tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53006522975265597292024-03-06T22:34:28.962-05:00Gaming CreativelyHome of "Storium Theory."Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.comBlogger304125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-39687264021220808962019-01-15T18:00:00.000-05:002020-01-30T10:27:25.124-05:00Let's Go to the Ring!Just a quick note here to alert anyone to a new project I've been working on: "Let's Go to the Ring!"<br />
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"Let's Go to the Ring!" is a podcast about World Championship Wrestling (and its predecessor, Jim Crockett Promotions). Together, John, Alec, and I are going through WCW's big shows, series by series, starting with all the Starrcades, to explore what makes each series unique and what themes come out across the shows, along with the high and low points of each series. It's been an interesting journey so far and I'd like to invite you to come along with us as we discover what made WCW such a fascinating company and why its legacy endures so many years later.</div>
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If you're interested, new episodes can be found on iTunes, Google Play Podcasts, or Spotify, or at <a href="http://lets-go-2-the-ring.cast.rocks/">http://lets-go-2-the-ring.cast.rocks/</a><br />
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A website, which will also provide episode links, is available at: <a href="https://blog.lg2tr.com/">https://blog.lg2tr.com/</a></div>
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You can follow us on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/LetsGo2theRing">https://twitter.com/LetsGo2theRing</a> or on Facebook at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LetsGo2theRing/">https://www.facebook.com/LetsGo2theRing/</a></div>
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We hope you enjoy the show.</div>
Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-25487596870014528242017-09-07T18:00:00.000-04:002017-09-07T18:00:43.504-04:00Storium Theory: Get Emotionally InvestedI've finished up my <i>Storium Basics</i> articles, so now, I'd like to take a little time to write about one more thing. This is something that I think is important for anyone playing <i>Storium</i>, or indeed any sort of RPG or storytelling system. Heck, it's important for general writing as well.<br />
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You have to let yourself feel.<br />
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If you want to tell powerful stories, you have to let yourself feel.<br />
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If you want to truly portray your character, you have to let yourself feel.<br />
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If you just want to have the best time you can roleplaying, to have an experience you'll remember and look back on fondly, you have to let yourself feel.<br />
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Some people can do this really easily. Others, myself included, have a tougher time with it.<br />
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I have a tendency to get pretty mechanical when I'm writing, particularly in RPGs, storytelling games, or the like. I find that I distance myself from the events of the story, from the emotional impact of what goes on, in a way that I don't if I'm just watching a movie or reading a book or playing a video game. When I'm not participating in the writing, I can get involved in the emotion of a story easily. But when I'm participating...<br />
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When I'm participating, I spend more time thinking about what should happen next, or what I'm going to do, or what cards I'm going to play, or what my strategy should be for the next step, what abilities I want to use, how my tactics will affect my dice rolls...any or all of that, depending on what sort of writing or gaming we're talking about. It's really easy to distance myself from <i>feeling</i> what's happening in the story, and look at things as the basic exercise of writing or gaming rather than the full-fledged emotional <i>experience</i> of a tale.<br />
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There's a social aspect, too, though that's less of a concern in a play-by-post sort of game like <i>Storium</i>. But still...I'm not a guy who likes to have his emotions on full display. I'm not that open, really, and so I tend to consciously or unconsciously resist letting myself <i>react</i> to story events emotionally when I'm writing or playing with others.<br />
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I've learned that I have to try to break out of that shell.<br />
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The best moments I've had in <i>Storium</i>, in tabletop gaming, in online roleplaying, in MUXes, in <i>any</i> kind of collaborative writing experience...those moments have <i>all</i> been when I let my walls drop. Those are the moments I remember most fondly.<br />
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The moments when I let the tears come while I read and wrote.<br />
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The moments when I felt anger at the deeds of a villain.<br />
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The moments when I worried for a hero who had disappeared.<br />
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The moments when I dove into my character's mindset and <i>felt</i> the fear he would about the monster lurking in the dark.<br />
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It's so very easy to separate ourselves from the tale. Sometimes we do it <i>because</i> we'd be uncomfortable otherwise. In a horror game, for instance, we'll crack jokes or make table talk about the real world, reemphasizing the unreality of the horror. In the midst of a tragedy, we'll have our heroes stand bold and proud, brushing off the sorrow and just going on being heroes. We can't have them break, because someone might think <i>we've</i> broken too.<br />
