Still working on my GenCon game – Dungeons Incorporated. Next up are the Bad Guys.
The PCs are just about done so it’s time to start thinking about the Bad Guys.
When I first put together the idea for a Con game, the basics of the plot are there, but I expect them to change. They have to – I don’t have all the characters fleshed out. Six characters, plus all the bad guys means there’s a lot of motivation that hasn’t been explored after making a 200 character description for the GenCon event system.
<aside>Thank the maker for the 200 character limit. It boils your concept down to the minimum. Six PCs in a four hour adventure divided by fun and the spotlight for everyone – you better be able to throw out what doesn’t matter</aside>
Bad Guys. My favorite part of the adventure. In this case the bad guy “literally” provides the call to action. Their dungeon has been compromised, and the PCs have to come and fix things – it’s still under warranty.
Why did the bad guy put the dungeon there. Why did they hire the PCs in the first place. What do they expect to get out of the dungeon. If they don’t get it – what happens.
The process of asking brings more background and richness to the adventure. Even if it never gets used, background details provide depth and motivation for both the BBEG and any supporting players. With the possibility of three different sides (PCs, BBEG, and invaders) there are a ton of background motivations that can come into play. Ultimately it’s the PCs that determine which are the most important. But, having a deep well to draw from means cohesiveness and immersion for the players. As a GM I know that it doesn’t matter how prepared I am, the PCs will do something I don’t expect – given. However, if I know what the basic background motivation is for (in my case) the two sets of bad guys, thinking on my feet gets easier.
Motivation for the BBEG – done.
Motivation for the invaders – done.
Next step in creation, individual encounter design. Dungeon rooms – bring on the graph paper.
Thanks for reading. Let me know if you have any comments.
“As a GM I know that it doesn’t matter how prepared I am, the PCs will do something I don’t expect – given. However, if I know what the basic background motivation is for … bad guys, thinking on my feet gets easier.”
That sounds about right to me.
“Thank the maker for the 200 character limit. It boils your concept down to the minimum.”
I also agree with your comment on the 200-character limit for the game concept. It’s part of the concept of creative limitation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_limitation), which is not a new thing, as far as I can tell. I frequently use limits when I’m trying to really think outside the box.