Game Masters, Pre-Made Campaigns Still Need To Be Tailored To Your Table

Have you ever noticed that when a celebrity wears a certain brand of clothing it always seems to fit them perfectly? Even if you have the same body type, wear the same size, etc., those jeans always look better on them than they do on you? Well, there's a reason for that... it's because when the rich and famous buy their clothes off the rack, they take them home and get them tailored to fit perfectly. This used to be a pretty common practice, actually. You'd go to the store, find the shirt, pants, jacket, etc. that fit you the best, then make the final modifications to it at home so it was just right.

If you're a game master running a pre-written campaign, that's the attitude you need to take. Because while the game is written for a general size and style, it is highly unlikely to be just what your group needs. So you can either grapple with the campaign being too loose in the challenge, or too tight in the story, or you can make modifications to suit the group you're actually playing with.

While it might seem like a lot of work, I highly recommend it.

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It Saves You Energy in The Long Run

It really does, trust me.

I've got the experience of being on both sides of this particular fence, so I thought I'd share my perspective here. For folks who don't know, I authored a series of modules called the Critical Hits series from TPK Games, including the murder mystery False Valor, the slasher-inspired The Curse of Sapphire Lake, and the particularly grim Ghosts of Sorrow Marsh. These modules are meant as one shots for 1-2 level characters, and they're pretty self-contained.

When I wrote them, I had to do my best to think of everything players might realistically do given the situation presented. Hence why there's usually 2-3 looping paths to lead the party to the information they need, and to reach the conclusion of the adventure. And when I chose the monsters in question, I had to try to find a balance for them. Because if the players brought a bunch of expected, in-the-box PCs, I didn't want the enemies to steam roll them. On the other hand, if the players souped-up their characters with high stats, good spell and gear choices, etc., I didn't want them feeling like it was on easy mode.

I tried to build the modules to suit the hypothetical "average" party. The problem is that, even while I was doing that, I knew that such a group doesn't actually exist.

It's all about prediction... and players are unpredictable.

According to the feedback I got, some groups were able to run the modules as I wrote them with no problem whatsoever. Some groups almost got wiped out by what I'd expected to be easy encounters, either due to bad rolls, or unforeseen choices being made (an all Small-sized party getting swallowed by giant toads, thus making them a far bigger threat than they were intended to be). Other games found the monsters far too easy, again either due to lucky rolls (two crits in a row on a big-bad that was a sack of regenerating hit points, but which wasn't built to take that kind of punishment), or due to highly competent player builds.

As the creator, I could only predict so much. In short, I was making size 36 jeans. There were some groups who could just take that module off the rack, slip it on, and bam, a perfect fit! Other groups were going to have to hem the legs so they didn't drag, or let out some space in the crotch because the GM opted to give everyone much higher stats, or to run a party of 6 PCs instead of the recommended 3-4. Some groups might need a belt in the form of a helpful NPC to provide support and healing because the group is a little on the thin side, and others might tear the seams because they're trying to play a lower level module with characters that are too beefy.

In order to make that game fit your table, the game master needs to look at the characters that are actually present, and tailor the experience to fit them.

Maybe that means adding a few more bandits in the ambush, or taking a few out. Maybe it means skipping a skill check that no one's proficient in to get them information more expediently. Or perhaps instead of snooping around town the barbarian decides to get drunk with the local hard cases, who attempt to recruit him to the race war they're trying to start with the elves, spilling their guts when they get too many shots in them. Whatever is going to make the game smoother for your table, the GM needs to do that.

Because it's impossible for someone writing a module (let alone an entire campaign) to predict exactly who or what is going to be at your table, let alone the actions they're going to try to take! The best they can do is offer a framework that should get the bulk of the heavy lifting done... but you still need to fine-tune it in order to get the most out of the experience.

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De-Coupling The Idea of Race And Nation in RPGs

There is a particular trope in science fiction and fantasy that shows up a lot at our gaming tables. Chances are you've seen it, especially if you're a fan of a Tolkien-style setup. The way this trope works is that a particular culture (typically a non-human one, but human neighbors are not immune from this trope) is set up as having a particular thing that's noteworthy about them. You know, like how all Klingons (space orcs) are heavy metal tribal warriors, and how Vulcans (space elves) are aloof, logical, and tend to be generally better than humans at everything.

You know, like how ALL noblemen are inherently better than commoners.

Whatever the thing this race/culture/etc. is good at is referred to as their hat. It is immediately recognizable, completely unique, and every member of that population has it. And it's just fine for a generalized shorthand... but it sort of falls apart once you start interacting with people on an individual basis.

