Game Masters & Players Unite!
Through the halls of Role Playing Game history, dating back to the first time dice were used to decide fate, the oft echoed lament of Game Masters can be heard… “My players are ruining my game!” Miniatures and character sheets go flying and the GMs are left wringing their hands and seeking the comforting respite of a nap where the players perform as expected.
By replacing the above word ‘game’ with ‘story’ we get closer to the meaning of this complaint. As Game Masters, some (maybe most) approach the table with a narrative thread in mind. They see the players winding their way through a story arc rife with plot twists, stunning reveals and character growth. These lofty goals hit a few obstacles right off the bat, the biggest of which are those pesky players bellying up to the table. A good portion of the time, these guys and gals have stories too. And sometimes, they don’t even know it until the game gets moving!
It comes down to narrative control. Do you, as a GM grant more or less of it in the course of a given adventure? That control can be as small as describing how they eviscerate a goblin on up to steering the overarching plot. This concept is known as “player agency”. Player agency comes into effect in varying degrees, governed by the group and the system in which they’re playing. I’d say the former is more important than the latter. Games like Fate Core and D&D and Shadowrun range from rules light to rules heavy, but it’s the play style at the table that really lays the groundwork for GM or Player driven narrative.
Over the last few years, I’ve seen the trend sway towards giving the players around the table more leeway in the story the game is supporting. You can see it in the latest game designs and also in the Actual Plays out on the interwebs (more on those later).
Here’s where the dice meet the tabletop. In my experience, the more control given to players to steer the story thread, the more that collaboration bonds the group as a whole. There are few things in this life that says “let’s be friends” like asking someone to tell a story. And that’s what it’s all about! RPGs can bring people out of their shells and feeling included in a shared experience. They’ve spent time planning a character, perhaps writing it’s back story, and most likely included facets of their own personality. In a player driven narrative, that person is given a voice and asked to be part of the larger story. Wonderfully powerful stuff.
So what’s a Game Master to do?
The easy answer is to know your group. If you’ve gamed with them for a few sessions – and have been a good little GM and kept your ear to the ground – you’ve been developing an idea of their style. Jenny might be a showboat and loves the chance to spin a little yarn. Tommy might like to keep things quiet, playing the reaction card and feeding off the gm’s storyline. Then there’s Mikey who stays in the safe boundaries created by the rules system. Chances are you’ve got a mix of the above.
For those in a new group, game selection might come to a vote, or the intuition of the GM after hearing what systems the group has favored in the past. Whatever system the group selects, your goal as the GM is to get to the narrative. So make sure the system doesn’t get in the way. If it’s their first rodeo, I’m finding D&D 5e has has a great entry level feel and the backgrounds and other character creation steps lay the foundation for some great player-driven narrative.
Now it’s time to build a general story arc, populating it with a sprinkling of Setting, Factions and a few NPC personalities. What type of place is this? What sort of people are in this storyworld? What sort of groups do they form? What are their respective motivations? How does your story arc interact with them? The last question is all important because as the players begin weaving their stories into yours, it becomes easier for you to adapt the narrative when you know how it all fits.
A little prep goes a long way…
As a GM, you can prep some general stats for NPCs and even a general map of the area. If you’re familiar with your chosen system, these things can be relegated to secondary concerns. Your players may be in a creative flow or they might not be in the ‘giving’ mood. They may just want to see how the story unfolds. The key is having a general arc and concrete motivations for your Factions so you are prepared for those random plot threads the players can toss your way. Maybe Lars hates the Forrester boss and punches him in the mouth? What if Chloe says or does something to cause the Farmer Guildmaster’s wife to become dangerously jealous?
Not a problem! If you’ve scoped out your Factions’ motivations, you have a good idea how they’ll react.
What about the opposite spectrum? You’re sitting around the table. You’ve picked your system and you’ve got your Setting, NPCs and Factions established. Time to game! You announce with great enthusiasm, “Your characters disembark the ship, your feet find themselves taking their first steps into Farlandia.”
Dead silence.
Your palms sweat…
Your eyes dart from one player to the next…
But never fear! If you know your town and its motivations, then you know how a random dock worker or harbor master would greet strangers. So send in the one-off NPC to get the juices flowing.
Or, if Lars the Barbarian and Chloe the Herbalist know exactly why they’re there, even better. Let them describe their approach! Maybe Lars’ player says, “I shout at the nearest man for directions.” Dig into that if it’s appropriate. Ask the player, a question or two:
- What does he say? How does he say it?
- Does he have an accent foreign to Farlandia? Why?
Things like that can get the player thinking on his/her own character motivations whether written or not yet thought out. It’s story seeds for the GM to harvest later and encourages the other players to do the same.
Let me get something out there for prospective GMs; “notes, notes, and more notes!” While you have the main arc and backdrop to the story, your players will begin filling in all sorts of color to the narrative. Perhaps Lars is in town to visit an old friend. But in a conversation with Chloe or an NPC, he let’s slip he had a run in with a lumberjack several years ago. Ah ha, a plot device! Or even an encounter to bring conflict! So take notes as much as you can during the game. I find that for me, between prep and in-game time, this is when I pull together most of my notes towards narrative.
In future articles, I’ll dig deeper into some handy GM prep and developing factions.
Now get out there and have some fun!
Helpful Tools
- Google Drive – For quick notes anywhere, you never know when the mood strikes!
- Totally Random (http://donjon.bin.sh/) – Need an NPC name on the fly? A random encounter? Look no further. Plus your players will think twice before exclaiming only named characters are important!
- Roll20.net – Even if your games are in-house, this little diddy can help in the map department or even in character notes! (I’ll have something on this item in a separate article)
- Actual Plays – Ever wondered what it would be like to be a fly on the wall in another gaming group? Wonder n more, there are gamers out there who’ve done it. Sometimes it’s helpful to see how other gaming groups roll the dice. YouTube and Twitch TV are excellent resources for these videos. You can run searches for “RPG Actual Plays” or “RPG Live Plays” in both areas to get a few listings. You also can look no further than our humble InnRoads YouTube channel to find our recordings of D&D sessions or you can search for a particular game system and see what’s available. But be warned, as you search the broader webs, some content may include rough language and situations.