Bommyknocker Press

Hack the Nemesis System into your RPG

Whither nemesis?

It’s a sad day when a game studio gets shuttered due to corporate finagling. Warner Bros. Games recently closed a number of successful studios with ongoing projects. Probably chasing a tax break, the fuckers. Raise a glass to Monolith Games. And raise a glass to the Nemesis system, the clever mechanic at the core of the Shadow of Mordor franchise that gave it so much character and differentiated it from all the other open-world AAA collect-a-thons out there.

Unfortunately the system is patented until 2036. Here’s the patent itself. It was annoying and stupid to cordon off a promising system already, but now that Monolith is gone, it might be the last we’ll see of it. If we’re lucky, GB will strip the company for parts, and sell or license the system elsewhere. A small piece of bad news in the scheme of things - but incredibly frustrating to see promising avenues for development closed off.

Thankfully our pen-and-paper pond is insulated from the videogame ocean. No bigshot lawyer is gonna stop me posting on this blog, so here’s a some thoughts on hacking Nemesis mechanics for your table.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

NEMESIS IN THEORY
Nemesis system overview
Interlude: The opposite of love is not hate
Design Goals - how to capture Nemesis
Interlude: Nemeses in other media

NEMESIS IN YOUR GAME
Nemesis Statblocks
Growth
The Birth of a Nemesis
Using Nemeses in your campaign - The Encounter Table
Variations

NEMESIS IN THEORY

Nemesis system overview

Note: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel, Shadow of War are similar games. I’ll refer to them collectively as Mordor from here.

Interacting with the orcish foes in Mordor always comes with the chance that you will have a lasting impact on them. Defeat an enemy with fire? He’ll pop up again, covered in burn scars and carrying a grudge. Defeated by an ordinary scrub? That guy is getting a promotion; next time you see him, he’ll have better equipment, a new sobriquet, and he’s going to taunt you.

It’s a great drama generator. In my playthrough of Shadow of War I had a back-and-forth rivalry with a particular orc, where we kept ambushing one another. He was a real weirdo, and after a few encounters I grew fond of him. Eventually I supported him in a factional conflict with another orc, then “recruited” (mind-controlled) him to my side. This is not much of a story—there’s not much narrative meat on the bone. But because the relationship was generated over several encounters, and out of my own actions, it felt meaningful.

Interlude: The opposite of love is not hate


Nemesis, Kate Beaton

Writing this, I’ve come to think how the system might be used in other contexts. If you take out the violence, what we have is a model of a slowly deepening relationship. Think of a rom-com - each encounter changes the characters, and even if it’s a long time between interactions, the marks of the previous encounters are there. The other party may even carry a memento. A shame we’ll never see a Nemesis-powered open world dating sim.

Design Goals - how to capture Nemesis

What makes this all tick? I’ve referred heavily to GMTK’s video essay on the system here, check that out if you want more details.

Overall, we’re trying to capture the feeling of Mordor in play, not copy its systems wholesale.

  1. Your nemesis could be anyone.
It’s fun in Mordor when some nobody kills you, and you watch them progress in the ranks of Sauron’s army.

    LESSON: Let gameplay inform who becomes a nemesis. Their ties to the players’ actions is their strength; let one emerge from an encounter and don’t go in with a pre-written character.


  2. Nemeses are memorable.
Each nemesis has memorable traits: strengths, weaknesses; a unique look and title, a gimmick. All of this is reflected in their dialogue and their approach to combat. It’s theatre, and the characters are drawn broadly. These traits not only help keep straight the 100 or so named orcs you’ll fight in a playthrough of Mordor; they are themselves gameable and offer clues as to how the characters can be bested in a fight.
    LESSON: Weird=memorable. Give your nemeses a feature that stands out. Have it directly impact everything about them, from conversation to combat. If they don’t stand out they will be lost in the wash of play.

  3. Nemeses remember you.
Orcs in Mordor know about you, are obsessed about you even - your playstyle, your doings, all are referenced in dialogue. Sneak around orc camps before engaging in combat? Like to use traps, or tame beasts, or bows and arrows? This will be called out. This spotlights the player, shows that the game is listening to them and helps them feel their actions matter.
    LESSON: Reflect your players back on themselves, from the nemesis’ point of view. Having talkative NPCs extends to adversaries too.


