Stardew Valley Roleplay Ideas – A New Way to Farm

• About
• Latest Posts

Callum Marshall

Callum is the gaming managing editor and a certified Stardew Valley aficionado, pouring hundreds if not thousands of hours into this relaxing indie title. While overseeing the day-to-day running of the site, you'll commonly see Callum carve out some time to produce some content on one of his favorite games of all time, and lead from the front. Callum has been around the block within the gaming industry, working as an Editor-in-chief for a number of well-respected gaming outlets, he has worked as a games tester, he has gaming podcast experience, has worked in gaming PR. Basically, you name it, and Callum was probably there or somewhere on the periphery.

Latest posts by Callum Marshall (see all)

• Stardew Valley Roleplay Ideas – A New Way to Farm - May 9, 2023
• Stardew Valley Multiplayer Guide: Farm With Friends - February 27, 2023
• Stardew Valley Feast of the Winter Star Guide: A Winter Wonderland - January 23, 2023

I’m not someone that returns to games very often. I’m very motivated by in-game achievements, meaning that when that platinum pops, I tend to check out. Plus, as a games journalist, I tend to be forced to give games an obligatory ten-hour stint, and then move hastily on to the next.

However, there are a few games that I make an exception for. Kingdom Hearts is my comfort series that I will always return to; I have a handful of sandbox titles on standby, like Session: Skate Sim, and I also have some endless challenges, like Slay the Spire waiting in the wings.

However, of all these games that I return to, there are none that I have re-acquainted myself with more often than Stardew Valley. It’s that goddamn gameplay loop; it’s like gaming heroin. 

However, unless you just want the comfort and catharsis of growing Parsnips every so often, players who have played Stardew Valley to completion may not see any reason to return to this title.

Players like this probably have super-automated farms, have maxed out every relationship, and know Ginger Island like the back of their hand.

So the question you may be asking is, how do I get myself back into Stardew in a big way? Well, have you considered doing a role-play playthrough to spice things up?

Role-playing in Stardew Valley allows players to add extra layers of realism, apply strict rules to make gameplay more challenging, and in general, it usually makes playing this almost decade-old game feel like a brand new, fresh experience.

But don’t just take my word for it; there are tonnes of examples that you can use as inspiration for your next farming adventure. So join us as we break down Stardew Valley role-playing, and showcase some amazing Stardew Valley Roleplay Ideas.

What is a Stardew Valley Roleplay?

Before we jump into a list of ideas, we should probably explain this concept a little more clearly, as this is a little abstract if you have never come across a roleplay playthrough before. A Stardew Valley Roleplay is a playthrough in which the player creates their own set of rules that will dictate how they play the game.

This is done by essentially creating a fully fleshed-out character like one would do in a DND campaign, for example. The player gives their pixellated farmer a distinct personality, a role within the world outside of the one thrust upon you by the game, and then uses this framework to play the game exactly as their character would.

You may be wondering what aspects of the game this might affect, so let me offer you a quick list of the factors one can consider when putting together a Stardew role-play: 

• Player decisions like your relationships, your decor choices, your farm/town layout, your allegiances with Joja, etc
• How the player decides to engage with the core gameplay (Farming/combat/fishing/foraging/etc.)
• The character’s story (maybe you want to invent a new narrative somehow)
• Players may lean into mechanics that force a more realistic playthrough

This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of how in-depth a role-play can be, and with the addition of some mods for PC players, the game can be altered in many ways that accommodate this need to roleplay better than the vanilla game could ever do. 

The only differing factor between these and challenge runs is that there needs to be context. With a challenge run, you could have a race to complete the Community Center in one year, for example, but without a backstory, or some sort of reason why this is important to the character, then this isn’t an SDV roleplay.

With roleplay, everything needs to be interlinked. Your motivations and character build should permeate into every decision you make, and if you have one clear goal and nothing else, this isn’t conducive to a good roleplay. 

Selection Criteria 

Okay, now that we know what an SDV roleplay is, it’s time to select some amazing ideas that can serve as the catalyst to get you farming from a new perspective.

I have taken the time to scour the interwebs for some of the best and most creative ways to approach SDV role-playing, and this is the criteria I used to separate the wheat from the chaff: 

• All role-plays must be deeper than simple challenge runs
• All roleplays must be accessible for all players without mods (Just being fair to all of you guys!)
• All Roleplays must have a strong concept and have wiggle room for players to have their own interpretation of the rules
• While co-op would enrich all these options, we will only include role-plays that don’t strictly require other parties

Okay, enough talk. It’s time to step into the shoes of someone else and farm like we have never farmed before. Here we go! 

