Game Masters, Remember, You Aren't Required To Go To Level 20

Level 20 has, in the minds of many of us, been enshrined as the ultimate end goal of any level-based RPG. While we go on about how Dungeons and Dragons isn't the only game out there, it set the standard for so many things in tabletop gaming, and that level 20 finish line is present in so many games. And while there are some games where you might go beyond that into epic levels, or using mythic tiers as Pathfinder created, level 20 is commonly accepted as the "normal" end. It's what many Game Masters designed their campaigns around, and in the minds of a lot of players it's when you finally reach your character's full potential.

Something to remember, though... just because you can do something, that doesn't mean you have to do it. Your game is no less fun, and no less valid, for choosing to get off the bus before the route terminates at the epic capstone showdown.

This is okay for some games... but not ALL games...

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!

It's An Option. Not A Requirement.

Over the years I've met my share of Game Masters who lamented how frustrating it was to have to really crank up their math at higher levels of a campaign in order to keep their players challenged. I've also met my share of folks who wanted to try their hands at being a Game Master, but they were intimidated by the idea that they'd have to tell a full, complete story over such a huge stretch of levels in order to keep their players happy, and to be a "real" GM.

So, while a lot of us already know this, I'm going to repeat it. The scale of your story is entirely up to you, and your players. If you want to tell a grounded story that's going to take the PCs from level 1-5, that is your prerogative. If you want to have your punch up with the BBEG around level 10-11, because level 13 is where the math gets too frustrating for you, that is perfectly acceptable. Hell, if you just want to run a series of occasional one shots that are loosely strung together with hand-waved plot explanations where characters are only going to gain a level every 10 sessions and you're calling it quits at the end of level 3, there is nothing stopping you from doing that.

And, for the record, this applies to all RPGs... I'm just using level-based ones as an easy example. I made a video expounding on this for the World/Chronicles of Darkness a while back in case you missed it.

However, with this said, there are some caveats I'd throw into this.

First and foremost, ballpark where you plan to take your campaign so that your players know, and can set their expectations accordingly. If you show up to a game that you think is going to go to level 20, and you're excited to play an epic-level wizards with all the overpowered 9th-level spells you can handle, you might feel you were cheated if the campaign ends at level 6 because you had expected another 14 levels. Alternatively, if some of your players like to build a foundation for their end-game goals, then it might be good to know they should be going for something like the champion of a local town or small city, rather than a legendary paladin who went toe-to-toe with a great daemon lord for the fate of the world by the end of this game.

Secondly, if your players have concerns, make sure you address them. If you are comfortable with a game that runs in the 4-7 level range, but your players want that huge, epic finish, then you may not be able to give them what they want. That's all right, too. Just like how sometimes people don't want to play the particular RPG you want to run, sometimes they also don't want to play a story at the scale you want to run it at. Try to talk things out and find common ground so you can all have a good time, but don't sacrifice your fun and comfort level as a GM; it's better to have no game rather than a game that's burning you out, and you aren't enjoying.

Thirdly, examine the kind of scale, power level, whatever you want to call it of the game that you're running. If you want to run a game of Pathfinder, Dungeons and Dragons (most editions), or even some Savage Worlds that's relatively low on stakes and character power (a medieval murder mystery, a weird West gang dispute over a frontier town, so on and so forth), you can probably make that happen without too much bending and twisting. But if you're running a game that is meant to be a big, bombastic, high-powered thing (Scion, Exalted, and so on) they aren't really supposed to be small in scale or effect. Which is not to say you can't find a way to make it happen if you want to keep things smaller scale, but just be aware that some games are easy to do this with, and other games you're going to be swimming upstream to try to make it happen.

At the end of it all, though, I just wanted to remind all the GMs and prospective GMs out there... you don't have to go big or go home. You can run games that stop before they become rocket tag, or which keep the numbers at a lower level. You can run campaigns that can be wrapped up in 6-7 months, or even just 3 months if that's all the gas you have in your tank. You are allowed to do whatever the hell you want, as long as your players back you up, and everyone is willing to make this happen.

A Bit of Additional Reading

If this is the sort of advice that you (or someone you play with) needs to see, I'd actually recommend grabbing a copy of 100 Tips And Tricks For Being A Better Game Master, as it collects some of the best field-tested pieces of advice that have appeared on this blog over the past dozen years or so. And if you're feeling really frisky (or you just like to have both sides of the coin), consider grabbing the sister supplement 100 Tips And Tricks For Being A Better RPG Player while you're at it!

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 Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! 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!

Does A More Unique Setting Draw More Attention To Your Game? And Is It Worth The Risk?

There is no silver bullet when it comes to getting your gaming project popular among players. Not only that, but the results of all your factors are always going to be more than the sum of their individual parts. In short, every piece of advice is just us divining meaning by looking into a darkened mirror, and doing our best to interpret the shadows we see beneath the glass. And no piece of advice is ever perfect, because there will be something that defies that advice, and goes on to be extremely successful despite going against the grain of common wisdom.

