If You Aren't Stress-Testing Character Sheets, You Really Should

Folks who are already subscribed to the Azukail Games YouTube channel, and who regularly watch episodes of Discussions of Darkness, may have heard me talk about this subject already. However, I wanted to take this Monday to really drive home that stress-testing the sheets and characters your players have made can be an extremely helpful thing to do before your campaign starts.

And that goes double for you as the GM. Because you need to know how their sheets work, and the mechanics your players are going to use, just as well as they do... especially if they're utilizing parts of the rulebook you don't typically crack open.

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Make Sure The Sheet Runs The Way You Think It Runs

The purpose of a stress test is to make sure that all the mechanics on a character's sheet work the way the player thinks they do, and to give it a try under laboratory conditions. The idea is that you, as the GM, should construct a situation where the character gets to try out their abilities and skills to be sure they function the way they're supposed to when the dice hit the mat. Sort of like how in 1 on 1 fighting games there's a mode where you have an opponent that doesn't do much so you can practice your moves to be sure you understand your character's abilities.

For bonus points I recommend running scenes from a character's history, or from the group's history if they've been together for a while. On the one hand, doing a single session for the group as a whole is easier to put together, but making individual sessions where you can work one-on-one allows you to construct individual scenarios geared to test each character specifically. It's why I recommend the latter option, if you have it available to you.

While the examples given are for characters in the World/Chronicles of Darkness, the idea is pretty applicable to most game systems. If you have a character who is meant to be a stealth-based infiltrator, then you can run them through a break-in, or a prison escape, to see if their skills are functioning the way they're supposed to. If you have a character that's an unarmed fighter, put them in a cage match, or a bar fight, so they can test out their abilities real-time. If a character is supposed to be the party face, run an interrogation, a trade negotiation, or something similar to see if they're really as good as they think they are when it comes to utilizing their social skills.

And if things go wrong, you can claim it was all a dream, or that things didn't go down the way they remembered, and it turns out they're telling this story in a tavern several years later.

Whether you want to test the mechanics for flying a spaceship, participating in a car chase, social combat (if your game has rules for that), or just making sure that your party bruiser can bust heads and crack teeth, the stress test saves you a lot of time, energy, and effort. However, there is a benefit over and above just making sure the mechanics work the way you and your players think; it also allows players to get into their character's skin, and play out some of their earlier moments and memories.

At the end of the day, a character trial run under controlled circumstances saves you a lot of time and energy, as there's fewer issues of players being unfamiliar with how their own characters work, and it allows players to really figure out their character's personality, style, and voice in a safe place instead of waiting until they're at a table surrounded by other players.

And, of course, it's sometimes fun to do a little one-on-one RP with your players to start building the foundation of the game, and really getting them invested in the campaign to come!

As with a Session 0, this isn't technically necessary. However, if you haven't tried this before, I highly recommend giving it a shot. Especially if you have players who are new to a system, or if you as the GM are new to the system and you want to build your familiarity with it before you take on a full session with everyone gathered around the table and looking to you to crank the motor, and get the game started.

And if you're looking for more pieces of advice from me, check out the collected tips and tricks in the following supplements:

- 100 Tips and Tricks For Being a Better Game Master

- 100 Tips and Tricks For Being a Better RPG Player

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

If It Can't Be Killed, Don't Put It On The Board

I've been playing tabletop RPGs for the entirety of my adult life, and I've been a Game Master for a not-insignificant portion of my time at the table. And while there are a thousand and one moving parts that we could talk about when it comes to our games, I want to discuss one of the most important aspects that it is all too easy to fumble when you sit behind the screen.

Namely that if you're going to put something on the table, then you need to be prepared for it to be killed. Even if there's no reason your players should try, or if the chance of them succeeding in this task seems infinitesimal, you need to be ready for it. Because if the impossible happens, it's important to concede with grace, rather than trying to pull some last-minute deus ex machina because you wanted to use that character again at a later juncture in the campaign.

I am speaking from experience, here.

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

The Agreement Between Players and Game Masters

There's a social contract between players and Game Masters that is often unspoken, but quite important. Among other things, we all agree that the world in which our stories take place will weigh equally upon all characters in the game. Now that's not to say that all characters will be equal in power level, ability, or toughness (that's clearly not true), but we all agree that the rules are there to govern everything in the world.

If the troll hits the wizard, and does enough damage to crush his skull, then that's what happened. However, if the sorcerer hits the troll with a fireball that does enough damage to reduce the troll to a cinder, then the GM should let said troll die. Even if they were meant to be a bigger threat, or to flee from the combat to inform their superior about the intruders, or if they were supposed to be a recurring bad guy throughout the campaign who would be beaten time and again, sometimes the math says no, this character is dead.

Fortunately, dead isn't always dead for long.

Now, as an important caveat to this statement, both player characters and their antagonists often have ways of undoing (or outright cheating) death in a particular RPG. In Paranoia, for example, player characters all start with a certain number of clones that can be shipped in when they're dead. Similar contingencies can be used for villains, as that's part of the existing ruleset. Dark Heresy, and other Warhammer 40K RPGs, use your Fate attribute as a resource you can spend to avoid being permanently killed. And while average NPCs don't have enough Fate to pull this off, important, named antagonists do, meaning there's a contingency option if players pull off a surprise victory and you want your villain to live another day.

This isn't always a game-specific caveat, either. Games like Pathfinder, Dungeons and Dragons, and others often have some form of resurrection magic in them, as well as various lesser forms of re-animating someone if they've died. In addition to spells like raise dead and reincarnation, one might also be turned into a powerful undead, be sworn to the service of a devil, or granted a favor by an angel to come back. There's all sorts of reasons for characters to come back on the board, and if you need any kind of inspiration all it takes is a basic flip through the supplement I'm Back- 25 Reasons For a Villain's Survival to get your juices flowing!

