share a common understanding of the perils, promises, and priorities presently before them.

Furthermore, the quest board provides the Dungeon Master with a sanctioned means of giving voice to the denizens of the world beyond the party. Through posted notices, pleas, bounties, warnings, and veiled insinuations, the Master may convey the needs and designs of patrons, factions, and unseen powers, without direct narration or undue exposition. These entries are to be regarded not as instructions, but as invitations; threads of opportunity offered to the adventurers, who remain free to ignore, exploit, or pursue them as they see fit. In this way, the quest board stands as a living interface between the world, players and the characters, shaping the course of the campaign through choice rather than compulsion.

The Gathering draws toward its conclusion once a sufficient number of players and the Dungeon Master have agreed upon a time of assembly and, more critically, upon a specific objective. As the company convenes at the table, preliminary intentions are formalized, preparations are finalized, and the necessary roles of play are assigned (as detailed in subsequent sections). With these matters settled, deliberation gives way to action, and the adventure is set irrevocably in motion.

Exploration

With the Gathering concluded, the company now turns its attention to the undertaking at hand: the Exploration. Whether this takes the form of a measured trek across the hills, vales, and wild places of the world, or a perilous descent into lightless depths long forgotten, it is during this stage that the characters bring to bear every tool, skill, and stratagem at their disposal. All actions are resolved in accordance with the systems and procedures set forth in the core rules, as the adventurers press onward in pursuit of knowledge, glory, and treasure.

At the outset of the Exploration phase, a marching order is established and made known to the Dungeon Master, and, should a Caller be appointed, announced whenever that formation is altered. Once this order is set, the Dungeon Master assumes the role of guide and adjudicator, describing the surrounding environment, its features and hazards, and all such surprises as hostile creatures, hidden dangers, or sudden calamity may impose. In turn, the players direct their characters’ responses, striving to overcome the Master’s contrivances of trap, trick, and terror through wit, caution, and resolve.

The Exploration phase persists until such time as the Time Keeper declares that further advance risks disaster. At that moment, the company must abandon ambition for prudence, and the adventure proceeds to its penultimate and most critical phase, wherein the consequences of all that has come before are brought to account.

Returning

Herein the peril reaches its zenith, as the company seeks to make its return to the warmth and safety of a secure bastion. During this stage, the party deliberates their course of action and, should a Mapper be appointed, consults their record in an effort to identify the surest route back to safety. Though the return may unfold more swiftly than the preceding exploration, provided the map is accurate and the company vigilant, rest assured that the Dungeon Master has not relinquished the hand of fortune. Hidden obstacles may impede the path: monsters have shifted in secret, doors have been barred, and once-safe corridors may now demand alternate passage.

The Return is, in every sense, an escape: a race pressed by circumstance, darkness, and the inexorable passage of time. Failure in this stage is no mere setback; it may result in the irrevocable loss of the entire adventuring band, leaving their fates to the designs of a new company. Prudence, foresight, and careful coordination are the only shields against such catastrophe.

The Take

At last, after the trials, horrors, and perils endured, the company enters its most profitable phase: the Take. During this stage, the characters gather themselves one final time to apportion, catalog, and distribute the treasures recovered during their exploits, presenting them to suitable merchants or retainers within their bastion. It is also here, and here alone, that experience points are awarded; both for the dangers faced and for the wealth secured, ensuring that each adventurer’s labors are properly recognized.

Yet the Take is not solely concerned with the principal characters. Hirelings, retainers, and any auxiliary forces employed during the expedition must also be accounted for, reimbursed, and, if circumstances dictate, their loyalties adjusted for the challenges yet to come. Neglecting these obligations may sow discord or weaken the company’s cohesion, imperiling future ventures.

With the conclusion of the Take, the adventure is complete, and the cycle returns to its beginning: the Gathering. Here, the company rests, recounts deeds, updates the quest board, and prepares once more for the perils and promises that await in the next undertaking. Thus the endless loop of adventure, danger, reward, and preparation is maintained, ensuring that the tale of the adventurers continues unbroken.

Player Roles

Once an adventuring company has been assembled, it is strongly advised that certain key offices be established without delay. These roles are not matters of convenience, but of order, discipline, and survival, and their early appointment spares both Dungeon Master and players alike from confusion, disorder, and needless delay.

Each such office exists to ease the burden borne by the Dungeon Master while simultaneously sharpening the focus and engagement of the players. By distributing responsibility among the company, the flow of play is quickened, deliberation is restrained, and the hazards of the adventure are met with decisiveness rather than discord. A party that neglects this structure soon finds itself mired in argument and inaction, conditions as perilous as any trap or lurking monster.

Moreover, the assumption of these roles binds the players more closely to the fortunes of their characters and the success of the expedition as a whole. When duties are clearly defined and willingly borne, the game proceeds with purpose, tension is heightened, and the unfolding narrative gains both clarity and weight. Thus, the establishment of these offices is not merely a courtesy to the Dungeon Master, but a foundational practice upon which an exciting, engaging, and enduring campaign is built.

The offices described in the following sections are those most commonly required and of greatest consequence to the orderly conduct of play; however, no two adventuring companies are ever truly alike. Each group is free, indeed, encouraged, to adapt, amend, or expand upon these roles as necessity, temperament, and circumstance dictate. So long as responsibility is clearly apportioned and authority understood, any system which preserves clarity, decisiveness, and the forward motion of the game shall serve. The Dungeon Master remains the final arbiter in all such matters, and may permit or deny additional offices as they see fit.

