rhythmsoundmotion
Adventurer
I like to poke ChatGPT and ask it really subjective questions. Sometimes it does okay. Sometimes it shows the limits of neural network text generation.
Missed Opportunities in Generic Tabletop RPG Campaign Settings
How GURPS, Fate, Savage Worlds, Cortex Prime, Fudge, Risus, Freeform Universal, and Cypher Systems Can Shine With a Little Work
Generic tabletop RPG systems hold tremendous promise: they offer flexible rulesets designed to adapt to nearly any genre or narrative players can imagine. But with such broad applicability often comes a lack of depth when it comes to campaign settings. Many settings that accompany generic systems either fail to fully leverage the unique strengths of the rules or lack the hooks needed to stand out in a crowded market. However, with a little creativity and effort, these settings can be polished into vibrant, memorable worlds that fully exploit the versatility of their systems.
Here’s a look at some missed opportunities in popular generic systems' settings and how they can be fixed.
GURPS campaign settings, like GURPS Infinite Worlds or GURPS Banestorm, are brimming with information but often feel more like encyclopedias than narrative playgrounds. The wealth of detail can overwhelm new players and GMs, leaving them uncertain about where to start or how to structure a campaign.
The Fix:
Introduce clearer entry points for play. A setting like Infinite Worlds could benefit from a "starter scenario pack" that introduces one or two worlds with prebuilt characters and mission outlines. Banestorm’s expansive medieval fantasy world could highlight a single town or region with detailed factions and clear stakes to create a more focused on-ramp for new campaigns.
Additionally, leveraging GURPS’s love for crunch could mean including modular “world generators” that give GMs the tools to create their own compelling micro-settings within the broader campaign world.
Fate’s settings, like Dresden Files RPG or Fate Core Toolkit examples, emphasize flexibility but often leave players unsure how to translate that freedom into a campaign with direction. The settings are rich in potential but lack built-in escalation or progression that drives long-term campaigns.
The Fix:
Create narrative scaffolding. Fate thrives on player-driven storytelling, but its settings could benefit from frameworks like faction clocks, story arcs, or emergent campaign tools (similar to Blades in the Dark). For example, a Fate campaign set in a magical apocalypse could include a “Countdown to Doom” mechanic that evolves based on player actions and failures, keeping the stakes high while maintaining player agency.
Fate’s Aspects could also be expanded with dynamic evolution rules tied directly to campaign milestones, adding narrative weight to character and world development.
Savage Worlds excels at action and fast-paced storytelling, but many of its campaign settings (Deadlands, Rifts for Savage Worlds, Necessary Evil) rely heavily on pulp tropes without delving into their underlying themes. This can lead to settings that feel exciting but shallow, with players moving from encounter to encounter without meaningful choices or consequences.
The Fix:
Infuse Savage Worlds settings with narrative complexity. Necessary Evil could deepen its villainous themes by exploring moral ambiguity—forcing players to grapple with the consequences of their actions in a world where they’re both the heroes and the problem. Similarly, Deadlands could include more emphasis on the psychological toll of supernatural horror, making the setting’s grim tone resonate beyond its surface-level weirdness.
Introduce mechanics for inter-session downtime, faction development, or resource scarcity to make Savage Worlds campaigns feel more dynamic and less like a string of unrelated encounters.
Cortex Prime’s modular system lets players build almost any kind of game, but this flexibility can leave its official settings (Tales of Xadia, The Dragon Prince RPG, and Hammerheads) feeling generic. They often fail to provide the specific mechanics or thematic hooks that would make them uniquely suited to the Cortex Prime system.
The Fix:
Align setting-specific mechanics with narrative themes. For example, Hammerheads (a disaster response RPG) could include stress mechanics that build tension for characters balancing personal issues and large-scale emergencies. Tales of Xadia could expand its faction system to emphasize the intricate politics of The Dragon Prince’s world, encouraging players to build alliances and rivalries.
Adding campaign-specific advancements or resource systems tailored to the setting would help ensure that Cortex settings feel distinct and meaningful rather than generic.
Fudge provides unparalleled flexibility, but its settings often fail to offer enough structure or inspiration. This results in a system that feels like a toolkit in search of a story, leaving GMs with the burden of building almost everything from scratch.
The Fix:
Develop more guided, ready-to-play settings. Fudge could benefit from modular “setting kits” that provide pre-built characters, scenarios, and simple rules tweaks to showcase its adaptability. For example, a cyberpunk Fudge setting could include hacking mini-games, modular corporation generators, and NPC templates for rival runners.
