Ten Things Every Game Needs

Whether it's an adventure, a campaign, or a one-shot, there are some things you just shouldn't do without.

Assuming that you’re running some fantasy elf game like Dungeons & Dragons, certain things, I think, are required for a game to function.

What I mean by “required for a game to function” is that the game delivers a fun and engaging experience for both the players and the GM. That once a session ends, the overall takeaway is that it was worth the time and mental effort investment.

Here’s the list up at the top for a quick skim:

1. Things to Discover

2. A Ticking Clock

3. A Weird Little Freak

4. Factions That Want the Same Things, But By Different Means

5. Decisions That Change the Game World Permanently

6. A Hint at Something Larger

7. A Hint at Something Older

8. A Person Connected to One (or More) of the Player Characters

9. Something to Avoid (Until the Right Circumstance)

10. WILD CARD (Something You Enjoy Personally)

Many people online have attempted to codify this into a listicle, so I figured I’d take my own stab at it. These are based on my experiences running one-shots and long-term campaigns. They’re also based on reading innumerable blogs, listening to countless hours of podcasts, and watching… *gasp*… actual plays. Ignore or include everything and anything below at your peril.

One final note: I’m not guaranteeing that your session will be perfect if you treat this like a checklist. Any number of issues (from behavioral to technical) can crop up in a game that are totally outside of your control and ruin the night. But I think you can control these things, so spend some time in your prep schedule getting them right (or at least considering them).

From treasure to secret locations to hidden agendas, a sense of discovery is why many people play these games.

In a world where almost everything we know has been thoroughly explored, explained, and set to expire, it can be a sort of catharsis to be immersed in a fantastic place with mysteries behind every corner.

Here are a few suggestions of things to discover in play:

• A hidden area behind a waterfall leading to a forgotten ruin

• A mysterious NPC that offers unique or limited side quests

• Hidden legendary monsters that grant huge rewards

• Secret societies that can be foiled (or joined)

• Knowledge that would topple (or bolster) a government

Whatever type of game you’re playing, you need something that continues to move in the background despite the players. In some cases, this could be the enemy’s objective. In other cases, it could be holding out until help arrives to relieve the party.

Whatever it is, the players need to know that while the Golden Promise of ttRPGs (you can go anywhere and do anything) is true, there are consequences for ignoring certain groups or events for too long.

Below are some common ways a ticking clock appears in-game:

• A cult will summon a demon by the next full moon

• The smuggler will disappear if the embargo lifts

• Reinforcements are coming, but the horde is at the city gates

• A desperate NPC makes a disastrous decision unless talked down

• The moon will crash into the world in three days

Shamelessly stolen from Brad Kerr on the Between Two Cairns podcast, I’ve really liked just tossing in some fucked-up little weirdo that is actually okay with the events that are currently unfolding.

They might have their own goals, sure, but largely, they’re there to throw the player characters off their perceived notions and, more often than not, offer a humorous reflection of the world they inhabit.

Here are some quick examples of weird little freaks:

• Some dingy little dude who likes living in the dungeon because it gives them more “me time”

• An NPC that gathers and eats the toxic bugs the questgiver warned you about not touching under any circumstances

• The character that will not shut up about their lost, useless doodad that very obviously has nothing to do with the objective

• A crazy old loon who speaks in rhymes or riddles and offers useless trinkets as “important artifacts”

• A traveling chef that harvests anything and everything for their meals

One thing to avoid is the Elder Scrolls effect regarding factions. You don’t want each group to be something you complete their questline for, totally in a vacuum, and none of them have any larger effect on the others.

Ideally, all the factions have similar goals (or outwardly appear to have the same goals). But, where they differ is in the means to those ends.

Here are a few examples of factions that are ideologically different from one another but have the same end goals:

• Druids vs. artificers seeking peace in an age of war, but one invoking tradition while the other appeals to modernity

• Nobility vs. Mercenaries vs. Rebels attempting to overthrow the current royal family

• Tribes vs Noble Houses looking to prevent a cataclysmic invasion by monsters

• The Church vs The Mages College vs Secret Cult attempting to harness the power of an ancient artifact

• Faeries vs Gnomes vs Hags looking to destroy a human-made dam that has dried up a stream in the woods

In any game, the players need to know they’re making a difference in the world through actions. These don’t always have to be big changes, but they should be immediately noticeable and, more importantly, permanent.