With that said, it seems like audiences definitely perk up a lot more when you present them with a completely unique setting and world, rather than a world that looks and feels familiar, but which might have a couple of unique devils in the details.

My take on this is the difference in audience reaction between Sundara: Dawn of a New Age, and Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic.

And if you haven't checked out either, you really should!

As always, 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 Projects, and Reactions To Them

Sundara: Dawn of a New Age is a fantasy TTRPG setting that has been releasing in both Pathfinder and DND 5E formats for the past 3 years or so. The original release was Cities of Sundara: Ironfire, and since that time there have been 5 city guides, 6 species guides for players, and half a dozen faction guides covering everything from mercenary companies and cults, to merchants, guilds, and gods. And while these splats come packed with unique material for players and Game Masters alike, and they take several unique steps for their games (such as completely removing alignment from the games entirely), they are still recognizably part of a high fantasy TTRPG setting.

I'd say the reaction to Sundara has been mixed. Some players have enjoyed the splats, and there's a very small, but very vocal block of folks who are always asking for more. However, it doesn't get much of a reaction overall, and it is regularly outsold by my more generic supplements like 100 Body Mods and Augmentations For a Sci Fi Game or 10 Fantasy Villages.

But what about Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic? Well, for those who haven't heard me get on my soapbox about it, it's a game where players take on the roles of resinous persons, fighting to preserve the lives of the people of the Plastos Federation against the insectoid menace of the vespoids, which have united the four nations in a single purpose. The game is crunchy, tactical, and has a great deal of bizarre and unique lore to drag players and Game Masters alike into things.

So what were the results for this book? Well, this game has sold just over 30 books on DTRPG since its release, but there were over a hundred books (digital and physical) that went out as a result of the successful Kickstarter campaign that made it a reality in the first place. That makes it more popular than all but a handful of Sundara supplements (I believe Towns of Sundara is the only one that can beat those numbers), even though it's only been around for a few months (or just over a year, if we're counting the original Kickstarter and BackerKit purchases).

 What are people saying about these projects?

Before I get into analysis, I want to point out there are lots of differences in these projects. Army Men is a much bigger book, with a much bigger price point. Sundara is more numerous, has a smaller price tag, and it's been available (overall) for much longer. Sundara has received different types of marketing than Army Men has, and Army Men was crowdfunded rather than merely published and put on the market.

With all of that said, in addition to the sales numbers, I feel like the comments left by people on the projects can tell us a lot.

Because very few of my Sundara projects have received comments, whether it's in the social media posts I make about the supplements themselves, or about the blogs and videos I've made about them over the years. The attitude seems to be, by and large, that it's just another high fantasy TTRPG setting, and while it's got some fun aspects and unique flavors, it's more or less what one would expect. So if you've played Pathfinder or Dungeons and Dragons before, this is basically ordering the same pizza you're used to, but getting it from a restaurant that uses different cooking methods and ingredients.

The comments and questions regarding Army Men have been distinctly different.

Firstly, there's generally a lot more of them, as people ask what the game is about. A lot of folks also ask if it's connected to the video games from a decade or more ago (they're not). In addition to those two questions, people ask if you can use army men toys as miniatures, if it's a Toy Story situation, or if there's something else going on, and what sorts of adventures characters have in this RPG. A lot of folks comment on the art, and they'll ask what kinds of gear and equipment players have access to regarding artillery, vehicles, weapons, etc.

I covered some of these in the AMA that came out a while ago, if you're curious!

So, at the end of the day, this might feel like a bit of an apples and oranges comparison. However, acknowleding this is not a 1-to-1 situation, it definitely appears that games that have a unique style, which present players with an uncommon setting, and which give you a different kind of premise is more likely to turn heads than giving folks another helping of the same old same, but with slightly different ingredients... though it does seem to help if they underlying mechanics are recognizable, and draw on a well-known RPG that most folks will own copies of.

Just in case folks were curious.

Lastly, as it seems appropriate, I covered a topic on design trends recently on Tabletop Mercenary. Give it a watch, and if you enjoy it, subscribe to the Azukail Games YouTube channel to help keep that show (and others) going!

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 Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! 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 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!

Rules Are Written in Blood (Advice For GMs and Game Designers Alike)

There's a story I heard a long time ago when I was working as a security guard at a steel mill. We had a few days of on-site training to go over protocols and rules, and someone kept rolling their eyes at a lot of the listed safety precautions. Because who the hell needed to be told not to do that, whatever that happened to be in a given situation? That was when the instructor told us a story about a shipping company that stored extra barrels of toxic waste against the wall in the crew quarters. This allowed them to take on more hazardous cargo and make more profit, but as you likely guessed it also meant the crew was exposed to extraordinarily dangerous levels of harmful chemicals. This led to a lot of people getting sick and dying, but the company wasn't held criminally liable.

Why not? Well, because there weren't any rules that said you couldn't store toxic waste in the crew compartment, either to pad the company's bottom line, or for any other reason.

