The characters in your tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) story are likely to encounter all sorts of obstacles and opportunities. Whether they’re epic battles, heartbreak, or perhaps summiting your world’s tallest peak. But no matter what those milestones in your story look like, it’s crucial that the theme, meaning, and choices of/during those experiences have an…
If you’re a tabletop role-playing game story creator, you doubtless spend time & energy in worldbuilding. Settings, characters, plot threads…much of your investment out of session as the game master comes in ironing out these details. As obvious as it may seem on the surface, it’s important to keep top of mind during all of…
Previously: https://storytogether.com/2020/12/10/isaiah-the-gray-part-30/ Introductions & Welcomes The Defiant’s crew – Isaiah, Jimmy, Isaac, Corban, and Zero-You – gathers in the central operations room of the ship. Zaren, cold and despondent, files in last. An uncomfortable silence fills the space. “Everyone,” begins Isaiah, “please introduce yourselves. Zaren here has been through a great deal. And whether he…
When players are coming up with their characters’ backstories, oftentimes they’re not doing so together. Character creation after all traditionally is a highly individual process; although, there’s certainly collaboration here and there. So as the GM when the players submit their characters’ various backstories, it becomes clear pretty quickly that sometimes their various elements can…
If you’ve been playing tabletop role-playing games for awhile, you know that flow is constantly on the mind of the GM/DM. How is the pacing? What is the interest level in what’s happening? How engaged are the players with a particular plot thread(s)? And so on. You know what great flow feels like: everyone is…
Previously: https://storytogether.com/2020/11/19/isaiah-the-gray-part-29/ I’d Ask You The Same Thing At the end of the hall, at the base of the Gigantic Sarlacc pit, Isaiah comes across Jimmy. He’s still hunched over, exhausted from the sheer density of Force energy in the area. Jimmy looks up at Isaiah and smiles, stubborn as ever. And yet, Jimmy knows…
Everyone is familiar with making choices. And some decisions are more difficult and/or more important than others. “What should my major be in college?” – for example – is likely a bit harder and more important than “What brand of peanut butter should I buy in the grocery store?” But regardless of how easy/difficult or…
Being present when you’re playing a story is a lot like having a great conversation. The flow is natural, the topics are engaging, the details enlightening, and the atmosphere, fun. So today’s Newbie Tuesday post offers advice on how to stay present within the flow of playing stories so you can have an even better…
We’ve all been there: you’ve finished setting up an exciting new arc in your tabletop RPG story and you’re pumped to get started. But right after its first prompt, the players go off in an unexpected & unintended direction, focusing their attention on something else entirely. Frustration can set in, clouding your attitude. Today’s Worldbuilding…
Group problem solving is a core element of the tabletop role-playing game experience. Social situations, puzzles, and even combat oftentimes require a degree of creative problem solving amongst the group of players. So today’s Newbie Tuesday post is all about how to approach tabletop RPG problem solving with the right mindset…having fun! It’s About Fun,…