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But I've learned that when I allow myself to feel, when I allow that fear or horror or sadness or pain or joy or hope or dream or love to affect me, and then allow it to affect my writing, I get an experience I can remember, and an experience others can remember as well.<br />
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I've learned that I can best write a character who has gone through struggles and pain when I let myself feel the sadness, just as I would if I <i>weren't</i> participating in the writing. I've learned to force myself to treat roleplaying and collaborative storytelling just like watching a movie or reading a book or playing a video game with a great tale - I've learned to drop my guard and let things hit me.<br />
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Because when I let things hit me, I let them hit my character, and when I let them hit my character, my character's reactions are more honest, more powerful, more raw and pure. It makes the character feel like a full-fledged person, with hopes and dreams and fears and pain, who is affected by the tale, driven by the tale, pushed to react and to experience emotion and to be changed by those experiences.<br />
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For me, it's hard. It's honestly hard. It's so easy to slip back into just thinking, "Well, what should happen next?" or "What card should I use here?" or "What tactic seems best?" or "What would be a cool thing to do?" or "What's my next one-liner?" And look - all of those questions <i>can</i> be, frequently <i>are </i>good things to ask. But not if they separate you from actually feeling. And for me, they can, unless I force myself to into the right mindset. For me, they can, unless I specifically connect myself with the heart of the tale.<br />
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This isn't something I can tell you <i>how</i> to do. Everybody's different. Everybody reacts to a story differently. For some of you, this isn't even something you'll have to think about. Some of you are reading this article and thinking, "Wow, I mean, I just get in my character's head and I feel this stuff anyway." And that's great! There are people who can just do that, who can just feel like a character, get in their head, think like they do, and feel like they do. It's something you hear about from great actors all the time, and it's something I've heard from great roleplayers as well.<br />
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But if you're like me, and you find yourself thinking clinically about stories, thinking about plot designs, thinking about cards or dice or what-have-you, thinking about character motivations from a distance...I can't tell you <i>how</i> to do it, but I encourage you to try to break that. Think like a reader, think like someone who is <i>experiencing</i> the tale. Don't think what your character <i>should</i> do, <i>feel</i> what your character <i>will</i> do.<br />
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If you're like me, that isn't going to be easy, and you aren't going to succeed all the time. But those moments where you do succeed? Those are going to be the moments you remember, the moments you deeply treasure, the moments you look back on <i>years</i> from now and relive in your mind.<br />
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When that happens...you see the true treasure that roleplaying, that collaborative storytelling, that writing in general can be. You leave a part of yourself in that story. You become a part of it, and it becomes a part of you. It is a beautiful, wonderful experience.<br />
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So...let yourself feel. Open yourself to that experience. Let the story in.<br />
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This will be the final <i>weekly</i> article of <i>Storium Theory</i>. I'm not going to say that I'm solidly <i>done</i>, that there will never be another <i>article</i>, but I've said just about everything I can think of to say at present. I've written one hundred and thirty-three articles about <i>Storium</i>, counting this one, and I've written about it since November 2015. That's...probably more than I've written about anything else in my life, ever. And that's not counting my participation in <i>Storium Arc</i>, where I've spent many hours talking about this great system and community as well.<br />
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It's amazing to me the level of depth that a system like <i>Storium</i> has turned out to have...the fact that I could find so much to write about it, the fact that I could write for such a long time on it and it alone...that honestly surprised me. When I started this out, I didn't initially set it up on my blog. I was just going to have four or five little articles on a webpage somewhere, just a quick little guide of sorts for new <i>Storium</i> players or narrators.<br />
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But <i>Storium</i> was deeper than that. <i>Storium</i> was more than that. Exploring <i>Storium</i> took longer, took more thought, became more interesting to me. I found myself exploring the ways the system could be used, the ways you could use challenges to do interesting things, and that got me thinking about how things could work in my own games or with my own characters, and those fed back into articles here.<br />
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Now...again, I can't say I'm <i>done</i>. I'm still playing <i>Storium</i>, and topics will still likely arise. But for now, this is the end of <i>weekly</i> articles, of regularly scheduled articles.<br />
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I hope that those of you who have read these have found them useful. I hope that I've helped you get more comfortable with the <i>Storium</i> system, and to learn to use it in creative ways, ways that can enhance your stories and lead to memorable and fun games. I hope that I've helped you get into your characters and explore them more deeply.<br />