However, all of these items mentioned function off of mechanics that exist in the game, and these are (at least in theory) things that anyone could access under the right circumstances. More importantly, use of these options does not take away a victory from the players if they earned it; their accomplishment still stands, even if a villain they killed or defeated is resurrected somehow at a later time into a new, deadlier foe.

With all of that said, I feel this next piece is important, and I say this as someone who has made this mistake in the past (namely in my module The Curse of Sapphire Lake for those who have played it). In short, you should not build a campaign assuming that a villain can get away when you want them to. Whether it's a monstrous war leader, a cowardly necromancer, or just a noble lord revealed as a twist villain that you expected to be able to escape from your party in a dramatic moment, if the player characters caught or killed them fair and square, don't take that away from your players... even if it means you have to get creative with how you continue the story from that point forward!

A Note on Gods, Outsiders, and "Untouchables"

A large number of games (particularly fantasy games) tend to escalate things to the point that players take on the gods themselves, attempting to kill them with the power of math. Games like Call of Cthulhu or Changeling: The Lost might even go so far as to directly position gods (or at least godly figures) as the antagonists of their games. However, the question you need to ask for yourself, and for your game, is whether these godly entities operate on the same playing field as the rest of the characters, and if they are going to interact with the player characters in any meaningful way.

If these godly entities are bound by the same mechanics as other characters, and if they operate on the same plane of reality as other characters, then these things are also able to be defeated (even if true death is a far more difficult state to achieve for them). If they aren't bound by the same mechanics, or they don't exist on the same plane of reality, then one could argue that these entities shouldn't be involved in the campaign beyond the absolute necessities, if at all.

This will vary by table and taste, of course. However, if there are powers beyond the players' ability to challenge, and those powers are going to be playing an active hand in the story they're participating in, then it can feel like those things are just the GM's hand in a very visible sock puppet. That's not to say that you should tirelessly stat out every single entity the players might possibly come into contact with, but rather, ask yourself if there is a dialogue in the challenge, or if it's utterly one-sided. If something can affect the player characters, but there is nothing those characters could do in any way to affect that something in return (perhaps because it simply doesn't have stats) sit with that for a bit and consider the message that might send to your players.

Further Reading

If any of today's post resonated with you, or if you'd like to check out more advice like this, I'd recommend taking a look at 100 Tips and Tricks For Being a Better Game Master as well as 100 Tips and Tricks For Being a Better RPG Player. A lot of the advice in these supplements condenses the best tips I've given here on this blog over the past decade or so, squeezing them down into a simple, easy-to-digest format!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Daily Motion channel!. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

3 Strategies For Coming Back From a TPK

Hanging over nearly every encounter in every RPG is the potential that none of the player characters survive this fight, this trap, or this riddle contest with a devil. Whether the characters make bad decisions, the dice are against them, or something goes horribly awry, there's a chance that everyone winds up dead. It might be a remote chance in some circumstances, but it's usually in the background, watching and waiting.

The problem with a total party kill is, of course, that it severs the story you were all trying to tell, and it leaves everyone in a difficult position. The players need to come up with motivation to make new characters who want to pick up where the others left off, and the Game Master has to figure out some way to accommodate that new party so the story can keep going.

That's a massive headache, so I thought that this week I'd expand on some of the thoughts I had forever and a day ago in Undoing Character Death, and talk about methods and ideas for moving on/fixing a TPK so your game can continue, and you can finish the story you were all collectively telling.

Would you look at that? Seems the game goes on...

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron!

Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

Avoid Death Entirely

The first, and most obvious, solution to dealing with a TPK is to instead have a TPL... Total Party Loss. The PCs still came out on the losing end of the encounter, but for one reason or another they all survived to tell the tale. So the characters are still in the game, but now they're at a significant disadvantage, and they've got to try to overcome their current circumstances.

Look, I'm just saying, you ain't worth much if I bring you in dead.

As a for-instance, say the party was brought down by a bandit ambush. If the PCs are low enough level, the bandits might just take any of their valuable gear, and move on, leaving them where they fell. After all, the penalty for murder is a lot worse than the penalty for highway robbery, so they might just take what they want and move on. If the PCs were fighting a cult, perhaps the cult wants to sacrifice them, so they have to keep the PCs alive for now. If the enemy was from another faction, perhaps they want to trade the PCs to a more powerful villain, or they might even want to try to sell them into slavery.

Whatever the reason, the PCs are at least not killed, and they might actively be kept alive to serve a purpose.

This is not a perfect solution, of course. After all, animals like manticores, mindless foes like undead or automatons, and creatures who hate the PCs may not wish to allow them to live. But there are a lot of TPKs that can be fixed by simply moving to a TPL instead. Especially because the PCs then have to regroup, and come up with new plans like how they're going to escape captivity, how they're going to get their gear back, and so on. The PCs might also have temporary (or permanent) injuries such as a loss of a hand or eye, or negatives to certain attributes until they can receive proper healing. This can make it feel like the GM isn't just giving the players a get-out-of-dead-free card, maintaining that balance of challenge.

This is also where having friends can help the PCs out a lot, as I mentioned back in The Case For Using Recurring NPCs in Your Game.

"Outsider" Intervention

So, the PCs are well and truly dead. Now what? Well, if the task they've been set is truly important (or if they are pawns in a cosmic game, as often happens in our campaigns), it's possible that some variety of outsider might step in and offer them a chance to try again.

Now, this can be simple or complicated. For example, if your party is slain on holy ground, perhaps they are offered a chance to return to life by the spirit or god who claims that place. This might mark them in some way going forward, requiring them to follow certain vows, or to accomplish certain tasks (mechanically represented by a geas, perhaps). The PCs might be given a chance to flee the afterlife, returning to their bodies, but now there are bounty hunters from the afterworld on their trail to drag them back for judgment. A spirit, a god, or a devil might offer the PCs a chance at life for its own purposes, as well. So even if a devil offers them the bargain, it might be doing so because the PCs are going to inconvenience one of its rivals, potentially creating a power gap that this devil can step into when the PCs achieve their goals. So while it might seem like the devil's bargain is too good to be true, it has its own motives the PCs may not be aware of.

