Apriori
Jōnin Strategist 🧠
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The Game Master (GM) Guidance & Narrative Tools
The Game Master, known as the GM, is the beating heart of the game. While players drive the ambitions and conflicts of Westeros, the GM shapes the world, resolves outcomes, controls the up and downs of events, and breathes life into the narrative. This guide provides structure, tips, and tools to help GMs run immersive, balanced, and dynamic campaigns. This also includes key concepts that only the GM has access to, such as World Triggers and Events.
Core Responsibilities of the GM
The core responsibilities of the GM are listed below. These are critical aspects of the game as a campaign cannot be carried out without it's GM.
- Narration & Worldbuilding - Establish setting tone, political climate, cultural identity of regions, and event continuity.
- Explanation/Execution of Rules - Make rulings when systems overlap or require interpretation. Adapt to unusual player plans using logic, consistency, and fairness.
- Scene Management - Guide roleplay scenes, mediate PvP disputes, and spotlight quieter characters. Ensure balanced spotlight time.
- Conflict Resolution - Oversee battles, schemes, and social duels with impartial rolls, modifiers, and consequences. Make sure every action has narrative weight.
- NPC Control - Handle Major lords/ladies, religious figures, and factions not under player control. Includes the Crownlands and Tagaryens, if included.
Structuring a Campaign
A well-structured campaign includes several things to ensure it runs smoothly. Those are an opening crisis to set the stage, regional pressures and tensions to instifate conflict, and power gaps to snure player growth and interest. These are explained in a bit more detail below as these need to be in place for a successful campaign.
1. An Opening Crisis - Setting the stage, the opening crisis is how Phase 1 starts. There must be some form of conflict in place, be it the death of the King, a religious uprising - even the return of White Walkers. This creates a realm wide conflict that enables multiple parties to all be included. Some examples but not an exhaustive list is below.
Death of the King
Natural disaster
Religious uprising
Prophecy revealed
Foreign invasion
2. Regional Pressures - Outside of the overarching realm conflict, there must be regional conflict or elements in place. These will largely vary based on the region the campaign takes place but in general there should be either 1 Internal or External Conflict for each Region being used. Internal conflicts deal with Houses of the Region in conflict with one another or even conflict within a single House while External conflicts stem from outside forces applynig pressure on the region such as wilding invasions, conflict with other regions or territory dispute. This allows for greater region and House interactions amongst players.
3. Power Gaps - With power gaps in play, it allows members the chance to grow into stronger characters and become more realm relevant. Generalyl speaking, campaigns should never start at more than halfway through a story. This means players should never start higher than Knight rank or equivalent to ensure they can grow into Lords or higher. This also means placing caps on Attributes at the start of campaigns to ensure balanced builds are used to start the campaign.
NPC Design & Factions
The GM will utilize a series of NPCs to have players interact with the world, either to gain more narrative standing or information or to drive the narrative itself forward through actions. GMs are encouraged to have a variety of characters in use, ranging from physical brutes to deceptive lords to anything in between to bring the War of the Realm to life. A combination of static and dynamic NPCs should be used, each with a variety of Attribute Points and Feats. Ensure NPCs are scaled according to player levels to ensure they remain relevant. Increase NPC ranks and AP in accordance to story progression.
One such faction will be House Targaryen and their Dragons, under the control of the DM at the start of the campaign.
Tools for Keeping the Game Flowing
In the game, there are many aspects that must be tracked and accoutned for. These range from Attribute Points, Gold and EXP to Bannermen Units, Structures, Landmarks and more. This list can get pretty confusing and extensive and to help maintain this, a few measures are taken. Character Sheets contain a player's Attribute Points, their Gold and EXP. These are only updated by the GM when they gain any official updates. Landmarks and Structures are maintained in the player's Inventory threads, created in the Customs subforum. This is also where BNM acquisitions are to be posted once approved with links to them.
Political Updates such as official treaties and active Schemes will be posted as needed by the GM in the White Book log.
