Game Changer is our monthly advice column for new GMs and older GMs who aren’t afraid to learn something. Our resident GMing expert, Brian Suskind, draws from his cauldron of experience to let you know how it goes.
You might recognize Brian’s name from any of a slew of past Kobold Press products such as Campaign Builder: Castles & Crowns (a homebrew kit to build out the kingdoms in your own world) and the Tales of the Valiant Monster Vault.
This month’s question is a perennial ask:
Anonymous New GM asks . . .
One of my players has this new sourcebook he read about with a new subclass and set of spells he wants to try. He sent me the PDF to look it over. I don’t want to say no, but I also don’t have time to read every new book that comes out and decide whether it’s going to be a problem. And if it turns out to be a problem, how am I going to say no after the player has had a bunch of sessions to get invested in it?
An Ever-Expanding Book Collection
Adding new books to an ongoing campaign can be a tricky subject at the gaming table. Most groups begin with the core rulebooks for the game system, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other books that you could use. This is, ideally, something you thought about and discussed during a Session Zero. The GM and the players sit down and agree on the books to be used for the campaign. Starting a game with the list of “approved” books makes sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to allowed content.
But it’s hard (and sometimes a little deflating) to try to think of everything that could ever go wrong in a campaign and discuss it all ahead of time. And even if you do nail it all down at campaign start, new books come out all the time. They’re all filled with sparkly new classes, subclasses, spells, talents, and magic items, all of which have that alluring new content smell. Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know until it arrives!
Now, I normally sit in my overstuffed chair in my smoking jacket and write advice only for GMs. But for this article, I’m going to put on a couple of different hats, because I can 100% see the various viewpoints.
Important Note: When I talk about “new books” or “new material” here, I’m speaking about published books from established companies that have (we hope) been play-tested and vetted. Players have a responsibility to not bring stuff they know is broken into a campaign, and GMs need to take the time to look over new material to make sure it isn’t overpowered or unsuitable. This level of due diligence is basic enough that for the rest of this article, I’ll assume you’ve done that already.
The Player’s the Thing
THE PLAYER: I want to do cool things, fight the good fight, defeat the bad guys, reap the rewards, and avoid thinking about my job, the world, or other concerns.
I hear you, player! I know how it is. Sometimes you start a game with a character idea in mind, or perhaps you develop your concept over the course of a few levels, and you make the lineage, class, and subclass fit as best you can. Then a new book comes out which is different, but it’s perfect for your character concept.
When you approach your GM about adding the book to the campaign, you need to make some . . . shall we say . . . strategic decisions.
Do you want to add the whole book to the game? Or just a bit of it?
Your GM might be more willing to entertain the idea of adding a subclass, a few spells, or an item or two, more readily than the entire book. It is also more humane of you to ask the GM to read only selected sections rather than requiring them to absorb 300 pages of new material so your character can shine more brightly. If you wonder why a GM might have reservations, see the section below.
Ask yourself this: Sure, that new book would be awesome for you, but how well does it fit into the themes/style of the campaign?
As psyched as you are about that new book, if it doesn’t fit with the game, your GM is less likely to go for it. That’s totally fair. It’s the GM’s job to present a fun game and most GMs want to make a coherent and thematic one too. Introducing an out-of-theme game book can be devastating to that. For example, if your GM is running a horror game and you bring in a cozy RPG book all about cute, talking, animals it can break the immersion and mood.
So pick your battles and approach your GM with the idea of working with them to incorporate the material you’d like to add, rather than forcing something on them.
You might say something like, “I think this new subclass would be a great fit for my character. I’d like to work with you to make it fit well into the game world.”
That’s much better than, “Let’s add this new book and freaking GO!”
All the World’s a Game
THE GM: I want to run a game with consistent tone/themes, not have to change everything every time a new book comes out, and avoid thinking about my job, the world, or other concerns.
By the Hoary Hosts, I hear you GM. Here you are, putting in untold hours to make an incredible gaming world and one of your players wants to just throw a new book into it without any regard to what that’s going to do. But that’s typical, right? We’re talking about PCs who can’t be bothered to talk to NPCs, ask questions about the world, or check in with each other to see how they are doing after that demon ate their entire extended family. If I had a nickel, right?
But step back for a moment. You’re running this game for yourself (of course), but also for the players. They are there to have fun, and for most of them, the fun is their characters not necessarily the world building. After all, they just breeze in at game time to play and aren’t blowing off entire workdays to detail the culinary options offered at the capital city’s holy festival that the PCs might decline to even attend.
Players get excited about new books and you want to bring that excitement to your table. So when the player approaches you about adding content to the campaign, you need to make some . . . shall we say . . . strategic decisions.
Does it really hurt anything to let a player add a new book?
I used to be one of those GMs who wanted the world to be AUTHENTIC (please note the capital letters). I didn’t want my players to revise or change their characters apart from the leveling process. No retconning, darn it! That feeling comes from the desire to make a “real world” for the game. But it is a mistake. I’ve recanted, and so should you.
Does it make sense that a fighter PC suddenly picks up a subclass that hasn’t been in the setting before? Of course not. But chances are good that it doesn’t really hurt anything. And when a player is excited about something, you should encourage that by finding a way to include it.
But what if they want to add a something that alters their existing character, like swapping out a subclass?
Ask yourself this: Why not let your players revise their characters?
Doing it too often is disruptive, but in general, if they want to change things up, let them! This is where you as the GM need to balance the Fun vs Game World continuity. As a player and a GM, I’m a believer in developing a character via what happens to them in the game. But if a player has a vision for their character that’s better served by new material, great! There’s no downside for you or the game world as long as that new book fits with the game (see the advice earlier on fitting the mood/theme).
The goal is to have fun. Some players are always attracted to the new, shiny thing. Other players gravitate toward a new source that gives them something they want for their characters. Either way, if you block them, you become the bad guy, and they’ll suddenly be aware that their character isn’t what they want. It’s better to allow the new material and keep their investment and excitement high.
The thing to do right now is to say, out loud, to the player, “Let’s do this, but if it becomes a problem, I reserve the right to change it.” You don’t have to decide how you’ll change it, or if you’ll ban the whole thing. you just need to get your reservation in once.
This does three things for you. First, it tends to encourage a self-policing effect to the player. If they like their new thing, they now have incentive to keep it in line. Second, you’ve covered your options if you want to make changes. Three months from now, if you’re not happy, nobody has to feel ambushed by your desire to change things up. Third, you’ve saved yourself from having to have a firm opinion right now. Let it cook. In a lot of cases, it will never become a problem, and you don’t need to burn time imagining what could go wrong. You can just be the Santa who gives players what they want.
What Do You Think?
What system or tools do you use to keep your ideas organized and accessible? Let us know in the comments or over on our Discord server!
Do you have a question for Game Changer? Tell us about it. Then check back first Friday of each month for more Game Changer!
This leaves the subject of power creep out – and it shouldn’t. Its very common in books in a product line to offer ever more powerful classes, spells, abilities items etc – and this is even worse when they’re 3rd party. We had this in a long term game and an overpowered 3rd party class was totally broken.