That was when he dropped a phrase most people have likely heard somewhere before. "Every safety regulation you read, no matter how ridiculous, is written in blood."

This is not hyperbole in the slightest.

While that might sound dramatic, it's true. Even if something seems like common sense to you, there's no guarantee someone will have the same thought process and experience that you do. Someone might not know any better, they might be more concerned with speed, or with profit, or they might be looking for any way to increase results.

And this is something I wish more game designers (and Game Masters) took to heart.

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!

Even If It Seems Obvious, Write It Down

When you are making a game there are going to be times where you feel like something is super obvious. Whether it's explaining that yes, orcs can have children with elves, or no, a high roll on a Diplomacy skill does not give the player control of another character's actions, just because something seems self-evident to you doesn't mean it's going to be self-evident to other people who read your text.

How much can I carry? It's just gold coins... by the sack...

As someone who has written my share of supplements and modules for several different systems, there's a trick I would recommend designers use if you aren't doing so yet. When you're reading over your text, take a minute and ask yourself how the rules you just created could be interpreted by someone who has no idea what's going on. Then, once you've done that, ask yourself how they might be twisted by someone with malicious intent who doesn't care what the spirit of the game is, but who is just looking for some advantage.

For example, take the spell animate skeleton. The intention of this spell is that you can create an undead, skeletal minion to haul things, act as a trap tester, fight on your behalf, etc. However, ask yourself how many people will try to use this spell to animate a skeleton inside a living person as a way to try to force them to act like a flesh puppet under the spellcaster's control? Or how many people will argue that a statue of a skeleton is still a skeleton, so the spell should work on the 20-foot-tall stone sculpture they ran into as part of a fantastical art exhibit?

Should you have to specify that the spell animates the complete bones of a dead creature? You might feel like you don't, but doing so is going to cut off a lot of complaints that start with, "Well the spell doesn't specifically state that I can't..."

The same goes when you're a Game Master, and players are asking for your interpretations of things. In order to maintain consistency, make sure you write down any rulings or changes. Again, this seems obvious, but there is no greater lie ever told than, "Don't worry, I'll remember when this comes up again." You won't. So keep a notebook, use a sticky note on the page, or keep a digital log of incidents, but make sure you fill in the specifics.

And one, last thing...

As a final note, it's important to look at things from all sides when you write or interpret rules. This is most commonly referred to as the, "if your players get it, then the bad guys get it, too," corollary. Because a rule system is supposed to be the reality in which characters exist, so it's important to ensure that everyone is on the same page, and playing by the same rules. So whether it's the existence (or non-existence) of resurrection magic in your setting, weapon degradation, or any of a thousand other things, don't just ask how it affects your monsters or your players, but try to see it from both sides. Because if a rule or interpretation puts one side or the other at a huge advantage or disadvantage, that is something you should address before it gets too out-of-control.

Speaking of Rules, Check Out Sundara If You Haven't Yet!

As an example of some of the stuff that I've put together over the past few years (much of which involves the creation of new magic items, monsters, class archetypes, spells, and more), I would recommend regular readers check out my "Sundara: Dawn of a New Age" setting for Pathfinder Classic and DND 5E. And if you're one of those folks who wants to hear a pitch before you make a purchase, I've been putting together episodes of Speaking of Sundara on the Azukail Games YouTube channel (which you should definitely subscribe to) talking about some of the design strategies I've used, breaking down what's in particular supplements, and explaining some of the changes I've made to what folks might expect from a traditional fantasy RPG setting, from how I chopped out alignment, to the uncertain nature of gods, to how technology and magic both lead to unique inventions among the people of Sundara!

Check out the full 26-video Speaking of Sundara playlist, in addition to the following supplements!

Cities of Sundara

The setting first began with the Cities of Sundara splats. Self-contained guides to some of the larger and more powerful centers of trade, industry, arms, and magic, these unique locations provide plenty of fodder for character generation and plots. Not only that, but each one comes with unique, mechanical goodies for players and GMs alike to take out for a spin!

- Ironfire: The City of Steel (Pathfinder and DND 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 DND 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 DND 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 DND 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 DND 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.

Gods of Sundara

- Gods of Sundara (available for Pathfinder and DND 5E): In a world with no alignment, and where the gods are often genuinely mysterious forces that are far too large for mortals to truly comprehend, the divine feels genuinely strange and unknown... something that really does have to be taken on faith. This supplement provides a sample pantheon for Sundara, but also provides instructions on how to easily make your own gods in a world where you can't cast a spell and tell whether someone is good or evil.

Species of Sundara

Sundara is filled with creatures that many of us recognize, but I wanted to give greater depth to their cultures, and a wider variety of options. After all, humans always get 15+ ethnicities, languages, and unique histories, while elves, dwarves, orcs, halflings, etc. are almost always left with footnotes, or maybe with a handful of offshoots. So, in short, I wanted to give all the fantastical creatures the treatment that humans usually get in our games.

And there is no human book yet. If readers demand to know more, then I may sit down to pen one... but I figured that humans didn't need to be front-and-center in this setting just yet.

