A tabletop role-playing adventure has to work while people are talking, rolling dice, and making choices. A reader should be able to find the next room, non-player character, clue, and consequence without stopping the session to hunt through pages. This guide gives you a practical structure for editing a campaign manuscript and checking a print proof.
It focuses on navigation, play usability, and production preparation. It does not grant permission to use a game publisher’s settings, characters, artwork, or rules text. Check the exact license that applies to every borrowed element before you publish.
1. Start with a one-page adventure map
Before polishing prose, make a simple flow chart of the adventure. Give each location or scene a short ID, such as A1, A2, or B1. Draw arrows for routes players can take, and note where a choice changes what happens later.
Next, compare this map with the manuscript. Every location in the flow chart should have a matching section, and every cross-reference should lead to a real section. If players can skip a scene, the later material should still explain how they can discover the next clue or destination.
2. Put table-ready information before atmosphere
For each encounter or location, use a consistent order so the game master knows where to look:
- At a glance: location name, short purpose, and any immediate threat.
- Read-aloud text: a concise description that does not reveal hidden information.
- What is here: visible features, exits, clues, and interactive objects.
- What happens next: likely reactions, escalating events, or consequences.
- Reference: page numbers for maps, stat blocks, handouts, and related scenes.
Keep optional background lore separate from instructions needed to run the scene. If a game master must know a fact to handle a player action, make that fact easy to spot in the relevant section instead of burying it in a distant history chapter.
3. Make maps usable at the table and on paper
Give every map a title and a matching location name in the text. Use a legend for symbols, identify the scale or grid size when movement depends on it, and make labels readable at the intended printed size. If a map has a player-facing version and a game-master version, label them clearly and check that both use the same room names.
Print a proof page at actual size. Inspect small type, thin lines, grayscale contrast, and labels near the trim edge. A map that looks clear on a large monitor may become hard to read once reduced to fit a book page.
4. Build navigation for quick lookup
Use descriptive headings rather than generic labels such as “Part Two.” Add page references for recurring rules or appendices. A short index can help readers find creatures, locations, items, and important rules terms; for a compact book, a carefully organized contents page and consistent running headers may be enough.
For tables that continue across pages, repeat the column headings. Keep a table with its title and explanatory note. Avoid splitting a short encounter key or a critical procedure across a page turn if the reader needs both halves at once.
5. Playtest the manuscript as a lookup tool
Ask someone who did not write the adventure to run or review a representative section. Give them tasks rather than asking only whether they liked it:
- Find the starting scene and identify the first choice.
- Locate a named clue using the contents page or index.
- Follow a cross-reference from a room to its map and back.
- Find what changes if a player bypasses the expected route.
- Read one encounter aloud and note where the instructions are unclear.
Record every point where they pause, flip repeatedly, or guess. Fix the underlying navigation or wording, then repeat the same lookup tasks on the next proof.
6. Audit permissions before exporting
Create a rights inventory with one row for each borrowed rule excerpt, setting element, map, illustration, font, or other asset. Record its creator, source, license or permission, required attribution, and where it appears in the book. Do not assume that material is free to reuse because it appeared in a game session or online.
For example, Wizards of the Coast provides particular SRD versions under CC BY 4.0 and supplies an attribution statement for those specific materials. That does not mean every D&D setting, character, illustration, logo, or book excerpt is part of the SRD. Paizo describes several distinct licenses and programs, each with its own permitted uses. Read the exact current terms and check each asset individually. This article is production guidance, not legal advice.
7. Check the print proof in a fixed order
- Confirm the document size and page count against the printer’s current specifications.
- Check that every map, table, handout, and appendix reference points to the correct page.
- Inspect page breaks so headings are not stranded and key instructions remain together.
- Review small type, grayscale contrast, image placement, and safe space near the trim.
- Ask a second reader to perform the lookup tasks from your playtest on the proof.
- Resolve special binding, paper, color, or map-folding requirements with the printer before ordering.
Keep a change log with the proof date and corrections made. After the final edit, recheck page references because even a small change can move an appendix or map.
Before you order
Gather the interior PDF, cover file if available, intended finished size, page count, and any unusual map or paper requirements. Your Book Bound’s listed $99 offer covers one standard hardcover with manual file review, layout and cover support, proof revisions, and standard tracked worldwide delivery. Confirm that a special format or specification fits the offer before placing an order.
For a free file check, submit your book files here. Include the planned size, page count, destination country, and deadline so the team can review the setup and confirm next steps.
Official references
- D&D Beyond: System Reference Document 5.2.1 — identifies the SRD material and current license information.
- SRD 5.2 license and attribution text — the attribution statement for that SRD.
- Paizo licenses — overview of distinct license routes for Paizo material.
- U.S. Copyright Office: What Is Copyright? — general explanation of protected works and permissions.
- Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 deed — attribution and license terms.