Amazing Stardew Valley Roleplay Ideas

The Barista Roleplay

• Core Concept: The player must make money by making coffee
• Best Played With Late Game Save: Yes
• Possible rules: 
  1. Players must only generate income by selling coffee products
  2. Players must build and run their own coffee shop 
  3. Players must always be under the influence of coffee to do tasks other than making coffee 

Let’s start with a fun one that sees the player become Pelican Town’s answer to Starbucks. In this roleplay, you play as a Barista that lives and breathes coffee.

This means that you can only farm Coffee Beans, you can only gift others coffee, and unless you are farming beans to make more coffee, you can’t do other tasks unless you are hopped up on the stuff, because as any adult will know, it’s hard to function without your daily brew. 

In terms of player motivation and role-playing, you could have a goal of striving to create as many coffee outlets in Stardew Valley as possible, by creating stalls with kegs all over the map, and you can filter all of your decisions through the mind of a really obnoxious Californian coffee bro named Chad with a top knot.

He might be a raw vegan, for example. Or he might have a beef with Emily because he wants to be the zany one in town. There’s plenty of scope to take this in any direction you want. Plus, you don’t have to set the game up to have profit margins. If Starbucks didn’t have to pay their tax, why should you? 

Also, I should note, you could easily tweak this one and roleplay as a Pub landlord, a florist, or a restaurant owner, for example. So many options. 

The Eco Warrior Roleplay 

• Core Concept: The player must live off the land 
• Best Played With Late Game Save: No
• Possible rules: 
  1. The player must be resourceful where possible, meaning using the land for resources
  2. The player must spend time ridding the town of trash and recycling junk
  3. All junk must be repurposed somehow
  4. Players can purchase some things, but only if it makes sense. Like blueprints for crafting, for example

The planet is dying, and no one seems to care. So what’s the solution? Video games, obviously. Through this Stardew Valley roleplay, you can snatch back control from the oil tycoons and the frackers, by being a force for good in Stardew Valley.

This roleplay will see the player take on the role of a green-living activist who is hellbent on living a life with as low of a carbon footprint as they can. Which means you should behave as they would.

You should live off the land by foraging, only using mixed seeds for farming initially, and come by all of your resources in the most eco-friendly way possible. 

This can be as strict or as loose as you like, as while an eco-warrior would never cut down a tree, it can be quite hard to gather a lot of wood without doing so.

The key things you always need to keep in mind are, how you can waste less, what you can recycle, and what you can do to reuse and get the most out of old items on the farm. 

The Anti-Capitalist Roleplay

• Core Concept: Never spend a penny 
• Best Played With Late Game Save: No
• Possible rules: 
  1. The player is not allowed to buy anything in the game
  2. The player must take down the Joja Mart 
  3. The player must share their wealth with all (Two gifts for everyone every week)

This one is not too far removed from the Eco-Warrior roleplay, but it has a very different motivation that is fueled by politics, and just a sprinkle of spite.

In this SDV roleplay, the player will take on the role of an anti-capitalist campaigner, who is hellbent on taking down conglomerates like Joja Mart, and is completely unwilling to spend a dime of their money on anything.

That’s not to say they have to be miserable, as you can give locals gifts regularly and share the wealth equally, in a very hammer and sickle sort of way. 

However, in the early stages, this will be tough. You’ll need to make the most of forage, natural resources, and what you can find to get by. It’s a slow burn, but if you get a kick out of succeeding whilst never giving ‘the man’ a cent, then this is the best roleplay to take on. 

The Monster Hunter Roleplay 

• Core Concept: Become Stardew Valley’s Witcher 
• Best Played With Late Game Save: No
• Possible rules: 
  1. Players must make their income by fighting Monsters and selling their drops
  2. Players must play on a Wilderness Farm 
  3. Players must strive to complete all Adventurers Guild challenges, then can create their own imaginary contracts 

You’ve heard of Geralt of Rivia, but what about Insert Farmer Name of Zuzu City? While Stardew Valley isn’t really a dungeon Crawler, this aspect of the game is really fun, and allows players to spelunk caves, fight monsters and get their hands on lots of loot too.

Well, what if this was your only source of income? In this roleplay, you would only be able to trade monster items, armor, weapons, and certain items through the Adventurer’s Guild.

You could rise through the ranks of the guild, earning enough coin to survive, and all the while, you will need to protect your home from the onslaught of enemies that follow you home. 

You could even go a little further and consider the relationship a monster hunter would have with the locals. Would they be revered as a hero, or would they need to stick to the shadows and form stronger bonds with magical creatures like the Dwarves, the Junimos, and the Shadow People?

I bet you and the Wizard would get on like a house on fire. In short, this is a fun roleplay for those that want to become a mercenary for hire in Pelican Town. 

The Castaway Roleplay

• Core Concept: Learn to live as an Islander 
• Best Played With Late Game Save: Yes
• Possible rules: 
  1. Players must begin their roleplay on Ginger Island
  2. The player must have no resources other than their tools at the beginning
  3. Players should set parameters around needing to eat/drink and keep sane 

This one is a pretty simple concept, but it requires a pretty lengthy setup without mods, and it’s pretty tricky to pull off. In this roleplay, you must access a second home on Ginger Island.