Things Get Better Once You Take Off The Hats

Fantasy games, especially games like Pathfinder, are loaded with hats. Having elven and orc as languages is a primary example. While we can largely blame Tolkien for it, the idea that all members of a given race inherently speak one language (except humans, of course, because humans are all different) is kind of ridiculous. Ditto the racial proficiency benefits that allow gnomes or dwarves to just naturally be good with certain weapons. Even if they come from parts of the world where those weapons would be improbable, unwieldy, or just not as useful. The biggest offenders, though, are when characters treat their race as the equivalent of a nation. Like there is only ever one culture, and one norm, and every member of that race you encounter will be aware of that culture, and those norms.

Here, I'll let Trope Talks explain the ins and outs of this one.

Got it? Lovely!

So how do you take off your character's hat? Or the NPCs' hats, if you're the DM? Well, the easiest way is to de-couple the idea of race from the idea of nation, and to introduce nuance and variety.

Adding Depth Always Helps

I hit on some of this a while back over on The Literary Mercenary with my post Tear Down The Monoliths, but that was meant more for writing than for gaming. So how do you introduce more depth and nuance into an RPG setting in order to avoid the idea that (except for PCs and the occasional important NPC) all members of a race, culture, etc. are more or less the same?

Well, the first thing you should do is de-couple the idea of race (the people) with the idea of nation (a physical location with specific borders). If you ever have an entire country that's made up strictly of only one kind of creature (the reclusive elven kingdom, the swarming orc horde, etc.) ask why? Because a small group of creatures, say a mostly nomadic tribe or even a small town, could easily remain homogeneous. Especially if they're self-sufficient, and have minimal interaction with outsiders. But in order to grow, they'll require a lot of resources. That typically means there will be trade, diplomatic relations with their neighbors (including war), and it means that people will want to come to be a part of what's being created. So the bigger a nation is, and the more land it brings together, the smaller the chances are of it being completely (or even mostly) homogeneous.

That is not to say that creatures from a given area don't share a culture. They absolutely do, even if as individuals they don't share all the same values, desires, goals, etc. But that area should influence who a character is in order to avoid playing into the excuse of the hat. For instance, you're playing a elf from Hardhome, so of course you're good with a longbow. So are many other folks there; archery is the nation's official national past time. So you're a dwarf who favors a hammer, eh? Well, yeah. When you were part of the Hilltop Guardians, you were a breacher. It was your job to batter down the door so your teammates could rush into the gap and capture criminals.

In short, make what you do about how you were raised, and where you're from, instead of using the excuse, "Well, I'm an X, so I'm just naturally good with a Y."

Another good step to take is to come up with alternatives to racial languages. It's more work on the DM's behalf, but try breaking them up into different dialects across the world. Yes, the Granite Kings popularized the characters and style of the Horrang language (snidely referred to by some as high-dwarven), but as the empire branched out, and citizens went to other parts of the world, it broke off and changed. Used mainly among scholars, and certain isolated pockets of the region, the language isn't dead, but it is rarely used in the everyday anymore. Make it clear that languages for other races are the same as for humans; they grow, they change, and they spread, becoming more or less common depending on trade, prominence of the home nation, the spread of its people, etc., etc.

This has the side benefit that skills like Linguistics, and magic like Comprehend Languages, become even more useful for those who invest in them.

Lastly, take the time to show players that given races and cultures aren't monoliths in your setting. Show NPCs as individuals, who may adhere to some of these sweeping generalizations, but not to others. Have a gnome who is calm, and difficult to excite, but who can fixate on objects of curiosity with an intensity that marks him as a genius in any field he chooses to enter. Give us a half-orc who uses his inherited strength and toughness to become a champion athlete, and who speaks out about non-violent solutions to the problems the world faces. Give us an elf who's damaged and volatile, who's seen hundreds of companions die of wounds and age, and whose unsurpassed skill on the battlefield is just as much a curse as a blessing as he forgets there is a way to live without a sword in his hand.

If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It

This is, of course, assuming that having a nation or planet of hats is an issue you've had at your table. Some games work perfectly well when they lean on this trope. Especially if it's a way to make an entire group of creatures irredeemable, so no one raises the issue of whether it's morally acceptable to slaughter the bad guys wholesale. However, if you like the idea of mixing up the formula, and jettisoning hats that, while functional, can make parts of the game world feel stilted and shallow, it's often a good idea to follow that impulse.

That's all for this week's Fluff post. If you're in the market for even more gaming content from yours truly, why not check out my Gamers archive, or head over to Dungeon Keeper Radio to check out some of the episodes I have the privilege to be part of? If you want to stay up-to-date on my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Lastly, if you'd like to support Improved Initiative, head over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron. $1 a month makes a big difference, and gets you some sweet gaming swag as a thank you!