Introduction
Fragments is a role playing game. Your players will have infinite options before them as they set out into new and untold worlds. It is your duty as Game Master to build these worlds and guide your party through them, filling their lives with adventure and mystery.
Games of Fragments are run by a Game Master (GM) and played by several Players. While there can be any number of Players, the game functions best with 3 or 4 Players and a single Game Master.
As Game Master you are responsible for building a living world for the Players to interact with and explore. Game Masters might draw maps, act as non-player characters (NPCs), and Control the Player's Enemies in battle, but most importantly the Game Master is responsible for guiding the narrative of the game. Some games may have a very rigid narrative that the Players must act within, others may be more freeform, allowing Players to find and work around problems as they see fit. Finding the appropriate balance is one of the most difficult aspects of Game Mastering.
Players act as characters in the world. Each character has their own unique set of abilities that allow them to solve problems in different ways, as well as their own personality and backstory. It is the job of the Player to act as this character in a way that cooperatively adds to the narrative with the other Players. Your most important job as GM is to make sure your players have fun. You will need to highlight characters strengths and Challenge their weaknesses, all while guiding them through the adventures they go on. It is important that all players get to exercise complete Control of their character's and feel like they have an impact on the world, while still conforming to the kind of story you want to play.
A game of Fragments, often referred to as a campaign, goes as long as the narrative you create together requires. Shorter games may end after only a couple hours, while longer campaigns may span over months and need to be Broken down into smaller play “sessions”.
Setting
The first thing you need when creating a campaign is a setting. Where will the adventures of your players take place? What is the feel of this world? You can use an existing setting that you are Familiar with or create your own.
If you are using an existing setting it is best to be knowledgeable of the established world, but whether you are using a pre existing setting or making your own, it is best to leave areas undeveloped. This will generally mean having the areas nearest you player the most fleshed out, while having only a broader understanding of the surrounding areas. You may want a detailed map of the city the players will start in, a general map of the surrounding Area, and a rough idea of the world as a whole, but there is no reason to draw the map of a city far off on the horizon. This is important both because it allows you to Focus on planning for things your players are more likely to interact with, but also gives you the critical Advantage of being able to fill these sections of the map in organically as the campaign progresses with details that will expand and reinforce the story.
If you are going to make your own setting you can follow the steps below to flesh out your world. Remember the closer something is to your players the more deeply you should understand it. This is true for geographic features as well as culture and magic. If it doesn't interact much with you players don't spend to much effort planning it out.
1. What is different about this world?
This is the most important thing about the setting. It will be central to the world you create and will be what sets it apart from the rest. Consider not just what is physically different, but how the world feels. The tone of a setting is just as important for defining a setting as any detail can be. This is also a good time to start thinking about some of the underlying thematic conflicts of the world. For example: a fantasy setting where magic is used for sci fi style space travel. We'll also aim to give the setting a grim eldritch horror tone with themes of knowledge vs freedom.
2. How does it work?
Just like the real world around us everything has an explanation, and just like children your players will be curious how it all fits together. The deeper your explanations go the more real your world will feel and the more interesting impacts you will realize there are. Remember that these answers must fit the tone of your campaign, a whimsical world should have whimsical answers, while a gritty world may have simple brutal truths. Continuing our example: How are the wizards able to use magic? Maybe magic is like any other Skill, with practice and effort you can master it, but not all magic is the same. If you want to learn you use fire magic that would require deep understanding and practice, and while some of the Skill may transfer to other types of magic each field would all require its own study. Where does the Energy come from? The Energy mages channel into there Spells comes from another dimension, by releasing this Energy they can shape it into their Spells, but the Energy itself comes from this other world. You might also ask yourself what are the Effects of releasing this Energy? why doesn't everyone learn magic? What are the limitations of the magic? ask as many questions about how your world works as you can think of and explore where that takes you.
