The Four-Hour Journey

This is a quick and dirty system I threw together for cramming a Campbell-style Hero's Journey into a single 4-hour RPG session with some starter random tables to be able to generate the adventure randomly. Note that this is based on my own imperfect knowledge of Joseph Campbell's work, and even where I do know better, I sometimes have to sacrifice accuracy in order to systematize something that is really intended to have such a human element to it that it defies any system.

That said, here are some barely organized notes I cobbled together about a year ago, and I would welcome any ideas for further development.


Hour One - The Ordinary World

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Introduction
Call to Adventure
Equipment and Aid
Challenge #1, Crossing the Threshold

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This segment is back-ground heavy. We know where the heroes come from, we know why they’re doing what they’re doing, and we know what steps they’ve taken to prepare. The segment ends immediately after its climax.


Hour Two - The Extraordinary World

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Into the Belly of the Beast, The Setting
Challenge #2 (a, b, and c), The Road of Trials
The Big Choice, temptation, and atonement
The Darkest Hour, The Big Reveal

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This segment is all about a new world, beginning with entrance into it, then moving through challenges that teach the rules of this world. It ends on a cliffhanger, when some great secret is revealed and/or some big decision is made. We await to see what happens next.


Hour Three - The Centerpiece

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Challenge #3 The big pitched battle, aka “Slaying the Dragon”
Treasure, the Ultimate Boon

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This segment begins at the height of the action and ends with a reward. It is perhaps the most straightforward fun, the climax of the larger quest, and the centerpiece of the adventure as a whole.


Hour Four - The Return Journey

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Challenge #4, The chase or magic flight
Rescue from Without
Challenge #5, Crossing the return threshold
Master of Two Worlds and Freedom to Live

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This segment is all about the return journey. It’s one thing to attain the treasure. It’s another thing to successfully bring it back. Here, allies and enemies are typically far more proactive than heroes, and will either be the cause of the PCs success, or a barrier to it.

Journey Flow Chart

Random Adventure Tables

HOUR ONE - The Ordinary World

Introduction, this is where the adventure begins. It represents the mundane world of the hero’s everyday humdrum existence.

1. You begin in a tavern…
2. Tending to affairs of state.
3. Working in the fields.
4. At a courtly ball.
5. Holiday festival.
6. Out hunting.
7. Tour of service.
8. Religious practice.
9. Special training/education.
10. Engaging in hobby/background skill.

The call to adventure, this is where the plot hook is introduced. It is typically introduced through some sort of herald. After all, there is a reason this new information is only just reaching the hero now. Be prepared for the hero to refuse at first. The hook should be presented in a way that the hero gives a reason for refusing it.

1. Strange man in the dark corner.
2. Damsel in distress.
3. A business proposition.
4. The dying messenger.
5. Overhearing an interesting conversation.
6. Random rumors.
7. A mysterious event.
8. Something affects the hero personally.
9. An inheritance.
10. Big world event.

Supernatural aid, where the heroes acquire the tools they’ll need on the adventure. This may be information, mentoring, the acquisition of equipment, or any combination of the above. At a minimum, players should do any shopping at spell selection at this point. In addition, a special “mentor” should be determined.

1. Fortune teller
2. Wizard
3. Priest
4. Streetwise
5. Spy-informant
6. Noble/Political insider
7. Merchant
8. Grizzled veteran warrior
9. Retired adventurer
10. Faerie

Challenge #1, both winning and losing must catapult the character into a different world. The adventure may very well fork here into two different adventures depending upon the outcome.

1. Caryatid Columns, guarding a dungeon
2. Centaurs, guarding the plains
3. Ghost or angel, guarding a sacred place
4. Spectre or whisp, guarding a desolate place
5. Sphinx, guarding a tomb, road, or city
6. Highwaymen, guarding road or pass
7. Troll, guarding a bridge
8. Sentinel Spirit, guarding a forest
9. Sea monster, guarding an island or body of water
10. Giant-kind, guarding a mountain pass

HOUR TWO - Into A New World

Belly of the Whale, the main adventure setting, through which the hero is reborn on the road of trials.

1. Inside of a large, living creature
2. Inside a temple or monastery
3. In an ancient ruins
4. In a castle dungeon
5. Sewers beneath the city
6. On the ocean
7. In the desert
8. In a swamp
9. In a forest
10. An alternate plane

Challenge #2 may be won or lost. Typically there will be multiple challenges. Three is a good number. The nature of these challenges is they must somehow prepare the hero for the rest of the adventure. These could be as simple as wandering monsters as a reminder to keep moving forward and not hesitate. They could be encounters where the hero gains some vital skill, information, weapon, blessing, etc to help in the main conflict. Win or lose, though, these encounters should be instructive.
Standard Wandering Monster Tables will suffice here.

The Big Choice. Most often a role-play encounter, but it could be a one-way door, or even a combat where if the opponent lives or dies radically alters the course of the story. Again, this may be a forking point in the story. This is the point of no return, and soon leads to the big reveal.

HOUR THREE - The Boss Fight
Challenge #3, this is the centerpiece. Most often it should be a big battle. The boss fight, in other words.

1. Lair or Tribe of Humanoids
2. Cult worshipping monster as a demi-god
3. A gang of bandits
4. Tribe of warlords/conquering army
5. Powerful band
6. Dragon or Giant
7. Fanatical Crusaders
8. Archvillain and minions
9. Odd combination of monsters
10. Conceptual Enemy

HOUR FOUR - The Return Journey
Challenge #4, this is like the Metroid ending. Most often, it should be a chase. Now that you’ve done what you’ve come to do, it’s time to go back. This challenge should be harsh, requiring a “rescue from without.” This could include just having mounts or the right equipment that the heroes themselves intentionally left at the ready earlier.

1. Erupting volcano
2. Collapsing mine
3. Avalanche/landslide
4. Disorganized horde
5. Carnivorous Plants
6. Deadly animals
7. Artillery fire
8. Army of undead
9. Flock or swarm
10. Fire/Burning building

Rescue from without, something outside the characters rescues them from challenge #4.

1. Mounts or equipment strategically placed beforehand.
2. Local knights.
3. Routine patrol
4. Deity, or deital minion
5. Magic and wizardry
6. Environmental feature
7. Ally
8. Common enemy
9. Secret passage
10. Natural disaster

Challenge #5, resolution of any consequences to the mundane world of the adventure. Before being reintegrated with society, there may be fallout to actions taken during the adventure, and these must be faced. This is mainly role-play, though it’s also common to be a simple combat.

1. Local bully
2. Lord’s tax men
3. Rival sabotage
4. Bandit/opportunists
5. Fearful locals
6. Envious friends
7. Ghost Of the villain
8. Assassin or stalker
9. Guardsmen
10. Paying the Piper