3/21/2025
Sometimes you’re playing an adventure series called “Against the Giants” and your players start thinking, “man, I’m getting pretty ****ing sick of these mother****ing giants.” Sounds like you need a side quest.
Sometimes you’re playing an adventure series called “The Ithilid Trilogy” and you the GM start thinking, “man, I have an awesome idea for a undead adventure.” Sounds like you need a side quest.
Sometimes you (the GM) realize that the next adventure you’d like to run for your players is too high of level for them and they need to quickly level up. Sounds like you need a side quest.
Sometimes you (the GM) need some time to pass before the next adventure begins because you want to give the players a chance to do some domain play and/or downtime. Sounds like you need a side quest.
The Length of a Side Quest
Side quests are not main quests. This is a break in the norm, a break from huge adventure sites, multi-level dungeons, and interconnected hex-crawls. Try to leave out pre-dungeon-run investigations or rumors they need to collect. Keep it short, simple, and to the point.
Side quests shouldn’t last more than one to two sessions. Presumably you only play once a week or less. If you do play once a week, a two session side quest takes half a real-world month to complete. That’s a long time. Don’t get too caught up in the details.
Side quests should be able to be slotted in the middle of an overarching quest. Even if it isn’t, it needs to not take up much of the PCs time in-game either. Even a two session side quest could take an in-game afternoon if you the GM ensure it has a tight timer and/or is simple to complete. If you’re side quest is not in the middle of a bigger quest, make it as long (in-game) as you’d like, but I still recommend you only keep it to two gaming sessions.
If a side quest is taking too long, speed it up. If you, the GM, don’t get to play with all your toys in the side quest, that’s okay. It’s more important the party not lose momentum on their main quest than it is that everything happens as planned. Make the dungeon shorter, have the boss go for a walk in their direction, anything to speed it up if things are starting to drag.
The Content of a Side Quest
Your side quest should be a break in form. If you’re currently in a big campaign against giants, make your side quest about undead. If you’re currently running an adventure about endless investigations, it’s time for combat! If you think Slaad are the coolest things in the multiverse and you can’t find a way to fit them in your campaign, make it a two session side quest about a tadpole emerging from a noble’s chest.
Your side quest does not have to be related to the main quest. If your game is about giants rampaging, these undead do not have to be related to those giants. There are more threats in your world than just the main threat, and there are more areas in the world than just the main areas, it’s okay to make them not always interact with each other.
Use your side quest as a chance to world build. Giants are harassing the world! Oh no! What does that mean for the economy? Are there bandits everywhere due to the death of the military? What creatures do giants breed as beasts-of-war (like bullettes), and are they running amok right now? What parasitic monsters (like feyrs or ghouls) are taking advantage of the chaos? Maybe you use this a chance to remind your players that there are worse things out there than giants.
Ensure things are as tied up as they can be. Consider this the “Monster of the Week” episode of your game’s TV show. Loose ends mean players may continue to pursue them. Don’t let there be loose ends. They killed the entire thieves’ guild, they slew the necromancer deactivating his undead. If you want to bring these guys back later, find a way to do it, but do not anticipate they will.
Common Pitfalls with Side Quests
“I just got this new dungeon module, I’ll slot it in real quick as a side-quest.”
This often fails because most dungeon modules (especially those you pay money for) are multi-session affairs. If your side-quest involves a dungeon, have it be no more than five rooms.
“It’ll be a short investigation, it’ll be easy to solve.”
Investigation side quests can be fun, but they need to be very simple. And ensure there’s a timer so if they don’t figure it out in time the villain comes to them. A vampire is stalking the castle, who is the vampire? If the heroes take too long the vampire reveals themselves in dramatic fashion in a sinister ambush.
“It needs to be deadly.”
If your campaign has a main questline or a main adventure module you are all working through try not to make your side quest super deadly. Presumably, this character exists to pursue the main plot, (those giants ate my baby!) so killing them in what is essentially a “Monster of the Week” episode of a television show is not fun or dramatic to the overall story. That doesn’t mean “go easy on them,” if they die they die, but don’t set out to make this an incredible challenge for this one-off adventure.
“As many side quests as I can fit in!”
Episodic campaigns are a thing, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but I’m assuming you don’t want one. Side quests are good to break things up but they’re just like any other tool in your GM toolbox and not a super-solution to any and all narrative issues.
“Okay guys, time to go back to the main plot!”
If your players are enjoying the side quest more than your main adventure, take a second and think. Why? Don’t rob them of their agency, let them enjoy it. Maybe this is what your main adventure becomes, and that’s okay. It’ll be a hell of a story. And who knows, maybe those giants will still be rampaging when we reach end of this necromancer’s tomb?
Thank you for reading!
Until we meet again,
GOOD LUCK ON YOUR ADVENTURES
Ward Against Evil 
Leave a comment