Mapper

As Mapper, the player assumes a role of singular importance at the table, for without such an office the party cannot with prudence or certainty sally forth into the unknown. Let it be clearly understood that this duty is no trifling matter, for upon the Mapper alone rests the burden of faithfully recording the party’s explorations; the accuracy and clarity of this record may well determine whether the adventurers retrace their steps to safety, or wander until hunger, hazard, or hostile force consigns them to oblivion.

Any player desirous of assuming the mantle of Mapper must ensure that their character is in possession of proper implements: a writing instrument; be it ink and quill, stylus, or preferably charcoal, and, most importantly, a single sheet of vellum or parchment. These items are expended in the undertaking and are removed from the character’s inventory at the conclusion of the session, being replaced only by the map itself. In recognition of the gravity of this responsibility, the character is awarded one hundred (100) experience points at the commencement of the session. While a party may be tempted to appoint multiple such functionaries, the Dungeon Master is to discourage this practice, granting the experience award to the first and only, lest responsibility be diluted and order undermined.

During play, the manner in which the Mapper fulfills this obligation is left to the player’s discretion, whether through the use of drafting paper, graph-lined folios, or other external contrivances. Such aids, however, remain solely the responsibility of the Mapper; no other player is obliged to assist, correct, or maintain the record.

As the characters press onward, they will assuredly encounter circumstances inimical to accurate mapping. Insufficient light may render the task all but impossible; frantic flight, pursuit, or combat likewise precludes careful record-keeping. Moreover, the map itself is ever subject to ruin: immersion in water without proper protection may reduce it to pulp, while flame, be it mundane or arcane, may consume it utterly. Should the Mapper be struck down, the map is likewise considered destroyed, its surface befouled by blood and damage to such a degree as to render it illegible and useless.

In the event that the Mapper survives and escapes with the map intact, the party may elect to retain and reuse it in future expeditions, share it with allied bands, or dispose of it. A map detailing a significant or complete exploration of previously uncharted territory is a commodity of no small value, and may prove as lucrative as it is dangerous to possess.

Time Keeper

Like the Mapper, the office of Time Keeper is one of equal importance, for it is this player who stands watch over the inexorable passage of time, making known to both Dungeon Master and adventurers alike the advance of moments, turns, and hours. At the outset of play, the Dungeon Master shall, at their sole discretion, declare a fixed hour of conclusion, at which point the session ends and the night’s adventure is brought to a close. The Time Keeper is charged with determining when, and if, brief interludes or pauses may occur during play, and is likewise the voice that declares when the company must abandon further delving and commence its return from whatever perilous depths it has chosen to trespass. In so doing, the Time Keeper seeks, though success is never assured, to preserve sufficient time for the entire band to reach a place of safety before the appointed hour.

hough simple in description, this office is grave in consequence. Should the company fail to regain a bastion of safety by the stated end time, the adventuring band is considered lost, its fate unresolved and its members rendered unplayable until such time as rescue is attempted by a new expedition. In many cases, this circumstance may result in the permanent loss of all characters involved; a blow both dire and sobering to any company. Furthermore, as no two parties are alike, the Dungeon Master may require the Time Keeper to assume additional responsibilities, such as tracking the depletion of torches and lantern oil, the duration of spells and effects, or the passage of in-world time, should such accounting be deemed necessary.

Accordingly, any player who volunteers for the office of Time Keeper must first ensure that their character possesses some form of timekeeping device within their inventory. Upon meeting this requirement, the character is awarded seventy (70) experience points in recognition of the vigilance and discipline demanded by this role.

Caller

The office of Caller is seldom required, yet becomes indispensable when the adventuring band swells in number; indeed, a Dungeon Master may, at their own discretion, decline to conduct play for any table exceeding eight participants in the absence of such a figure. The player who endures to assume the burden of Caller stands as the sole conduit between Dungeon Master and adventurers alike; the voice which distills debate, argument, and indecision into a single, declared course of action. Let it be plainly understood, however, that once the Caller has announced an action to the Dungeon Master, that decision is fixed and irrevocable, and no further parley shall avail.

In this capacity, the Caller becomes a lodestone of responsibility, acting in no small measure as the leader of the company and the shepherd of its many and often discordant voices. It is the Caller’s charge to keep all players apprised of the immediate situation, to hasten the flow of play, and to ensure that hesitation does not metastasize into confusion. Regardless of peril, clamor, or contention, the Caller is expected to remain at the Dungeon Master’s side, prepared each turn to declare the party’s intent, cutting through disorder and driving the expedition inexorably forward.

Though the role will most often be claimed by a confident and outspoken individual, the Caller is not immediately rewarded for their exertions. Instead, at the conclusion of the session, the remaining players may, by common assent, judge whether the Caller discharged their duties with fairness, clarity, and due regard for the voices they represented. Should the Caller be found worthy, each player present may grant them a modest token of twenty (20) experience points. This award, unlike others, increases in total value as the size of the adventuring band grows, for the weight of the Caller’s responsibility is proportionate to the number of wills they must command.

Minor Roles

Certain adventuring companies may find it expedient, even prudent, to establish offices beyond those most commonly required. The enumeration presented here is by no means exhaustive, but serves as both a guide and a provocation for Dungeon Masters and players alike, offering a selection of roles that may be employed at their discretion during any Gathering. Each additional office, if wisely chosen and clearly defined, may further reinforce the order, efficiency, and effectiveness of the company, while simultaneously deepening engagement, fostering responsibility, and heightening the drama and gravitas of the adventure. It must be noted that some of these roles may be combined, their duties coalescing under a single capable hand.

TL;DR

Phases of Play
Adventures run best when divided into clear phases that guide players and the Dungeon Master, keeping play organized, fast, and fair.

Player Roles
Key roles should be assigned early to distribute responsibility, keep the game organized, and help the party act decisively; groups may adapt roles as needed.