While my last article (here) covered how to build a new world from the ground-up, this time I’m going to cover how to give your own spin to a pre-existing world. While this article, like others, was written with a Fantasy setting in mind, you can utilize some of these practices for any setting you’re working in!
Do Your Research
This sounds like a no-brainer, but hit the books (or e-docs) before you start tinkering in an established universe. The most obvious resource to start with is the Dungeon Master’s Guide (if you’re running Dungeons and Dragons) or an equivalent DM/GM reference document. While these materials mostly contain the rules for creating encounters, loot, etc., you will also find some great information about the world you’re using. For example, the Dungeon Master’s Guide and Player’s Handbook gives you great insight into the current Pantheon, history, and civilizations of the Forgotten Realms and Greyhawk. If you read my previous article, you’ll remember these were the pieces I believe take the most time when establishing a new world.
For extra credit, read some published novels or short-stories in the game setting. My first real exposure to the Forgotten Realms came from R.A. Salvatore’s The Cleric Quintet (link here), a series I still use as reference when I create campaigns in that setting. You’ll be surprised by how immersed you can become in a setting when you read compelling literature.
Your own immersion will eventually rub off on your players in unsuspecting yet incredible ways.
Blend the Familiar and the Unknown
Now that you’ve done some research, it’s time to make your mark. Knowing your story is non-canonical to your setting is easily the most liberating facet of DMing in a known universe. Want your band of misfit smugglers to face off against Darth Chewbacca? Or finding a mystical cure for Elminster, now turned into a defenseless infant? Go crazy!
Playing in an established setting allows you to turn the familiar into the unknown, blending the players’ prior conceptions with the fascination of new possibilities. Whether you break convention or reinforce them, don’t hesitate to teach the old dog some new tricks, so to speak.
A word of warning, however, on this topic. Plan your alterations carefully, as a direct betrayal of the players’ preconceptions with no major payoff is a lose-lose situation. To clarify, while I think Darth Chewie would be an awesome bananas story hook, you’ve got to make this revelation believable to the audience. In the known continuity, Chewbacca is neither evil nor Force Sensitive, so how did this come about? The answer “He just is, deal with it” leaves too many questions and a foul taste in anyone’s mouth.
Final Thoughts
This article is much shorter than the last because I believe it serves as supplemental material to my previous discussion. No matter how you design your world, on your own or using an established universe, you want to breathe as much life into the specifics as possible. Give your players a solid foundation, and they’ll build stories, consequences, and unforgettable moments right before your eyes.
Blessed be,
Matthew Wulf
Want to stay up to date with the latest happenings on Critical Hit Guru? Click the Follow button and type the email address you want to receive notifications for new posts!
We’re now on Twitter and Facebook! Search for @CriticalHitGuru on Twitter and the Critical Hit Guru page on Facebook to chat, ask questions, or just stay in the loop.
Amethyst Wulf Games 