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One of the reasons we become GMs is our love of the story. Many of us are readers of fiction and non-fiction alike. In all these stories, we find characters we love and a few we hate. When we are building a campaign for our tables, we draw on these stories for inspiration. Sometimes we want to include these in our game, but how?
First, do not be married to the element you want to use. When you use a setting, character, or even a plot from a previously written story, it may not fit perfectly in your own campaign. Some changes will most likely need to be made. Perhaps that forest setting will need to become an ocean, or the dangerous succubus will need to become a siren. Second, you must be okay with what the players do. They may completely ignore what excites you about the element you use. Even if they show interest, it may not be at the level you had hoped. A big bad for the players to fight may get walked over when the encounter happens. Finally, realize that it may not work at all. Things just do not fit all the time, or the players never get to that part of the campaign. You are not a bad GM if you cannot get a plot or side quest to take root, the players just had a different plan. In this case, you can save it for later, tucking it into your tool box. Perhaps you’ll be able to pull it out another time. Remember, this is a collective story building game. You, as the GM, are there to guide the plot and NPCs that are involved. You also do all the reactions and consequences to your players’ actions. This is a lot to juggle, so don’t allow one element to cause the game to stutter. Be prepared to save that which you want to include for another session.
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I do not like this excuse. I mean, it could fly the first time you do something that the other players question, but you cannot use it every time. At some point your character must grow. Continuing to use this as an excuse to do off-the-wall stuff will cause the party to lose cohesion, and will eventually break the trust between players. YES, PLAYERS.
As a GM, I cannot completely control this action, it is up to the players to come up with alternative actions that would still fit with their character. If the first instinct is just to do the same thing that is always done (because that is what your character would do), then it is time to expand your character’s tool box. If you are stuck, talk to the GM, they will help you with ideas. There are definite times that one can use this excuse that will not be detrimental to the group. These are most commonly found in social interactions. Being brash, telling secrets, not sharing enough, becoming recluse after a certain encounter, etc. Allow the time for the other characters to bring it up and ask questions to eventually reveal more in depth backstory. It is exciting to build those relationships between characters, and will draw in others to do the same. Probably the most important question to ask yourself is why? Why does your character do that? Then think long and hard on some other things. What can get them to do something different? How do others pull you out of the path of self-destruction, or chaos? And…are you, the player, willing to change how your character acts? All of these questions need to have some answers, nothing elaborate or in depth is needed, but the foundations need to be there. And if the answer to the last question is “no,” you may want to rethink the personality of your character. Hopefully, over some time, you will come to say, “That’s what my character would have done.” The time my mind is most active is right before sleep. The joy of my head hitting the pillow at night is undeniable, but the flash of images and ideas that fly through at that moment is enough to keep anyone awake. How do I navigate this? Well, I don’t really.
I let those thoughts just play out. Perhaps there is a good story to be written, or another plot hook to throw at my players. Sometimes my thoughts turn into mini-movies that play out in my imagination, while others just nag until I get up and write them down. As these go flying about, I do my best to discern which can be used for novels versus those used for a campaign. Often the characters (PCs and NPCs) take center stage in these ideas. Watching a plot unfold before me, I gain a deeper understanding of my own, make-believe world. I am able to plan out where they may go and what may happen, usually over a couple different options (of course, there is always the possible third option only a player will come up with…nothing is foolproof). Anything they don’t encounter gets put in the tool box for later. When other characters are involved, this takes on a whole other level. I can usually glean from this a new protagonist for my story, and an antagonist to go with it. Plots and schemes run rampant about how internal and external issues could be resolved. This is the imagination where a novel is born. If you find yourself thinking about characters, plots, locations, or even aspects of these, consider writing them down. Who knows, you may also come up with a novel. Or, perhaps, gain more confidence in running a homebrew world yourself. It’s a little nerve racking to think I could run a panel. I am hardly an expert at anything (even what I went to college for). If others wish to glean what knowledge or experience I have in the subject, I am willing to share, just don’t quote me on it.
When we finished up a convention this past spring, I let those who put it all together know I was willing to run a panel about RPGs. Now they are working on putting together their schedule of panels and workshops. I have talked it out with my group and decided to go ahead and put in a form to add me to their schedule (not just wait for them to have an unfilled slot). Of course, I have a lot to say about many things, hence this blog, but what do I talk about for an hour? Of all the things I chat about, I find I am most passionate about rules. Many of these GM Corners are about being flexible with the rules. Regardless of system, they are only guidelines that provide a reference for character creation and social interactions, but are mostly for combat. RPGs stem from the old war games mixed with our imaginative play from childhood. This combination provides a plethora of situations that are impossible for any system to cover, so they give rules for generalized scenarios and hope for the best. Some systems have gone too far, in my opinion, providing rules on whether or not the first test was successful and by how much. Even these systems give autonomy to the GM though. On occasion, I’ve been known to just roll d100 and say there is a x% chance of success or failure. I save this for a quick response most of the time and I would call it a homebrew rule. If you are sitting around a table, you have homebrew rules. Some of them are discussed and decided upon by the whole group, while others just happen. Most of them relate to game play, while a few are probably about table etiquette. However you choose to play, even if it is strictly by the rules, if you and your group are having fun, that is what matters most. |
AuthorJodie 
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April 2025
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