Stop the Colonist Slot Machine: Skip RimWorld's Random Character Lottery
Quick Navigation
Common Questions At-a-Glance
| Common Query | Quick Answer |
|---|---|
| How to install EdB Prepare Carefully mod? | Subscribe on Steam Workshop (or download from GitHub Releases) and enable it in RimWorld's Mods menu. Requires the Harmony mod. |
| What does EdB Prepare Carefully do? | It lets you modify your initial colonists and starting items to create your ideal start – change pawns' traits, skills, appearance, equipment, etc. You can use a point system for balance or turn it off for total freedom. |
| Is using Prepare Carefully considered cheating? | It can feel like "cheating" to hand-pick perfect pawns, but you can self-impose limits or use the mod's point system to keep things balanced. Many players use it to save time and still keep the game fun. |
| How do I customize pawns with Biotech genes? | Biotech xenotypes and genes are supported. Create a custom xenotype in the Biotech menu, then assign it to your pawn in Prepare Carefully. Newer versions (1.4.2+) fixed the custom xenotype reverting bug. |
| Can I start with a mechanoid or mechanitor? | Yes – as of version 1.5.9, Prepare Carefully supports mechanitor implants (mechlinks) and starting mechanoids for the Biotech expansion. You can give a pawn a mechlink implant and even add mechanoid followers on the equipment screen. |
| Does it work with Ideology and Royalty DLCs? | Ideology: You still create or select an ideoligion during game start. Prepare Carefully doesn't conflict; just design pawns that fit your theme. Royalty: You can't directly assign Royal titles in Prepare Carefully, but you can start with Royalty gear or psylink neuroformers as equipment. |
| Why isn't the "Prepare Carefully" button showing? | Make sure the mod is enabled (in Mods menu). If it's enabled and still missing, another mod may be conflicting. Try loading only Harmony and Prepare Carefully first, or check for known conflicts (e.g. the "Open World" mod prevented the button). |
| Can I save my custom starting team? | Yes. Prepare Carefully lets you save presets for your colonists and starting loadout, so you can reuse them later. Use the "Save Preset" button after setting up your team. |
❓ Why Beginners Use "Prepare Carefully"
Frustration with Random Starts
In vanilla RimWorld, you have to hit "Randomize" on each colonist over and over until you get someone acceptable. New players often find themselves spending hours to find the exact character they want. Maybe you keep re-rolling, hoping for a decent doctor or a builder, but you get stuck with pyromaniac artists or 80-year-old nobles who refuse to do work. It's tedious and can sour the beginning of the game. New to RimWorld? Check out our complete beginner's guide to learn the fundamentals first.
EdB Prepare Carefully directly addresses this pain point. With this mod, you hand-pick or design each starting pawn. Instead of crossing your fingers for RNG to bless you, you open a menu and set the skills/traits you want. This means no more starting game with a colonist who secretly can't cook or everyone incapable of Dumb Labor.
Example Scenario
Suppose you really want a starting colonist who is a good shooter and medic (maybe you're imagining a crashlanded soldier character). In vanilla, you'd randomize dozens of times to find someone with Shooting 8+ and Medicine 6+ who isn't too old or frail. With Prepare Carefully, you can simply create that character: set their Shooting and Medical skills to your desired levels, give them a fitting backstory, and you're done. No hours lost on re-rolls – you get to start playing with the team you envisioned.
Not Really Cheating – Finding Balance
Some players worry that using PC feels like cheating or "ruins the experience of having random characters". It's true that if you give yourself all 20-skill superheroes, you're removing a lot of the challenge. But Prepare Carefully gives you tools to keep things balanced:
- Point System: The mod assigns a point cost to everything you add – high skills, extra items, additional colonists – based on their in-game market value or importance.
- Self-Restraint: "All you have to do is not give your people overpowered items." You might decide, "I'll design my colonists' appearance and traits, but I won't give them better weapons than the default start."
- Story Focus: Many players use the mod to craft a story, not to break the game. Maybe you want to roleplay as a family that crashlanded together, or as tribal refugees with specific backgrounds.
