From Dennis (OkayestDM)
In the dark of night, a bright star flies through the sky, bringing the people of Cassaria out of their homes to marvel at the spectacular display. Before it gets to the horizon, the meteor impacts several miles offshore. Suddenly the night is plunged back into the darkness and the people go back to their homes. Those who stay out continue to stare out at the ocean. Some notice the low-hanging stars wink out as the horizon… shifts.
The tension that a natural disaster can create at your table is some of the most primal emotions you can evoke in your players. It is an entirely insurmountable force where the only options are to save yourself, or save others. This can be a great way to subvert expectations, especially if the party has not lost a battle yet. What will they do in the face of certain death?
Not only do natural disasters create a new kind of fear, they can change the entire feeling of the campaign, and send ripples into other stories set in that world. Eleven in-game years and six real-time years after the city of Cassaria was devastated by the tsunami caused by the falling star, that entire region is still in recovery mode and rebuilding their once-great settlement. It is now a defining feature of that region, and comes up in every campaign I set in that world. Constant construction, tent towns surrounding the fresh city walls, and everyone always willing to help a neighbor in need. It gives off a feeling of togetherness and camaraderie that I haven’t been able to replicate without a natural disaster. If a city is destroyed by an individual, a smidgen of hate for that being sneaks its way into the purity of the sensation of brotherhood.
So it doesn’t always have to be a demon horde or a vengeful demigod that destroys a place in your world. Tornados, earthquakes, severe storms, volcanoes, any natural disaster could do the same. These events have been the inspiration for real-world deities across all cultures, and they can inspire your game, too. It is a different kind of game when the “villain” is an unfeeling force of destruction with no weaknesses. There’s nobody to blame, nobody to persuade, nobody to kill. There’s just devastation and aftermath. Real-world themes can give your TTRPG an entirely different vibe. “Heroes” in these stories are not the ones that run around breaking things. They are the people who save others and help strangers. This shift in definition can create some excellent tension and character development, and is a great tool to twist the story in an unexpected direction.
Natural Disasters can be a part of a character’s backstory as well. Perhaps an earthquake trapped them underground, or they were struck by lightning. These events make for excellent origin stories, or catalysts for awakening a magical power within them. There are so many different ways to use this tool in your story!
But before you start experimenting with it MAKE SURE IT’S OKAY WITH YOUR PLAYERS! Natural disasters are pretty safe in most cases, but there are millions of people whose lives were destroyed by this kind of event. PTSD is no joke, and a TTRPG is probably not the place to deal with real-life trauma. So before a tornado hits a player character’s childhood home, make sure it’s okay with everyone at the table first. You can do this months in advance if you want to keep it a surprise, but keeping it a secret by not checking in just isn’t worth the risk.
If it’s okay with your players, try Natural Disasters™ in your game today!
From Saint Paul, Minnesota, Dennis Fleming started running TTRPGs in 2014. An avid player and GM, he has been in several streamed Actual Plays and has his own TTRPG YouTube channel, Okayest DM and his other projects
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