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But now, as ever, I want to emphasize something: My way to play <i>Storium</i> is not the only way to play <i>Storium</i>. My way to write is not the only way to write. As I close up this post, and with it, the regular <i>Storium Theory</i> articles, I want to encourage you to look not just here, but to the community in general, to other <i>Storium</i> games, to other resources. If you need help, ask for it - the community is willing. If you need examples, look for them among the other games out there. See how things have worked. Explore. And come up with your own methods, your own interesting ways to use the system, your own house rules.<br />
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<i>Storium</i> is a simple system in concept, but a deep one at heart. Take the time to get to know it and it will reward you.<br />
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May the future bring you friendship, great stories, and treasured memories. Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-81835966084649471122017-08-31T18:00:00.000-04:002017-08-31T18:00:19.253-04:00Storium Basics: Narration BasicsOne last article of "Storium Basics," here - this series has been focused on the player side, but I would be remiss in not addressing narration at least somewhat.<br />
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It's hard to spell out absolute <i>basics</i> for narration, and hard to really learn it without diving in and <i>doing</i> some narration. Unfortunately, there haven't really been good ways to get a beginner narrator game going the way we can for beginner players. But here, I'm going to try to give at least a general overview, and link to some articles that can develop things further. I <i>highly</i> encourage going through at least some of the articles I link to below, as there's just no way to adequately explore narration in one or more "basics" articles.<br />
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In <i>Storium</i>, a <i>narrator</i> is the person who is in charge of setting up the story, creating scenes, defining the story's focus, and in general guiding the story along. It is the narrator who creates the game's starting concept and advertises it to players, who selects the characters who will enter the story, and who creates the scenes and their challenges and outcomes to give players writing cues and situations to address.<br />
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Over the course of the game, the bulk of a narrator's time is going to be spent setting up scenes, and setting up challenges. <i>Storium</i> makes this pretty straightforward technically - it only takes a few clicks to set up a scene and start creating a challenge - but philosophically, it can be complex.<br />
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While scenes can be set up without challenges, the bulk of them in your average <i>Storium</i> game are going to focus on one or more challenges, and that's honestly how I encourage beginning narrators to think through their scenes: Focus on what <i>challenges</i> the scene is going to be about, and <i>then</i> work on the actual scene text. It may not work for everyone, but for me, I found starting out that starting with the mechanics and moving <i>to</i> the story text made my story text more focused.<br />
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So, let's start out with challenges.<br />
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I've always had a bit of a problem with that term: "Challenge." It puts <i>Storium</i> narrators in the mindset that these are things that are meant to "challenge" the players, in some sort of tactical sense. They aren't.<br />
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A challenge, in <i>Storium</i>, is simply a focal part of the story - a situation which can turn one way or another, and lead the story in different directions. One of those directions (the Strong outcome) feels better for the main characters or for the overall tale, and one (the Weak outcome) feels worse. There's nothing <i>tactical</i> about it. It's a writing cue.<br />
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When you set a challenge out, what you're saying is "this is the situation I want you to write about for this scene," or "this is the focus of this scene." Think about things in that mindset. You aren't trying to challenge the <i>players</i> - you're setting up something for their <i>characters</i> to deal with, but as far as the <i>players</i> go, you're just giving them something to write about.<br />
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A challenge can be one of two types: a Character, or an Obstacle. Mechanically, these work identically, and there's not <i>much</i> of a difference that I've found about them philosophically. I use the two types more to just keep things sorted than anything else. Conceptually, a <i>character</i> challenge is one that focuses on dealing with a specific character (or sometimes specific group), whether that be by communication or by combat or anything else. An <i>obstacle</i> challenge is one that focuses on other things that can get in the player characters' way or complicate the story, whether that be ancient artifacts, natural disasters, crumbling hallways, dangerous river crossings, corrupted magical energies, messy crime scenes, or anything else. Choosing the <i>type</i> of challenge you're making is more something to keep things sorted as you get a lot of cards, in case you want to pull out a challenge again later, and to highlight to players what the focus of a challenge is.<br />
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When you create a challenge, you're going to have to <i>describe</i> it. The challenge description will show up on the challenge card when players click on it in game. The purpose of the description is to give a basic overview of the challenge and help players understand its focus. If it is a character challenge, what is that character doing now, or what do they want now? How does the scene revolve around that? If is is an obstacle, what are its characteristics and how is it in the way? How does the scene revolve around that?<br />
