Quest Brainstorming Compilation *OFFICIAL*

#1

IMPORTANT STUFF:
You can vote up to 10 times, and can change your votes as the list changes over time by clicking "REMOVE VOTE".
To avoid people "queueing" quest submissions, the next quest will always be chosen randomly from the top 3-5 most popular. We've decided this using Chatbot before, but may change our method in the future.

If you would like to add any ideas to the list, post them on this thread and I will modify the poll.

I will update/reformat this master list any time someone posts to this thread with a new idea. I will also remove ideas that have already been done.

Current List
(see below for a short blurb explaining each quest):

100 Word Submission
Test your powers of brevity by crafting a full submission using 100 words or fewer. 100 Word Submission

Create-a-30s List
A creativity challenge, come up with a list of 30 related NPCs, items, plotlines, etc. Emphasis is on general useability (would a GM want to print your list out to have next to him at the table?) and creativity (can you think of things that haven't been done to death?). See The 30 and The Other 30s for inspiration.

5 in 1, Round Two! (sans heavy rules)
Take five submissions and come up with a brand-new sub that incorporates them all. The only rule is that none of the seed submissions may be your own. If you want an extra challenge, use five random submissions to craft your masterpiece.

Aerial/Sky
Anything that flies, glides or soars through the air -- be it mechanical or natural, sentient or not. Sky-based cultures & religions, places to visit in your air ship -- anything goes!

Agricultural/Farming
A little-used category, Agricultural systems are an oft-overlooked part of every setting. They can range from the delightfully weird to the snoringly mundane, and can be the basis of an entire culture. Civilizations grow things everywhere -- in their homes, in their fields, and even on their bodies. Lets see how weird & wonderful we can make these! See 30 Things That Grow in a Dwarven Beard if you need an example.

Alcoholic Beverages
It's been a long day on the road, and the party is ready for a little R&R. All they want is a drink to help them forget the unspeakable horrors you threw at them in the last dungeon. What do they find on the "Spirits" menu of the local tavern? And what new regrets will they have in the morning?

Automata
Clockwork men, steam mecha and cyber-golems! Not quite golems and not quite robots, automata should have their own flavor and ethos. How do they work in your world?

Bizarre Holidays
The perfect way to add flavor to any exotic locale, holidays present a unique challenge for the prospective world-builder. Is your holiday logical? Does it serve a purpose or is it just some entertaining fluff? How did it begin, and how is it celebrated in the present day?

Brains
Anything to do with brains. Brains as food/energy/magical sources. Brains as captives (or captors). A society of brains working together to achieve their nefarious goals. Whatever you can think to do with them, really.

Call a Rabbit a Smerp
In which the author chooses something mundane and utterly normal and makes it fantastic. Photo searches and dictionaries are both good sources for your seed idea.

Campaign Starters
Parties are often composed of disparate and completely unconnected characters, with wildly different goals and moral compasses. If you have allowed this to happen to your game, all is not lost -- a GM can still find a compelling reason for these people to go on adventures together. Having them meet in a tavern and talk to the "mysterious stranger" is no longer an option. Instead, write a situation that will force the PCs to work together towards a common goal (and hopefully provide them with motivation to stay together afterwards).

Cartoon Characters made Game Characters
Have you ever been watching an animated series and thought to yourself, "this would make such a cool NPC!" Well, now is your chance to bring it to the table. Give us an adaptation of one of your favorite characters and show us how they fit in your setting.

Create a Mentor
Mentors are an important part of any hero's journey -- they provide advice, combat or financial aid, and sometimes bestow important gifts that will aid the hero in his quest. For this quest, create a mentor character for your PCs to interact with. See (http://strolen.com/guild/index.php/topic,5939.0.html) for more information on the types and functions of mentors.

Exotic Cavalry
Ofttimes the most exciting mounts a PC will encounter are horses and possibly camels. Give your party something exotic to ride around on, and they will remember it! So will it be tame raptors or mini-elephants, mechs or sandworms or the completely unfathomable -- you decide!

Film Noir
Detectives and dames, cops and robbers -- film noir is all about atmosphere and and panache. With its emphasis on the lone hero, it can be hard to bring this genre to the table, but therein lies the challenge. Create something that brings a little hardboiled action into your game.

Genre-Bender
Take an existing sub by another author and rework it so that it fits within a different genre. Take something modern and make it fantasy, something steampunk and make it post-apocalyptic -- there are no limits here but your own creativity.

Genre Franchise
Time to pull out the classics and put a new spin on them. If you have ever wanted to write something into an existing campaign setting -- the Star Wars universe, the Forgotten Realms, DragonLance or even the venerable Star Trek franchise -- now is your chance.

Graphic Attachment Required
What it says on the box. Any sub you submit to this quest must have a graphic accompanying it. Original artwork is encouraged, but existing images may be used (it's a good idea to get the artist/photographer's permission first, though).

Greys, Space Vixens and Bug-Eyed Things
What sort of alien entities are stalking our solar system? In a quest of galactic proportions, you shall craft an ET themed sub to show off your other-worldly imaginings.

Halloween (Dark Fae)
Not all fairy tales have happy endings, and some are downright terrifying. Craft a sub showing off the darker side of Faerie -- entities like the terrible Fairy Queens, The Redcap, Cat Sith, or the other uncountable nightmares that live between this world and the next. Take care on All Hallows Eve, and line your thresholds with salt. Just in case.

Parasites and Diseases
One of the GMs more creative forms of punishment (and plot advancement), a good disease or parasite can create an aura of desperation that is hard to match. Give us maladies of the heart, mind, body and soul that are chilling and creatively sadistic. Or turn the quest on its head and give us more beneficial symbiotes and diseases to "plague" our settings with.