You could make it more complicated, as well, if you want.

You can choose to make this part as complicated as you and your players want, as well. You could even make escaping the underworld a whole arc of the campaign... or a new campaign in and of itself if you check out my earlier post The Black Ballad... A Campaign That Begins Once Your TPK Ends! This particular game went live on BackerKit today, so go check that out if this is something that interests you.

Adding a Template

This is usually something I advocate for when it comes to villain survival after the PCs killed them, but turnabout is fair play when you're the GM. If you want the party to come back, and to come back hard, consider adding a template to them, or altering their creature type... at least temporarily.

Raven 1, going dark.

While you could grab ideas out of I'm Back- 25 Reasons For a Villain's Survival, I'd suggest that any GM who wants to use this particular tactic put a little more effort into making this feel organic. Because whatever template your characters are given should make sense for where they are, who they are, what they're trying to accomplish, and how they died.

For example, ask what it would be like to bring characters back as sentient undead for an arc. Vengeful ghosts, haunted armor, shambling zombies, or wrathful, spellcasting skeletons might be a fun thing to do for a party that was slain in the Forest of Spirits. Having the party reanimated as various golems or cybernetic creatures could work if they were used as subjects by a mad alchemist. Vows that allow them to temporarily become celestial or infernal creatures could be fun as well! Just ask yourself if this is a template you want everyone to have for the rest of the campaign, or if there will be a quest to undo this state of being once the immediate goal is achieved.

For Pathfinder players, corruptions are a ideal for this. These sets of dark powers put a burden on the character, while also giving them some additional abilities, and they are an ideal way to explain why someone isn't dead. Additionally, corruptions can be removed with time and effort, making them an even better choice than a template for this strategy. For those who are interested in them, consider the following articles as a jumping off point:

- 5 Classes To Pair With The Shadowbound Corruption

- 5 Classes To Pair With The Promethean Corruption

Paying The Iron Price

It really isn't all that expensive.

While that's all for my suggestions on coming back from a TPK today, I did want to make folks aware of something new that dropped recently. The Price of Iron is a module I wrote over a year ago for High Level Games, and it's a DND 5E adventure. When the party is offered a sack of silver and a masterfully crafted cold iron weapon each for a single night's work guarding a warehouse, it seems too good to be true. Of course, when portals to other realities begin to open, and the servants of a dark fey begin trying to break out, they realize they have quite a challenge before them.

If you've been looking forward to more modules from me, consider picking this one up, and keeping an ear out because I should have another piece that's long overdue finally becoming available in the very near future!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Daily Motion channel!. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

The Case For Using Recurring NPCs in Your Game

Before we get started on this week's topic, I wanted to take a moment to ask a favor from my regular readers. Recently I put together an article titled If 90,000 People Read This Article, I Can Pay My Bills This Month. The piece goes into the sheer, ridiculous numbers that creators need to have in order to get any amount of money for their work, and it emphasizes the importance of community support.

So if you want to help me actually stay one step ahead of my bill collectors, please give that article a read, and share it on your social media pages. Or, if you want to help more directly, please consider becoming a Patreon patron, or even buying me a Ko-Fi to help me get through the challenges 2023 is throwing at me.

And now, on with the show!

The Case For Using Recurring NPCs in Your Game

I return, singed, but triumphant.

We all know what NPCs are. After all, it's right there in the name; non-player character. Any person in the game world who isn't one of the players' avatars falls into this category, from the bartender at the local tavern, to the head of the thieves' guild, to the king who gave them the quest, and the lich lord they're opposing. Everyone not under the direct control of the players is an NPC, and they're all being puppeted by the Game Master.

However, there are a lot of GMs out there who will treat NPCs like tissues; they use them once, and then throw them away. That's why this week I wanted to take a moment to explain why I think recurring NPCs are an important part of a game, and why GMs (and the players) are better-served by a rotating cast of established characters than they are seeing new faces all the time.

Point #1: It Leads To Greater Investment

I mentioned back in Death, and Its Role in RPGs that when you have a game with a high lethality rate, players don't get overly invested in their characters. The same thing happens when you have NPCs who vanish from the narrative once they've walked onstage, said their lines, then walked off again.

This isn't to say that every NPC has to be a long-term commitment. Sometimes people are only there to serve a minor role, or you don't have big plans for them in the story. But when the PCs interact with the same cast of characters repeatedly, they begin building relationships with those characters. Whether it's as comrades, or as long-term antagonists, this can really enhance the game over time, and get your players immersed in the narrative instead if just dismissing NPCs because they know they won't be present long enough for any meaningful interaction.

Also, if your players tend to kill any enemies you put in their path, consider checking out I'm Back!, which is a supplement specifically for explaining villain survival and/or resurrection when we thought for sure they were permanently dealt with.

Point #2: It Emphasizes Consequences For Player Actions

It's been said (by me, in 100 Tips and Tricks For Being a Better Game Master) that a majority of your job as GM is just to watch what your players do, and give them appropriate consequences for the actions they take. Because from small decisions like choosing to show kindness to the beggar on the street, or big decisions like taking their enemies in alive to face justice, are all far more meaningful when the NPCs circle back around as an active part of the narrative.

For example, say the party rogue tosses a coin to the street urchin outside the tavern. You could just leave that as a one-off encounter, and nothing ever comes of it. But maybe word gets around about the rogue's generosity. The gang of boys said urchin belongs to starts coming around more, and the rogue ends up becoming something of a teacher and a patron to them. These NPCs can be used as a way to get information to the party, to introduce new quests, etc., but their continued presence is a direct result of player action, showing them that attempting to build rapport has results in this game.