- Elves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Elves are one of the most quintessential fantasy creatures... but if you want to see more than just high elves, wood elves, and elves of the sun and moon, then this supplement has you covered!

- Dwarves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): The children of the primordial giants who were meant to fill in the details of the world they'd made (or so the myths say) there are as many kinds of dwarves as their are kinds of giants... and possibly more, depending on who is keeping count.

- Orcs of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Supposedly a creation of the elves, none can say for certain exactly how or why orcs have been made. What most agree on is that these creatures are far more than most may think at first glance.

- Halflings of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Little cousins to the dwarves, halflings are tough, clever, and not to be underestimated. From living beneath the hills, to taking up residence in the deep forests, halflings in Sundara come in quite a variety!

- The Blooded (Half-Elves and Half-Orcs) [Pathfinder and DND 5E]: When orcs and elves mix their bloodlines with other creatures, the result is one of the Blooded. This inheritance takes many forms, and it can even wait generations before manifesting when the right combination of individuals come together to have a child.

- Gnomes of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Gnomes are strange creatures, found in places where the spirit of the land has coalesced and made children of its own. The sons and daughters of the ancient nymphs, they are the stewards of these places, and they change as often as the weather and the land.

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!

Smart Game Design Leaves Room For Player Creativity

As folks who've been keeping up with my releases throughout 2022 know, I've been doing a lot of world building and game designing. However, there is an issue I've been running into for years that I wanted to talk about, and while this is aimed largely at fellow game designers there's some leftover attention for Game Masters out there as well.

In short, when you are designing mechanics for your game, leave plenty of room for player creativity. Because the less room they have to add their own creativity, flair, and detail, the more restrictive it's going to feel... and there's a real possibility this will kill interest in what would otherwise have been a really great game.

What do you mean I can't have a glowing horn? Why not?

As always, before we get too deep into this week's topic, remember to sign up for my weekly newsletter to make sure you don't miss any of my content. And if you want to help me keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Even a small donation makes a big difference.

Lastly, to make sure you're following all of my followables, check out my Linktree as well!

Players Need To Be Able To Make It Their Own

A perfect example of game design that leaves players plenty of room to make characters and concepts their own, while still providing a solid underlying structure, is Changeling: The Lost. I've been pretty deep into this game for content design purposes, as evidenced by supplements like 100 Hobs To Meet in The Hedge as well as 100 Mourning Cant Dialects, Phrases, and Meanings, and one of the things that drew me to this game in the first place is how much freedom it gives you in your character design.

Seriously, give them a look if you're a Lost fan!

In this game you play someone who was stolen by the True Fae, and whose experience altered them, filling them up with magic. You choose a Seeming, which grants you broad abilities and weaknesses. You may then choose a Kith, which grants you an additional, smaller power if you wish.

As an example, someone might choose to play an ogre (a Seeming known for its raw, physical power and ability to intimidate). While they could make this ogre a huge, hulking individual with a massive chip on their shoulder, they could instead be petite and adorable, always trying to make friends until they get riled up. They could be a hacker, a doctor, a politician, or a guardian... all of those things are left up to the player. Same with the specific details of their appearance, from fangs and tusks, to bizarre skin and eyes, or not, it's largely up to the player. All the Seeming does is grant them specific sets of mechanics, but it doesn't tell the player how they must make their character. The same is true for the other Seemings as well. A Fairest (known for their social graces and beauty) might be a foul-mouthed bastard with a disagreeable disposition. A Wizened (the crafters and makers) could just as easily be a soldier-of-fortune with a weapon on their hip and a love of the fight. A Beast (those who were transformed into animals) might be a well-spoken professor, a private detective, or a medical technician.

And so on, and so forth.

What this game also does, though, is that the more specific an ability or power is, the less wiggle room it gives players, and the more closely tied to the setting lore it is. For example, while many kiths are quite general and open to interpretation (like the Soldier, which gives you bonuses with bladed weapons), others will have some specific requirements (such as the Metalflesh, whose skin appears to be made of a particular kind of metal, or the Far Walker who generally share an appearance more common to the yeti or sasquatch).

Then at the far end of the game you have add-ons and powers your players may choose to take, but which have organic ties to the world, and specific meanings within the setting that exist outside the character entirely. For example, an Entitlement (something that's like a prestige class in Lost's first edition, for those more familiar with class-based RPGs) is a specific organization that a character may become part of. In order to become a member the character must meet all the prerequisites, and adhere to the ethos, mission, and standards of this Entitlement. Because, in this instance, the Entitlement isn't something meant for the player to design to their own specifications and story; it's a part of the setting for them to interact with if they so choose. Like a faction, alliance, or other element, it will exist with or without them.

How Much Room Are You Giving Players?

Whether your game is class-based or skill-based, whether it's sci-fi, fantasy, horror, or a blend of genres, it's always important to ask yourself what limitations you're putting on player creativity, and whether those things improve the game, or undermine it. And, as mentioned above, whether something is required as part of character creation, or if it's something that's part of the setting rather than a tool specifically for the players.

