Brainstorming an Adventure with AIM (Action – Item – Mystery)

by | Mar 18, 2025 | Blog, Fun With Fang | 0 comments

Coming up with an adventure from scratch can be daunting. Sometimes, the hardest part is just figuring out where to start. That’s where the AIM Method comes in—a structured yet flexible way to build engaging scenarios that fuel creativity.

AIM stands for:

  • Action – What are the players doing?
  • Item – What is the key object, goal, or focus of their task?
  • Mystery – What twist, challenge, or hidden layer complicates the situation?

By using AIM, you create dynamic, player-driven scenarios with built-in conflict and intrigue, perfect for fostering emergent storytelling in FÄNG.

Breaking Down AIM

1. Action: What Are the Players Doing?

Every adventure starts with a purpose. What are the players being called upon to do?

Examples:

  • Search (For a monster, an escaped prisoner, lost villagers, or the source of a curse)
  • Reclaim (A stolen magic item, a lost location, kidnapped villagers, or stolen honor)
  • Negotiate (Peace, trade, hostages, or passage rights)
  • Protect (A village, a trade caravan, a harvest, or sacred animals)
  • Infiltrate (Bandits, dungeon dwellers, a cult, or an enemy war camp)
  • Explore (A lost city, a dark forest, a canyon, or a magical portal)

Your chosen Action sets up the foundation of the adventure.

2. Item: What’s at the Heart of the Scenario?

The Item adds intrigue and meaning to the action. It could be a physical object, a lost soul, or an abstract concept that needs resolution.

For example:

  • Food/Game – Something has happened to the land’s food supply.
  • Monster – A creature must be hunted, tamed, or understood.
  • Escaped Prisoner – Someone on the run holds a dangerous secret.
  • Family Heirloom – The object isn’t just valuable—it carries meaning.
  • Trade Agreement – A fragile alliance hangs in the balance.

The Item makes the action feel urgent.

3. Mystery: Why Isn’t This Simple?

Without complications, a task is just a task. A Mystery is what turns a simple job into an adventure.

A few questions to consider:

  • Is there more to the situation than the players realize?
  • Is someone else involved with their own motivations?
  • Could completing the task have unintended consequences?
  • Is something influencing events in the background?

Some examples of mystery-based complications:

  • The task was attempted before—with disastrous results.
  • What they need isn’t where it was supposed to be.
  • Time is a factor, but in a subtle way.
  • A natural or supernatural force is influencing events.
  • Success may not mean what they think it does.

The Mystery keeps players engaged by constantly shifting their expectations.

AIM in Action: Creating an Adventure Idea

Let’s randomly pick elements from the AIM table and see how they fit together.

Adventure Hook: The Forest’s Curse

  • Action: Search for the source of a curse
  • Item: A sacred animal tied to the land’s well-being
  • Mystery: A long-standing rumor is influencing people’s actions

Adventure Setup

For weeks, crops have withered, game has vanished, and livestock are being born weak. The villagers believe a sacred stag that once protected the land has been slain or stolen. The party is tasked with finding out what happened and, if possible, setting things right.

However, the Mystery complicates things:

  • Many believe the old legend is just a story and have already started moving away.
  • Some local hunters whisper that a rival village has stolen the stag for its own rituals.
  • The truth? The sacred stag still lives—but is dying from a slow, creeping curse, and the land is suffering alongside it.

The players must track the stag, determine what’s truly happening, and figure out how to break the curse before the region becomes uninhabitable.

Using AIM for the Adventure Jam

If you’re participating in the FÄNG Adventure Jam, AIM can help jumpstart your adventure concept by giving you a clear starting point while still allowing room for creativity. Try this:

  1. Roll or choose an Action, Item, and Mystery from the list.
  2. Think about how they interact—what makes this scenario unique?
  3. Expand on it with key locations, NPCs, and player choices.
Action d6Item d6Mystery d66
1. Search 1. Food/Game
2. Monster
3. Escaped prisoner
4. Lost villagers
5. Source of a curse
6. A secret passage 		11. Not all is what it seems
12. Involves a loved one of one of the characters
13. Someone else wants it just as badly
14. There’s an unknown risk involved
15. Time is a factor, but not in an obvious way
16. Completing the task may have unintended consequences
21. Someone influential is paying close attention
22. There are moral implications to consider
23. A secret is hidden within the task
24. Someone doesn’t want them to succeed
25. Success may not mean what they think it does
26. Someone involved has a personal stake in the outcome
31. The task was attempted before, with bad or unknown results
32. The situation has changed since they first took on the task
33. Another faction has a different perspective on the issue
34. A larger conflict is brewing in the background
35. Someone involved has hidden motivations
36. The environment itself presents a challenge
41. What they need isn’t where it was supposed to be
42. Someone believes this mission is a mistake
43. The group is being watched or tracked
44. Information is incomplete or misleading
45. A natural or supernatural force is influencing the situation
46. The task is connected to an old saga or forgotten history
51. The situation is being used as a distraction for something else
52. An old enemy or rival resurfaces at an inconvenient time
53. An external event complicates things further
54. The task is tied to an unresolved event from the past
55. A long-standing rumor or myth is influencing people’s actions
56. A key figure is acting strangely or unpredictably
61. The terrain itself is shifting in some way
62. A crucial detail was misinterpreted
63. Superstition is influencing people’s actions
64. A previously unknown party arrives with their own goals
65. The situation is eerily similar to an old tale or prophecy
66. A recurring natural phenomenon is about to occur
2. Reclaim 1. Stolen magic item
2. Hidden treasure
3. Kidnapped villagers
4. Location that was conquered
5. Family heirloom
6. Stolen honour
3. Negotiate1. Peace
2. Trade
3. Hostages
4. Passage rights
5. Feud between warring clans
6. Expert advice
4. Protect1. Village
2. Trade caravan
3. Livestock
4. Harvest
5. Sacred animal
6. Refugees
5. Infiltrate1. Bandits
2. Dungeon dwellers
3. Rival village
4. Cult
5. Enemy war camp
6. Trollkarl Lair
6. Explore1. Dungeon
2. Lost City
3. Dark Forest
4. Island
5. Canyon
6. Magic Portal

Want more inspiration? Check out the full illustrator overview to see the visual influences behind FÄNG’s world, or visit the Pinterest Board for a broader range of artistic references.

Now it’s your turn—What adventure will you create?