3. What are the impacts of this on the world?
We now not only have the fundamental difference with the world, but all these smaller changes to the universe that support it. All of these will have their own unique consequences on the setting. This too should be consistent with the tone of the setting. In our example magic is used to travel between stars and planets giving wizards great Power over transportation. This logistical Power is used to Control many Small planets spread throughout the galaxy. Anyone can be a wizard with enough talent and training, so this knowledge is very valuable. People probably work hard to be accepted by one of the wizard Factions and others try and steal their knowledge and magical devices. Every time magic is used something is released from another dimension. Maybe it's just debris that falls to the ground but sometimes it's something more dangerous!
4. What are the extended consequences?
Even consequences have consequences, and just like it is important to dig deep when asking how things work it is important to see how consequences play out. Asking yourself the same questions your players would ask and thinking about where those answers may lead can often create some of the most unique parts of a setting. In our example world there are probably multiple Factions of the wizards all vying for Control, as well as localized Resistances to wizard rule. The wizards probably have strict hierarchical structure with tittles like "Archonaut", "Technomancer", and "Aethermage" and giant ziggurats on each planet as head quarters. Arkonauts are the new recruits without any magical training, technomancers create magical artifacts and design the ships for interplanetary transport, and Aethermage's channel the magic themselves making them powerful and important individuals. Otherworldly beings pulled in with magic are probably strange and terrible with groups forming to hunt them down and strange cults forming to worship them and scientists trying to summon them for study.
5. Continents and Oceans.
The geography of a setting can have a subtle but deep impact on the world. Remember that continents are often strange shapes with complex and irregular coastlines. You do not need to plan the whole world from the start, but having a general idea of the scale and shape can be useful, with more detail where the players will be spending their time. With our example we might also want to make a map of several nearby stars and planets, but Focus on developing the planet we plan to spend the most time, leaving the rest free to expand on later.
6. Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, and Forests.
The first feature you should make are mountain ranges. Mountains usually form in a curved line where geological forces have formed a crease in the earth, because of this the make excellent dividing lines on your map. Rivers will form Running from high areas to low. In most cases this means they will start in the mountains and meander towards the ocean. On occasion rivers will Split or merge with other rivers. Lakes normally form along rivers. Sometimes a lake may be the initial source of the river, other times it is the end of a river that doesn't make it to the ocean, but often they are in the middle of a river where the river empties into a valley and then continues out. Forests form in places with good rainfall or along river and deserts are the opposite. While these details may not apply to every setting, like if your campaign takes place in a single city, understanding the cause and Effect of the way places are formed may be able to help you build locations that feel more real, or justify ideas for a location that you have.
7. Cities and towns.
Cities and towns develop in places with resources that people can use, the more valuable those resources, the bigger the city. Because of this in real life, most cities are on the banks of lakes, or are along the coast near the outlet of a river as it gives access to fish, trade, and freshwater. Smaller settlements may be near mineral deposits, lumber, or good land for farming. If one of the things that makes your setting different impacts what resources are valuable or why cities are built this could have an impact one where people build towns and cities as well.
8. Borders.
Borders will usually form based on the natural borders of the world like mountain ranges, rivers, and oceans. The bigger the Area and more easy it is to defend, the more likely it is to be a country. The wizards in our example can easily teleport relatively short distances much of the planets geography would have little impact on their borders, but longer distances like the distance between planets or stars would be enough to create borders between the wizard Factions. Groups without access to Teleportation however would still probably conform to natural borders.
9. History
Now you need to work backwards from the world you've created to determine the past. More recent history should have more detail, but having a general idea of the more distant past can make the world feel more real and lived in. This history should, like many other aspects of your setting, reflect the tone of the world you are trying to build. A world inspired by myths and legends should have a history of myths and legends and a world of political drama should have a complex political history. You don't need to know all the history of the world in advance, but knowing important and relevant details can be very helpful. For a space wizard example we'll Focus on the recent history of the planet the campaign would start on, but think a little about the broader history of the setting. Maybe the planet was only settled in the last century by one of the wizarding Factions, but was recently conquered by another group of wizards. The new wizards are even harsher on the Local population than the old group, and are building up the Area to produce some sort of experimental magical Weapons.
