D&D Nerd.com

After playing quite a bit of Counter-Strike: Source, I was hit by the idea of trying to use the same concepts using paper and pencil systems, such as D&D. At the most basic, two teams are vying for some sort of objective, and only have a certain amount of time to complete the objective. To keep the sense of urgency, the time should be made in terms of rounds, rather than just trying to estimate in-game time.

So first, decide what the objectives of the opposing teams will be. One good example that can be used is one team trying to disable an unstable and dangerous artifact, while the other team is trying to destroy something with that artifact. Draw out a simple layout of the area that will be played in. For some help, consider reading this article at the Valve Software Developer Wiki, particularly the section on Simple Layout. Once you have the basic design for your map, add in extra details, and maybe make some notes on other features that could be useful. Besides, you never know what the PCs may try to do.

This would be great for a hectic encounter in an adventure, with the PCs trying to thwart a group of NPCs within a short amount of time and survive doing so. If you’re as psychotic as I am, you can pit two groups of PCs against each other instead . Also, if time is short, you can use this as a quick one-shot activity, though you can make it longer by having multiple rounds, just like in Counter-Strike.

So, give it a try, and tell me what you think!