The Orc and the Pie
The Orc and the Pie is a very brief Adventure Module by Monte Cook, playable in just about any role-playing game system imaginable. It's an example of the simplest possible, yet technically complete adventure.
Adventure Background: An orc has a pie. |
Seems to be gone from Monte Cook's website, but it's still available on GitHub, among other places.
Tropes used in The Orc and the Pie include:
- MacGuffin: The pie
- Minimalism: A one-page, one encounter adventure that still has everything you need: a monster, a 10x10 room, treasure, and a future adventure hook ("Somewhere, there is a bakery making these good pies. Perhaps it's guarded by more orcs.")
- Mook: By implication, the orc.
- Our Orcs Are Different: This one happens to have a pie
- Pastiche: Of every adventure module ever written, but especially of Dungeons and Dragons.
- Short Story: But it's very easy to make it part of any longer story.