Alternatively, consider PCs who broke up a cult, killing the cult leader. Are they kind to the followers? Do they take the time to deprogram their hurtful beliefs, or do they just abandon them? If the former, do these ex-cultists become squires and apprentices, helping the party? Do they reintegrate into society, watchful against threats like the cult that swept them up? If ignored does the cult reform, with someone new reaching out to the dark powers that their leader had tried to wield? Whatever happens, it should be tied directly to what the PCs did (or didn't) do.

Point #3: It Makes Things Easier For You As The GM

This point is third on the list, but it's first in my mind as the GM because it falls under the work-smarter-not-harder ethos. Because if you've already put in the time and effort to create NPCs who fill certain roles in the story, and those characters are known quantities who are already on the table, why do that job again, and again, and again instead of utilizing the resource you already have at your fingertips?

Don't be afraid to get creative with this one, either!

For example, let's say you had a tailor who helped the party prepare for their debut at the duke's ball. The wild-haired gnome took every question, no matter how strange, in-stride and formed a budding friendship with some folks in the party. The ball went splendidly, and the PCs now have to seek out a guild of spies that the duke claims are undermining the government, and leaving them vulnerable to outside enemies. And sure, you could just create a whole new set of NPCs for that role... but why not bring back Marselie the masterful tailor as a representative of the Red Thread Society? This adds a new aspect to the character, and it might make the PCs question who's side they're on, and who is lying to them about what's really happening. Is the duke telling the truth? Is the society the tailor belongs to really a bunch of freedom fighters? Or are both sides trying to use them as pawns?

Alternatively, say the PCs are in a tight spot, and you're looking for some narrative reason that will keep the story going, but which won't feel like you just gave them an out. Perhaps they're captured, and locked in the villain's dungeon... but the henchman put in charge of them is a bandit whose life they spared several levels back. He owes them, and makes them a deal. If he unlocks their irons, and leads them to their gear, then they'll get the price taken off his head by the governor who gave them the quest once they've dealt with the warlord who's building a dark army. This both shows that the PCs' previous actions have consequences, and it gives you more tools you can use to further the story without introducing any new elements.

Also, as a final benefit, this strategy can make it look like you had deeper plans than the players were initially aware of... even if you tacked on the secret backstories or surprise appearances of these recurring NPCs based on who the party had the best (or worst) interactions with in the past.

Need Some Extra NPCs in Your Game?

Folks who've been following my work know that over the past few years I've put out a lot of content that revolves around giving Game Masters extra NPCs to draw on should they need names, personalities, and descriptions in a hurry. If you want to have a list of NPCs you can quickly draw on to fit your game, and who might become recurring characters, consider grabbing some of the following:

- 100 NPCs You Might Meet at The Tavern: This was my first Gold metal book from Azukail Games, and you get what's on the cover. Hedge knights, traveling boot makers, wandering merchants, an elven gang lord, and more can all be found between these pages!

- 100 Merchants to Encounter: My second Gold metal winner, this one is meant to spice up the shopping experience, and to make getting gear (particularly rare, unusual, or even illegal items) more than just a numbers game. From strange fey creatures who appear in glades at sunset, to suppliers of assassination supplies who operate toy shops as a front, to Crazy Olaf's hock shop geared toward those looking to offload all their dungeon trash, there's all kinds of options to make shopping an actual experience in here.

- 100 Random Bandits to Meet: Whether you're looking for a dangerous, recurring antagonist like The Maneater or Dreadskull, or you simply want the hoodlums and highwaymen your party encounters to have a little more personality (and something that would justify roping them back into the story later) there's all kinds of rogues and rebels in this supplement. For those in a seagoing campaign, consider checking out 100 Pirates to Encounter, as well as 100 Prisoners For a Fantasy Jail if you're going to be spending any time in lockdown.

- 100 Nobles to Encounter: From dragon-riding warriors, to strange, long-lived lords of the moors, to seat-holders of the dwarven enclaves, the nobles in this supplement could make for powerful friends, or foes, depending on how the party treats them. So whether you need quest givers, schemers, plotters, or patrons, there's a slew of options in this supplement. Or, if you want something with a little more depth to it, consider taking a look at A Baker's Dozen of Noble Families!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Daily Motion channel!. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Onion Plots, An Alternative to Linear Narratives For Game Masters

Every game master knows the pain of players wandering off into the weeds, and away from the plot they had ready. The challenge in this instance is respecting your players' autonomy to go where they want and to explore the world in their own way, while also trying to get them to actually go toward the destination and story you have prepared for them. And no matter how artfully you push, players can feel like they're being railroaded and just driven along the preset path without any choice when you start manipulating things from behind the scenes.

Something that can often help in this instance is to think of your plot not in terms of a line between A and B, but rather as if it were layers of an onion. It doesn't matter where your players start peeling at the onion, because any point of entry can progress them closer to the goal.

Ogres are optional.

Before I get into the details, if you want to make sure you don't miss any of my updates then all you have to do is subscribe to my weekly newsletter! And if you're a regular reader who wants to help me keep the wheels greased and the lights on, consider becoming a Patreon patron today!

What is an Onion Plot, And How Does It Work?

When most of us think of plot in an RPG, we tend to think in terms of straight lines. The party fights goblins in encounter A, this leads them to go up road B to the caverns, and then to go into cave C to slay the leader and rescue the hostages. If they deviate from this path (the party ignores the goblins and keeps moving, they save the town but elect not to go up to the caverns, or to go a different route than the one you prepared, etc.) it can throw you for a loop as a GM.

Instead of thinking of the game in branching paths, like you get in video games and other linear narratives, you need to think of your game in terms of layers instead.

