Dungeon Meta

## **For Whom the Dice Roll**

A campaign setting is a tricky proposition for DMs. It defines places with hazards and characters with plans. Maybe not the player's characters, but people important to the plot. They take the initiative, for better or worse, and the player's characters become part of the cascade of events that follow.

From the old dungeon crawl modules of yore to complex narratives like Dragonlance that dragged players through a defined story arc, D&D has seen a range of narrative styles. The dangers ranged from sparking the rise of murder-hobos to being locked into a clockwork universe where character actions didn't matter.

Our modern sensibility seeks a balance, one that is perhaps closer to real life. We seek to change our fate and control our destiny... *but there are still fates and destinies*.

### **Ominous Portent**

Despite prophets and prognostications, this isn't a clockwork universe. So how do some prophecies hold? Social momentum: history is not a series of discrete, self-contained moments. Rather, there is a flow; a chain of events already in motion.

Even changing some pivotal actor on the world stage would only alter the course, not stop the will of the people following the leader – *especially if that person represents an ongoing social movement*. Take one out and another will step up.

The player's characters are caught in that turbulent flow.

### **The Meaning of the Meta**

This is where the campaign's "game clock" begins.

Every character's actions should reverberate from the moment their word or deed is manifest. The smallest effect now can be the influence that changes the world in the future – saving it or destroying it. This is the motivation behind everything that Stonehearth does – and should be evident in every decision the players make as well.

This is also why the leadership of the House of Stonehearth isn't necessarily the greatest wizard or the most capable fighter. Rather, they are the ones with the clearest vision of the Ethic of the Light, the most compassion driving their *Duty to Act*, and the most discipline in plotting a course that keeps those two together. Make no mistake, they would be a boss fight – but it is their leadership that makes them the leaders, not their To Hit bonuses.

House Stonehearth is analyzing intelligence from all over Faerûn, strategizing the steps necessary to realize the greatest good for the greatest number. This is the basis of their plans, and the motivation behind the steps they take in intelligence or direct action operations.

## **The Two Campaign Types**

The overall scenario here is about the effect of Primal Magic on the Forgotten Realms. In that respect, that's where the overall setting gets its name: the Primal Magic Campaign, or "PMC."

The effects manifest most clearly on the Sword Coast, embodied in the applied arcane science of the House Stonehearth. In the PMC, Stonehearth becomes the catalyst and the agent of change, disrupting the flow of "the way it's always been..."

The PMC is so massive, however, that most quest chains really fall into two parallel paths. If you're a writer, think of them as plot lines weaving through each other.

### **Stonehearth Campaign**

* "Stonehearth Campaign" storylines feature the players in roles where they're carrying the banner of House Stonehearth, and usually directly in the Arms. Think of the Mobile Infantry, the Guard, Rangers, or Marines in direct counter-troll operations. The majority of the tick-tock of the game clock comes from actions taken in the Stonehearth Campaign (even if the players are neck-deep in a Primal Campaign).

### **Primal Campaign**

* "Primal Campaign" storylines are typically where Allies shine. This is any quest, mission, objective or task where the player isn't directly carrying out Stonehearth orders. Often on the periphery of the Marquisate, or well beyond it, this will often be the way that primal magic affects characters in a way that connects to their history or personal development.
* Perfect for the Primal Campaign concept, It would be a romp to take any premade scenarios, such as *Princes of the Apocalypse*, the *Tomb of Annihilation* or some flavor of a *Dragon Heist under Waterdeep* – and run them with the adjusted rules and roles of Primal Magic. No question, with that level of firepower, a campaign would go faster.
	+ That's one of the keys for Primal Magic, especially with characters who buy into the Stonehearth Initiative: *Change the World*. This isn't just saving bystanders from a cancerous evil, spreading out from its center of dominance, but rather, to be part of a movement that will tie up those distant, impossible threats that have always been hinted yet rarely addressed.
	+ *For thoughts on how to adapt these campaigns into Primal Campaign mode:*
		- **Princes of the Apocalypse**
		- **Tomb of Annihilation**

## **A DM's Expectations**

We've sprinkled mentions of the tempo of the game, and challenge levels the players will face, and *all of that* boils down to what the DM can deliver. What type of table is the DM used to running? What's the GM's comfort zone? What relationship do you set with the players and how do you keep the game on track?

We're glad you asked...

### **Don't Panic**

It seems odd to say it, especially when there are 42 rule additions, but this isn't *Adventurer's League*. We want clever play, that's going to be necessary for upper-level survival, but the primal magic campaign is a laboratory. The whole nature of Primal Magic disintegrates the concept of parity and fair fights. If you've ever been in a fight, that should be somewhat of a relief.