Pro Tip
If you feel tempted to make things too easy, try enabling the point limit or using the "No Extra Points" option which sets your budget equal to a vanilla start. This ensures you're not giving yourself more than you would have had by random rolls, you're just reallocating points.
Getting Started – Installation Guide
Steam Installation
- Visit the Steam Workshop page for EdB Prepare Carefully
- Click the green Subscribe button
- Also subscribe to the Harmony mod (required)
- Steam will automatically download the mod files
RimWorld's workshop interface for installing mods
Enabling the Mod in RimWorld
- Launch RimWorld
- Click Mods on the main menu
- Find Harmony and EdB Prepare Carefully in the list
- Enable both mods (checkbox or move to active list on right)
- Ensure Harmony is loaded before Prepare Carefully
- Click Close and restart if prompted
⚠️ Common Issue
The #1 reason the Prepare Carefully button doesn't appear is because the mod isn't actually enabled. Many players subscribe but forget to activate it in the Mods menu. Also ensure Harmony is enabled, as PC now requires it to function.
Starting a New Game with Prepare Carefully
- Click New Colony on the main menu
- Choose a scenario (e.g., Crashlanded)
- Select storyteller and difficulty as normal (need help choosing? See our storyteller guide)
- After you select your landing site, you'll see the character creation screen
- At the bottom of this screen, click the new "Prepare Carefully" button
Character Selection Screen
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ CHARACTER SELECTION ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ 👤 COLONIST 1: Jake "Shooter" Wilson ║
║ Age: 34 | Shooting: 8 | Medicine: 2 ║
║ ║
║ 👤 COLONIST 2: Maria "Cook" Santos ║
║ Age: 28 | Cooking: 12 | Plants: 6 ║
║ ║
║ 👤 COLONIST 3: Bob "Builder" Thompson ║
║ Age: 45 | Construction: 10 | Mining: 8 ║
║ ║
║ ║
║ [RANDOMIZE] [BACK] [START] ║
║ ║
║ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ ║
║ │ 🔧 PREPARE CAREFULLY 🔧 │ ║ ← NEW BUTTON!
║ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
The "Prepare Carefully" button appears at the bottom of the character selection screen
Using EdB Prepare Carefully – Interface Walkthrough
Once you click the "Prepare Carefully" button, you'll enter the mod's interface. This is where you'll spend time customizing your starting colonists and equipment.
EdB Prepare Carefully - Character Editor
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ PREPARE CAREFULLY ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ COLONIST 1: Sarah "Doc" Martinez ║
║ ┌─────────────────┬─────────────────┬─────────────────┐ ║
║ │ BACKSTORY │ TRAITS │ SKILLS │ ║
║ │ ┌─────────────┐ │ ┌─────────────┐ │ ┌─────────────┐ │ ║
║ │ │Child: Orphan│ │ │ ✓ Fast │ │ │Medicine: 12 │ │ ║
║ │ │Adult: Doctor│ │ │ Learner │ │ │Shooting: 8 │ │ ║
║ │ └─────────────┘ │ │ ✓ Kind │ │ │Research: 10 │ │ ║
║ │ │ │ │ │ │Cooking: 6 │ │ ║
║ │ [RANDOMIZE] │ │ [ADD TRAIT] │ │ │[+] [-] [=] │ │ ║
║ └─────────────────┴─────────────────┴─────────────────┘ ║
║ ║
║ EQUIPMENT: [Assault Rifle] [Medicine x5] [Steel x100] ║
║ ║
║ [PREVIOUS] [NEXT COLONIST] [RANDOMIZE ALL] [START GAME] ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
EdB Prepare Carefully mod UI with character customization options
Pawn Editor Mod interface allows detailed character customization in RimWorld, used to bypass the random colonist selection
Interface Overview
- Top Tabs: Characters, Relationships, Equipment tabs for different customization areas
- Point System Toggle: "Use Point Limits" checkbox with red X (off) or green check (on) determines if you'll stick to a balanced point budget
- Points Display: Shows current points spent vs. available when limit is on
- Bottom Buttons: Back (return to previous screen), Load/Save Preset (for reusing setups), and Start (to begin the game)
Tip for New Users
Take your time in this screen - it's perfectly fine to spend 15-30 minutes crafting your perfect start. The game is paused while you customize, so there's no rush. If you feel overwhelmed, you can always hit "Back" to return to vanilla randomization.