10. Culture
Given the history and unique circumstances of your setting it should be easy to see how this would impact the different cultures of the world. In our example the wizards have a lot of Power leading them to often be conceited and pompous, but they must also need to be careful and sometimes aggressive when dealing with other wizard groups. Many of the locals of the planet are probably too afraid to fight and focused on their own Survival, but some must bristle under the rule of their new rulers, plotting rebellion and sabotage. Similarly there are probably some wizards on the planet who were once part of the old government that have now been driven into hiding. Maybe they are trying to escape the planet or working with the rebels to get revenge, others might be willing to share trade secrets with the new government in return for money, Power or knowledge. These ideas all fit well with the theme of knowledge vs freedom. This setting could be a great place to run a campaign about a Small group of rebels and disgraced wizards fighting to overthrow their new overlords!
11. Implementing the rules of the game
Now that your setting is established it is time to figure out how to implement it using the rules of Fragments. This may mean making Small tweaks to the rules or adding additional ones. It also may mean restricting the access to certain Feats. In some settings you may not need to make any changes to the rules, while others you may need to make a lot. Remember any changes you make to the rules will change the balance of the game, so it is preferable to change the flavor of something to better suit your setting than to eliminate it entirely. For a sci fi campaign that may mean reflavoring Spells as some sort of advanced technology. In our specific example the Spell Casting Feats may be restricted to characters associated with one of the wizard Factions. Teleportation can be used to easily travel all over the planet, but interstellar travel would require a ship designed to repeatedly teleport thousands of miles at a time across great distances. The most interesting change to the rules would probably be that Spell Casting has to release things from another dimension. Maybe every time you Cast a Spell you need to roll a d100, if the roll is less than the Spell Level Cast a Hostile Creature from another dimension appears near the caster with a random Level up to the Spell being Cast. That means the more powerful the Spell, the more likely it is to summon a terrible monster that will Attack anything in sight! Remember that you will need to explain all of this to your players in detail so that they understand both the flavor of the world and its mechanical manifestations.
Narrative
The first step to building a narrative for a campaign is figuring out what the party cares about. This may seem obvious, but it can be difficult to find a Goal that can unite the party. Every character has their own unique Goals and interests and that means that you need to consider how each of them would feel individually about a potential conflict. Consider how a potential story would play to their fears and desires. If a character seems complacent it may be because they already have what they want. Once it is clear what it is they care about you must find a way to put the that thing in jeopardy. The Goal of a campaign must resonate with every character in one way or another.
If you are planning the overall narrative before the players have created their characters it is critical that tell them enough about the campaign you want to run that they are able to build characters that fit into that narrative. It should be made clear to the players that they are expected to create a character that has a reason to be in this story. This is an ideal time to ask the players how their characters feel about different events and Factions of the world and get an idea of how they may interact with the worlds underlying thematic conflict.
Once you have an idea of the parties Goal in the campaign you must consider what Factions are at play and what conflicts would logically arise. Most of the time you will find that there are 3 to 5 main Factions (although often with Sub Factions within them that may have slightly different motivations) that will impact the narrative of the campaign. The majority of these Factions should be in opposition to the players, with one being the primary antagonist.
Consider the Goals, beliefs, types, and Level of these Factions in terms of this story and you find several smaller conflicts emerge as part of the larger story. Remember that each of these Factions may not know of the other Factions plans, or even of their existence at the start of the campaign. They should each act in accordance to their Goals and beliefs, and may even dramatically change their plans as the story progresses. This may also lead to interesting Small conflicts between Factions that are usually allied.
When considering how these smaller conflicts may play out you must consider the Actions of the players, the Actions of the Factions, and what would make the most interesting story. All narrative Actions should make sense through each of these lenses. Following what the players want regardless of the context will bring uncompelling stories, and ignoring players Actions will exclude them from the story. You must find resolutions to these conflicts that satisfy all three of these considerations. Because you do not know what the players will do it is impossible to have a clear understanding of the entire campaign, the most you can do is consider some of the most likely options your players may take. This may be enough to generate ideas for how things may Turn out and even plan the next few encounters, but the farther ahead you look the less you'll be able to plan. Being able to adapt your narrative quickly to match the Actions of your players while maintaining an interesting and believable story is the mark of a great GM.
