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The 3-2-1 Quest Model

by Mike on 24 March 2025

Dragon of Icespire Peak in the 2019 D&D Essentials Kit has a wonderful quest model worth paying special attention to. I'm calling it the "3-2-1 quest model".

First, put three quests out in front of the characters. They pick one of those quests and go on the accompanying adventure. When they return, they find the remaining two quests still available to them. They pick another and go on that adventure. When they return, you throw out the final quest and offer three new quests for them to choose.

This model works well for a few reasons:

It always gives the players a choice among two of three quests.
It gets rid of quests the players passed over twice.
It wastes little of your prep since you're only tossing out one of three potential quests.
You don't overwhelm players with too many quests. You're cycling out older quests in favor of new ones so they don't pile up.

Here are some tips to make the 3-2-1 model work well:

Clarify to your players how it works so they know one of the quests gets thrown out out of the three.
Don't make players feel bad for skipping one of the quests. Characters shouldn't fail because they never chose the "right" one.
Don't hang on too tightly. It's fine to change this model to better fit the story and the quests.

This 3-2-1 quest model is a solid way to keep quests flowing in front of your players – giving them choices about the direction of the game without being overwhelmed with choices – but don't be afraid to break away from it. Maybe that third quest doesn't disappear if your players are really interested in it but never had a chance to go on it. Maybe you have four quests because circumstances worked out that way. That's totally fine.

Here's another tip. During your prep, if the characters are close to the end of an adventure, prepare your next three quest descriptions so you can drop them in front of your players. You don't have to prep much. A single sentence will do – someone in need wants you to do something heroic somewhere fantastic.

Then, at the end of your session, put these quests in front of your players so they can choose one before the session ends. That way you know which quest to prepare for your next session. Even if the story hasn't progressed to the point where the characters choose a quest, you can ask your players to choose one so you know where they're going. This decision gives agency to your players to choose their path and also gives you a focus and direction for your prep.

Use the 3-2-1 quest model to keep fresh options in front of your players – letting them choose the quests they want to go on and skip the ones they don't.

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Last week I also posted a couple of YouTube videos on Random Encounter Tricks and Shopping Cliffhanger – Dragon Empire Prep Session 17.

RPG Tips

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Can only a handful of players make your game? Run a one-shot game for a new system you’ve always wanted to try.
Beyond challenge rating, pay careful attention to the damage monsters put out, especially at first level.
Have six regular players and one or two “on call” players willing to jump in when there’s a seat free. Play with as few as three or four.
Run games at the same time every week and play with whoever can make it.
Draw small dungeon maps on a Chessex or Paizo battle map as the players explore it.
Small fishing tackle boxes are a great way to store pencils, index cards, miniatures, tokens, and the other odds and ends you need to run a great game.
Run online games with a stack of independent pieces of software and physical books so you’re not dependent on a single online platform that can go down or change in ways you don’t like.

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