Rebellion/Revolution/Revolts
The time is ripe for a revolution! Give us rabble-rousers, doomsayers, revolutionaries and heroes to lead us through this time of upheaval. Show us the spark that set off the fires of unrest, and the desperate struggles of the authorities to save the system they rely on.

Secret Societies
From the odd and harmless to the sinister and power-hungry, secret societies have always had a place in RPGs. Whether something for the PCs to join, infiltrate or overthrow, they are fun to play around with. Give us your favorite cabal of hidden baddies, do-gooders or all-around meddlers.

Sentient Clothing
"My hat is talking to me."
". . . Really."
"I'm not joking! Said it wants us to go to BlackDeep City."
"What, so it can find an adventurer with better fashion sense?"
"No. It says it knows someone who can help us."

Summer Festivals
It's a hot, dry day on the road and the party has stopped in town for a quick drink and some shelter from the mid-day sun. They intend to move on, but soon notice that the town is in the middle of a celebration. What do they see, and what adventure awaits them if they choose to stay?

Summer Shopping
Uninspired. Please help me write a blurb for this one!

Tattoos and Magic
Spells are often written in scrolls, scrawled across doorways or inscribed into mystic blades. What effects would they have if inked into the skin of a living creature? Think of ways to expand the use of tattoos within your existing magic system, or develop a whole new system centered around body art. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

The End of All Days
Apocalypses, doom-sayers and world-enders! The world is crashing down around your party and the End is very near. Show us the death of an entire setting, in vivid detail.

Vampires
Vampires have been so overused (and misused) lately that they have become parodies of themselves. Lets bleed a little life back into the old tropes and imagine new possibilities for the ever-loved (and hated) night stalkers.

Voodoo
Magic and religion of a distinct flavor, voodoo contains a rich source of imagery and language to build upon. Try crafting a sub that taps into voodoo's unique feel, to give GMs something a little different to use in their next game.

Way of the Fist
"Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend." - Bruce Lee (Jeet Kune Do)

What the Heck is That?!
For a change of pace, the Citadel will provide an unusual image (or two) and you must write a sub on it. No additional guidelines -- this is visual improv for the writer inside.

World Building
Uninspired. Please help me write a blurb for this one!

Just Add Zombies
1. Take popular genre/setting/material
2. Add zombies
3. ???
4. Profit!

As seen on Face Off, the zombie virus infests Alice in Wonderland. Other fun ideas: Wizard of Oz, Lord of the Rings, the A-Team, Cops, The Dukes of Hazzard, Seinfield (anyone notice how bad zombies really smell? whats up with that?). Of course, feel free to take an existing Citadel submission/Region and zombify it, as well.

5x5 Campaign Design Grid
Plot out a whole campaign using 5 quest ideas/seeds. You must post the grid, and a short paragraph explaining each adventure you come up with (one for each cell in the grid = 25). Remember that the whole point of using the 5x5 method is to create points at which your quests intersect, so don't plan on submitting 5 stand-alone quests in one submission. They have to be interrelated. Here's an article explaining the 5x5 method in more detail: The 5x5 Method

Tales of Terror
Create a Tale of Terror, as described on this site: Tales of Terror. Here is a bare-bones template and some submission guidelines to help you out. Only brand-new work is accepted for this quest, but you can feel free to send your ideas over to Tales of Terror if you come up with something that you like.

Quest Idea Holdovers (from previous threads)

. . . minus repeats and quests that were actually created.

Summer Quest Thought (http://strolen.com/guild/index.php/topic,5939.0.html)
Create a Mentor
Campaign Starter
Genre-Bender
Religions and Cults
Greys, Space Vixens and Bug-Eyed Things - alien cultures and species to populate the universe

Spring Quest? (http://strolen.com/guild/index.php/topic,5836.0.html)
Parasites and diseases!
The nasties every space explorer and dungeon delver dreads, becoming infected (or infested) by something rarely (or never before) seen by civilization!
Automata: Clockwork men, steam mecha and cyber-golems!
Not every windup toy and clockwork invention is benevolent, some will cheerfully saw through your home with a buzz blade, and others can give mere mortals more power then they dreamed!

Autumn/Winter Quest Brainstorming (http://strolen.com/guild/index.php/topic,5744.0.html)
Halloween (Dark Fae)
Call a Rabbit a Smerp (take something mundane and utterly normal and make it fantastic)
Cartoon Characters made Game Characters
Film Noir
Vampires
30 Somethings
World Building (http://strolen.com/viewing/World_Building_102_Environment_building_the_MoonHunter_way)
100 Word Submission (http://strolen.com/viewing/100_Word_Submission)

Summer 2011 Quest Brainstorming (http://strolen.com/guild/index.php/topic,5585.0.html)
5 in 1 sans heavy rules
Tattoos and Magic
Aerial/sky
Genre Franchise (trek etc)
Summer Festivals
Alcoholic beverages
Rebellion/Revolution/Revolts
Agricultural/farming
Way of the Fist', gear and systems for the hand-to-hand fighter
sentient clothing
Graphic Attachment required
brains :)
Summer Shopping (come up with your best urban setting shops)
What the Heck is That?! (where an unusual image is provided and everyone has to write up a sub on it)

Spring quest options! (http://strolen.com/guild/index.php/topic,5329.0.html)
The End of all Days: apocalypses, doom-sayers and world-enders!

What will the next Quest be? (http://strolen.com/guild/index.php/topic,5035.0.html)
Exotic Cavalry (mounts and units)
Voodoo

Winter/Spring Quest Brainstorming (and Poll) (http://strolen.com/guild/index.php/topic,4957.0.html)
Bizarre Holidays
Secret Societies