Completing Custom Scenarios in RimWorld: A Guide to Solving Challenges

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Before diving into your adventure in Rimworld, it’s essential to grasp the key element that shapes your gameplay: the Scenario System. This system is not just about setting difficulty; it influences everything, from the colonists you start with to the specific traits of your chosen environment.

While you can certainly start with a default scenario (after all, classics are classic for a reason!), customizing your scenario can greatly enhance your experience and the story that unfolds.

What Is the Scenario System?

At its essence, the Scenario System serves as RimWorld’s dynamic setup tool, providing a foundation for each game you play. When you select ‘New Colony’, this is the first crucial choice you make, with numerous modifications available that extend beyond just the initial setup.

Scenarios establish the starting conditions, presenting you with immediate challenges and opportunities that will significantly shape your colony’s beginning and potentially its future.

Each scenario comes with detailed descriptions, outlining basic setups that include a specific number of colonists, a tailored selection of resources and items, and certain variables that will appear in your starting map, no matter where you choose to settle.

Core Components of Scenarios

Every scenario, whether standard or personalized, consists of several key components that interact to set your starting point.

Colonists

The scenario has a direct impact on your initial pawns, which includes:

Number of Colonists: This can range from a single individual to a small group, determining your initial workforce and vulnerability.
Skills & Traits: Some scenarios may preset skills (e.g., the ‘Tribal’ scenario often features lower technical skills but stronger social and animal handling abilities) and specific traits that can enhance or challenge gameplay.
Relationships: Certain pawns might start with existing relationships (like lovers, rivals, or family), influencing social interactions right away.
Health Conditions: Some scenarios can introduce colonists with pre-existing injuries, illnesses, or addictions, creating immediate management challenges.

Note: The Scenario System does not select specific colonists for you. You’ll still need to choose from the colonist selection screen after picking your scenario.

Starting Items

What you begin with can significantly affect your early game. Scenarios determine:

Weapons & Apparel: From high-tech firearms to minimal clothing, your initial gear impacts your defense and protection from the environment.
Food & Resources: The quantity of materials like food, wood, steel, or components available influences how quickly you can establish shelter, research technologies, and fend off hunger. This can include food assignments for colonists or starting near certain animals.

Narrative Elements

Certain scenarios come with unique narratives or events:

Pre-Scripted Events: For example, the ‘Crashlanded’ scenario starts you in the wreckage of your ship, prompting you to salvage whatever you can.
Ongoing Conditions: In scenarios like ‘Lost Tribe’, you start as a primitive group, limiting technology access until you research it, leading to a slower but more organic game progression.
Immediate Threats: Some custom scenarios can introduce specific events that trigger shortly after landing, such as eclipses, sudden illnesses, or a resource pod crash.

How to Obtain New Scenarios

There are three main types of scenarios you can explore:

Default scenarios included with the game: These are balanced for enjoyable gameplay or structured to provide a challenge. With DLC content, they can also introduce you to new mechanics, like Odyssey’s ‘The Gravship’ scenario.
Custom scenarios you create yourself: By clicking the Scenario Editor button on the scenario screen, you can tweak variables to create your own unique setup. Once satisfied, you can save and reuse your custom scenario.
Downloaded scenarios: You can find additional options online, such as in the Steam Workshop. These are user-created scenarios that can add variety to your gameplay.

Dive into Rimworld with your chosen scenario to kick-start your adventure and shape your story!