It's just one mask atop another mask.

So, let's take the following campaign premise. The central thrust of this arc is the goblin war chief is raiding surrounding towns. However, the chief is doing this at the behest of a local nobleman in order to justify a clamp down from the duke who wants to expand his military presence. The goblins provide destruction, take hostages, steal things, etc., and this gives the duke the political leverage to recruit, train, and deploy more of his own men across the region. An action that, in other circumstances, would be highly suspicious. Once the duke has an iron fist across the region his plan is to consolidate power, and to draw more allies to him. He then plans to repeat this success with other monstrous allies, growing his forces exponentially until his personal army rivals the king's, allowing him to seize power.

That's the whole onion, and your players are going to start on the outermost rim of it. The actions they take, or don't take, is what determines how they get to the next layer.

Say they defend the town from goblin attack, because they're in the town and it was at least partially self-defense. If they track the goblins back and kill the warchief in the caverns, so much the better, that will end the threat entirely. If they don't do that, word will spread back to the chief about the stiff resistance from one particular village. So now goblin forces will need to be drawn away from other towns and raids, bringing the fight to the party. This will eventually force the party to fight for their lives, as even escaping may be impossible. In either case, the goblin threat will be dealt with, and the party will have thrown a spanner into the duke's plans.

Now you've entered the second layer. The duke wants to expand control over the area, but with his goblin allies defeated he has to now take another tack. Perhaps he approaches the party to try to recruit them to his army. If the party agrees, you now have the ability to send them out to "problem" areas that aren't in the duke's hair, hoping they are killed so his plans can continue. Perhaps the "rebellion" they are putting down informs them of the knights who came, executing dissidents and hanging so-called traitors without authority, thus showing the duke's hand early. Perhaps young men were being press-ganged into the army, and the townsfolk are resisting what is basically the kidnapping of their young men. If the party refuses the duke's offer, then the nobleman can send his own men disguised as bandits to try to assassinate the party and eliminate them that way. Either way, the party faces danger, and in the end will become a much larger thorn in the duke's side.

And so on, and so forth.

Focus on The Goals Instead of The Methods

This is something I've said before, but it bears serious repeating. Focus on what you want the party to do, rather than how you want them to do it. If you create the scenario, just roll with what actions the PCs take, keeping the big picture in mind.

Trust me, it's ALL connected!

The major advantage of thinking of your plot in terms of layers, rather than in terms of lines, is that it stops you from getting overly hung up on how you want the PCs to accomplish their goals. If they want to fight the mercenary band of orc raiders, cool, throw down in a field and call it a day! If they want to wage a campaign of assassination and poisoning, taking the orcs out one by one, that gets the job done, too. Maybe they want to negotiate with the orc leaders and become their new paymasters, giving them a fair wage and benefits to staff the abandoned fortress the party recently acquired. If that's within the sensible nature of the leaders of the band, there's no reason that couldn't work... and if you want to throw in a complication like the mercenaries' mates and children are being held hostage by a cult forcing them to fight, now the party can save the children, defeat the cult that was going to be the next big enemy early, and make a slew of new allies in the process!

If you think of your plot in terms of layers of complication that are fluid, and able to respond and change to fit what your party does, it allows you to give players that freedom and agency, while also maintaining some kind of structure for the story you're trying to run. Because you may not know how the party is going to defeat a given challenge, but whatever they do is going to cause ripples, and that will peel back the layers as they go.

Additional Reading

I didn't have any organic way to work in some links for my other articles and projects, but folks who liked this article should definitely check out the following.

- The Onion of Secrets (A Character Concept With Layers): This unusual character concept piece is the one that indirectly inspired this Monday's post. As such, I figured those who want to make characters who keep a lot of different secrets going might enjoy it... applicable to PCs and NPCs alike!

- Critical Hits: The Curse of Sapphire Lake: With the spooky season upon us, I thought I'd share this module of mine for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. It's been struggling to get over that Copper metal status, so check it out... especially since it offers your players multiple endings depending on the actions they take!

- 100 Encounters in a Fey Forest: A system-neutral list of potential incidents, this is always a good one to keep up your sleeve if you want your players to stay on their toes while they're traveling through fey territory.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

"Gods of Sundara" Takes Aim at Monolithic Religions and Gods in Fantasy RPGs

When I first set out to make my setting for Sundara: Dawn of a New Age, I wanted to take the opportunity to really scour away aspects of the game that bothered me, or which I felt were leftovers from previous editions. For example, I wanted to entirely eliminate alignment from this setting, which is something I've done. I also wanted to try to break down the idea of mono-cultures that led players to always associate dwarves with the highlands of Scotland, elves with the deep forests, and so on, and so forth.

One of my big beefs, though, was how in many games the gods were always the same within the world. It didn't matter if you had characters from radically different nations, cultures, or even species, the god was always the same across the board. Not only that, but the churches, doctrine, and dogma were pretty universal. Whether you were from the frozen mountains of the north, or the deep jungles of the south, if two characters worshiped the same god then the two of you got the same book, and had the same trust that everything your branch of the church told you was true.

And that was the issue I took aim at in Gods of Sundara, which is now available in both a Pathfinder Classic version, as well as a Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition version.

And if you haven't gotten your copy yet, you really should!

Before I get into the nitty gritty details, wanted to take a moment to remind folks to sign up for my weekly newsletter so you don't miss any of my updates. And if you want to help me keep the wheels turning and the lights on, consider becoming one of my Patreon patrons today!

Why Are All The Gods The Same?

Most fantasy RPGs (not all, but most) tend to have a lot of different gods. They'll usually provide a core pantheon of the most common/powerful deities, and then it spirals out from there. Most often there will be gods dedicated to certain species (like how you'll usually find elven gods, dwarven gods, giant gods, dragon gods, etc.), and then you'll find a few minor or obscure gods. If you have a good/evil dynamic in your cosmos, you'll also have archfiends, major demon lords, and so on who can act as evil gods to empower cults and wicked clerics to do their bidding.

