The Bombshell

Originally Published March 16th 2021

When I run games I often wonder what will be the defining feature of the campaign. Having a moment or idea that defines the campaign can lead to a strong and satisfying narrative understanding of the campaign for everyone involved.

For me, however, this sort of setup isn't easily achieved. I like games where the players, are the parts of a larger whole, not the sort of people who shake the foundation of the world unless they have really earned it. On top of that, I value player character agency above all else, instead of having a set adventure path ready I have many many possibilities prepped and ready to be encountered.

One may ask how do you get a strong defining aspect of a game that you are unsure of even the most basic outcomes of, and for that, I have made the bombshell method.

A bombshell is an event that radically changes how the world functions, this can be infrastructural, political, supernatural, scientific, or even medical. As long as It changed the fundamental assumptions of the world it is a bombshell.

For example, if you are running a game where you are playing low-time crooks in early 20th century Illinois the passing of the Volstead act would be a bombshell. If you were game of political intrigue in the city-state of Balic, the establishment of the free city of Tyr would be a bombshell. The bombshell does not dictate a specific action, it does not require the ring of power to be thrown into mount doom it simply changes the expectation of the world.

When using a bombshell in-game at the start of a campaign I make a list of things that could happen that would affect the steady state of the world. After a few months of in-game time, I roll on the table to see what event happens. It's just that simple.