  4. Defeat isn’t death.
The system works in Mordor because the hero comes back after death. In fact, death fuels the system—the game takes an orc who kills you and involves them more deeply in your story. The orcs, too, sometimes miraculously survive a lethal encounter, and pop up in the future with a telling scar and a grudge.
    LESSON: We don’t have the luxury of infinite resurrections in the OSR, so we have to think our way around this. BUT we don’t have to kill PCs outright when they lose a fight - they can be robbed, humiliated, captured, maimed and left for dead, or (if the players are judicious) flee. This system would interface well with Dwiz’s Defeat, Not Death system.


  5. Nemesis attrition.
The nemesis system is predicated on enemies who can eventually be defeated once and for all. One orc miraculously recovering from a severed head is cool. Mordor doesn’t have hordes of them surviving decapitation for the reason that it would cheapen the players’ wins.

    LESSON: Don’t fall too in love with your nemeses. Follow the fiction and let them die if they don’t flee - it’s not worth losing your players’ trust by having them always come back miraculously.


  6. Growth.
When nemeses return for another round they have usually changed and grown. The growth is linked to your encounter - they may have a new Title based on your interaction, or a prosthetic limb, or a fear of fire.
    LESSON: Leave room to grow. Your nemesis isn’t a world-threatening power, they’re someone with a special relationship to you.


  7. Use the game’s verbs.
Mordor barely gives you any tools to interact with the nemesis system beyond the standard allotment of AAA hack-and-slash gameplay. But the game refers to the verbs you use constantly - whether you sneak, engage in or flee from a fight, use a particular weapon, win or lose a battle, the game is paying attention. And then the system is integrated into all the game’s other systems.
    LESSON: The OSR is full of procedures. Use all the tools that your system provides - rumour tables, downtime encounter tables, factions. Nemeses can have mechanical weight in any of these systems.


  8. Keep your nemeses busy off-screen
Your nemesis is always up to something - vying for promotion in their army; planning an ambush for you; executing your allies. Mordor is always pushing you to interact with them, either on your terms or theirs.
    LESSON: Have your nemeses be a thorn in the side of your players. Threaten NPCs or locations with them. Treat them like a faction with their own goals. Entice players to seek them out proactively.


  9. An anti-lesson - nemeses everywhere.
The game is so full of nemeses because that’s what the game is about. I don’t think we should get carried away in OSR play - nemeses should feel rare and special. Ideally it should be a surprise and a delight to run into them, which means it can’t be happening too often.

Interlude: Nemeses in other media

Being free from the trammels of AAA computer game design means we are not limited to combat encounters. Our nemeses can be more interesting than that. Some nemeses from other media that might be interesting to model in your tabletop game:

Nemesis in your game

Nemesis Statblocks

I’m standing on the shoulders of giants here—I’ve consulted Dwiz and Nick L.S. Whelan blogposts in writing this section.

A Nemesis is an NPC with a few special traits:\

Name and title

“The best name a character can have is "the shopkeeper," "the landlord," "the nun." - Dwiz

Remember, we’re drawing in big bold lines here. The title should say it all. Refer to a random sampling of Shadow of Mordor orcs:

Region

Optional, for games that take place on a large map. Only the most dedicated rival will travel over a mountain range to pursue their nemesis. The rest might be a threat only within a certain region.

Some monstrous nemeses will not be able to follow a party into a city, and only very particular Nemeses will follow a party into a dungeon. Make a note here if these restrictions apply.

Description

Keep it short. Focus on what sets them apart from their fellows. One iconic physical trait is enough - like their title, it should reflect their personality or their drive.

Rivalry

The core of their interaction with the players. This should be informed by the reason for the nemesis’ generation. (See below.)

They should have:

Statline

You know how to do this already. Just remember, if they start their career as cannon-fodder, they should be promoted to have a statblock comparable in strength to a PC’s if you wish to send them toe-to-toe. Alternatively, they could rely on minions or other assets to protect them.)