And the question is pretty much universal to every system out there.

Why, for example, do you feel we must all be the same color?

If your game has tieflings and aasimar, do they only come in specific, proscribed varieties? Or are they more like the Primtouched in my Gods of Sundara setting, who come in an infinite array of creatures ranging from the merely unusual to the absolutely bizarre? If you have dragonborn, do they have a number of different features and body types to differentiate them (tails, wings, horns, jaw styles, etc.) or is it all down to color and energy type? Are your barbarians limited to specific backgrounds, or can you find them in noble courts as often as you do in the back waters of the wilds? Is every paladin out there a knight, or can anyone be touched by the divine, and allowed to uphold their holy vows in the face of an enemy?

There's always going to be some limitations in a game. Spycraft is meant to portray different varieties of the super spy genre, so for all its strange gadgets and impossible feats, all the characters in it are human. Call of Cthulhu is a game that takes place in the world of the Cthulhu Mythos, and so it has certain themes it's trying to maintain, and a particular canon that exists within the world. But whenever you look at the game you're writing (or the campaign you're planning) you should always ask yourself whether you're leaving enough room for the players' concepts to breathe on their own.

Because if not, it might be a good idea to go back to the drawing board.

In Case You Didn't See It

For those who aren't plugged-in to all my new releases, my latest drop from Azukail Games is practically burning up the sales chart. 100 Tips and Tricks For Being a Better Game Master went Copper within 24 hours of its initial release, and my goal is to try to get it to Silver before the end of the month. So if you haven't grabbed your copy yet, take a moment to check it out!

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!

Game Designers, Stop Relying on GMs To Do The Work For You

Anyone who's ever sat in the big chair at the end of a game table knows that it's a tough gig running a campaign. You need to keep the plates spinning regarding the plot, all the NPCs' voices, figuring out what information your players have and don't have, and making sure you understand all the different plots and schemes the villains are running at any given time... it's a lot to balance.

However, I'm going to plant a flag in a hill this week when it comes to game design. Because there has been a trend I keep seeing when I read rulebooks that I think entirely too many designers are getting in on. Namely that a lot of us seem to be content to do half the work of designing a game and its rules systems, then clocking out for the day, expecting the game master to fill in the rest of the blank sections on their own.

What does this dial do? Meh, hell if I know!

Before we get into the meat of this, remember to subscribe to my weekly newsletter to stay on top of all my latest releases! And if you want to help me keep the wheels turning around here, then consider becoming a Patreon patron today. It really does make a huge difference when all is said and done.

Make Sure The Product is Done Before You Release It

In the interest of clarity, let me say what I'm not talking about here. I'm not saying that games should try to discourage game masters from changing things to suit their table's desires, because that's absurd. Nor am I saying that we should design our games in such a way that GMs have no agency or decisions they can make within the framework of the rules or setting, or that we should somehow do away with Rule 0.

What I am saying is that we need to make sure the product is actually complete, and that it's totally functional as it stands without any additional material provided by the people who purchase it. Because that's what they paid us to do!

An example might be helpful.

Let's say, for a moment, that you were designing a car. People who buy a car acknowledge there are all different kinds of makes and models, but they still expect a machine that functions. The vehicle should start up when they turn the ignition, it should go when they put it in drive, and get them to their destination. They have to keep it on the road, and it has limitations, but it's a functional, complete device that performs the function one expects.

However, a lot of RPGs I've come across seem to be missing parts, and the fill-in for it is always, "ask your GM," or, "at the GM's discretion." Whether it's games where the villains and the PCs seem to be operating on different rules (giving the monsters powers/spells/items that simply don't exist for the PCs), games where target numbers are left entirely up to the GM to set (often without any sort of guidance as to what would be fair at any given power level), or games where character abilities out-and-out say that a player needs to ask their GM when and how it functions are all examples of cars that are missing pieces.

It's not that they don't work... but it's that if you expect them to actually work properly, all the time, then the game master has to get in and make their own fixes to the vehicle that should have been there in the first place.

Aftermarket Upgrades Need To Be Optional

An RPG needs to be a complete, functional system when it goes up for sale. The reason is because this isn't some group project you're just tinkering around with that might be fun for people... this is a product. You are selling this game, and if you've ever bought a product that was missing pieces then you know exactly how frustrating it can be trying to make it actually do what you need it to do.

Yeah, I made it work. Still pissed I wasted money on this thing.

It is understood in any rules system that players can pick and choose whatever aspects they want, changing things to suit their fancy. But that's the keyword; change. You cannot change something that wasn't provided in the first place. That's just you actually crafting a piece the manufacturer didn't give you.

For an example, you could look at my Gods of Sundara release (available in both Pathfinder and DND 5E for those who are interested). In this book I provided a blueprint to use for creating gods in this setting, and in a world that has no alignment. Every god has the usual entries like name, domains, holy symbol, and things like that, but each god also comes with 5 Pillars to represent the central ideas and commandments of all varieties of their faiths, as well as signs/portents of their favor and disfavor. Many also included Faces, which were alternative perceptions of this god under different names and appearances.

