On Creating. And Destroying.


On Google+, Brendan Strejcek referenced a passage in Apocalypse World about feeding your creations to the fire. This is my story.

In high school a friend and I spent a *very* long time creating a town for WarHammer Fantasy Roleplay. We built this town from scratch, drawing it, numbering the buildings, and populating the buildings with NPCs. Each had a name and a career. Throughout years of gaming, various PC parties were based out of this town. They got to know the residents, drive off small invasions, and basically feel at home.

In my last campaign, I shattered all that.

A horde of goblinoids, with spellcasters and boar riders, came out of some caves located on the outskirts of town. The PCs were there to lead the townfolk, defend the town, and take out the BBEG leading the attack. However, there was a lot of permanent damage done. I took my hours, my labor of love, and I destroyed it. 

Honestly, it was fun.

If the same group plays in the town again, I’ll have to start them at a point where the town is picking up after the battle. There will be some funeral and some rebuilding. It should be a little emotional for the characters that have so much invested in the town. If I start a new group of characters in the town, it will be some months or years later when things have settled down. Either way, there is a lot more creating to be done.

I don’t regret what I did at all. The sitting was fun, and starting over with a semi-new creation will be fun. You can’t have untouchables in the game. The players will find out and it will change the way they play. So go out there and kill your GMPC. Destroy your town. Rupture your world apart. See how the players react. It will be a blast.

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