Dungeons & Dragons is a game with potentially limitless opportunities for players in terms of depth and campaign engagement. Sometimes though, campaigns can feel empty and one-note, with a group not feeling as though it has enough methods to fully engage with the world and make it their own. However, by borrowing a few mechanics from one of the deepest games out there, D&D tables can find a multitude of ways to make campaigns feel like massive, strategic missions to be approached in whatever way players think is best.
Crusader Kings III, like many game entries from Paradox Interactive, is well-known for having a nearly overwhelming amount of options for its players. Famed for having a "300-hour tutorial," the goal to establish a powerful and lasting dynasty can be accomplished via a staggering amount of methods. Dungeon Masters can look at some of the more appropriate mechanics of games, such as factions and NPC engagement, as templates for how to expand campaigns into more exciting stories with more options for players.
Using NPCs to Their Full Potential in D&D
NPCs in D&D can serve many different functions. They make the world real, give the story emotional connections and send players in the direction of their next quest or even sometimes come along themselves. However, limiting side characters to just those roles can give the game an overall feeling of being trapped in a very linear style of play. The players, and therefore the NPCs they encounter, can only be in one place at a time.
Crusader Kings III gives NPCs an important role to play by using them as Agents. Agents have certain skills, connections and settings that they can use to better serve players on various missions ranging from finding secrets to attempted assassinations. DMs can borrow this model and give the table the option to send NPCs out on their own missions to allow the party to affect more than one area of the world at once. NPCs could investigate a local cult or go delving into their own dungeon, for example. Dice rolls from players or advice and equipment the party lends to their allies determine the level of success Agents find.
Sending stones and message spells can allow players to easily keep in contact with their Agents, get information on what's happening in other cities and send NPCs on missions to help the party accomplish its goals. Next time the party visits their home base, NPCs can report back on their findings and bring back items and equipment they find on their way. This kind of side mission creates a whole new level of depth within the campaign. Of course, all this only works if the players have worked to build good relationships with the characters in their world.
D&D Players Can Build Their Reputations With Factions
Although they may be competent adventurers in their own right, it doesn't always make sense that a party can access favors and friends wherever they go. Once again, borrowing from one of the key features of CKIII can help make this process feel more organic and engaging. Paradox implements a system of factions and reputation with those factions in order to see what favors a player may be able to gain from various other groups in the game. In order to convince the pope to acknowledge one's claim to the throne of France, players will need to demonstrate a certain level of piety.
This system can be made even more advanced in a D&D campaign since there are a potentially limitless number of factions that can exist in the world of the campaign, all needing different favors to garner their support. Gaining the trust of a thieves' guild might mean taking on some criminal work, while a religious faction might want the party to find a relic of their god. Not only does this create a pseudo-currency that players need to acquire in order to gain allies, but it also creates opportunities for new side quests.
An average playthrough of Crusader Kings III can last over 100 hours due to the depth of options and tactics gamers can utilize during their play. If a skilled DM implements just a few of these mechanics in their campaign, a group of players is sure to find a great depth of options to enhance their experience. Simply by fully utilizing NPCs and creating a more complex system to engage with factions, a D&D table can create a timeless adventure.