Character Tab – Customizing Your Colonists
The Characters tab is where you'll spend most of your time. Here you can edit each colonist's stats, appearance, traits, and more.
The character creation screen with the Prepare Carefully mod in RimWorld, showing the customization options for a colonist
Basic Information
- Name: Set first name, nickname (appears in-game), and last name
- Gender/Sex: Click the male/female icon to toggle
- Age: Set biological age (affects appearance and health) and chronological age (includes cryptosleep time)
- Appearance: Choose head type, hair style, hair color
Backstories
Each pawn has two backstories that determine their starting skills and work capabilities:
- Childhood: First part of their life (e.g., "Child Spy," "Farm Kid")
- Adulthood: Current or recent occupation (e.g., "Doctor," "Soldier")
- Tip: Check for "Incapable of" tags - avoid giving all pawns backstories that prevent important work types
Traits
Each pawn can have up to 3 traits that affect their abilities, mood, and behavior. Some recommended traits for beginners (for a comprehensive trait guide, see our complete traits guide):
Positive Traits
- Sanguine: +12 mood bonus (very powerful)
- Industrious: +35% work speed
- Iron-Willed: -18% mental break threshold
- Fast Learner: +75% global learning
- Tough: Takes 50% less damage
Traits to Avoid (For Beginners)
- Pyromaniac: Will start fires randomly
- Chemical Fascination: Will binge on drugs
- Volatile: Breaks easily under stress
- Abrasive: Insults other colonists
- Jealous: Requires best bedroom
Note on Trait Balance: The mod does not assign any point cost to traits by default. This means adding positive traits doesn't count against your point budget. For balance, consider giving each pawn at most one top-tier trait (like Sanguine or Industrious) and perhaps one minor flaw for storytelling.
Skills & Passions
Character traits and skill levels in RimWorld
Set each pawn's skill levels (0-20) and passion levels:
- No flame: Standard learning
- One flame: +35% learning speed (minor passion)
- Two flames: +150% learning speed (burning passion)
Skill Level Recommendations
For a balanced start, keep most skills in the 4-10 range. Level 10 is already considered professional level. Skills above 12 start costing significantly more points, and level 20 is legendary mastery that would make early challenges trivial. It's more satisfying to watch your colonists improve over time!
Health (Injuries & Implants)
You can give pawns health conditions, scars, or implants:
- Add injuries or conditions: For storytelling (e.g., a scar from past combat)
- Add bionics or implants: For enhanced abilities (costly in points)
- Biotech options: Mechlinks for mechanitors, gene modifications, pregnancy
Relationship Tab – Creating Social Connections
The Relationships tab allows you to define social connections between your starting colonists, adding depth and storytelling to your colony.
Setting Up Relationships
Use this tab to create various types of relationships:
- Family ties: Parent/child, siblings, cousins
- Romantic relationships: Spouse, fiancé, lover, ex-lover
- Other relationships: Friend, rival
Relationships Tab
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ RELATIONSHIPS TAB ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ COLONIST: Sarah "Doc" Martinez ║
║ ║
║ EXISTING RELATIONSHIPS: ║
║ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ ║
║ │ 💑 Jake Wilson (Lover) - Opinion: +100 │ ║
║ │ 👨👩👧 Maria Santos (Sister) - Opinion: +25 │ ║
║ │ 🤝 Bob Thompson (Friend) - Opinion: +15 │ ║
║ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ║
║ ║
║ ADD NEW RELATIONSHIP: ║
║ ┌─────────────────┬─────────────────┬─────────────────┐ ║
║ │ TARGET: │ RELATIONSHIP: │ OPINION: │ ║
║ │ [SELECT PAWN] │ [DROPDOWN] │ [SLIDER: +50] │ ║
║ │ │ • Lover │ │ ║
║ │ │ • Spouse │ │ ║
║ │ │ • Parent │ │ ║
║ │ │ • Sibling │ │ ║
║ │ │ • Friend │ │ ║
║ └─────────────────┴─────────────────┴─────────────────┘ ║
║ ║
║ [ADD RELATIONSHIP] [REMOVE SELECTED] [RANDOMIZE ALL] ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Example of the Relationships tab showing family and other connections
Popular Relationship Setups
Family Start
Create a family unit with parents and children:
- Set two adult colonists as spouses
- Set one or more colonists as their children
- With Biotech DLC, you can even include a teenager or child by adjusting their biological age
Family members get mood bonuses from being together and suffer worse if a relative dies.