However, as many options as there are, they always seemed to run into the same issue. No matter how big or small a god was, their worship was always the same across the board. All their followers agreed on what their doctrines were, their holy texts were always correct, and even the images of the gods almost never changed. For beings of cosmic importance and limitless power, it always nagged at me that they felt so archetypal, and stagnant.

There could be anything under there...

So when I designed Sundara, I wanted to start with a fresh slate. I didn't just want to follow the templates that had come before with a different color palate... I wanted to give players and GMs alike the opportunity to have flexible divinities, as well as the ability to create their own inclusions into the world if what I provided didn't cover all their needs. Not only that, but I wanted the gods to be more mysterious than they typically are in a fantasy RPG setting. I wanted them to be, at least partially, beyond the ken of mortals who simply cannot fathom the fullness of these cosmic beings, their wants, needs, and desires, but who can only comprehend them through a mirror darkly.

The Thousand Faces of a Thousand Gods

The first thing I did in this book was to wipe away the usual plethora of planes that have only grown bigger and bigger over so many editions. Because if there's no alignment you can't have places like heaven and hell, the abyss or the celestial realms... these places are created entirely out of the idea of good and evil. The same is true of the beings that reside within them, so angels and devils, tieflings and aasimar, they all got the boot as well. The rest of the planes, those that weren't meant to entirely represent an aspect of alignment, got smushed together into a single plane known as the Prim.

Also, for those who are upset at the removal of tieflings and aasimar, don't worry... Gods of Sundara introduced the Prim-Touched species, which combines both of them, and removes all of the good/evil hints to leave you with something that's just all-around Other instead.

But what is the Prim? It is the realm of magic that exists apart from the material world. It is where gods of all shapes and sizes dwell, where souls go after death, and where the raw, swirling powers of thought, imagination, and belief can coalesce into beings and constructs. It is apart from the material realm, but it can be accessed by those who know the correct rites, who have a bloodline connection, or who believe strongly enough in the gods to form a bridge between themselves and that great consciousness beyond.

I had the strangest dream... and when I woke, I felt power within me.

This is where the concept of Faces, and the 5 Pillars of The Gods comes into the picture.

In Sundara, the gods are usually so vast that they are best expressed as formations of an idea. Concepts like War, Knowledge, Secrets, Love, and so forth. However, a god's will and appearance must still be interpreted by those who witness it, and the images and understandings are colored by the witness. So while the highland warriors of the Thendren clans may hold One-Eyed Grimnir with his great sword in high esteem, and the lizardfolk of the Artovan swamp may pray to the godly black dragon Thess'drak, whose glare is fear and whose maw is death, both of these are merely Faces of Charne, the god of Battle.

A god may create Faces in two different ways; purposefully, or incidentally. A purposeful Face is created when a god specifically puts on a guise, or attempts to create a certain impression among a group of people to create this new legend. Incidental Faces are created when a new Face is created purely by mortal interpretation, such as when a species perceives a god in a certain way, assigns them a different name due to linguistic differences, etc.

In addition to all the Faces, there are an unknown/unquantifiable number of minor faiths and gods. From regional protector spirits, to genius loci, to tribal gods, anything you want to add into your corner of the world is encouraged in Sundara. And if you want your divine force to be genuinely separate and apart from the starting "pantheon" I provided, I encourage players and GMs alike to do so!

And how the hell do you keep that straight?

With so many different interpretations of the gods, and an unknown number of divine beings exerting their influence on the world from the Prim, a lot of folks wondered how a GM is supposed to keep track of anything... especially when there's no alignment in this world, so you can't just tell your players, "Remember, stay within one step on the axis!"

That's where the 5 Pillars comes in.

The idea behind this is that whatever interpretation a culture has of a god, and whatever Face they pray to, there are notable similarities in that god's wants, desires, and messages. The god of nature always abhors the creation of undead as something that breaks the natural cycle of death and rebirth, for example, and this happens whether they're worshiped as the Green Mother, Father Storm, or any other Face. The god of knowledge refuses to allow knowledge to be destroyed, no matter how dangerous it could be in the wrong hands. And so on, and so forth.

The idea is that the 5 Pillars provide players and game masters alike with a general idea of what a god wants, and expects. Some of the pillars are thou-shalt-nots, but others are things followers are encouraged to do. And while this can apply to any follower of any god (or the Face of any god), they're only truly consequential for those who are granted power by a divine force... though it is suggested that those who please a god, regardless of what classes they have levels in, should receive some sort of sign from the divine to show their actions have been noticed.

Something that can be supplemented by 100 Random Oracular Pronouncements, for those who are bad at coming up with signs from the divine on the spur-of-the-moment!

The gods should be mysterious, but also present in a way that isn't showing up in burning bushes, or sending shining heralds to deliver their news directly to those they wish to influence. The idea behind this book is to give the gods back some of the subtlety that we often take away from them; to make them less blatant, but also more present since they now have a much lighter touch upon the world and those who adventure within it.

What's Coming Next?

Starting with the next installment, I'm moving into Species of Sundara, where I offer some looks at the unique variations and cultures among classic fantasy species in the Sundara setting. The idea is to give players and GMs unique options, and to show that just because two characters might both be elves, or dwarves, or orcs, that is only a single facet of who and what they are.

And if you've already gotten your copy of Gods of Sundara (Pathfinder, DND 5E, or both if you're bold!), consider checking out some of the Cities of Sundara splats that started this world off!

- Ironfire: The City of Steel (Pathfinder and 5E): Built around the Dragon Forge, Ironfire is where the secret to dragon steel was first cracked. The center of the mercenary trade in the region, as well as boasting some of the finest schools for teaching practical sciences, Ironfire is a place where discovery and danger walk hand in hand!

