This technique was inspired by two main sources. The first is Robin Laws’ The Gaean Reach, which enlists players to define the main villain of the campaign and why they deserve to die. The second, which was inspired by the same work, is Return To Dark Tower by 9th Level Games. Players can use one of the Adversaries from the board game as their main bad guy, but they can also create their own and define the evil plots they put in motion.
The Game Master should take some time to flip through the game’s antagonist section. Choose about half a dozen bad guys, especially ones that have compelling art. As the players are wrapping up character creation, pass out the art to the players and ask them to answer a question about their characters with one of the art pieces.
The question: How did this creature make you become an adventurer?
The answer could be something direct, like the creature killed a family member. It could also be a bit more abstract like a legend the character heard about the monster that they want to investigate. It could even be something more mysterious and open-ended like it keeps showing up in the character’s dreams for some reason. It might even be simply because the player likes the art and wants to work with the GM on a way to incorporate it into the game.
Once the players have discussed their motivations, the GM should incorporate elements into the narrative of the campaign. Reports of the orc tribe that cast out one of the PCs raiding settlements are more likely to perk up player ears than a mysterious stranger in a tavern asking to hire heroes. Hearing a rumor about the treasure linked to the dragon another PC picked makes for a bit of a mystery. These choices don’t have to be antagonistic ones exclusively. Players looking for a long lost relative might find them as prisoners of one of the choices or perhaps unexpectedly, in service of one.
Game Masters using this technique can put out some choices and have the players select a single main villain but I prefer letting each player pick one bad guy from a variety of power levels. This allows the GM to shift narrative focus from player to player throughout the campaign and gives the heroes short term goals as well as a main antagonist. By the time the players have vanquished one of the lesser foes, they’ve hopefully installed the bonds that will keep them together as bigger challenges await. It also leaves room for the GM to build their own bad guys or let ones emerge from play.
This process can also take some of the work out of games with heavy storylines and settings.The players could choose between factions, personalities or even locations. The player and game master work together to weave the character backstory into the border setting without asking the player to read a novel or wiki to understand what’s going on. Game masters can choose the setting elements they love the most and present them to the players through evocative art.
Adding this process to session zero takes some of the burden of world creation away from the GM. It also gives a tantalizing preview of the campaign to the players. A good villain makes a great story but it doesn;t have to be a complete surprise to be effective.