This isn’t about punishing the players with consequences but instead about showing them how their words and actions impact the world. This is sorely missing in most people’s IRL day-to-day lives, so don’t be surprised when players seek this out, particularly when playing these types of games.

Some ideas for decisions that change the world:

• Allowing a criminal to escape from justice or helping the law capture them

• Attempting to banish a powerful pseudo-divine entity

• Saving the princess or allowing her to be assassinated

• Siding with the baker or the butcher in the Great Food Poisoning of Terevon in 887 AR.

• Telling a child about the merits of heroism or instilling fear in them about the dangers of heroism

Another aspect that makes a world feel robust and alive is referencing something larger happening in the background, away from the players they could theoretically get involved with.

These should mostly be things that no one party can immediately affect, such as a war, a transition to a golden age, or the arrival of a society-changing technology, but the party will feel its effects even if they ignore it.

Here are a few things you could use to hint at something larger:

• Unnatural weather patterns are causing strife for far-off lands

• Towns on the map are disappearing, slowly but surely

• Rising cults worshiping an unknown and mysterious god

• A comet streaks across the sky, an omen in multiple disparate cultures

• Trade lines are shut down due to the war that’s been going on for decades

Similarly to hinting at something larger, sometimes you need to go backward rather than bigger. Alluding to history, especially deep and ancient history, can indicate to the players that the world is storied and layered.

It can grant you a special perspective you can give to both older and younger generations or species that are naturally much longer-lived than others. You can also use it as a rhetorical way to offer commentary on current events.

In either case, here are some ways to hint at an older world:

• Ruins of an ancient, more decadent, and technologically advanced society than the current one

• Traces of some transformative event, such as a long-dried lake or overgrown cobblestone roads in a forest

• Unnamed ancient deities that hold the same portfolios as the commonly accepted gods

• A sundial or technological artifact that tracks time and displays thousands of years of having done so

• The bad guy of a campaign mimicking or outright continuing the work of an ancient evil that failed in its

• goals

An easy way to get buy-in from the players is to make a character they have to interact with have a personal relationship with one of the party members.

This can be a family member, old friend, bitter rival, mentor, you name it. Linking this idea up with previous ideas, such as factions that want the same things but by different means, can result in really complex situations for the players.

Granting a character opposing relationships with two characters can also be a fun way to add a wrinkle, but be careful not to cause a rift between the party (unless that’s what all of you want for the ✨ drama ✨.

Some examples:

• The faction leader is an ex-lover of one of the characters

• The quest giver is one character’s uncle but is responsible for getting another character into jail in the past

• A mentor once thought to be lost, returns in an unexpected way

• The debt collector/bounty hunter is hunting one of the characters for a past misdeed

• A former friend has joined a faction that opposes the party’s goals

More often than not, you’ll provide players with hooks or quests they can handle right now. Sometimes, however, you need to signal something that must be dealt with later.

Whether the thing is too deadly to deal with now or it will cause the party to show their hand too early, some threats must be monitored first and interacted with when the time is right.

Some common examples include:

• A deadly monster that is far beyond the party’s combat abilities

• A meeting with the warlord that the party is working toward getting removed from power

• A location physically out of reach from the party, such as a flying city or temple beneath the waves

• A heavily fortified warehouse that has regular changing of the guards at certain intervals

• A character causing trouble for almost everyone but holds a lot of political power

Ultimately, however, your game is just that: your game. You should include things you enjoy that you think your friends will also like.

If you like to include music in your sessions and think it’s integral to getting everyone in the spirit, take some time to find the best solutions for playing music without disruption.

If a big, detailed color map is how you keep your players invested while playing via a VTT, dedicate a chunk of time to locating the perfect map.

If your group has a potluck-style dinner corresponding to the region your PCs are currently inhabiting, exchange recipes and prep who’s bringing what (and also, please invite me because that sounds wonderful).

Remember that a game isn’t just about checking boxes; it's about providing you and your players with a fun and exciting experience. You’re not trying to impress thousands of other readers or hit a deadline; you’re trying to play a game with your friends. So make the game your own!

By thinking of these ten things to add to your game, you’ll be in a place to run a really fantastic game. Not every suggestion will fit every game, so use your best judgment on what to keep and cut.

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