- Moüd: The City of Bones (Pathfinder and 5E): An ancient center of trade and magic, Moüd was lost to a cataclysm, and then buried in myth. Reclaimed by the necromantic arts of the Silver Wraiths guild, this city has once again become a place teeming with life. Despite the burgeoning population, though, it is the continued presence of the undead that helps keep the city running, ensuring that Moüd is not swallowed up once more.

- Silkgift: The City of Sails (Pathfinder and 5E): Built on the cottage industry of Archer cloth (an extremely durable material used for sails, windmills, etc.), Silkgift is a place that prizes invention and discovery. From gravity batteries that store the potential of the wind, to unique irrigation systems, to aether weapons, the city positively churns out discoveries... and then there's the canal they cut through the mountains that makes them a major center of trade across the region.

- Hoardreach: The City of Wyrms (Pathfinder and 5E): A center of power across an entire region, Hoardreach is ruled over by a Cooperation of five different dragons. A place for refugees and outcasts of all sorts, Hoardreach boasts some of the most unusual citizens and creations from across Sundara. Infamous for their sky ships, which require the cast-off scales and unique arcane sciences of the Dragon Works to take to the air, one never knows just what they'll find in this city built atop a mountain.

- Archbliss: The City of The Sorcerers (Pathfinder and 5E): A floating city in the sky, Archbliss has been a refuge for sorcerers for thousands of years. It's only in relatively recent years that the city has allowed those from the ground below who lack the power of a bloodline to join them in the clouds. However, while there are certainly amazing wonders to behold, there is a darkness in Archbliss. Something rotting away at its heart that could, if not healed, bring the city crashing to the ground once more.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Tips For GMs on Avoiding Ludonarrative Dissonance in RPGs

To address the elephant in the room before we get started, the phrase ludonarrative dissonance began life as a fairly narrow critique of a specific experience, and it's bloomed into a broader, more sweeping term. Folks who are interested can get the full history and discussion of this in Ludonarrative Dissonance: What It Means and What It Means if they're interested. For our purposes we're going to use the much broader interpretation of this term, where ludonarrative dissonance is when the narrative elements of a game, and the gameplay elements of a game, butt heads to create inconsistencies.

Okay? Okay.

We need to make sure everyone is doing the same things, here.

So what does all that mean? Well, in short, it means that when you run an RPG you need to make sure that you keep the game flowing smoothly so that the narrative elements (your descriptions, your lore, etc.) and the gameplay elements (the class abilities, die rolls, etc.) match up to create a unified whole. Because otherwise you'll find yourself playing two different games, and where it transitions from one to the other will be noticeable at best, and jarring at worst.

And as always, make sure you sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates sent right to your inbox. And for those who haven't seen it yet, the latest location in my new setting has finally dropped! Hoardreach, available for Pathfinder Classic or Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, is a city ruled over by a Cooperation of 5 dragons that's become a regional powerhouse. Taking in outcasts and refugees of every sort, the citizenry has lizardfolk, goblins, kobolds, orcs, harpies, and dozens of other "monstrous" species living and working side by side, so come check it out!

Any Examples of Ludonarrative Dissonance?

As mentioned in the references above, when you broaden ludonarrative dissonance it can take on a variety of different forms. Some common ones off the top of my head include:

- A character raised on a farm that's never seen a sword or worn armor before is immediately able to step onto the field and fight with a wide variety of weapons just as well as the career soldier who has years of training and experience thanks to their class choice.

- Characters who are played as squeamish or easily frightened who become hardened killing machines due to how battle mechanics function/are narrated.

- Supposedly impossible challenges that can be overcome with a relatively low roll of the die for a character with the right combination of abilities, skills, etc.

I've never even seen one before... I am proficient with it, though.

These are some of the easiest examples of how sometimes the story we're telling just doesn't match up with the mechanics on our sheets. Some players will recognize this, and choose to stick with their stories even if it means using subpar items and options (making their farm boy heroes use quarterstaffs, flails, and other weapons that are more in-line with their background). Others will invent ways to explain the mechanics to bring the two aspects of the game closer together (the sword has the magic of previous wielders, this great ax is almost like my father's ax on the farm, etc.).

However, RPGs are a group experience, and that interactions between players and storyteller, as well as between the game and the mechanics, can also create dissonance. Whether it's a GM who interprets a natural 1 as the seasoned mercenary slipping on a banana peel instead of their enemy raising their shield to block the blow, or a player who insists on playing a bubbly, bright, cartoonish character in a game with a grimdark tone (or the other way around, which one might argue is more common), these things can also give someone mental whiplash as they try to get into the game.

Fortunately, however, there is a way you can smooth these wrinkles out as a GM.

First, communicate with your players regarding expectations. Second, attempt to maintain consistency throughout the game and story so there are as few bumps in the road as you can. Third, make changes as necessary to marry the two halves as smoothly as you can.

When in Doubt, Favor Your Players

All of the examples given above, and the hundreds of others folks reading this no doubt thought of, could be dealt with by a GM who made consistent rulings regarding the story and game, how they interacted with one another, and who lead the table by example.

With that said, it's important to remember that your players need to have fun. So while maintaining consistency and fixing issues where the narrative and the mechanics seem to be at odds, always err on the side of not punishing your players.

Use your creativity to lift the table up, not push it down.

An ideal example hearkens back to the multiclassing section in Dungeons and Dragons 3rd edition (and it was in the 3.5 update as well). The game stated in the flavor that becoming a wizard took a great deal of time and study to manage. It didn't specify a need for a tutor, to become an apprentice, or to attend an arcane university, but such things were taken as some of the common ways one became a wizard. However, it was perfectly possible for any character to take wizard levels any time without any in-game requirement for the kind of work and background mentioned for starting wizards.

