Step 1 for Writing Super Hero Adventures

I’ve played a lot of games in my years with the tabletop RPG hobby. I’ve Called Cthulhu, fought a Dungeon in a Dragon, and sailed the 7th Sea as a pirate. I’ve traveled to Worlds most Savage and even told a Tale around the Loop a time or two. With all of those games and all of those characters I have never had as much fun as when I sit down and strap on my imaginary spandex to take on the role of a super hero. I love being able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, taking down melodramatic supervillains, and grappling with obstacles that would shake the heart of even the most stalwart paladin.

That being said, being the Game Master in this genre is definitely a challenge, and can seem overwhelming if you’re coming from a game genre that is more interested in telling players what they can’t do, rather than can. In the following piece I will provide some advice that will help you in the first part of designing a super hero adventure. This is the first in a series of articles covering super hero adventures, from design to execution.

1. Purpose: The first question I ask myself before I sit down to brainstorm my ideas is, “What is the purpose of this session?” Is this a convention one-shot? Is it a demo of the RPG you designed? Is this episode one of a new campaign? Is it episode 323 of an ongoing campaign? Narrowing down the reason for the game you’re writing is crucial before you start thinking up ideas about it. If a game is only going to last 4 hours for strangers at Gen Con, your needs are going to be different than running for your friends at home. This will help you come up with ideas that are either self-contained or can lead to an ongoing story. If you only have one session, you don’t want to come up with such an elaborate plot that the heroes can’t realistically investigate and solve in one go. Likewise if you’re running an overarching campaign, you don’t want every story thread to be wrapped up at the end of the game. This is also generally where I ask myself if this is going to be a custom story (ala my Titan City Chronicles series) or a licensed game (like our Justice League Dark Gen Con stream from last year.)
2. Brainstorming/Synopsis: Once you’ve sussed out your purpose for the scenario, it’s time to start brainstorming so you can come up with a one-two sentence synopsis about the story. That synopsis is critical because it will trim all of the excess off your idea and focus it onto the meat of the story. This phase looks similar for me if I’m running a custom game versus a licensed one.

   I’ll begin by going over my world-building notes (or a DC/Marvel wiki about the characters I want to showcase) or my campaign notes to see if there is anything that jumps out at me that I simply HAVE to tell a story about. This can be a location, a character, an object, a situation, anything that jumps out at my lizard brain and says tell my story. Once I have this picked out, I’ll go to a journal or open a Word document and write down that thing or person, then I’ll do a stream of consciousness exercise. I’ll write whatever comes to mind as I’m mulling over that concept. I’ll do this, uninterrupted for five-ten minutes and then step back to review it once the time is up. Using the words I’ve vomited all over the page, I’ll begin constructing my synopsis. For example, I’m running a Sinister Six scenario at Origins this year. After my brainstorming led me to, “Wouldn’t it be neat to fight Symbiote Spider-Man,” I came up with the following synopsis: “The Sinister Six are all that stand between New York and an army of ravenous symbiotes.”

   It’s short, it’s sweet, and it tells me everything I need to know and research to begin laying the foundations of my adventure. Armed with the synopsis I can move on to my next step.

3. Research: So now that we have our idea, we can really dig into it. This is where I will deep dive into the resources I mentioned above. Looking through back issues of Sinister Six and the Marvel wiki in this instance. This information forms the backbone of my design decisions. If an event I want to cover in a game has already happened in canon, I’ll look through it in depth to make sure I know what has come before and how I can put my own spin on it. If it’s a one-shot I’ll look through the roster of various hero (or villain) teams and start selecting who the pregen characters will be, or I’ll decide to allow people to bring their own characters at this stage.

   If I’m designing a campaign scenario, I’ll consult my campaign journal to see which plots or subplots I haven’t touched on in a while and try to find a way to forge a connection between the last story arc and the next one. I like to do my supers game in arcs of 3-6 adventures, so I’ll begin brainstorming this next connection around the halfway point of the current arc, so I can make sure we have a driving point and ensure that we have an organic hand off from story to story.

4. Characters: The next step is to finalize the PCs who are going to be going through your super caper. If you’re designing an adventure for your ongoing campaign, this step is super simple. You’re going to keep using the characters who have been in the story so far, unless someone is switching characters or replacing a lost hero. In that case take this step to brainstorm how those new characters are joining the team. Extra points if their introduction is tied to the story arc or event that is coming up in the next session!

   If I am bringing pre-gens I’ll also decide if I want to go narrow or wide with character options. Some scenarios I’ll bring 80+ pre-gens so players have the chance to play that one super hero they’ve always wanted to. Other times I’ll narrow it 6 and ensure that each of those characters has a specific spot to shine in the encounters I’m preparing. If you bring a ton of pre-gens, it is important to make sure your scenario (or your GMing style) is flexible enough to allow creative problem solving. For example, if you’re running a DC game and the party is Superman, Supergirl, Superboy, Krypto the Superdog, and Mon-El they’re going to approach the game a lot differently than if everyone picks a member of the Bat Family. I’ll go over how to design adventures to accommodate a wide variety of abilities in the following article.

So now we have a purpose, we’ve brainstormed, we’ve done our research, and we’ve selected our PCs. Now it’s time to begin designing the actual adventure itself. I will cover how to go through this design in another post next week or the one after! For now, start gathering those ideas and brainstorming new nefarious ways to challenge your heroes. Thank you for reading and may all your hits be crits.

