How to Create Ripple Effects from Player Actions

In a tabletop game, players make decisions all the time. Good GMs follow up on these decisions and make the consequences of those actions meaningful. It can be simple to create effects for player actions--making an enemy of a particular NPC can lead to that NPC becoming an important nemesis, for instance. But the effects from player actions can be so much bigger than that. In this guide, I will illustrate how you can transform player actions into far-reaching consequences that will leave your players feeling like their actions have meaningful effects in your gameworld. 

The idea for this concept comes from a tabletop game I have recently created. It revolves around time travel; when players act in one setting, it affects later timelines. The goal of the game is to change history by affecting the world in specific ways to bring about change. So, as you can see, the game revolves around determining effects of player actions to tell a story. To apply this same concept to other tabletop games is relatively simple--you just need to be creative about the way that events unfold. Read on for the guide on how to develop consequences for player actions. 

The easiest way to describe this is to provide a series of examples. Because these ripple effects can be used in any style of game, I will present one example from both of the main approaches to tabletop games: combat and storytelling. Each one will include a player action, a gameworld ripple effect, and a story moment that can follow. 

Let's begin with combat. You're running a game and your players have recently had a showdown with a group of bandits. In fact, the bandits were so badly routed that the last few surviving bandits fled and escaped into the woods. In their attack, the players managed to kill the head of the bandit team, which disrupted the combat and sent the bandits packing. This victory was noteworthy because the bandits have been causing serious trouble for average people for a while now, and their retreating means a reprieve from their attacks. With this much context, we can move forward with our ripple effects. 

It's time to look at our player actions and identify actions that might have consequences. First, the players beat the bandits thoroughly, meaning that a bandit response must be in the works. Second, the players killed the bandit leader, which means that the bandits are without proper organization until they can find a new leader. This may mean infighting amongst the ranking bandits or the rise of a new leader with different goals and methods. Third, there is a pause in bandit attacks because of the players' victory, which means that the townspeople can spend their time rebuilding and preparing for another attack. Additionally, the townspeople may be so grateful for the gallant defense by the players that they do something to recognize the party as heroes. This could be in the form of gifts (perhaps special items), titles and privileges in town, or even just a banquet in their honor. The bandits may even attack again during this banquet for some extra drama. 

So now that we have identified our player actions and the consequences of them, it's time to determine the story moment that they lead to. Our first ripple effect is that the bandits are temporarily routed and are preparing to mount another attack. To make this an interesting story moment, we need to do something special with the bandit response. Some possibilities would include having the bandits attack the town at a surprising moment (during the celebratory banquet is a strong option, or perhaps just having them attack during a meaningful conversation with an NPC in town), to have the bandits attack in a surprising way (they have trained monsters now, or they've joined forces with other nearby brigands and highwaymen), or to reveal what the bandits' intentions in attacking are (maybe they want access to a tomb hidden under the town, or they're striking back against a former bandit leader now in hiding). Each of these possibilities creates narrative momentum and makes the simple attack much more interesting--plus, it's a direct consequence of your players' actions. 

Our second ripple effect is that the bandit leader has been killed. We have a variety of options here. We might let the bandits be directionless and marked by infighting for a time, allowing the party the chance to regroup and address the bandits in a more organized fashion. We could also have a promising bandit leader rise from the common ranks of the bandits. If we go this route, we can refocus the bandit agenda in whatever way we choose. The bandit leader might make the bandits more effective and organized in combat, may introduce a bloody old religion to the bandit ranks, or could even identify the party as the real enemy of the bandits, leading to attacks from bandits at unexpected times and in surprising ambushes. We might have the bandits split into two or more factions, with each bandit faction driven by different goals (one bent on conquering land, another on extorting money from nearby leaders, another still chasing down a deadly artifact). Any of these are possible because the players killed the former bandit leader. 

Our third ripple effect comes from the fact that the town is now temporarily safe from the bandits. Now the folks in the town have the ability to create their own story moments. The town can honor the players as described above with a banquet, with items, or titles and privileges. These moments should not just be simple exchanges of loot, however. When the humble townsfolk bestow these honors on the party, it should be either a solemn affair (the town takes the party's help very seriously) or a joyous occasion (the town is incredibly happy to have the party's help). But this scene is not limited to the official proceedings of the town. Average townsfolk should also approach the party and offer their own humble thanks. These thanks can take the form of hearty gratitude, small tokens of appreciation (a family heirloom perhaps, or a minor magic item), or an invitation to dine with a local family. 