All the conflicts the players are involved in will be represented as a series of encounters. Each Encounter is a situation that gives the players the chance to explore part of a conflict. Some conflicts may be played out over time in several locations, each being their own Encounter, while others may take place in a single Encounter. These encounters could be a fight, a heist, a siege, or a conversation with an important NPC. Some encounters will be full of combat, while others will require lots of Skills, and some may not require either.
Think of these encounters like scenes in a movie. Each Encounter should have a purpose even if it does not directly tie to the main narrative. They must also have a natural and logical flow between them where one encounters end leads to the start of the next. The knowledge of another Encounter and motivation for players to go and interact in that Encounter is commonly called a "hook". When possible hooks should be worked into other encounters so that by the end of each Encounter players have at least one or two hooks to follow.
The hardest hook to give the players is usually the first one. This hook has to convey the motivation for each of the characters in a simple way. This does not necessarily need to convey the main conflict of the campaign immediately, but that is often the easiest way. This hook must play to the fears and desires of the party and unite them for the first time. It may even be necessary to take a few minutes with each of the characters individually to tie them into to the plot. This can also serve as an interesting way to introduce each of the characters to the party.
You will also have points when the players seem stumble or lack direction. Whenever there is a Break in the story it should be filled with bad news, dangerous opportunities, and Enemies constantly working towards their own Goals. Keep pushing the players back towards the plot and giving them new hooks, but remember to adapt and explore new areas the players are interested in. You never know what will capture the parties interest, and these things they care about can also be used as leverage in the narrative.
Always remember that the party are the heroes of the story. Their lives should be full of mystery, adventure, dramatic victories and brutal setbacks. Follow them to the unknown spaces on the map should they wish to go their and fill them with incredible things. This may mean changing what you thought the campaign was about, but if it is more interesting to your players it will lead to a better, more engaging story.
Non Player Characters
Non Player Characters, or NPCs as they are commonly called, represent every individual in the world except for the players. Strong and dynamic NPCs are the lifeblood of any tabletop roleplaying game. Even with the most detailed and interesting world imaginable, and it will fall flat without compelling characters to populate it. Because recurring characters come up again and again, not just in one scene, but throughout the campaign spending time making sure they are interesting and memorable is one of the best uses for your time planning. This is one of your many opportunities as a Game Master to flex your creative muscles. Allowing your players to interact with engaging characters can raise the stakes of your narrative and be the difference between a lifeless combat simulator and something that actually feels like an adventure, something that will elicit real emotion from your players and help them to genuinely care about the world that you've constructed.
Of course, this is easier said than done. It can take a lot of practice to create genuinely compelling characters. The world and characters you create will be informed by your own personal style. There are no real rules for how this should be developed, it is up to you to decide how these characters should act and function within your world. For that reason instead consider these tips at your own discretion when creating NPCs. They should act as a guide, but like many other things recommended here, can be amended to fit your personal needs as a Game Master.
1. Keep your character pool Small. It is extremely easy to get excited about populating your world. You may feel compelled to occupy every nook and cranny of your setting with named characters that have detailed backstories and a deep well of predicaments for your heros to correct, but you may find that this is very difficult to accomplish. In addition to requiring a tremendous amount of time and effort this can often lead to worlds that feel as “wide as an ocean, deep as a puddle”, where your players have many possible interactions, but those interactions have no depth. Instead, consider starting with four characters from among the following basic types.
Innkeeps - Innkeeps are the supporting characters of the world. They are not necessarily important to the narrative or necessary to the setting, but they are the characters your players will see over and over again. Each interaction with them is another chance for levity and some low stakes RP between dangerous encounters. Interactions with Innkeeps are a safe place for players to take a Break, relax, and collect themselves even in the hardest of times. While these characters are often bartenders at the Local inn many other characters can fill this roll. They may be the other patrons at the bar, a Friendly neighbor, or an old friend from a characters backstory.
Shopkeeps - Shopkeeps have something your players need. Whatever it is your players will likely visit them over and over so it is important that their personality and environment is well fleshed out. Maybe they are a healer who can patch the party up, maybe they sell Weapons and Armor, maybe they sell secrets and rumors, whatever it is make sure that it is interesting and important enough that your players will come back to them again and again.
