Helldivers 2 has a Dungeons and Dragons-style GM behind the scenes

Today I learned there is a Dungeons and Dragons-like Game Master (GM) working behind the scenes on Helldivers 2.

His name is Joel, and his job title at Arrowhead is Game Master. «We have a lot of systems built into the game where the Game Master has a lot of control over the play experience. It's something that we're continuously evolving based on what's happening in the game,» Helldivers 2 game director Johan Pilestedt told PC Gamer.

This continuous evolution has actually seen Joel getting up at unsociable hours to sort out situations when the Helldivers 2 team realised the game wasn't as balanced as it could be. «There have been some sudden moments where maybe one planet was too easy or one was too hard and [Joel] had to get up in the middle of the night to give the Automatons a bit of reinforcement so the players don't take [the planet] too quickly,» Pilestedt said.

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The director said Dungeons and Dragons had actually been a major inspiration for the Arrowhead team. Together, they aim to replicate many gameplay elements from the fantasy role-playing game, such as collaborative efforts and reactive storytelling.

Pilestedt said while there is still a difference between creating a TTRPG campaign for a small band of adventurers and an online shooter for thousands of players (Helldivers 2 became PlayStation's biggest Steam launch ever and currently has an all-time concurrent peak of over 458,000 players), its «still the same format».

«It's just that you can't get as personal with every individual. But you can still do the same twists and turns,» he said.

Much like all good GMs, the studio also has «predictions» about how the Helldivers 2 war will play out. As such, it has created «set pieces» that the developer thinks will be important. But, as any TTRPG game master will appreciate, even the best laid plans can be