Shadow of the Demon Lord (SotDL) inflicts world shattering changes on the setting as a campaign advances. These changes impact the player characters whether they act on them or not. Use a similar technique to drive roleplaying and increase conflict in your RPG campaign.
You may not need world changing events in a more localized setting, but setting events in motion that have nothing to do with the PCs will give the players a sense of verisimilitude in their fictional home. More than that, these events drive conflict outside of the PCs’ control and force them to react, even if that reaction is to ignore and do nothing.
In the online SotDL game I am running, the PCs went from starting level to novice level. Hit points went up, spells were gained, and combat skills were honed. The PCs felt powerful as well they should.
At the same time, the Demon Lord manifested itself in their world through pestilence. Any starting character would hear rumors of plague in the city of Crossing. The new novice PCs, however, encountered fleeing city dwellers and heard first hand what was happening.
And were exposed to the disease. As the PCs power goes up they can take on bigger foes and bigger quests. But the power of the Demon Lord also increases, putting pressure on them and keeping them fighting to stay ahead.
The relief of gaining new power and influence juxtaposed against the growing power of the Demon Lord creates tension. Tension requires release of some sort and the PCs are the ones to decide how to reduce the strain. They might simply flee the plague as long as possible. They might help those they can. Or they might try to drive back the sickness. We have to play to find out. No background determines what happens next and no new powers from the rulebook alone solve this increasing problem. Only PCs can choose to try to overcome the disease or ignore what is happening and thereby let it continue to fester and grow.
In my campaign, the PCs have so far ignored the growing plague which doesn’t surprise me. However, the simple presence of the plague forced them to change their planned route of going to the city of Crossings. Crossings is the epicenter of the plague, so the PCs had to turn south. This led them to the village of Asylum and a new adventure. If the PCs continue to grow in power, the difficulty of dealing with the Demon Lord’s plague will also go up.
Of course, not every campaign wants to rocket toward world ending events. But on a simple level, having a few NPCs enact plans and carry out those plans if the PCs don’t stop them can greatly enhance the lived in feeling of your setting. Introduce a rival band of adventurers and have them take on a job the PCs pass up and return to the tavern to brag and spend their loot. Have the corrupt mayor continue to buy up all the properties in the neighborhood the PCs call home. Have the necromancer continue to build her undead army. Eventually, the sheer scope of what some of the NPCs are doing will interfere with what the PCs want to accomplish. Conflict, which drives most RPGs, will naturally follow.
In SotDL, the group has a goblin and an elf, both faeries and both on very different ends of the faerie spectrum. I plan to introduce the machinations of the Goblin King into the setting and see what happens. The plague sweeping across the human kingdoms may inspire him to have goblins take over empty human homes and settlements as the plague claims more victims. Eventually, this will make life more difficult for the PCs because goblins will not be able to produce the food, weapons, armor, and gear they need to adventure. What happens next will be up to the PCs. If they wait too long to act, the shadow of the Demon Lord will overtake them and they may well see the end of their world.
If you aren’t sure what your NPCs might do next consider reaching out to some of your friends not in your current campaign and asking them what they would do with the power and possessions of one of your NPCs. They might surprise you with devious ideas you hadn’t considered which you can then spring on your unsuspecting players.
Let your NPCs live lives of their own. Eventually, what the PCs want will interfere with what the NPCs want. And new adventures and exciting conflict will spring from that opposed interaction like a surprise attack from an unexpected quarter.
You may not need world changing events in a more localized setting, but setting events in motion that have nothing to do with the PCs will give the players a sense of verisimilitude in their fictional home. More than that, these events drive conflict outside of the PCs’ control and force them to react, even if that reaction is to ignore and do nothing.
In the online SotDL game I am running, the PCs went from starting level to novice level. Hit points went up, spells were gained, and combat skills were honed. The PCs felt powerful as well they should.
At the same time, the Demon Lord manifested itself in their world through pestilence. Any starting character would hear rumors of plague in the city of Crossing. The new novice PCs, however, encountered fleeing city dwellers and heard first hand what was happening.
And were exposed to the disease. As the PCs power goes up they can take on bigger foes and bigger quests. But the power of the Demon Lord also increases, putting pressure on them and keeping them fighting to stay ahead.
The relief of gaining new power and influence juxtaposed against the growing power of the Demon Lord creates tension. Tension requires release of some sort and the PCs are the ones to decide how to reduce the strain. They might simply flee the plague as long as possible. They might help those they can. Or they might try to drive back the sickness. We have to play to find out. No background determines what happens next and no new powers from the rulebook alone solve this increasing problem. Only PCs can choose to try to overcome the disease or ignore what is happening and thereby let it continue to fester and grow.
In my campaign, the PCs have so far ignored the growing plague which doesn’t surprise me. However, the simple presence of the plague forced them to change their planned route of going to the city of Crossings. Crossings is the epicenter of the plague, so the PCs had to turn south. This led them to the village of Asylum and a new adventure. If the PCs continue to grow in power, the difficulty of dealing with the Demon Lord’s plague will also go up.
Of course, not every campaign wants to rocket toward world ending events. But on a simple level, having a few NPCs enact plans and carry out those plans if the PCs don’t stop them can greatly enhance the lived in feeling of your setting. Introduce a rival band of adventurers and have them take on a job the PCs pass up and return to the tavern to brag and spend their loot. Have the corrupt mayor continue to buy up all the properties in the neighborhood the PCs call home. Have the necromancer continue to build her undead army. Eventually, the sheer scope of what some of the NPCs are doing will interfere with what the PCs want to accomplish. Conflict, which drives most RPGs, will naturally follow.
In SotDL, the group has a goblin and an elf, both faeries and both on very different ends of the faerie spectrum. I plan to introduce the machinations of the Goblin King into the setting and see what happens. The plague sweeping across the human kingdoms may inspire him to have goblins take over empty human homes and settlements as the plague claims more victims. Eventually, this will make life more difficult for the PCs because goblins will not be able to produce the food, weapons, armor, and gear they need to adventure. What happens next will be up to the PCs. If they wait too long to act, the shadow of the Demon Lord will overtake them and they may well see the end of their world.
If you aren’t sure what your NPCs might do next consider reaching out to some of your friends not in your current campaign and asking them what they would do with the power and possessions of one of your NPCs. They might surprise you with devious ideas you hadn’t considered which you can then spring on your unsuspecting players.
Let your NPCs live lives of their own. Eventually, what the PCs want will interfere with what the NPCs want. And new adventures and exciting conflict will spring from that opposed interaction like a surprise attack from an unexpected quarter.