Assets

What the Nemesis can bring to bear on an encounter beyond their statblock.

Growth

Over successive engagements, your nemesis grows in strength and resolve.

Consider the outcome of the last engagement. If the nemesis won, advance them along two axes (statline, faction, allies, compatriots, resources). If the nemesis lost, advance them on one axis and hinder them along another axis. Follow the fiction - a victory might give them a promotion in their army and a new ally. A defeat might mean their minions desert them, but they have a cool new prosthetic blade-arm.

Additionally, they may gain a new Title if appropriate.

The Birth of a Nemesis

A Nemesis could be born at the end of a combat, when one side is defeated or flees, and the other is left to lick their wounds and gloat. But referees should keep an eye on other interesting opportunities to create a nemesis. Some example triggers:

  1. ALL THAT’S LEFT: The Hotfoot goblin troupe disbanded following the raid on their lair. The twins Jab and Nab have no home, no jobs and no prospects, and have turned to full-time revenge.
  2. HUMILIATION: Sir Cullen has lost duels before, but he could not abide the insults Targash the barbarian threw his way.
  3. BLOOD FEUD: When the mercenary Weasel was killed, his blood brother Arsehole swore revenge.
  4. IT’S NOT PERSONAL: A bounty contract has been signed. The employer is dead, but for Dana Noon this is a matter of professional honour.
  5. MAIMED: Every morning, the ageless Sereonon gazes into his burned face in the mirror. Death is too good for the one who marred his perfect looks.
  6. FOR THE GLORY: Ur-Daza wishes to ascend to tribal chieftan. What better blood prize than those foolhardy interlopers?
  7. HOLY OATH: Heretics have invaded the temple and stolen the Thousand Jasper Eyes from the frieze. By holy writ they must die.
  8. YOU RUINED MY LIFE: The scribe Gishimar had only taken a small bribe to admit the outsiders to the imperial city. And now they had named him as an accomplice—after kidnapping the bishop, no less! Well, he has nothing left to lose; he will show them the power of a bureaucrat wronged.
  9. FINISH THE JOB: Jordana fears her squad of bandits will desert her if she leaves ripe booty unplundered. Those half-baked freebooters had a lot of treasure. And though they fled, they won’t get away for long.

Using Nemeses in your campaign - The Encounter Table

Nemeses live on the encounter table. You can plug them into whatever table you use. Nick LS Whelan suggests reserving certain numbers on your encounter table for specific encounters. For Nick, 2 is always a dragon. 7 is always a recurring NPC. 12 is always a wizard. I think a good tuning for a nemesis would be to encounter them about 10% of the time (a roll of 5 or 9 on a 2d6).

Use discretion before having nemeses appear in dungeons - it could easily distract from the theme or atmosphere if you’re running from a module. If you have multiple nemeses in play, pick an appropriate foe for the setting, or determine randomly from any nemeses active in the region.

When Nemeses are encountered, let their personalities shine. Have they laid a trap or an ambush? Have they recruited a warband or a wizard? Will they rush in with a battle cry, or honourably issue a challenge? Check out Prismatic Wasteland’s checklist for designing playful encounters.

Variations

  1. IT’S PERSONAL: Each PC gets their own nemesis. Clever nemeses may try to engineer encounters where their rival has split from the party.

  2. NEMESES EVERYWHERE: Nemeses are a greater theme in your game, perhaps to the same degree as the Mordor games. Make nemeses regularly to account for attrition. Choose a set number of nemeses to be active at any one time, and try to maintain that number as the party picks off the weaker ones.

  3. BACK FROM THE DEAD: It’s really hard to kill off a nemesis. Perhaps they’ve unlocked the secrets to undeath, perhaps they’re pals with the pope and keep getting resurrected. Just be prepared: if I did this in my game, my players would be chopping them up and boiling them in acid.

  4. LOVE, NOT WAR: With a little work I’m sure you could hack nemeses into a system where you run into your crush at the juice bar, and again at the book reading the next week.

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