Including random table generators for key setting details—like factions, environments, or plot twists—could also help alleviate the GM’s creative workload and spark inspiration.
Risus is beloved for its lighthearted tone, but its settings often lean too heavily into comedy, making it difficult for players to engage with them seriously or invest emotionally in long-term campaigns.
The Fix:
Inject emotional stakes into comedic settings. A Risus campaign about rival spacefaring pizza delivery crews, for instance, could include heartfelt subplots about struggling to make rent, competing with corporate megacorps, or dealing with interplanetary politics. Balancing humor with genuine stakes would make the setting feel richer and more engaging.
Introduce optional rules for character development that allow players to deepen their Clichés over time, adding narrative depth to the game’s simplicity.
Freeform Universal (FU) emphasizes improvisation and creativity, but its lack of concrete systems often makes its settings feel weightless. Players can feel like their choices lack consequences because the rules are so open-ended.
The Fix:
Introduce mechanics for drama and tension. FU settings could benefit from optional systems like faction influence, character reputation, or resource scarcity to ground the freeform gameplay. For example, a space opera setting might include rules for managing a starship crew’s morale, making failures and setbacks more impactful.
The inclusion of scenario templates with branching consequences would also help players see how their choices shape the story in tangible ways.
The Cypher System’s settings (Numenera, The Strange, Predation) are beautifully imaginative but often feel like playgrounds for exploration without meaningful emotional or thematic depth.
The Fix:
Focus on relationships and consequences. For example, Numenera’s vast world of mysterious artifacts could include mechanics for how relationships between factions shift as players uncover lost technologies. Predation could emphasize the ethical dilemmas of blending science and nature, forcing players to navigate the moral consequences of their experiments.
Adding systems for character backstory integration—tying PCs directly to setting-specific events or factions—would make Cypher System settings feel more personal and impactful.
I think several published or sometimes included adventures directly addressed these complaints.
(Trying to fix the formatting is making things worse.)Missed Opportunities in Generic Tabletop RPG Campaign Settings
How GURPS, Fate, Savage Worlds, Cortex Prime, Fudge, Risus, Freeform Universal, and Cypher Systems Can Shine With a Little Work
Generic tabletop RPG systems hold tremendous promise: they offer flexible rulesets designed to adapt to nearly any genre or narrative players can imagine. But with such broad applicability often comes a lack of depth when it comes to campaign settings. Many settings that accompany generic systems either fail to fully leverage the unique strengths of the rules or lack the hooks needed to stand out in a crowded market. However, with a little creativity and effort, these settings can be polished into vibrant, memorable worlds that fully exploit the versatility of their systems.
Here’s a look at some missed opportunities in popular generic systems' settings and how they can be fixed.
1. GURPS: The Detail-Rich Sandbox That Overwhelms
The Problem:GURPS campaign settings, like GURPS Infinite Worlds or GURPS Banestorm, are brimming with information but often feel more like encyclopedias than narrative playgrounds. The wealth of detail can overwhelm new players and GMs, leaving them uncertain about where to start or how to structure a campaign.
The Fix:
Introduce clearer entry points for play. A setting like Infinite Worlds could benefit from a "starter scenario pack" that introduces one or two worlds with prebuilt characters and mission outlines. Banestorm’s expansive medieval fantasy world could highlight a single town or region with detailed factions and clear stakes to create a more focused on-ramp for new campaigns.
Additionally, leveraging GURPS’s love for crunch could mean including modular “world generators” that give GMs the tools to create their own compelling micro-settings within the broader campaign world.
2. Fate: Lacking Structure for its Freeform Spirit
The Problem:Fate’s settings, like Dresden Files RPG or Fate Core Toolkit examples, emphasize flexibility but often leave players unsure how to translate that freedom into a campaign with direction. The settings are rich in potential but lack built-in escalation or progression that drives long-term campaigns.
The Fix:
Create narrative scaffolding. Fate thrives on player-driven storytelling, but its settings could benefit from frameworks like faction clocks, story arcs, or emergent campaign tools (similar to Blades in the Dark). For example, a Fate campaign set in a magical apocalypse could include a “Countdown to Doom” mechanic that evolves based on player actions and failures, keeping the stakes high while maintaining player agency.