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Once you've come up with a description (and, optionally, added a picture), you "Play" the challenge. This puts the challenge into the game, and brings up a new window where you'll set three things: points, strong outcome, and weak outcome. Let's take these in order.<br />
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The "challenge points" represent the number of cards which will need to be played on the challenge in order to complete it. One card equals one point, and a challenge can have anywhere from 1 to 9 points on it. So, if you set up a challenge with 4 points on it, the players will have to play 4 cards to complete it. This could come in various combinations - maybe 4 players each play 1 card, maybe 1 player plays 3 and another plays 1, maybe 2 players each play 2. What matters is that at the end, they've played 4 cards.<br />
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How do you determine how many points to put on a challenge? I think of two things.<br />
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First: the level of focus I want this situation to have. The more points a challenge has, the more moves it is likely to involve. If I set a challenge with a single point on it, no matter what, it will take only a single card to complete - which likely means it will be around for one move. If I set a challenge with three points, under default settings a player <i>could</i> complete it in one move, but it'd be a complex, multi-card move...and more than likely, it's instead going to be played across at least a couple different moves. If I set it as 4 points, under default settings, I'm guaranteeing that multiple moves will happen as no player can play that many cards in one move. And at 9? I've just defined it as a major, perhaps singular focus for the entire scene, a huge situation that will take many moves to get through and let players play a <i>lot</i> of their cards and explore a <i>lot</i> of elements of their characters.<br />
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The more points, then, the more focus the challenge receives in the story. If a challenge is <i>important</i>, if it provides a lot of opportunity for drama and interesting writing cues, and if the situation feels complex and fun to write about, add more points.<br />
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Second: the number of players I hope to see involved. I mentioned this a bit above, but by default, a player can play only 3 cards in a single move. What that means is that you, as narrator, can encourage challenges to involve more than one player - you just have to set the points at or above the upper limit of what a player can play. If you set a challenge at 1 or 2 points, you may end up with only one player playing it. If you set a challenge at 3 points, you're <i>probably</i> going to end up with more than one player playing on it - players, as they get more experienced, tend not to want to blow all their plays on one move. If you set a challenge at 4 points, you're <i>guaranteeing </i>that more than one player will play on it, because one player can only play 3 cards. And if you set a challenge at, say, 7 points? Now you need <i>three</i> players to complete it. All by default card settings, of course.<br />
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The more points you put on a challenge, the more players will play on it - so, if things feel like they should take more group involvement to complete, or feel like good opportunities for character interaction among the heroes, put more points on them.<br />
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Be aware, though, that you have a point limit: You cannot put more points on challenges in a scene than the number of cards your players can play in that scene (because, after all, we want challenges to be completed). So if, say, you have 4 players who can each play 3 cards, you will have a point limit of 12 for that scene. If you put down a challenge with 9 points, that means you only have 3 points left for any other challenges you want to do in a scene.<br />
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Except...in my experience, it's actually not a good idea to use <i>all</i> of your points. If you do that, and one player is away or unable to play for a bit, you get yourself into situations where challenges can't be completed and you have to work around it, which can be detrimental to the game. So, my personal rule is to hold back one player's worth of points and not use it. At a basic level, then, if I have 4 players who can play 3 cards each, I hold back 3 points that I won't use: So instead of thinking of my limit as 12, I think of it as 9. So if <i>I </i>spend 9 points on a single challenge, then, I won't use those remaining 3 points that scene.<br />
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Now, once players have completed a challenge, they get to write the ending...and for that, they look to the appropriate outcome.<br />
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The outcomes, then, are the potential <i>endings</i> for the challenge. There are <i>lots</i> of different ways narrators have found to write outcomes, and I'm not going to delve too deeply here - suffice to say that you will find many of those in the links below - but let's look at the basics of them, in any case.<br />
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Your outcomes are the challenge's potential endings, and they come in two flavors on the challenge card: Strong and Weak. In both cases, what you're writing is a quick look at how the challenge <i>ends</i>...an overview of the ending, with room for the player to make it fit his character's actions and explore the specifics on his own.<br />
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You don't want to spell out every little detail here - you just want to give the players what <i>needs</i> to be in the story for that ending, or how the situation goes more in general. You want to lay out what's <i>important</i>, what <i>needs</i> to be specified, and let them play with the rest.<br />