Guards - Guards are the Local authority. Whether your players are stirring up trouble or quashing it, they're bound to run into law enforcement at some point. It’s generally good to form to have a guard or two on tap with some basic motivations and personality traits. If things go poorly (or well) enough, your players may wind up dealing with someone higher in the chain of Command. It usually pays to flesh this person out a little more than the run-of-the-mill guard discussed above. This is another great opportunity for a recurring NPC that your players may come to love (or hate).
Strangers - Strangers are tertiary characters that your players will probably only meet once. They may to ask directions, or buy something you don't have a shop planned for. Whatever the case it always pays to have a name and basic personality Prepared for when this happens.
Villains - The leaders of the Factions that oppose your parties Goals will inevitably become the villains of your campaign. While the most powerful villains are definitely characters you should be Familiar with remember that your players will often spend more time interacting with some of the lesser villains of the campaign. This gives you the opportunity to create interesting recurring characters that the party will contend with over and over as they gain Power. Remember that villains all have their own motivations, they are not just there to oppose the party, they should be working to further their own Goals.
Patrons - Patrons are characters that need your party to do something for them. They are often members of a Faction that has similar Goals to party and can be used to introduce the party to new conflicts. Because of this patrons can be a very powerful tool to progress the narrative, but should not be overused. Having their own personality come through can make the interactions with a patron feel more organic and less like an anonymous business transaction.
2. Create compelling environments. Your NPCs don't exist in a void, they will all have noticeable impacts on their environment. This can be used to demonstrate some really powerful things about characters if you place them in the correct environment. For example when creating and innkeep think about how their bar looks. What kind of drinks do they serve? Is the place dirty or clean? Is it fancy or are they Running a dive? What about the shopkeep? Is this a messy, disorganized bookstore filled with Hidden gems? Or is it a sterile, neatly-organized Potion shop? This will help inform decisions about the NPC’s personality and appearance. The proprietor of the disorganized bookstore might be a wild-haired, elderly man with thick, pockmarked glasses. The person who runs the neatly-organized Potion shop might be an up tight and dressed in Fine silks. The innkeep of your cozy little dive bar might be a jolly, burly man who treats the party to a drink. Think about the kind of environment where you might find this person, and try to place them there. This will give your players some ideas about the Type of person this might be, and potentially inform how they interact with the NPC you’ve created.
This works in reverse for a slightly different Effect. You can contrast a character’s appearance with their surroundings. This generates an instant focal point on the character and is a great way to Encourage your players to speak to an important NPC. What is this noblewoman doing in the Local dive bar? Why is this raggedy ruffian shopping for Fine clothes? You can use this concept to gently nudge your players towards asking the right questions to the right people. This creates a great sense of progression and discovery without robbing your players of any agency.
3. You don't need to be a voice actor to do voices. Giving each of your NPCs a unique voice can help to develop them as people. This does not mean that you have to do a unique accent for every person you create. In fact, you don't even have to give your NPCs accents or special voices at all. Instead, try changing your manner of speaking to fit the character. Take the following sentence for example: “Welcome to the bar. What would you like to eat?” This comes across as slightly flat. However, consider how different types of characters might convey this same message.
Burly, Friendly innkeep: “Welcome! Welcome! Come on in! Welcome to Rudy’s! What'll ya have? I've got a stew on if you can wait a bit!”
Fancy waiter: “Good evening. How may I serve you tonight? Would you like to hear our specials?”
Unfriendly dive bar owner: “Evening. Be with you in a minute.”
These are all nearly identical in meaning, but convey a very different tone and do not require any special inflection or accent. Of course, you should not feel discouraged from changing your voice if you think it would lead to a more interesting dialogue. The Friendly innkeep might have a deep voice and speak rather slowly. The waiter might speak a little more quickly, but with a higher pitch. The unfriendly bar owner might speak very quickly in a gruff, gravely voice. In a pinch however, simply changing the phrasing of your sentences and Speed at which you speak them can be sufficient to give every character a unique voice that your players can identify.
