Cannibalising video games 🎮
8 games that inspire rpg scenario design
This article contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you make purchases using these links, at no cost to you.Video games and TTRPGs are different but have intersections. There’s plenty to be learned about scenario design from video games. Here’s 8 video games that I think you should play to help level up your scenario design.
Most of these get bonus points for diegetic delivery of world detail too.
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Dishonored 2
Dishonored 2 has level design like no other game. From clockwork mansions to mazes of dynamic city streets, there’s layers upon layers of meaningful detail and interconnectivity.
It’s interested in the cause and effect of actions. The approach you take to problems mechanically affects the world at large, changing the structure of subsequent levels. It makes morality about player actions rather than the social rhetoric of their character.
System Shock (Remake)
System Shock is a sci-fi megadungeon focused on player skill. It’s a gauntlet that puts the player under constant pressure and rewards you for being smart.
There’s no stats, no skill trees. Just tracking down better gear and making effective choices. It’s a video game example of why NSR mentality is so engaging.
SHODAN (the AI villain) is a yardstick for your campaign adversaries too.
Portal 2
I remain convinced that Portal 2 is the best puzzle game (that I’ve played at least). Portal 2 is not something to replicate directly into a scenario, but its lessons about open ended problem solving are fantastic.
It’s also focused on player skill, no builds or powers, just you and the world.
Oh, and there’s GLADOS. Good villain training right there.
Dark Souls 1
Why Dark Souls 1?! Dark Souls 1 (to me) remains the stand out in terms of level design for the entire franchise.
Almost every part of the Dark Souls 1 world connects together, they have multiple pathways that can be opened through character actions. Let’s not forget the monster design too, and the world just outright hating your guts.
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In our last Premium issue, I talked about wanting to see more supplements for existing rpgs, wrote about cabins, and gave readers a d6 table of travel supplies.
Hollow Knight
This 2D platformer’s megadungeon (Hollownest) is masterfully constructed with thematic biomes stocked with neat NPCs.
In particular, Hollow Knight shows how items can be used to enhance explorations of more dangerous dungeon areas. Finding an item that lets you climb feels huge in this game. Bonus points for monster design as well.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
This might come across as a weird pick. The Zelda franchise is infamous for its dungeons but Breath of the Wild (BotW) is not - but that’s not why it’s here.
BotW is all about wilderness exploration. It’s a great lesson in how to shape landscapes to aid player navigation with landmarks. It also gives you neat ideas for overland geography.
Titanfall 2
Why is a shooter on here?! Titanfall 2 has fantastic level design, which despite being very linear has lessons about how engaging environmental mechanics can be.
Its parkour romp through an active pre-fabricated building assembly line shows just how dynamic situations can be.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2
KOTOR 2 is the strangest (and best) Star Wars game ever made. It shows why subtlety wins over blunt drama in a way few video games grace us with these days, and how strong subversion of expectation on a thematic level can be.
This game challenges players on an almost philosophical level in social interactions, no matter their choices. It shows how sometimes the biggest threat to PCs is to ask them difficult questions and present them situations with no obvious good outcome.
That’s it
Video games can be a great source of inspiration and innovation. They can help you develop new techniques and frameworks to prep within, especially ones further away from traditional rpgs than you might normally look to.
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Hopefully not a controversial opinion, but as I've been playing TLOU2, I have been interested in the ways that the game tells you without telling you where to go. Yes, the game will also just give you a hint if you take too long. But the natural flow of the game and its linearity is intriguing.
I use this to reflect on how best to telegraph to my players where to go and the possible dangers that might be lurking around any given corner.
Whether that is mentioning a certain sulfuric smell coming from a corridor, or some broken arrow shafts in this suspiciously long and empty hallway.
Was just thinking about KOTOR2 yesterday. I have been playing a bit of Rogue Trader, which is billed as a role playing game, but it really isn’t. KOTOR2 was a REAL computer rpg