Rivals or Ex-Lovers
Add drama with negative relationships:
- Set two colonists as rivals (they'll dislike each other)
- Or make them ex-lovers (creates a -20 "Hates ex-lover" mood debuff)
- This creates interesting social dynamics and potential conflicts
These negative relationships add challenge and storytelling opportunities!
Note for DLC Users
If you're using the Ideology DLC, note that you cannot pre-assign ideological roles here. Similarly, with Royalty, you cannot assign royal titles. These are assigned after starting the game. However, you can design your pawns with appropriate skills for the roles you plan to give them later.
Equipment Tab – Customizing Starting Items
The Equipment tab allows you to customize what items, resources, and animals your colony starts with.
Equipment Tab - Starting Gear
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ EQUIPMENT TAB ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ CATEGORIES: │ CURRENT INVENTORY: ║
║ ┌─────────────────┐ │ ┌─────────────────────────────────┐ ║
║ │ ▶ Weapons │ │ │ 🔫 Assault Rifle x3 │ ║
║ │ ▶ Apparel │ │ │ 🛡️ Flak Vest x3 │ ║
║ │ ▶ Food │ │ │ 🥫 Packaged Survival Meal x30 │ ║
║ │ ▶ Medicine │ │ │ 💊 Medicine x20 │ ║
║ │ ▶ Materials │ │ │ ⚙️ Steel x500 │ ║
║ │ ▶ Technology │ │ │ 🔧 Component x25 │ ║
║ │ ▶ Misc Items │ │ │ 🌱 Potato x50 │ ║
║ └─────────────────┘ │ │ 🧱 Wood x300 │ ║
║ │ └─────────────────────────────────┘ ║
║ AVAILABLE ITEMS: │ TOTAL WEIGHT: 847 / 1000 kg ║
║ ┌─────────────────┐ │ TOTAL VALUE: $12,450 ║
║ │ 🗡️ Longsword │ │ ║
║ │ 🏹 Recurve Bow │ │ [ADD ITEM] [REMOVE] [CLEAR ALL] ║
║ │ 🔫 Bolt Rifle │ │ ║
║ │ [ADD TO INV] │ │ ║
║ └─────────────────┘ │ ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
The Equipment tab showing categories of items and current inventory
The 'Prepare Carefully' Mod Interface in RimWorld, Allowing Players to Customize Starting Equipment
Equipment Categories
The left side shows item categories you can browse:
- Weapons: Ranged and melee weapons
- Apparel: Clothing and armor
- Resources: Building materials like steel, wood, components
- Food: Meals, raw food, etc.
- Medicine: Herbal, industrial, and glitterworld medicine
- Animals: Pets and livestock
- Misc: Other items not in the above categories
Managing Your Inventory
Adding Items
- Select a category on the left
- Find the item you want (use search if needed)
- Set the quantity
- Click "Add" to include it in your starting inventory
Removing Items
- Find the item in your inventory list (right side)
- Click on it to select it
- Adjust quantity to 0 or click "Remove"
- The item will be removed from your starting gear
Starting Animals
You can add pets or livestock to start with:
- Go to the "Animals" category
- Select the species you want
- Set the quantity (and gender if available)
- Add them to your inventory
Balanced Equipment Tips
For a balanced start, consider these guidelines:
- Enough food for 5-7 days per colonist
- At least one weapon per colonist (mix of ranged and melee)
- 10-30 medicine (depending on difficulty)
- Basic resources for initial construction (steel, wood, components)
- At most 1-2 animals for a standard start
DLC-Specific Items
If you have DLCs, you can also add special items:
- Royalty: Psylink neuroformers, royal apparel, persona weapons
- Ideology: Relics, ritual attire, style-specific items
- Biotech: Mechanoids (for mechanitors), gene packs, specialized equipment
The Point System – Keeping Balance
EdB Prepare Carefully includes an optional point system to help you maintain game balance. This system assigns a "cost" to everything you customize based on in-game value.