World Trigger Techniques
GMs reate world events based on things that can change a region or threaten the realm at large. These events are usually game shaking events triggered by player actions. GMs should create a list of up to 4 or 5 potential World Events that are keep secret from players. This ensures the events trigger as naturally as possible in universe. While eup to 5 are created, not all 5 are going to be used every campaign. GMs should use good will to determine when one should be executed if others have been triggered during the campaign. Below is a list of some possible World Triggers separated by type. Note that this is not an extensive list and many types may cross over. Occasionally, the GM may roll to see if a random World Event is triggered. These conditions may have different triggers or requirements. Below is a list of example Triggers
APEX CREATURE TRIGGERS
Trigger Condition = Event / Apex Creature = Effect Summary
- A total eclipse occurs (e.g. Phase 6) = Varnok, the Moon-Splitter - Celestial dragon; disables Navigation, requires Piety or skyforged gear to defeat
- 5 Keeps are destroyed in a single campaign = Ashmane, the God-Eating Lion - Devours miracles and shrines; immune to most damage; punishes religious unrest
- 3 major sea battles occur in 2 Phases = The Thirsting Dread - Emerges from ocean trenches; threatens ports; floods coastal landmarks
- A desert Keep is sacked or ruined while Stewardship is lower than 5 = The Wyrm Below - Burrows through structures; cannot be fought, only redirected or endured
- A Void Vault or Forbidden Site is opened = The Black Flame - Corrupts Feats, spreads nightmares; requires Intrigue 8+ to perceive
- 3 Rhoynar shrines or water temples are defiled = Zeyra, Last Song of the Sea - Spirit Leviathan; locks off water miracles; banishable by Rhoynar-only ritual
- A Keep is destroyed by necromantic or cursed forces = Virellion, the Pale Flame - Undead dragon; revives slain troops as deathknights; siege immune
- First Tier III miracle is cast = Divine instability in that region; miracle cost +1 Phase-wide
- 3 Septs or Shrines are destroyed = Crone’s Curse: Piety regen halts; Loyalty –1 across region
- A player with Piety 10 sacrifices a Religious Site = Avatar Manifestation – divine or infernal being appears, RP-driven outcome
- Faith dominates 3+ regions = “Age of Faith” begins: miracle bonuses, heresies rise
- Drowned God shrine destroyed by fire = Drowned Men awaken and drag soldiers to the depths (Sea curse)
- House wins 3 major battles in 1 Phase = Season of War – +1 STR to Infantry/Cavalry for 3 Phases
- A player captures the same landmark 3 times = Legacy Unearthed – secret artifact or faction boon
- Any House controls 5+ landmarks and 1000+ Influence = Realm Fracture – NPC Kingdoms or Wardenates rebel/ally
- A region is ruled by a House with 0 Loyalty = Peasant Rebellion – towns may revolt; Loyalty penalties spread
- Assassination of a Warden or High Priest = Realm-wide outrage, +2 Loyalty loss unless quelled
- House uses 3 Tier III miracles in one campaign = Faith backlash or godly test (GM discretion)
- 2 Wardens declare war in the same Phase = Civil War Event – Region must pick a side, bonuses shift
- Succession Crisis declared in a region = Players must support rival heirs or suffer penalties
- All Wardens hold 4+ landmarks = Realm Decline begins – Overextension taxes all Houses
- A player renounces their religion publicly = Schism or new faith path unlocked, OR divine wrath event
- Phase 10 begins = Winter Arrives – movement slowed, food bonuses disabled in North
- 3 Towns are razed in one campaign = Red Harvest – farms cease to produce; Loyalty drops in Reach
- A landmark collapses from underrepair = Earthquake/Flood triggers region-based structure damage
- Blacksmith destroyed during siege = Steel Scarcity – crafting halted for 2 Phases in region
- Temple built on cursed land = Shrine becomes corrupted; divine abilities backfire unless purified
- GM rolls 1d100 each Phase (1–5%)
- Prophetic Vision, Celestial Sign, or Sudden Cataclysm = All major religions trigger one Tier III miracle each
- Divine Convergence – opens path to final Apex or god event
- GM milestone (e.g. end of Act I or Act II)
- Custom global events: invasions, plague, divine resets, or map reshaping
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