Dungeon Master: Success and Failure

I've touched on it before, but success and failure are important parts of stories in general. In table top role-playing games it is also important to consider success and failure. Because of the nature of the topic, this article in particular won't be based on one system. Instead, the discussion will be focused on story telling from a Dungeon Master perspective.

The Spectrum of Success and Failure

All too often, I see table top role-playing where there are really two options for the characters. Either they will succeed in their goal or they will die. However, there are many more options begging to be explored. If the goal of the players is to prevent the summoning of an ancient evil, how cool (and extremely deadly) would it be if the players failed? Of course, I'm not saying a Dungeon Master should rail road their players to fail. However, if the players' choice, luck and situation result in this possibility, don't be afraid to walk down that road. Setbacks and failures leading up to a final, well-earned success make for a compelling story.

There are other examples that can be listed such as gaining or losing the backing of a powerful character, finding incorrect information and finding an item and using a fake to fool the enemy. The key in these situations for me is to ask myself, “What would the consequence of the players actions be?” You can list out the big picture success and failures, but subtle touches can also help and make the successes and failures seem organic. From my experience it isn't easy to predict all possible ways to success and fail. Moving events as the players make decisions is part of the Dungeon Master's job and makes for a more engaging game.

Risk vs Reward

The scope of failure and success should reflect the risk and reward of the thing being attempted. It should also make sense in context. Being taken prisoner probably isn't a possibility when being attacked by an undead army. The rewards need to also make sense in context. When the city is being threatened with an imminent undead invasion, the reward for helping a shop keeper with their rat problem (bonus points for making the side quest having Pied Piper references) probably shouldn't somehow advance the goal of stopping the undead army.

It's Not Always Obvious

Whether the players are succeeding or not isn't always obvious. The players will not have perfect knowledge of their situation. If a fake item was placed for them to find, their seeming success turns into a failure (with the added bonus of losing time thinking they had the real thing). At the same time, any situation where time is the party's enemy naturally falls into this kind of situation. When the players have multiple options and select one, there is an opportunity cost based on the options they didn't take. Taking a risky choice for more rewards could end or work against their goals while the success from the very easy option may not be enough to ultimately win. Keeping these kinds of ideas in mind can help make a more compelling shared story for your group (I find these kinds of things more necessary in groups that have more experience and as such may find something too similar to a previous campaign stale). Sometimes the players success may bring about events that they didn't want (reaching the end of a dungeon may put them in a position where they can accidentally release an ultimate evil on the world).

Timing

Some rewards from successes and penalties from failures will take time to notice. If everything is handed immediately after the event, you run the risk of seeming to game-y and as a result break the story and immersion of your world. Some events may happen to the players in anticipation of a success and failure as well (if a local figure knows you reputation, they may try to send you on a quest and pay half up front).

Death

I feel it is important to talk about character death when talking about this topic. There are some games I have played in where the Dungeon Master did not like to kill off player characters. Generally, that is not my style but at the same time it can work. However, there has to be some kind of player failure. If losing a fight causes the party to be taken prisoner for a week that later stops them from accomplishing their goal, there is still a consequence. If it is your style not to kill off players, fine, but you will need to provide tension for the players through some other manner. This is particularly true in combat. Since the players will know they can't be killed, a challenging fight will not have nearly the same tension or reason to run away (one such attempt is to make character death happen in the event of some total party kills but not if only one party member went down).

Examples

Here I list a few results that could occur during the course of play. I hope they inspire you.

• The players fail to assassinate a target. As a result, the target now has a scar and added mannerism (e.g. limp) as well as an unhealthy obsession with finding who had done this to them. Upon finding them, any of their normal reason is put aside in pursuit of revenge.
• The players have consistently help stop the plans of a group and their part is known. As a result, assassination attempts have occurred multiple times. They started as knife wielding thugs in the streets but have intensified to poisoning attempts and setting the inn they were staying at on fire.
• The players have managed to sneak into a wizard's lair and destroy their work but did not manage to kill the wizard. Since the wizard is still alive, they can rebuild their work after a given period of time. Can also be substituted for a lich.
• Upon entering an ancient and decrepit tomb, the party accidentally triggered a cave in through repeated mistakes during excavation. They now have to dig out before the air runs out.
• On one of their adventures, the players accidentally released an evil onto the world even after reading the large amount of warning signs that say not to. This is usually used as the start of a campaign.
• The players successfully prevent a course of action of a powerful figure to the point they may never attempt it again (usually by destroying an item). The powerful figure may have a strong hatred or positive feelings towards the party (the figure may realize they were wrong or be in awe of the party's accomplishments).
• The players try to steal an item but in the aftermath of their failed escape caused the item to be damaged.