Story Telling

As I sit and wonder what to write about, I cannot help but think about stories. I’m in the middle of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writer’s Month), and I love writing novels. It is important to have story ideas, direction, plots, environment, etc. ready to go at the game table, but it is not the place to play out your own story. If you want a specific story, write a book.

I have taken some inspiration for my novels from previous adventures and scenarios played out at the game table. It could work the other way, but as a GM, you have to allow the players to make their own decisions. I know, I’ve mentioned guiding players into the plans you have prepared, but you should also be ready for whatever the outcome may be (or at least have a general idea).

I play out potential scenes in my head, but they often end very differently at the table. Of course, this is usually in the players’ favor because my BBEGs just are not strong enough. But even in social encounters I either give too much information, or not enough for them to move onward. Then there is the other situation where the players are not putting together the pieces I’ve laid out for them (sometimes I think “I need a neon sign”), but I digress.

Back to the matter at hand: pushing your own story. The number one thing to remember is to simply let the players do what they want to do. Do not give them dire consequences without warning, and do not thwart every decision they make until they find the one you want. This only brings frustration and breaks a bit of the trust I’ve talked about before. If you cannot give your players complete autonomy, then you must give them the illusion of it (and do NOT break that illusion for anything). As soon as the players know that you have fudged rolls, completely ignored rules, or adjusted things during a social encounter or battle, the illusion gets broken. The players begin to feel as though nothing they do matters, then you are back to square one…pushing your own story (at least that is how the players feel).