Point Limits ON
When "Use Point Limits" has a green checkmark:
- You have a budget based on the vanilla scenario's equivalent value
- Each skill level, item, and pawn adds to your point total
- Going over budget turns points red (warning)
- Creates a more balanced, vanilla-like experience
Point Limits OFF
When "Use Point Limits" has a red X:
- No restrictions on what you can add
- Freedom to create any scenario you want
- Useful for creative setups or specific roleplaying ideas
- Can make the game much easier if you add too much
Important Note about Game Balance
Remember that RimWorld's difficulty scales with your colony's wealth and population. If you start with overpowered pawns and lots of valuable gear, the storyteller will send tougher threats your way sooner. This is the game's natural balancing mechanism - even if you disable point limits, you'll still face appropriate challenges.
Planning Your Perfect Start – Colony Strategies
Now that you understand how to use the mod, let's explore some strategies for creating effective colony starts.
Key Roles to Cover
For a standard 3-colonist start, try to cover these essential roles:
The Builder/Miner
- Key Skills: Construction 8-10, Mining 6+
- Recommended Traits: Industrious, Too Smart
- Secondary Role: Basic combat (Shooting 4+)
- Equipment: Simple rifle, maybe extra steel
The Grower/Cook
- Key Skills: Plants 8-10, Cooking 6+
- Recommended Traits: Green Thumb, Hard Worker
- Secondary Role: Animals or Social
- Equipment: Basic weapon, maybe extra seeds
The Doctor/Researcher
- Key Skills: Medical 8+, Intellectual 6+
- Recommended Traits: Fast Learner, Sanguine
- Secondary Role: Crafting or Melee combat
- Equipment: Medicine, melee weapon as backup
Creative Scenario Examples
Family Crashlanded
A classic family stranded on a rimworld:
- Father (45): Ex-military, good at building and fighting (Construction 8, Shooting 7)
- Mother (43): Doctor and researcher (Medical 9, Intellectual 7)
- Teenage Child (16): Good with animals and plants but inexperienced (Animals 6, Plants 5)
Relationships: Set parents as spouses, child as offspring of both parents
Equipment: Rifle for father, pistol for mother, knife for teen, family dog
Story Angle: The family dynamics add emotional weight to events - if one gets hurt, the others care deeply
Tribal Legends (Lost Tribe)
A tribal group with strong thematic roles:
- Chief (40): Social leader (Social 8, Melee 6, Traits: Tough, Kind)
- Shaman (60): Wise elder (Intellectual 8, Medical 7, Traits: Psychically Sensitive)
- Hunter (25): Skilled with bow (Shooting 9, Animals 6, Traits: Nimble)
- Warrior (30): Melee specialist (Melee 9, Mining 5, Traits: Brawler)
- Scout (20): Fast walker (Plants 7, Crafting 6, Traits: Fast Walker, Night Owl)
Relationships: Chief and Warrior are brothers, Shaman is the mother of the Hunter
Equipment: Tribal weapons (bows, spears, knife), pemmican, herbal medicine, tribal apparel
Story Angle: Perfect for an Ideology playthrough with a nature or tribal themed ideoligion
Mechanitor and Bots (Biotech)
A mechanitor with mechanoid helpers and a bodyguard:
- Mechanitor (35): Tech specialist with a mechlink implant (Intellectual 9, Crafting 8, Traits: Too Smart)
- Bodyguard (30): Combat specialist to protect the mechanitor (Shooting 10, Melee 7, Traits: Brawler, Tough)
Health: Add Mechlink implant to the Mechanitor's brain in the Health tab
Equipment: Add 1-2 mechanoids (Lifter for hauling, Militor for combat), components and steel for mech recharging
Story Angle: Showcase Biotech's mechanoid features from the beginning with a tech-focused start
Balanced Colony Planning
When designing your colony, ensure you can handle these basic needs in the first week: Building shelter, acquiring food, defending against threats, and treating injuries. No matter how creative your scenario, make sure these fundamentals are covered by at least one pawn with relevant skills. For advanced base planning strategies, check out our optimal colony layout guide.