While this book makes it clear there are a near-endless variety of gods great and small in Sundara, and that players and GMs alike are encouraged to make their own to suit the stories they want to tell, I also provided a sample pantheon of gods. So, while I provided the blueprint for making one's own divinities, and made it clear they could alter as much of this as they wanted without upsetting the world canon, I also provided a full 10 gods with write-ups and faiths so that no GM who picked up this setting ever needed to create their own pantheon if they don't want to.

That is what I'm referring to. A game should have all its parts in motion, and the GM should be able to just get behind the wheel and drive without having to change fuses, find a missing 4th wheel, or troubleshoot a poorly-designed fuel injector. Because there will always be people who, when they buy a car, want to tinker around with it to see just what sort of performance they can get out of it. Other people, though, just want to be able to take a drive through the countryside. In both cases, these people paid for a complete product... so give it to them!

Speaking of Complete Products...

If this is the first you're hearing of my Sundara: Dawn of a New Age setting, the idea is that it's a fantasy RPG that utterly removes alignment, and whose goal is to focus on moving forward rather than constantly looking back into some mythical, half-remembered past. A place of strange magics, unique discoveries, and constantly shifting alliances and borders, it's a realm filled with adventure as surely as any other!

And if you've already gotten your copy of Gods of Sundara (available for Pathfinder and DND 5E), 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!

3 RPG Design Tips For Professionals and Homebrewers Alike

For those who aren't regular readers, I've been a freelance RPG designer for more than six years or so now. I've written modules like The Ghosts of Sorrow Marsh, designed feats and encounter tables in products like Feats of Legend: 20 Orc Feats as well as 100 Encounters in a Fey Forest (both for the Pathfinder RPG), and I've contributed class archetypes in supplements like Letters From The Flaming Crab: Puppet Show along with The Demonologist from TPK Games.

I'm leading with this because I don't want anyone who goes further to think I'm armchair quarterbacking the realities of designing tabletop RPGs. On the contrary, making games is very much my day job, and not a day goes by where I'm not elbow-deep in something's engine trying to figure out what's making that rattling sound, or how to get just a little more horsepower out of it.

There's your problem; no universal dice rules.

So whether you're a fellow professional, or just someone who likes to retool games and make changes for your personal friend group, I would ask that you please keep the following tips in mind. I say this from experience; they are going to help far more than they're going to hurt.

Tip #1: Do Not Play Favorites

As someone who's up to my shoulder in a core rule book right now (I'll tell you more when I can, trust me), I truly sympathize with everyone out there who has a favorite in their games. Whether it's a particular class you're all gung-ho about, or a character race or background package, or just one particular faith in your game, do not give them all the toys. It will not endear them to your players, and it will draw into question your objectivity when balancing a rule set for fairness.

Look no further if you need an example.

If you've never played the first edition of Scion, it's a game with a really cool premise. In short, one of your parents was a god, the titans have escaped their prison, and now you need to stand with your parents to become a hero like those in the old myths and legends. Eventually you will ascend to stand at your parent's right hand as a god yourself... if you survive.

Which powers you get access to, and which attributes you can make godly, vary largely based on your parent, and which pantheon they belong to. If you read this book it's pretty clear someone on the design team loved the Norse gods, and Odin in particular. The one-eyed wanderer is hands-down one of the most powerful parents in the game, and if you're going for raw numbers and options there's very little reason to play a scion of any other god at least 80 percent of the time.

That sort of favoritism creates problems in game balance and design, and it can make players who'd rather opt for something else feel like they're being punished for wanting to explore other options. Make every option unique and viable, and you'll have a better overall game.

Speaking of significance in game design...

Tip #2: Make Your Options Mechanically Significant

 

One game I played a lot of when it first came out was D20 Modern. While it had all the usual flaws of 3.5 Dungeons and Dragons, it presented a lot of fun options and unusual potential for playing modern fantasy games using an at least vaguely familiar class system with prestige classes, feats, and other recognizable elements.

It's really not that bad, if you can overlook the flaws.

One of the big issues I felt this game had from a design perspective (a flaw shared by Shadowrun, and some books in the World of Darkness as well) was there were entire tables dedicated to modern firearms of every make, size, and style over the decades. But when all the semi-automatic handguns did the same damage, had the same rate of fire, and the same size clip, there was really no point in including three dozen variations that amounted to the same thing. Ditto the shotguns, machine guns, submachine guns, etc. If it's all the same, why waste the page space?

I've seen this with classes, with monsters, with weapons, armor, and background traits. If there is no mechanical difference between two aspects of the game, or if you're just going to assign the same value to a dozen different options, don't bother reprinting them. Flavor reskins are a part of any game, but don't waste your players' time and energy reading through a bunch of palate swaps.

