Adams Media has signed up regular contributor and talented James D’Mato for a deck of cards. Worry not, though, as we’ve not strayed too far from the useful guides of the past.
The Ultimate RPG Worldbuilding Deck is 75 tarot-sized cards designed to help bring whole worlds to life. It works.
There are five categories;
People: These are the non-player characters (NPCs) who populate your world, from steadfast allies who might offer aid or guidance to formidable antagonists who pose significant threats. They could be shopkeepers, wise elders, cunning spies, or powerful sorcerers, each with their own motivations, backstories, and unique quirks that bring the setting to life and provide meaningful interactions for the player characters.
Institutions: These refer to the diverse organisations and factions that exist within the world, offering player characters opportunities for affiliation, conflict, or both. Think of ancient orders of knights, clandestine guilds of assassins, influential merchant consortiums, or even corrupt governmental bodies. These institutions often have their own agendas, hierarchies, and resources, which can greatly impact the narrative and provide quests or challenges.
Places: These are the evocative landmarks and distinct locations that invite exploration and adventure. They could be anything from the bustling markets of a sprawling city to the forgotten ruins of an ancient civilisation, the perilous depths of a monster-infested dungeon, or the serene beauty of an untouched wilderness. Each place should have a unique atmosphere, potential secrets, and reasons for player characters to visit.
History: This encompasses the significant events, legends, and cultural background that add depth and flavour to your world. Understanding the past—whether it’s a devastating war, the rise and fall of empires, the discovery of powerful magic, or the traditions of a particular people—helps to explain the present state of the world and can provide hooks for new stories, ancient mysteries, or long-standing rivalries that the player characters might become embroiled in.
Rumours: These are the unreliable stories, whispers, and local gossip that hint at interesting but uncertain concepts for player characters to investigate. They might be tales of hidden treasures, ancient curses, strange creatures sighted in the wilds, or whispers of political intrigue. Rumours serve as excellent adventure hooks, encouraging players to explore, question, and ultimately uncover the truth behind the speculative tales, often leading to unexpected discoveries.
The how-to barely needs to be written. If you need an NPC for something, then draw an NPC card at random. You’ll get several prompts to make of what you will.
n the case of an NPC you’ll get a short paragraph to fill in blanks. The person once stole _ and __ is an example, and if you need prompts for the prompts, the cards have those too.
The NPCs also have questions for you to consider. For example, why might the PCs like the NPC? What are they good at.
Locations have different prompts, but in a similar vein. A hidden room will have a history (why was it hidden?) and some facts (how can it be found?).
The strength of the cards is that they don’t need to fit in a one-size-fits-all format, as a table of random prompts would.
How have I used the Ultimate RPG Worldbuilding Deck?
In a twist, I’ve not used the deck for worldbuilding. I think I’d prefer my words to be more controlled and crafted by me but I have used it in similar ways.
I’ve used the deck for;
- Helping with legends and lore of kingdoms all but lost to time.
- Enriching the backgrounds of NPCs.
- Bringing flavour to locations that the PCs decide to linger at when I thought they’d move through in a hurry.
I’ve not yet, but I would;
- Provide the cards as prompts for a player struggling to build an NPC network if their character was supposed to have one.
- Solo journaling when I got stuck for inspiration.
Final thoughts
The cards are good quality, especially the case. This is a collection that I feel I could toss in my battered backpack and take safely to gaming night or the convention.
The cards themselves aren’t too thick that they feel unwieldy or a pain to shuffle, but are thick enough to pick up without too much bother from the tabletop and robust enough to pass one.
I had thought 75 cards were rather too few, but I’ve been surprised at how long they’ve lasted. After all, these aren’t NPCs, factions, locations, etc; they’re prompts to help your brain conjure one up for you.
The Ultimate RPG Worldbuilding Deck is due out just at the end of Prime Day, but it has zero chance of being discounted that quickly. At £15, though, they’re not expensive and perfectly priced to be a treat for yourself or a hardworking GM.
Disclaimer: Thanks to Simon & Schuster for providing my deck for free.