Using Prepare Carefully with DLC Expansions
EdB Prepare Carefully works well with all RimWorld expansions. Here's how to use it with each DLC:
Biotech Compatibility
Custom Xenotypes & Genes
As of version 1.4.2+, Prepare Carefully fully supports Biotech's xenotype and gene systems:
- Create custom xenotypes in Biotech's editor first
- Assign xenotypes to pawns in Prepare Carefully
- Custom xenotypes will no longer revert to baseliner on game start
Children & Pregnancy
Start with children or expecting colonists:
- Set a pawn's biological age to under 18 for a child/teen
- Add pregnancy via the Health tab for female pawns
- Set parent/child relationships on the Relationships tab
Mechanitor Setup
Starting with a mechanitor is now fully supported (as of v1.5.9):
- Select your mechanitor pawn
- Go to Health tab → Add implant → find "Mechlink" → add to brain
- Go to Equipment tab → add mechanoids (Lifter, Militor, etc.)
- Add components and materials for a recharging station
Note: If creating custom xenotypes with genes that affect metabolism, remember that pawns with negative metabolic efficiency will need more food. Consider adding extra food supplies if your xenotype has high metabolism.
Ideology Compatibility
Prepare Carefully doesn't directly set ideologies, but you can design pawns that complement your planned belief system:
Traits & Skills for Roles
Set up pawns for ideology roles they'll take on:
- Leader: High Social skill
- Moral Guide: Good Social and Medical
- Special roles: Skills matching your planned role assignments
Ideology-Appropriate Traits
Add traits that match your planned beliefs:
- Cannibal: For cannibalism memes
- Ascetic: For simple/ascetic beliefs
- Psychopath: For extreme ideologies
Important: You'll still create or select your ideoligion during game setup after Prepare Carefully. The mod doesn't assign ideological roles - these are assigned after starting the game via rituals. Plan accordingly and be ready to assign roles on day one.
Royalty Compatibility
While you can't directly assign royal titles at start, you can set up pawns with royal-themed equipment:
Psycasters & Psylink
Give pawns psychic abilities from the start:
- Add Psylink Neuroformers in the Equipment tab
- Once in game, use the neuroformers to grant psychic levels
- For each neuroformer, the pawn gains one psylink level
Royal Equipment
Start with royal or persona gear:
- Add persona weapons (monosword, zeushammer, etc.)
- Include prestige armor or royal apparel
- Note: Some royal apparel requires titles to wear without mood penalty
Remember: You cannot start with royal titles using Prepare Carefully. Titles must be earned through the Empire faction's honor system during gameplay. If you really want to start with a title, you'll need to use developer mode after game start.
Updates & Compatibility
EdB Prepare Carefully is regularly updated for new DLC content. As of May 2024 (v1.5.12), the mod fully supports RimWorld 1.5 "Anomaly" expansion, with all previous DLC content working correctly. The author typically updates within weeks of major RimWorld releases.
Quick Start Guide
Need to get started quickly? Follow this streamlined process to create your custom colony in minutes:
- Install the Mod: Subscribe to EdB Prepare Carefully on Steam Workshop (also subscribe to Harmony mod). Launch RimWorld and enable Harmony and EdB Prepare Carefully in the Mods menu. Restart the game.
- Begin a New Colony: Choose your scenario (e.g. Crashlanded) and storyteller as usual. When you reach the "Your Colonists" screen with random pawns, click the "Prepare Carefully" button that appears on the bottom of the screen.
- Customize Colonists: In the Prepare Carefully window, use the Characters tab to select each pawn and edit their name, appearance, backstories, traits, and skills. Aim for a balanced team (builder, shooter, doctor, etc.) without too many negatives.
- Set Equipment: Switch to the Equipment tab. Review the default items. Add or remove supplies and weapons. Ensure you have some food, medicine, and basic weapons.
- Finalize & Save (optional): Once satisfied, consider clicking "Save Preset" and give it a name. This saves your setup in case you want to reuse or tweak it later.