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Now, as I mentioned, there's two different outcome types you'll be writing here: Strong and Weak. In general, the difference is simple: Strong is better for the player characters and the story situation than Weak.<br />
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Storium suggests that in general you use the following interpretation:<br />
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<li>Strong outcomes mean that things worked out well for the players.</li>
<li>Weak outcomes mean that the situation was overcome but at a cost or with an interesting complication.</li>
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I agree.<br />
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This doesn't have to be what you do <i>all</i> the time, but it's a good philosophy to follow. Stories are most interesting when they keep moving forward, and they keep moving forward if, generally, the heroes are finding their way <i>through</i> situations. So, for Strong outcomes, I tend to write up outcome text that suggests an outright success for the heroes. Strong outcomes are pretty easy to understand how to write, honestly - I think we all get "the heroes succeed," right? The main thing to worry about for Strong outcomes is making sure to give them the proper <i>amount</i> of success - if it feels like something should be more involved and not fully resolved, that's fine - stories are full of really complex situations that can be resolved only in part. Just make sure your outcome text suggests that.<br />
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Weak outcomes can be more difficult to understand. For Weak outcomes, I tend to write outcome texts that still show the situation ending up resolved in their favor in some way, but with complications or costs, or that show the situation<i> partially</i> resolved in their favor but partially not.<br />
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This keeps the story moving forward, but perhaps even more importantly, it makes Weak outcomes often <i>interesting</i> for players - things they will intentionally decide to play towards at times. This is precisely what you want. You want your players to sometimes get Strong outcomes, and sometimes get Weak outcomes, and to be engaged with the story either way. An outright failure <i>can</i> be interesting, but more commonly, it serves as a brick wall that stops the story. If you outright fail to find evidence, well...where does the story go? But if you find the evidence <i>just</i> as the villain's big, burly henchman comes in to try to destroy it, and now you have to run away from him, well, that just added a new twist to the tale. Primarily use complications, costs, and partial successes, and you'll find that not only will the story move more smoothly, but the players will be interested in seeing the Weak outcomes come up.<br />
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The best experiences I've had in <i>Storium</i>, as a narrator, have been when I've played a challenge card into the game and players have looked at it and said, "Oh, wow - I hope this goes Weak!" I love that.<br />
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This is actually a technique that I've found in a lot of recent tabletop games. <i>Fate</i> uses it, and so does <i>13th Age</i>, for two. You can find it under various names - Success at a Cost, Success with Complications, Fail Forward - but in all cases, the idea is that if the rolls don't go well for the players, the story should still move forward. In <i>Storium</i>, things are a little different - the players aren't depending on dice rolls or luck of any kind, and they may outright <i>choose</i> the Weak outcome - but the principle is similar: Keep the story moving forward, and keep things interesting for the players.<br />
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Again, this doesn't have to be your theme <i>all </i>the time. You <i>can</i> do a Weak outcome that's an outright failure on the part of the characters (note: the characters, not the players - <i>never</i> think of a Weak outcome as a failure on the part of the players, and <i>never</i> think of it as a punishment for them), and you can even do a Strong outcome that is a failure on the part of the characters, but a less painful one than the Weak. Those <i>can</i> and <i>have</i> worked for me. But by and large, stick to the philosophy above, and you'll have an easier time.<br />
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Now, there <i>is</i> one more outcome type: Uncertain. This comes up when the challenges comes out neutral, with equal numbers of Strength and Weakness cards played on it (or none of those, just neutral cards). When the Uncertain outcome comes up, it is your job to write an ending for the challenge, rather than the players'. This is easiest if you spend a little time thinking about things before the challenge starts, and leave yourself a little room "between" the Strong and Weak outcomes that you can use for your Uncertain, but that isn't the only way you can do them. Uncertain outcomes are a great chance to put in twists or send things a little sideways. For the most basic level, though...try to write something that feels "between" the Strong and Weak outcomes. You can get more advanced with these later and have more fun with them (see my article on <a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/05/storium-theory-finishing-challenge_19.html">Uncertain Outcomes</a> for more on that!). <br />
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Now, it bears mentioning that you can have more than one challenge in a scene - either by playing more than one challenge to the game at once, or by playing a new challenge to the game as a continuation after the first challenge is resolved. The point limit I described above applies, but otherwise, it's up to you how you want to handle it. Just be careful: It's important not to have challenges that clash - if one outcome could prevent another simultaneous challenge from being resolved, they probably shouldn't be out there at the same time. And you don't want to undo the results of an earlier challenge, generally - so don't play a follow-up challenge whose outcomes will undo the outcome the players just got.<br />