The way you marry the story and mechanics here was to find a reason that the PC found a way to understand how wizards did what they did. The example given was a bard (already an arcane caster) who was now multiclassing. By simply stating that, in downtime and between action scenes they'd been studying with the party wizard to achieve a greater understanding, the dissonance was cleared up and waved away. It gave the player the mechanical goal they wanted, while providing a story reason to satisfy the narrative that didn't bog the game down or restrict player choice. Other solutions I've found that are equally workable is that the PC taking the wizard level dropped out of their arcane college before they became an adventurer, but they still had the fundamental knowledge to cast low level spells. Alternatively, they'd been studying the grimoires and scrolls they've been raiding from dungeons, and they've managed an understanding of how magic is supposed to work.

This sort of example is what GMs should keep in mind when attempting to square narration with mechanics, and general game play. Players are already operating under rules constraints, and they have a limited pool of resources available to them; don't take away those options. Instead, find ways to preserve your players' freedom and choice, while also making sure the options they choose match up with the narration and story of the game.

It's not difficult, but it's going to happen a lot when you run a game. So make sure you get into the habit, and stay in the habit.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Game Masters, Goal-Oriented Players Need Challenges (Or They'll Eat The Setting)

You thought things were going to be great at first. He was enthusiastic, and involved, and really following along with everything. It made you feel good to just let that energy wash over you, channeling it into the activity. The problem was that you left him alone without anything to engage him. He didn't have any toys to play with, or anyone else to spend time with... you thought it would be okay, but you didn't realize just how much destruction could be wreaked out of boredom, and the search for a greater purpose.

You were busy, so I may have, ugh, toppled the throne and assassinated the king.

While this is usually a concern that homeowners have for pets that require a lot of stimulation and play time to prevent them from becoming destructive, or for zoos who want to keep their animals engaged through enrichment activities, this metaphor also applies to a certain type of player. I say this as a goal-oriented player myself, pleading for the game masters out there to listen.

If you do not give us tasks to complete, we will make our own fun. And nine times out of ten, you're not going to like the direction we wander off in.

Also, if you haven't signed up for my weekly newsletter yet, consider doing that! And if you missed my latest announcement, the first supplement for my new RPG setting is out. So grab your copy of Ironfire: The City of Steel for either Pathfinder or DND 5th Edition today!

Toss Us a Pumpkin, Already!

There's a variety of different players you'll share table space with, and no two of them are entirely the same. However, it has been my experience that goal-oriented players tend to be like high-energy herding dogs, or tigers in captivity; we need to have activities in order to keep us occupied and moving forward. I love story rich games, I greatly enjoy lore and setting, but for me to be engaged with a game I need to have a goal I'm expected to achieve... and if one isn't put in front of me, I'll go find one.

"What's in your mouth?" The Necronomicon... "No!"

To be clear, here, you can't just toss a goal-oriented player any old task and expect them to immediately be engaged in it. As a GM, talk to your player, review their character, and get a feeling for their skills, the arcs they want to pursue, and the stuff that will get the player's attention. Or use a Session 0 creation sheet, possibly using 10 Questions To Put On Your Character Creation Document as inspiration. Then figure out a way to tie it to the direction you want them to go.

As an example, if your goal-oriented player shows up with a big bruiser packing a greatsword, and your player tells you they want to get their character knighted for their deeds, find a way to dangle that carrot. If the game you're running is a political drama, don't let the hulk wander off to start bar fights or see how many city guard it takes to put him in jail. Instead, let the bruiser get involved in preventing an assassination attempt, and give them a title from a grateful lord as a reward. Once they did something using their skills and received a reward they'll be locked in more firmly, and as a bonus you now have an NPC mouthpiece you can use to give them more tasks to accomplish (sending them along as protection with the party, asking them to root out conspirators on behalf of their new lord, etc., etc.).

If you give goal-oriented players a chance to use their characters' skills to achieve their goals, they will turn all of that attention and energy toward solving the game's plot. Usually in the direction the reward came from, which is exactly what you want them to do.

The Arms Race

Something that's happened in several games I've been part of that were either extremely open-ended, or where certain players/builds simply couldn't participate by following the path as it was laid out, is what I call the arms race. Or to be more descriptive, it's an escalation of tactics and methods as a player attempts to participate in a meaningful way, despite road blocks and challenges being put in their path. Because while the GM might think they're discouraging the goal-oriented player, they're actually making the problem worse by unintentionally giving them what they want.

You know how they say kids act out to get attention? It's partly that, if the only way they can get time in the spotlight/interaction with the world is going against the grain of what's expected, but the other issue is that goal-oriented players need a challenge to overcome. So by handing them a challenge, you're giving them what they want... the problem is that if this isn't a challenge you want them to get past, all you're doing is frustrating your player as well as yourself.

There's an army over there? Like... how big of an army? This is getting exciting!

The arms race is frustrating for everyone involved, because when you're the GM you're trying to send the message, "This is the wrong way, turn back!" But when you're a goal-oriented player and you find a way around, over, under, or through the road block, it can feel like the GM is punishing you for succeeding when you did what it feels like they asked; you overcame the challenge they laid out. And if the GM just create bigger obstacles to try to send the message more clearly, the player is just going to keep meeting the challenges and getting more frustrated when they don't receive rewards for their efforts.

And it becomes a cycle of endless frustration for all parties involved.

So if you start seeing goal-oriented players going off in directions you didn't anticipate, or which are causing problems, don't just slap bigger threats in front of them. Sit down with the player, and ask what they're trying to accomplish. Work out a solution, and re-direct their efforts in a way you feel is helpful, and which gets things moving more in the direction you were aiming for.

If you want them to stop setting things on fire and carving out their own kingdoms, engage them. I promise you directing that energy will be worthwhile, and once you've got their noses pointed in the right direction it's full steam ahead!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!