Then you must shed all of your worldly belongings aside from your base tools, and thus begins your roleplay as an island castaway. Your role is to make use of what is available to you on the island to survive and create a self-sustainable living situation. 

This can take many forms, but I would suggest creating a narrative where your character must find a means of feeding themselves, find a source of fresh water that they visit every day, and they should also have forms of stimulation that keep them sane, like making scarecrows, or keeping a pet fish for example. 

Then when the time comes to leave the island, you should consider how this person would acclimatize back into normal life. If they would be a recluse, or if they would maintain their way of island living back at the farm. 

This one requires a lot of framework on the player’s part, but it can be a very rewarding role-play for those with an active imagination. 

The Asshole Roleplay

• Core Concept: Be an asshole, always 
• Best Played With Late Game Save: No
• Possible rules: 
  1. Cause mischief at every opportunity (one awful deed a day)
  2. Make every character despise you
  3. Always make the morally corrupt decision

This one doesn’t really have an end goal or something to strive for like the others on this list. This is essentially asking you to play the role of the bad guy, and there are so many ways that you can go about doing that. You can make it your prerogative to supply wine to Jas and Vincent every week.

You can attend Festivals and ruin the party by adding horrible ingredients to the Potluck at the Luau. You could be an absolute player and date every single eligible bachelor or bachelorette in the village at once, and obviously, you side with Joja Mart. 

The important thing to make this roleplay work, is to see every day as a new opportunity to be bad, and that even extends to yourself. You could neglect your animals and sell them off instead of keeping them, or keep having kids and turn them into doves. Think of it as the opposite of saying yes to every opportunity.

You vehemently say no, and do everything in your power to be a spiteful, horrible, self-centered douchebag. It sounds horrible, but as anyone who has done a Renegade run in Mass Effect or blew up Megaton in Fallout 3 will know. Being bad can be a hell of a time. 

The Recluse Roleplay

• Core Concept: Never Leave The Farm 
• Best Played With Late Game Save: No
• Possible rules: 
  • For the most part, never leave the farm
  • If you do leave the farm, make sure no one sees you
  • Only have relationships with select people (perhaps Krobus, or the Travelling Merchant)

Stardew Valley is a game that largely revolves around community and building relationships with other characters. So naturally, this roleplay strips this aspect of the game and asks you to adapt to life as a hermit.

As you can imagine, this can lead to very challenging gameplay, as so many of the resources you need to thrive are beyond your farmstead. However, due to your general distrust of people, you will need to work out some way around socializing. 

You can play this as rigidly as you like, and I have seen players never leave their farm once, but still, build a respectable farm. However, you can also employ a rule where as long as you remain out of sight, you can explore the world. You could roleplay as the good guy who quietly restored the Community Center without meeting a soul.

Or you can slowly come out of your shell over the seasons, and maybe even attend a festival or two. The details are up to you, but the recluse angle is a rich vein for roleplaying. 

The Aichmophobia Roleplay

• Core Concept: No Sharp Objects 
• Best Played With Late Game Save: No
• Possible rules: 
  1. The player is not able to use any tools due to their phobia
  2. Players are unable to use swords and melee weapons 
  3. Players cannot fish due to the hooks on the rods 
  4. Can’t prepare certain foods because you’ll need a knife

For those that are unaware, Aichmophobia is a fear of sharp objects, and when you think about it, a lot of the things you need to use in Stardew Valley to progress revolve around chopping trees, slicing monsters, and bashing rocks.

So what would happen if you played the role of an Aichmophobic character? This creates a unique dilemma where you will have to navigate the game without the ability to mine, fish, till the land, chop trees, or in some cases, cook. 

It really limits your options for progression and makes you have to think very differently if you want to succeed as a farmer. When you get to the point where you have animals, it becomes less of an issue, but even getting to that point can be a tough ask. 

It’s a fun angle, and the cool thing is, there is a phobia for just about anything you can imagine, so you can either add those to the pile, or change this one for another.

For example, what about Botanophobia (A fear of plants), Hydrophobia, a fear of water, or Selenophobia (A fear of the moon)? Plenty of room to experiment here. 

FAQs

Know Your Role

As you can see, there are so many fun and interesting ways that you can take the vanilla experience within Stardew Valley, and then flip it on its head to offer a brand new playthrough that both challenges the player, and offers a bunch of imagination-driven memorable SDV moments.

I hope that this guide helps you put together a roleplay that works for you, and even if none of these were perfect fits, with a few tweaks to suit your preferences, I can guarantee that you’ll have an absolutely incredible time. As always, thanks for reading SdewHQ.