Modular Modules

the requirements of story structure apply to DMs and adventure writers just as much as to novelists, playwrights, and screenwriters. As a unique form, RPGs have some unique adaptations … but perhaps not as unique as we'd like to think.
For example, act 1 of an adventure—the setup—tends to be very short. Characters typically meet a patron who needs their help, get some exposition from that character, and launch directly into act 2. Alternatively, they might stumble right into the main plot on their own with hardly any act 1 at all.
Act 2 occupies the bulk of the adventure as characters fight their way through a series of conflicts before finally cornering the villain. Then act 3 kicks in for the final confrontation—and that's usually where it ends. Seldom do we get a real denouement, a 'scouring of the Shire' to bring it all home after the chief evil has been vanquished.
In Dungeon, we publish three types of adventures: encounters or encounter sites (1-3,000 words) that are like one-act plays; side treks or delves (4-6,000 words) that are like short, off-Broadway productions; and feature adventures (8-16,000 words) that are the hour-long TV dramas and feature films of the magazine. Each should have a setup, a confrontation, and a resolution, whether it's a one-session delve or a multi-level marathon.