Fate’s Aspects could also be expanded with dynamic evolution rules tied directly to campaign milestones, adding narrative weight to character and world development.
3. Savage Worlds: Pulp Adventure Without Depth
The Problem:Savage Worlds excels at action and fast-paced storytelling, but many of its campaign settings (Deadlands, Rifts for Savage Worlds, Necessary Evil) rely heavily on pulp tropes without delving into their underlying themes. This can lead to settings that feel exciting but shallow, with players moving from encounter to encounter without meaningful choices or consequences.
The Fix:
Infuse Savage Worlds settings with narrative complexity. Necessary Evil could deepen its villainous themes by exploring moral ambiguity—forcing players to grapple with the consequences of their actions in a world where they’re both the heroes and the problem. Similarly, Deadlands could include more emphasis on the psychological toll of supernatural horror, making the setting’s grim tone resonate beyond its surface-level weirdness.
Introduce mechanics for inter-session downtime, faction development, or resource scarcity to make Savage Worlds campaigns feel more dynamic and less like a string of unrelated encounters.
4. Cortex Prime: A Toolbox Without a Core Identity
The Problem:Cortex Prime’s modular system lets players build almost any kind of game, but this flexibility can leave its official settings (Tales of Xadia, The Dragon Prince RPG, and Hammerheads) feeling generic. They often fail to provide the specific mechanics or thematic hooks that would make them uniquely suited to the Cortex Prime system.
The Fix:
Align setting-specific mechanics with narrative themes. For example, Hammerheads (a disaster response RPG) could include stress mechanics that build tension for characters balancing personal issues and large-scale emergencies. Tales of Xadia could expand its faction system to emphasize the intricate politics of The Dragon Prince’s world, encouraging players to build alliances and rivalries.
Adding campaign-specific advancements or resource systems tailored to the setting would help ensure that Cortex settings feel distinct and meaningful rather than generic.
5. Fudge: Too Much Freedom, Too Little Guidance
The Problem:Fudge provides unparalleled flexibility, but its settings often fail to offer enough structure or inspiration. This results in a system that feels like a toolkit in search of a story, leaving GMs with the burden of building almost everything from scratch.
The Fix:
Develop more guided, ready-to-play settings. Fudge could benefit from modular “setting kits” that provide pre-built characters, scenarios, and simple rules tweaks to showcase its adaptability. For example, a cyberpunk Fudge setting could include hacking mini-games, modular corporation generators, and NPC templates for rival runners.
Including random table generators for key setting details—like factions, environments, or plot twists—could also help alleviate the GM’s creative workload and spark inspiration.
6. Risus: Humor Without Depth
The Problem:Risus is beloved for its lighthearted tone, but its settings often lean too heavily into comedy, making it difficult for players to engage with them seriously or invest emotionally in long-term campaigns.
The Fix:
Inject emotional stakes into comedic settings. A Risus campaign about rival spacefaring pizza delivery crews, for instance, could include heartfelt subplots about struggling to make rent, competing with corporate megacorps, or dealing with interplanetary politics. Balancing humor with genuine stakes would make the setting feel richer and more engaging.
Introduce optional rules for character development that allow players to deepen their Clichés over time, adding narrative depth to the game’s simplicity.
7. Freeform Universal: Missing Opportunities for Drama
The Problem:Freeform Universal (FU) emphasizes improvisation and creativity, but its lack of concrete systems often makes its settings feel weightless. Players can feel like their choices lack consequences because the rules are so open-ended.
The Fix:
Introduce mechanics for drama and tension. FU settings could benefit from optional systems like faction influence, character reputation, or resource scarcity to ground the freeform gameplay. For example, a space opera setting might include rules for managing a starship crew’s morale, making failures and setbacks more impactful.
The inclusion of scenario templates with branching consequences would also help players see how their choices shape the story in tangible ways.
8. Cypher System: Expansive but Sometimes Hollow
The Problem:The Cypher System’s settings (Numenera, The Strange, Predation) are beautifully imaginative but often feel like playgrounds for exploration without meaningful emotional or thematic depth.
The Fix:
Focus on relationships and consequences. For example, Numenera’s vast world of mysterious artifacts could include mechanics for how relationships between factions shift as players uncover lost technologies. Predation could emphasize the ethical dilemmas of blending science and nature, forcing players to navigate the moral consequences of their experiments.
Adding systems for character backstory integration—tying PCs directly to setting-specific events or factions—would make Cypher System settings feel more personal and impactful.
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