Five Things Your Gamemaster Wishes You Would Do

Game Mastering is one of the hardest ways you can have fun. It is a job with an inherently large amount of work both during session and outside of the game. There’s adventure prep (either writing their own or modifying a module), character coordination, handout creation, and/or research. Some have to then load all of that stuff into the virtual tabletop or print a bunch of stuff off to bring along to game night. Even with all of that work, there’s no guarantee that the session will go well. Even after all these years, every time I sit down to run a game, there’s this nervous feeling that the players won’t enjoy the game I’ve prepared. However, it isn’t wholly the GMs fault or responsibility for the game to go well. Players have just as much, if not more, of an impact on creating memorable adventures or campaigns.

To that end, I’ve compiled a list of five things that players can do to help ensure their games are engaging and fun. Not only that, if you do these things, it will make your GM feel happy and appreciated.

1. Take Notes: This might just be a personal preference, but nothing makes me feel more secure in my storytelling at the table than seeing at least one of the player’s taking notes. It shows me that they are present in the moment and that they are approaching the collaborative story we’re telling with an eye for detail and an interest in contributing. This is especially helpful if they run into a NPC that I need to make up a name for on the fly, or if they go down a rabbit hole I have to heavily improvise. Sometimes I’ll even ask a player after the session if they can send me their notes from the night, just so I can keep those adjustments or new details accurate from game to game. I also appreciate when players volunteer to do a recap based on their notes at the beginning of a session. It helps me clue in to their train of thought and let’s me know which details they thought were important enough to jot down.
2. Give Your Character Flaws: It is difficult for a GM to deal with a character who is inhumanly perfect or incorruptible. We love to find the things that make your character tick and introduce drama that relates to their flaws. The flaws can be physical, mental, social, emotional, anything that adds realism and complication to your character. Trying to work around characters without flaws is hard, not only from a storytelling perspective, but from a player engagement perspective as well. If you never feel like your character is challenged or in danger, the game will become boring very quickly. This requires a level of trust between the player and GM, but if you feel like your GM is out to get you, it’s time to find a new GM.
3. Know How Your Character Works: There are a ton of rules in any TTRPG, and no one should be expected to memorize all of them. The GM should be proficient enough with the rules that they can be a fair and competent moderator. That doesn’t mean you should rely only on the GM to know what’s going on in the game. One thing you can do to make your GM’s life easier, is to know the rules that pertain to your character. Is your character a spellcaster? Take notes on what certain spells do. Learn how many actions you get a turn. What do various damage conditions do? These are all things that you should be familiar with so you can be the most optimized version of your character. In this same category, you should be prepared for your turn when your turn comes up. If you need to look up the effects of a spell, do that before it is your turn in initiative. Be present in combat encounters so you can immediately say, “I want to do this,” when the GM declares it’s your turn. If everyone does that, combat encounters will be more exciting and cinematic.
4. Work with Your GM: This is perhaps the most important point on this list, and it is something you can do in EVERY aspect of a campaign. You should be collaborating with the GM, and the other players honestly, from session zero to character creation to game night. I’ll break those down further below:
   1. Session Zero: Be prepared to listen to the genre, setting, and tone the GM establishes in their pitch for the game and then make a character that aligns with that vision. Ask open questions: “What are some of your influences for this game? What kind of races and classes are you picturing for this campaign? How does magic work in this world? Is anything not permitted?” Tell the GM if there are things you think sound exciting about the series and things that you think are less exciting. Give the GM a list of things that you would be interested in seeing based on that session zero pitch. Ask if you can collaborate on some world-building pertaining to your character if you have some ideas that can enhance their idea.
   2. Character Creation: Make a character that fits the game. There’s nothing more frustrating for a GM than saying, “I want to do a four-color comic series” and then having Grimdark Punish Daddy show up to join the party. Work with your GM to establish ties to the campaign world. Come up with an interesting backstory with opportunities for the GM to weave your character in the fabric of the story. Give your character some goals and open some possible subplots for the GM. The more ammunition a GM has the more often they can design scenes or whole subplots that center on your character. Also ask the GM what method they are using for character creation and have them authorize any homebrew options you want to bring to the table.
   3. During Game: Grab plot hooks when they arrive. Don’t leave your GM out to dry if they clearly have something they want you to go after, especially in the first few sessions of a new campaign. As the story goes on and the characters come to life/establish chemistry there will be more room for “free-roaming” but if you aren’t willing to engage with the story, there’s a good chance you’re disrupting the session for everyone. Also be present in the game, even if it isn’t your turn. Ask questions, TAKE NOTES, narrate your actions, actively listen to the GM and your fellow players. Also if the GM is giving flavor text, please don’t interrupt them to say you have darkvision when they say it’s dark in the corridor. We know you have darkvision, we’re trying to set the mood!
5. Share the Spotlight: This is one that can be hard for new GMs and players to grasp, but this is a group story-telling activity. It’s not the GM reading their novel to you, and it’s not your one-man talent show. The game is at its best when everyone gets the chance to shine. If you see something that is clearly meant for another character (a magic item, a NPC, a story beat, etc.) let that player take the lead. If it feels like you’ve been talking a lot, give someone else a chance to chime in. Ask your fellow players what they think about the plot twist the GM just threw at you. Remember that conversations are not a competition, and actually listen to your comrades, rather than thinking up the next super clever thing you’re going to say so you can “win.” This also applies to the GM. If the GM is giving a villainous monologue, don’t interrupt them by shooting them in the face. Let the GM have that moment, they spent time writing that little speech, and I promise they’re not planning to end the monologue with a disintegration spell.
6. BONUS! I know I said this list was only five, but it’s my list and if I want to give an extra gift I can! The bonus thing your GM would appreciate is simple, but goes SO far. If you’re having a good time in a game, please let us know. We love to hear that a session was fun, or what you enjoyed about game night. It makes us feel like all of the hard work is worth it!

So there you have it. Six things that you can do as a player to make your GMs life easier. This list is far from comprehensive so please feel free to comment below any other tips you have for your fellow players.