4. Have some basic stats for your scripted NPCs. The interactions your players have with your characters will be much more impactful if they can interact with them meaningfully; which is to say, using the mechanics of the game. If at all possible, try to have a complete build including Feats, Attributes, and equipment for all of your “important” NPCs, especially if you intend for your players to fight this person or otherwise interact with them in a way that would require a roll. Anyone who is an obstacle in the Encounter should get a complete build before the session even starts. The character doesn't necessarily have to be an antagonist to be an obstacle. Maybe your players want to see the secret back room of the curio shop. The owner is Friendly enough, but he outright refuses to show the party the secret room. In this case, the shopkeep any anyone else in the way of that Goal (for example, a guard dog) should receive a stat block. If you anticipate a roll against that NPC, they should have a stat block. Otherwise, try to at least have the character’s STR, DEX, ESS, MND and Level on hand. This should get you through most basic interactions your players may have with your NPCs with some quick calculations.
5. Commit. Despite being one of the simplest pieces of advice here this is also one of the hardest. That said, like much of Game Mastering the most important part is always the execution and by completely leaning into your characters you will create substantially more meaningful and memorable encounters with your players. Ham it up. Be dramatic. Make that speech in the funny voice you practiced in the car. Push for that strong, character-driven moment you've been fantasizing about. Play the characters you create with your whole heart. Your campaign will be stronger, and your roleplaying will improve much faster. This goes for players and Game Masters alike. This doesn't mean that you have to take your characters too seriously. Far from it. You should, however, try to be in character as much as possible, and perform those characters as faithfully and earnestly as you can.
You don't need to follow this advice and you also don't need to commit to all of this at once. Take it Slow, and don't put too much pressure on yourself. Mistakes will happen. You'll stumble over your words or use the wrong voice. But as you continue to develop your NPCs you'll see improvement, and with it some great moments of role playing. Practice makes perfect, but you don't have to be perfect, you just need to keep practicing.
Running a Session
Before your first session of a game it is usually best to have a "Session 0" where you discus what is expected for the campaign. This means that you might tell the paty some important details about the setting, particularly those that might Effect character creation like any adjustments to the rules, a general description of what the campaign is about so that they might build a character to fit the narrative, and how you want to handle sensitive issues.
Many games use systems like the "x card" where any player may touch a marked card in the center of the table, or send a message to the chat for online games when the content of the game is too graphic/explicit/upsetting/etc. for their enjoyment. If the x card is used the current situation is skipped and similar content is avoided in the future.
Another common system for avoiding making players uncomfortable with certain content to so decide on "Lines and Veils". Lines are subjects never discussed as part of the game, they are "hard lines". Veils are subjects that can exist in the game, but are alluded to or implied, not discussed in detail. What subjects should be lines or veils should be included in session 0 if this option is used, but can be amended later.
Once you've talked to the players about what they can expect in the campaign it is time for them to create their own characters. This will mean you will need to tell them all what Level to start at, help them determine their Attributes and stats, and choose Feats. In addition to the mechanical aspects of character creation players will need to come up with personalities and backstories for their characters. The following questions may be used to help flesh out characters.
What do they look and sound like? Any notable Gear or common expressions?
What are their long term Goals. They don't have to be ambitious, just something more than 2 days out.
What is a personality trait they exemplify?
What is something they can't stand in other people?
What are their values? How does their sense of values and morality play into their lifestyle?
What are some legitimate flaws that contradict, contrast, or compliment them in an interesting way?
How might they change or grow over the course of a campaign?
Players should discuss their characters as they work on them and think about how their decisions may impact the party. It may be interesting for some characters to have existing Relationships (old friends, family ties, worked with each other, etc). Remember that the party needs to be willing to work with each other through the campaign and have motivation to participate in the narrative.
At the end of session 0 you should schedule the first session and make any adjustments you need to your narrative to fit the party your players have created.
The rest of the sessions in your campaign will all start and end more or less the same way. You and your players will review relevant events of previous sessions including the hook for the current Encounter, navigate through encounters and discover new hooks, and most importantly, scheduling the next session.
Remember that your players will do things you don't expect, not all your sessions will go the way you planned, and some will be much less fun than you expected. It is up to you to adapt based on this information, and reform the campaign around what your players are interested in. It is not easy and it is not an exact science, but with practice you will learn to weave memorable and compelling stories from your players Actions.