GM Exercise - Natural Disaster
This is the situation:
A community is hit by a large-scale natural disaster (flood, earthquake, fire, etc.) that destroys homes and infrastructure; people struggle to survive, save others and make it out with as many resources as they can.
The point of the exercise is to consider some questions that should help you decide if and how you’d run this situation in your games. If you can think of answers with a specific game you want to run in mind - whether that be with a specific system, a specific campaign premise, or a specific group of players - I believe that will make the exercise sharper and more useful. But always focus more on considering what your different options are, as opposed to trying to find a single correct answer.
Start with these questions:
- Would the stakes of this situation be at all meaningful for the game?
- Would it be worth it to include such a situation in the game?
- What would it take to introduce a situation of this kind to the game?
- What more would I need to know about the situation to adjudicate it?
- What mechanics, if any, would I employ to resolve the situation?
- What information would a player need in order to make good tactical decisions in this situation, and how can they get it?
- What aspects of this situation do I feel capable of improvising?
- How much time would I want to spend resolving this situation in this game?
- Which roles would it be fun for the player characters to assume in the situation?
- Would this situation be engaging to all players at the table? Or would it leave some bored on the sidelines? Would it offend anyone at the table? Would it bring back past trauma?
Follow up with these:
- Where do the PCs find themselves, as disaster strikes? Are the players at risk of losing people and things they care about in this situation? Can the PCs do anything about it?
- What, if anything, can those caught in the epicenter of the destruction do to come out alive? What perils do they face, and how quickly will they kill or harm those that fail to avoid them?
- What dangers do rescuers face when stepping into the mayhem to help others? What problems and obstacles must rescuers overcome to save as many as possible?
- Do those who are injured, sick or weak have anyone or anywhere they can turn to for help? How do people decide who is worth trying to save, and who is going to cost the life of too many others?
- What possessions and resources become most valuable in this situation? What are people willing to do to get the things they need? How do people flee, how much can they carry with them, and where can they go?
- How does the community respond to the catastrophe? Do they have any plans or precautions against it? Does anyone take charge?
- How do people act when they’re panicking? What does it take to calm them down, or direct their actions in that state?