Tip #3: Don't Let Random Chance Reign Supreme

Randomization is the function of the dice. However, that randomization should be something that affects the challenge of the game, not something that decides every aspect of it. Put another way, if it's possible for a character no matter how ill-prepared to overcome a challenge entirely on a single roll of the die, then your system is little more than a slot machine; unbalanced, and probably grossly tilted in favor of the house.

It's an RPG, not a craps table.

To give an example, a character who rolls a natural 20 on an attack is going to hit in basically every edition of Dungeons and Dragons. However, even if that farmer with the hoe smashes an impossibly lucky blow into the face of the conquering tyrant Eldrakkar, it isn't going to kill him. Eldrakkar is the game's big bad, after all, and a CR 17 fighter/necromancer. Such a lucky blow is unlikely even to phase him, likely giving him little more than a thin cut along his cheek. This firmly establishes that it is always possible to hit, but that it is not possible to randomly destroy a powerful character because of a lucky roll of the die... whether that's the campaign's big bad villain, or the party's front line fighter once they really hit their stride.

All it takes to throw that out the window is to add a chart of random critical hit effects. The chart might have some less potent options like, "stunned for a turn," or, "character loses weapon," but often more brutal entries like, "character loses a hand," or, "character is decapitated" wind up on these lists.

Imagine that you're playing a campaign, and the big boss that you've had all this built-up for dies in a single hit because the wizard's player got lucky, and stabbed the bad guy in the heart for an instant death. Or, flip the script, and imagine that your heavily armored professional soldier who's survived dozens of encounters is killed in the first round of the first combat of the game because the DM rolled a natural 20, and then chopped your head off because a goblin sergeant got in a lucky hit with a hatchet.

That kind of extreme randomness is not good game design. Especially when you consider that in any game the DM is going to roll far more dice than the players, meaning that the players are going to be on the receiving end of any unfair odds. There's always going to be elements of chance and randomness, and good or bad luck can sway how a game goes... but if every roll of the die literally carries the potential to end a challenge (or the party) I'd suggest trying to re-balance the game so you're not swerving all over the road when you fire it up.

Also, while we're on the subject of randomness in game design, I would like to ask all my fellow designers to please stop padding out games with huge tables of random things. Don't waste page space with twenty different criminal backgrounds, or random starting ages and weights for characters. Even random encounter tables are a little passe at this point, since a majority of groups would rather focus on the story they're all there to tell without wasting an hour fighting off two enraged grizzly bears who were just there for the lulz. We've got limited time, and focusing on meaningful challenges and story beats is often far more preferable.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday!

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 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!

If You Want A Better Game, Give Your PC Connections To The World

No one knew who they were. Not really. The lone swordsman, with the tool of his bloody trade slung over his shoulder. The evoker, with lightning dancing from her fingertips and fire in her eyes. The druid, his beard a briar tangle, with his ironwood staff. And the brimstone preacher, with her singed clerical robes and burning book. They came from the four corners of the world, and it wasn't until they joined together that they made their legend.

He had no friend but his bear... until he fought together with the others.

This sort of "man with no name" who comes from nowhere setup is really common when it comes to our characters. We know who they are, what they can do, and we know their names... but we just sort of plunk them down in the world as if they sprang fully-formed from the ether. More often than not we talk about how far from home they are, or we make it a point that their family is dead, and they have no friends. They're a lone adventurer, out on their own.

This is an archetype... but it often makes your character feel like they aren't really a part of the world. It can make it harder to roleplay, and worse, it makes it harder for you to tell your story because you're starting from scratch. If you want to make your life a little easier, all you have to do is give your character connections in the game setting.

No PC Is An Island

As I said in Fleshing Out Your Background or How To Avoid Becoming A Murderhobo and Who Raised Your Character, and How Did That Shape Them?, all characters have connections in the world. Someone raised you, someone taught you your skills, and at some point in time you had friends, family, and fellow students. You grew up somewhere, and there are people who know your name... for good, or for ill. You even have a reputation, as I talk about in The Small Legend: Character Reputation in RPGs.

So, if you want to make your character feel like a more organic part of the world, you need to ask where they're from, who they've worked for/with, who their friends are, and all the other questions about what tracks they've left in the world.

Man ain't nothing without his friends.

So, once you know who your character is, ask what ripples they've made in the world. For example, if your character is a knight, who do they serve? Who were they squired to? What vows did they take? Where did they train? What tourneys did they ride in, and what victories have they won? The answer to each of these questions creates connections the way a tree puts down roots.

Alternatively, say your character was a bandit. What gang was he part of? Was he ever identified? Is there a price on his head anywhere? Did he rob specific kinds of victims? Did he run with friends? Were there people in the countryside who gave him shelter? Was there a particular fence that he went to for his loot? Were they part of a guild? Did he leave on good terms, or have his friendships soured?

There are an endless list of potential questions. If your character is religious, where do they attend services? If they drink, where is their favorite pub, and are they a regular? If they don't drink, do they spend time in tea houses? What merchants do they buy from? What smiths are they friendly with? Who cuts their hair, washes their clothes, and do they use a public bath house? Who do they play cards or shoot dice with? Or are they more of a chess sort of character?