However, if we take away the traditional metrics of "how long should a fight last?" or even what actually constitutes a fight, how do we judge our progress? How do we know we're not just playing a broken game? There are a few strategies for handling this, and all them meld into one concept...

### **Growing Expectations**

As the DM, we manage the overall experience of the game by setting expectations, then being the referee for the players to meet or exceed them. From the Point of View of setting goals, objectives or tasks, it's crystal clear. We can provide a list and let the characters check off 5, then 10, then 50... and feel great about it. Then they realize they're in jeopardy of losing it all if they don't reach 500 or 5,000.

## Great Expectations

Did I just read 500 objectives? Believe it or not, you did. The overall goals for the Primal Magic Campaign are grand, indeed. The idea is to unify constructive civilization around the planet and put its collective resources together against threats that would normally be unassailable background plot points.

This means, if your're going to change the world while you're still alive, that you're going to have to be a bit more powerful to do it. Primal magic provides that power. While the spellcasters get direct benefit, the melee classes get training and equipment benefits that make them the equal.

Ultimately, it's the engineers that will put together the solutions that can actually take down the godlike threats, and by that point, the wizards and fighters will be a support crew to keep the engineers alive long enough to get a complex solution into place.

Much of this campaign will be in the unification stage – and it has to move fast. The Biggest of the Big Bads are also on the clock, and they're gunning for Stonehearth. Fortunately, for those of whom much is asked, much is given. The players will be overpowered for any individual campaign, but this isn't about any one shining success. This is about the fate of two intertwined worlds and the whole realm they inhabit…

Meeting objectives is a little like popping bubble wrap: the sense of progression is addictive. If the game always stays at the same tempo, though, it can slip into grind mode. There's a strategy for that, and for every game metric.

Say the players bring their own meta-game, like they're aspiring to be nobility themselves, and want to build a castle in the Marquisate or the Commonwealth. Now they're bringing a gold or reputation-farm meta-mentality to the table. Is that bad? Not at all, if that's what motivates them, but it boils down to meeting everyone's expectations that's spending time at the table.

It's true in any campaign: as the party goes through their progression, expectations will grow and change. In a campaign as far-ranging as the PMC, they're likely to change multiple times. Here's the key for making sure that you, the DM, as well as all the players at your table are having a good time: *expectation management*.

### **Expectation Management**

Feelings of success or failure, victory or defeat, *are entirely subjective*. It depends on what the person set out to do: their own personal metrics for whether something was worth the time and effort. Having a realistic goal to begin with is a critical first step.

Communication is the next critical step. The DM needs to articulate what kind of quests there are (goals, objectives and tasks), as well as the kinds of conditions and criteria that will shape those quests. The Players need to create a character they're comfortable with, as well as be able to share with the DM when the tempo is too fast or too slow.

Compromise is the final critical element of a successful table (or successful anything, really). The DM may not be piloting their own character through the scenario, but they are the biggest "players" of the game. Each of the rest of the players, however, are now guiding alternate version of themselves and the emotional investment can be *intensely* personal. This is where setting and guiding expectations, and communicating around those expectations, help guide everybody at the table to a *compromise*. Find the middle ground where everybody, *including you*, is happy.

## **Strategies for Game Metrics**

There are dozens of little meta-challenges that face game *participants*, whether they're in the role of players or umpires. Here are a few methods that you can use to address some of the challenges that can't be beat by a good roll of the die.

### **The Most Important Thing**

There's a number of reasons that players, or even the DM, could be detached during what is otherwise mortal combat. First of all, make sure that everything is okay with the players (or yourself) *outside* the game world. This is a huge step, but it's part of being a friend. Take them aside, keep it discrete, and ask them if they're okay. Sometimes that person just needs the company, and sometimes they need the support that gaming can bring. Give them a little slack to get through a phase and play it as tight or loose as you need to tend to what's important: *the people at your table*.

### **Making it Matter**

Sometimes, in the thick of a grinding stretch, players can become desensitized to all that they're seeing (or doing). Operational stress shouldn't be a part of the game. It's okay if the character has a thousand-yard stare, but *not the player*.

As the DM, bring the PCs back by adding environmental context. Put a relatable face on the NPCs and maybe share how and why *they* have PTSD. The stakes don't have to be the end of the world to make it matter, they simply have to feel real to the players. The heroes are there to save folk who are just trying to get on with their lives while *the Adversary* has targeted, whether that's to be the next batch of slaves – *or for ethnic cleansing*.