So you can see that from even as simple an event as a bandit encounter, it's possible to create all manner of interrelated effects. Not only do they further the storyline, they also make it more colorful and realistic. Further ripple effects are possible too, reaching even further than is immediately apparent: the bandit loss might mean that an even more powerful rival clan of bandits moves in to take advantage of the shift in power, or that the town that the players defended grows and becomes a more important part of the countryside, or that the bandits disband altogether without effective leadership, which in turn causes a rise of individual crimes by the former bandits. Any of these effects creates their own stories, each of which are responses to player actions. 

Let's approach ripple effects from the context of storytelling as well. You're running a game that requires the players to learn certain secrets and progress the story by investigating them--not unlike my mystery campaign. For the sake of this example, let's say that in an effort to ingratiate themselves with a suspect, the party commits some minor crime in order to prove that they are willing to get dirty to work with the suspect. So the party mugs a random person in an alleyway in order to prove their commitment. As simple as this premise is, there is quite a lot that we can do to create ripple effects that will complicate this. 

Let's start with actions that will stem from this moment. A bystander witnesses the mugging, meaning that there is a witness to the party committing a crime. The mugged person might also respond by becoming more careful about defense of common people, or try to organize a response to the crime. The suspect who the party is trying to get close to may react to the mugging in a surprising way. Each of these consequences can lead to more story and surprising additions to the narrative of the campaign. 

We'll start with the bystander. Because there was a witness to the mugging, the party's identities as the muggers is information that this person can share. If the party wants to avoid facing legal repercussions, they will have to deal with this witness. This can unfold in several ways. The witness might be committed to revealing their identities, meaning the party must deal with the witness before they can be revealed. The witness might recognize the power of their situation and demand some kind of payment for keeping the party's secret. Or the party may have to deal with the bystander reporting them and the fallout that would result--the players may be run out of town, face jail time or a fee, or be placed before a court. Any of these consequences would transform the story and make the ripple effects from their actions seem more real. 

Then there's the mugged person. The identity of this person can tell us something about the ripple effect; if this person is poor or otherwise underprivileged, it may be that no one in town believes them or cares about the mugging. This could lead to the party striving to create more equitable treatment for people like the mugging victim. If the mugged person is an important person in town, they may use their power to investigate and prosecute the crime. (Think about how momentous this could be if the party accidentally mugged the leader of the town.) If the mugged person is just an average member of town, they may respond by gathering a crowd of vigilantes to deal with the party, and they may also advocate in public places for an increase in guard patrols and training for guards. Any of these changes affects the way that the town functions, which opens story options to further determine the fate of the town and the people in it. 

Finally, there's the suspect. The suspect may respond to the players' mugging the stranger by honoring their word and revealing what information they have to share. But they might just as easily double-cross the party, turning them over to the town authorities and not helping at all. They may decide for an option in between those extremes, such as accepting that the party wants to work with them but requiring further tests of the party, or providing mostly complete information to the party but leaving out key details or including some minor misinformation. The suspect could even have heard rumor of the party's attack on the mugged person and decide that the party is too rough for their liking, deciding instead to work against the party as the story develops. 

So from something as simple as a mugging, we have a wide ranges of story options, all of which illustrate the way that the party's actions have led to these moments. We can carry these ideas farther later in the campaign--long after the party has interacted with the mugging victim, we can have an outfit of guards or mercenaries at the mugging victim's command approach the party, for one. We might also have the increased guard patrols make this town a destination for common people, growing it to a bigger city with still more guards. The suspect might keep tabs on the party and turn more and more into the archvillain of the campaign, pulling strings from the shadows as the party tries to get solid evidence against them. Any of these and more are possible; it just takes a bit of looking forward, and you'll be able to craft story moments that extend your party's actions beyond simple quests. 

That's all for now. Coming soon: a story-based dungeon, how to use characterizing exercises for story and fun, and a one-shot adapted from the movie The Warriors. Until next time, happy gaming!

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