By the by, if you're looking to answers for some of these questions, you might want to check out 100 Random Bandits to Meet as well as 100 Random Mercenary Companies, both by your humble author. They're filled with unique NPCs who can fill the roles of teacher, friend, rival, captain, and even surrogate parents or avowed enemies, depending on your stories needs.

Your History Gives You A Leg Up

Your character's past isn't just a backdrop; it gives you options when it comes time to make story decisions. As a for-instance, if you want to take the Leadership feat, your character's past might give you a trusty sidekick you parted ways with, but who has now returned to aid you in your adventures. If you want to justify being able to find obscure or rare locations in a city, then all you have to say is it's your hometown, and you know it like the back of your hand. It also helps the DM, because if he's looking for a way to slip you necessary information, it helps to have a former squad mate who's joined the town guard, or someone your character apprenticed with, who might pass something along.

So, in short, don't just make a character who feels like they had no real history before the first session. Give them a past, and a history, and you'll find they fit much more smoothly into the setting, the story, and the campaign.

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday post. If you'd like to see more content from me, check out my Vocal archive, or head over to Dungeon Keeper Radio where I and others present skits, advice, and world building that our fellow gamers may find of-use. To stay up-to-date on my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Lastly, to help me keep Improved Initiative going, consider heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron. All it takes is $1 a month to get yourself some sweet swag, and to help me keep doing what I do.

Also, feel free to head over to My Amazon Author Page where you can find all my books... like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife!

RPGs Don't Require a Morality System

So, as most of my readers know, the major focus of my content on Improved Initiative is Pathfinder. That's partially because it's the game I play the most often, and thus the one I have the most knowledge about. It's also because, as one of the most popular RPGs on the market, it draws a lot more views than when I write about something like World of Darkness, or Call of Cthulhu. However, when I can spare some time (when I'm not running two blogs, writing books, attending conventions, and writing Infobarrel articles) I do like to try and check out new systems. Sometimes it's for work, and sometimes it's for pleasure, but I have noted a repeated problem in several systems that's been giving me barking fits.

If character morality has no mechanical effect in your game, then do not put a spot for it on the character sheet.

We get enough people micromanaging our alignments in real life, thank you very much.

How To Tell When Your Game's Morality System is Useless

Now, before any readers start crowing about how the alignment system (prominently featured in Pathfinder, Dungeons and Dragons, and other games) is a blight on RPGs, I'd like to point out that we're not talking about alignment here. Because, like or or loathe it, alignment has a purpose in games like Pathfinder. Paladins, clerics, inquisitors, and other classes use alignment as a way to gauge how well they're following their teachings and codes, which has a mechanical effect on the game. The same is true of spells, magic items, and traps which react differently to people based on their alignment.

Another candidate for bashing might be the Virtue/Vice system commonly used in White Wolf, but again, that system has a definite purpose in the game. It's meant to refresh your willpower, which can make a huge difference in what your character is capable of achieving. It's an integral part of the game, so it gets a pass as well.

So what are you talking about?

What I'm talking about are games that cling onto vestiges of morality systems, like alignment, but where those systems have no actual impact in a mechanical sense. For example, I recently read through a system that went into 9-point details of personal morality... but then never explained why it was necessary to apply it to your character. Your morality wasn't a test to see whether a god would grant you power, or to figure out whether certain forms of magic would treat you differently. It was a classless system, so your character's morality clearly wasn't to maintain any class features. It served no purpose aside from adding another label to a character during the generation process.

Fewer Labels, More Characterization

If you have a game that doesn't require a morality system (Savage Worlds, Call of Cthulhu, etc.) then a change happens in the character creation process. Rather than picking a morality label, and then asking how this character fits within that label, players instead focus more on the gray areas of who this person they're piloting is. They ask what this character finds morally wrong, and what actions that person thinks are right and proper to take in response. They focus on their history, their knowledge, the places they've been, and the things they've done. Morality emerges as part of the process, but it does so without a label being attached to it that often limits the way a player thinks about right and wrong within the game world.

This can lead to terrible, terrible ideas.

What I am not suggesting is removing parts from your game's engine if those parts have a necessary function. Like them or hate them, many times a morality system is a part of how bigger, more complicated mechanics function. If, however, the parts are purely for looks, or entirely vestigial, then tear them off the same way you would a spoiler on a station wagon. It will smooth out your flow, lead to more thoughtful character creation, and free up a lot of space in the rule book.

Even better, you could fill that vacant space with helpful hints on making better characters. Things like fleshing out your character's family, job experience, their motivations, and all the other things that make them step, fully-formed, into the game world.

As always, thanks for stopping in to check out my Moon Pope Monday update this week. If you'd like to help keep Improved Initiative going, then why not stop by The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron today? As little as $1 a month can make a big difference when it comes to getting more content straight to you. Even better, it comes with sweet swag just for being a patron! Lastly, if you haven't followed me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter yet, then what's stopping you?