Previously: https://storytogether.com/2020/09/10/isaiah-the-gray-part-20/ The Vow Issac doesn’t answer, instead contemplatively staring off into space. “Some life,” says Corban as he realizes the depth and seriousness of Issac’s situation. “Maybe “alive” was putting it too strongly, Issac.” “There are some who value the Force above ideology, Corban,” retorts Issac. “That love can’t be taught with your textbooks…
Conflict is the beating heart of most stories. And in tabletop RPGs, there are the three traditional pillars of solving story dilemmas: combat, subterfuge, and diplomacy. TTRPGs have historically incentivized combat by making those components fun & exciting. Taking their roots from war-gaming, the hyper-tactical nature of combat is the core of a majority of…
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…
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’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…
Over the years, you’ve probably heard someone talk about “their” character. What they did, their abilities, their items, their backstory…whatever it is, you’ve probably come across people who talk about a character in a tabletop role-playing game story as if they are their own. For folks who have never played a tabletop RPG before, the…
The Mind’s Eye, our mental canvas of limitless possibilities. And for tabletop role-playing games, the platform for our shared story experiences. This theater of the mind empowers us to collectively share and, in many ways, concurrently experience art, music, stories…any shared part of the human creative diaspora. “A stout bush sits atop a tall mountain,…
If a story is a tapestry, then the players and their characters are core threads within its fabric. So a crucial part of engaging the players in a tabletop role-playing game is to ensure that their characters’ traits, good, bad and otherwise, as well as backstories are nurtured and integrated within the flow of the…
Part 16 (rest at the bottom): https://storytogether.com/2020/07/23/isaiah-the-gray-part-16/ Proceeding with Caution Corban sits for a moment, sensing the Force from within the cockpit of his inert ship. “There is an immense source of Force potential over there. Proceed with caution.” Zero-You makes an R2-D2-esque “aw, crap” series of beeps. “It’s always something, Wolf.” Corban flashes a…
A tabletop role-playing game story is not a straight line between points A and B. There are many twists and turns, some planned for, some completely unforeseen. Some come from you, the worldbuilder and GM, and other directions dictated by the players. Each change in direction has the opportunity to be a significant tangent in…