### **SMART Quests**

While Expectation Management is the greatest tool to guide the game experience, the mechanics of setting those expectations comes down to the types of quests the PCs will engage. We need to backup one more step: *what defines the motivations for the quest?* The sense of accomplishment, or the sense of urgency, can only be met if the criteria are met.

* **Goals:** meeting a goal is a sub-campaign worth of effort. This is the broad, categorical outcome of a long, sustained effort. You have a pizza party after meeting a goal. Goals are usually achieved by accomplishing a string of connected objectives.
* **Objectives:** one session at the table can usually knock down an objective or two. The objectives have, or should have, very particular criteria that becomes the basis of successful completion. The objectives that have this criteria are called "SMART objectives."
* **Tasks** are specific jobs needed to complete an objective. In D&D, tasks are often at the level of something that's accomplished by a roll of the dice. This could be a key skill or ability check that's contested or against a Difficulty Class or could be destroying a specific target.

Let's put it together: the goal might be to neutralize the "Midnight Barony" of vampires at the edge of Stonehearth's Barony of Impresk. The objectives might be: 1) *Discover who is in the barony*, then 2) *Discover where the vampires are based*, then 3) *Destroy the nest of vampires*. Dozens of tasks contribute to each objective, from observation checks, to lock-pick checks to individual fights.

Finally, let's look at what makes a SMART Objective. If you haven't guessed from the all-caps, it's a 5-part acronym that will guide good objectives in both D&D and life. We use the most common version of the mnemonic and put it in game terms:

* **S: *Specific*.** The quest can be narrowed to the condition of a single target. That condition could be "possess" or "destroy" or whatever, while target could be a person, location or an object.
* **M: *Measurable*.** This keeps the "specific" honest by attaching a quantifiable metric to it, especially on objectives that are part of a bigger goal. Destroying the Acererak's *Soul Monger* is a measurable condition. Some will have percentages attached, some may be an all-or-nothing (100%) challenge.
* **A: *Achievable*.** It has to be a realistically attainable condition. Defeating a vampire is an achievable objective. Defeating Tiamat is more of a complex goal. Or think about running a sustained conflict: securing all the territory may not be achievable in a single battle may not be achievable, the first key 25% could be realistic.
* **R: *Relevant***. The objective should further the overall goal. Guard the time and resources of the players, if not the characters they're playing.
* **T: *Time-based*.** If it doesn't matter *when* it gets done, then honestly, it doesn't matter *if* it gets done. For the sake of the game narrative alone, and building a sense of urgency in the players and excitement overall, build in time limits and consequences... and realistically, expect the players are going to fail from time to time. What the second cutoff? And the third?

### **Designing Scenarios: Using *Root Cause Analysis***

As you look at the big picture and begin mapping out the characters' operational area, use the RCA tool as you build up realistic NPCs and their motivations, or area conditions. Root Cause Analysis is usually used a trouble-shooting method but let's face it: *you're designing trouble*.

[SOMETHING HAPPENED]

Why did that happen?

* Okay, so what led to that?
	+ And what led to *that*?
		- But that was only a symptom of *this...*
			* And ***this*** is what caused all of *that*.
			* Four isn't always the magical number, but statistically, it's pretty common to event causality. Your RCA may be as shallow or deep as logic dictates.

So, in your head, the characters are picking through the rubble of a burned-out ghost town. That's the seed or story prompt, and you're making the rest up of this scenario up based on that intro. Here's an imperfect example of following causality – but it works well for creating a scenario.

[BURNED OUT, MURDERIZED TOWN]

Why?

*Appears to be a dragon attack...*

* There was a whole town there! What gives?
* *Based on dragon behavior,* *that was an opening statement to surrounding towns*
	+ What kind of psycho opens a conversation with mass murder?
	+ *A red dragon who just claimed the area*.
		- Why did he do that?
		- *Because he's young and staking out new territory*.
			* Why here?
			* *No competition or apparent threat*. (Well, *hello adventurers*)

Each level has consequences that give the scenario emotional impact and narrative details. All of this will be information that the characters pick up as they close in on ridding the area of the fire-breathing bully.

Likewise, the NPCs can use a similar treatment, whether they're villains, heroic allies or everyday folk caught in the crossfire. The "trash" or cannon-fodder may only have one or two levels of causal factors, but that could be the difference between staffing the dungeon with fierce fight-to-the-death cult fanatics or I-need-a-Bandaid-Sorry-Gotta-Go weekend warriors.

More often than not, the expendables know their status and it doesn't earn their employers any special favors. This is true in a fight, when characters are looking for information (via bribery or threats), and so on. Better than half the time, henchmen and even moderately disciplined soldiers will flee if they're losing.