- Start Game: Double-check everything, then hit "Start". The world will generate and you'll land with your chosen pawns and gear.
- Play & Enjoy: Unpause and play normally. Your custom team should behave like any RimWorld colonists, just tailored by you. Keep the mod enabled for this save.
Custom Colony Ready to Start
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ CUSTOM COLONY SUMMARY ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ 👨⚕️ Dr. Sarah Martinez (34) - MEDIC ║
║ Medicine: 15 | Research: 12 | Shooting: 8 ║
║ Traits: Fast Learner, Kind ║
║ Equipment: Assault Rifle, Medicine x10 ║
║ ║
║ 👨🍳 Chef Jake Wilson (28) - COOK ║
║ Cooking: 14 | Plants: 10 | Animals: 8 ║
║ Traits: Green Thumb, Industrious ║
║ Equipment: Shotgun, Survival Meals x20 ║
║ ║
║ 👷♂️ Bob "Builder" Thompson (45) - CONSTRUCTOR ║
║ Construction: 16 | Mining: 12 | Crafting: 10 ║
║ Traits: Tough, Hard Worker ║
║ Equipment: Bolt Rifle, Steel x200, Components x15 ║
║ ║
║ STARTING RESOURCES: ║
║ • Steel: 800 units • Medicine: 50 units ║
║ • Wood: 600 units • Components: 25 units ║
║ • Food: 75 meals • Silver: 1,200 ║
║ ║
║ SCENARIO: Crashlanded (Modified) ║
║ DIFFICULTY: Strive to Survive ║
║ ║
║ [BACK TO EDITOR] [RANDOMIZE] [🚀 START GAME! 🚀] ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
An example of a custom starting team ready to begin their RimWorld journey
Thriving with Your Custom Colony
Using EdB Prepare Carefully, you've not only saved yourself from the reroll lottery, but you've also set the stage for a RimWorld story that resonates with you. Your colony start reflects your imagination—whether it's a ragtag crew of survivors with complementary skills, a lone explorer with a trusty pet, or a family trying to make it on a harsh world.
Remember, RimWorld is ultimately a story generator. Prepare Carefully is a tool to give that story a strong opening chapter and characters you care about. As the days pass in-game, unexpected events will still test you (RimWorld always finds a way!), but you have the foundation to handle them.
Final Tips
- Iterate and improve: After each playthrough, update your presets based on what worked and what didn't
- Share your creations: The RimWorld community loves creative starting scenarios - consider sharing yours
- Keep mods updated: Check for Prepare Carefully updates after major RimWorld patches
- Balance challenge and fun: Remember that perfect colonists might make the game too easy - sometimes flaws create the best stories
Happy storytelling on the Rim, and don't forget to prepare... carefully. 😊
Official Resources
Recent Updates
v1.5.12 (May 2024)
Latest stable version with full support for RimWorld 1.5 "Anomaly" expansion
v1.5.10 (May 2024)
Fixed bug with Animals category missing
v1.5.9 (May 2024)
Added support for mechanitor implants and mechanoids
Quick Tips
Balance Your Team Skills
Cover construction, medical, cooking, growing, and combat across your pawns
Watch for Incapabilities
Ensure not all colonists are incapable of important work types like hauling
Assign Passions Wisely
Give flame passions to match each pawn's primary role for faster skill growth
Save Your Presets
Create and save multiple presets for different gameplay styles or scenarios
Compatibility Notes
Known Issues
- Conflicts with "Open World" mod
- Some alien race mods may need patches
Alternative Mods
Character Editor - More features but more complex UI
RandomPlus - Filtered randomization with less control
Common Troubleshooting Questions
Version History Highlights
May 2024: v1.5.12
Latest version with full support for RimWorld 1.5 "Anomaly" expansion. Contains numerous bug fixes and stability improvements.
May 2024: v1.5.9
Major feature addition: mechanitor implants and mechanoids support for Biotech expansion.
December 2022: v1.4.2
Fixed custom xenotypes reverting to baseliner on game start, allowing full Biotech gene customization.
July 2016: Initial Release
First released on Steam Workshop for RimWorld Alpha 14, revolutionizing how players could customize their starting colonists.