Aron Christensen - My Guide to RPG Storytelling

Copyright 2012

Aron Christensen

and Loose Leaf Stories

All rights reserved

ISBN: 9781643190020

Cover art by Tithi Luadthong

Edited by J. Cameron McClain, Erica Lindquist, Amber Presley, Jason Coleman and Lacey Waymire

This guide contains a lot of advice about how to run a role-playing game (RPG), but not the basics of what they are or why you might want to play one. Thats not what this is about.

If youre reading this book, then I assume that you have some basic knowledge of RPGs, the systems for running them and where to buy a bag of your favorite snack food. Each role-playing system has entire books dedicated to the rules of that game. While I will cover a few rules issues, this guide isnt about any single system. Its about how to tell your story and how to use the rules to do it.

Ive been role-playing since almost before I can remember. My first games were informal and amateur, without paper or dice. Most kids play make-believe. This was just more structured and collaborative describing a characters actions to someone else, who then told me how the world responded.

It was a great way to fill some long afternoons. I graduated to proper character sheets and dice at about ten years old and since those first days, Ive played in a lot of different games and run many more of my own.

Its rewarding. The time and effort I invest in my games shows, I hope, and my players seem to have a good time. They talk about my games between sessions and look forward to the next one. They whine when I call the day to an end and when the campaign is finished. They reminisce about old games afterward and its great to know that they had so much fun playing through the story I made for them. Thats what keeps me coming back to run another game.

Storytelling is interactive. I may create and run the game, but thats only half the story. Every player brings their own character to the table and their own unique flavor. Its like writing a book and saying, Im working on a fantasy novel. Hey buddy, who do you want to be in it? A dwarven beard-smith? Sure! Lets see what I can do with that.

As Storyteller, you present the players with choices and challenges. They react, but then you have to respond to the players. Back and forth it goes. I can never guess what my players will do and the result is a surprise for everyone. Not that you cant stack the deck but more on that later. The end product is a story that we all created together and a much better one than anything I could have dreamed up alone.

The way I create a role-playing game campaign is a little different than what other gaming groups Ive played with do. I dont run dungeon crawls. Action scenes are designed to be exclamation points that change the pace of the game and inject energy into a session. Non-stop combat quickly loses its effect when theres nothing else between butchery sessions except preparing for the next roomful of battles.

In my games, characters are seldom attacked at random and each combat scene is supposed to move the story forward. An occasional session full of fighting can feel dangerous and challenging, but thats not how I run my typical game.

Now, all of my advice is based on certain expectations and taste. I figure that youve run a game or two at this point, or have at least read up on the rules of the RPG you want to run enough to know what you like, what you dont, and whether what Im talking about will work for you at all.

Of all the titles for the person running the game, the one I like best is Storyteller, so thats the one Ill be using in this guide.

At the most fundamental level, Storytelling is what Im trying to do. Every story has heroes, villains and danger. The Storyteller is the one who weaves it all together to entertain their friends. For me, its a story rather than a fight or even an adventure. Its not a competition between me and my players and Im not out to beat them or to win, just to tell the best story that I can and to entice my players into telling the story with me.

My games are very much influenced by the tone and pacing of books and movies. Whereas many (though certainly not all) role-playing and video games center on combat, good books and movies have complex plot lines, engaging mysteries and rich, relatable characters. I like to run investigations and social scenes that are just as important to the story as combat. Some of our best game sessions contain no fighting at all, or even a single roll of the dice. My goal is to create a sense that my players are in their favorite movie.

It can be difficult to balance your players contributions. If you dont leave the players enough room to add their own flavor, they may wonder why you didnt just hand them a script. But on the other hand, if the Storyteller doesnt make