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Once you've set up the challenges, then, it's time to write the scene's actual text. When you're doing that, use the challenges as your guide. What's going on? What's important? Those are the things you want to call out in the scene text. The challenge descriptions are the basics, but here is where you get to dress things up a little bit and make it actually <i>exciting</i>. If you've got a challenge about a charging army, for instance, you don't just write "the army charges" as your scene text. Delve into how it looks. How it sounds. How the army is equipped. How the player characters' allies, if any, are reacting.<br />
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What you're doing isn't just mechanically kicking things off, though that's part of it. What you're doing is setting the scene and <i>giving the players things to use</i>. This matters. Setting the scene with the enemy army charging, talking about how they're heavily armored and well-equipped, and how the players' allies look like they're about to break and run, is very different than if you describe the charge as that of a massive but untrained and poorly equipped rabble, and the players' allies as confident and heavily armored themselves. In the former, players are going to write moves about finding ways to blunt the dangerous charge or work around it and encouraging their side. In the latter, players are going to write about knocking back the charge and working with their confident allies. The tone of the challenge will be very different.<br />
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Your outcomes can affect this too, of course - I talk about this on the player side, but outcomes both describe the ending and set a range of things that can happen during the challenge - but your scene text is going to be a much larger impact.<br />
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Aside from just setting the tone, though, as I said...you're giving players things to use. Cues. A lot of narration is setting up cues. It's what you do in the challenge description, it's what you do in the outcomes, and it's what you do in the scene text. You leave openings for players to fill in the blanks. You give details that they can use to expand their storytelling. You lay the groundwork, the foundation, that they will build upon to complete the story of the challenge.<br />
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That's the basics of narration in a nutshell. Look...there's more, a lot more, but narration, at heart, is doing the above...over, and over, until the game is complete. A lot of the rest is style - there are a lot of different narration styles, a lot of different priorities, and a lot of different ways a narrator can make <i>Storium</i> work for them. I go into those a lot in the articles below.<br />
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Above all, remember: You are narrating to help the players draw out a story. It isn't <i>your</i> story...it's yours <i>and</i> the players'. Narrate to <i>help</i> them write. Narrate to make things <i>interesting</i> for them. Your job isn't to challenge them as players. Your job is to help them as writers. Have fun, be a fan of them, enjoy what they write, and look for ways to help them bring out the themes of their characters.<br />
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For more on narration, you can see the "<a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/search/label/Storium%20Narration">Storium Narration</a>" category overall, but here are some articles I particularly recommend:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/05/storium-theory-narrator-types.html">Narrator Types</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/11/storium-theory-story-scope.html">Story Scope</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/11/storium-theory-getting-right-cast.html">Getting the Right Cast</a></li>
<li>Setting up a Challenge</li>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/12/storium-theory-setting-up-challenge.html">Name and Description</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/12/storium-theory-setting-up-challenge_8.html">Rating</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/12/storium-theory-setting-up-challenge_10.html">Results</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/12/storium-theory-setting-up-challenge_15.html">Narration</a></li>
</ul>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/12/storium-theory-player-characters-are.html">The Player Characters are the Stars</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/01/storium-theory-have-ending-from-start.html">Have an Ending From the Start</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/02/storium-theory-use-characters-you-chose.html">Use the Characters You Chose</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/02/storium-theory-collaboration-narrator.html">Collaboration - Narrator and Players as a Team</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/03/storium-theory-challenges-that-matter.html">Challenges that Matter</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/03/storium-theory-challenges-simultaneous.html">Challenges: Simultaneous or Sequential?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/03/storium-theory-weak-outcomes-are-not.html">Weak Outcomes are Not Punishments</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/05/storium-theory-finishing-challenge_19.html">Finishing a Challenge - Uncertain Results (Narrator Role)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2017/01/storium-theory-maintaining-pace.html">Maintaining the Pace</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2017/05/storium-theory-tell-story-of-characters.html">Tell the Story of the Characters</a></li>
</ul>
Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-67180521833635769582017-08-24T18:00:00.000-04:002017-08-24T18:00:06.407-04:00Storium Basics: Cardless MovesLast time, we discussed multi-card moves here on <i>Storium Basics</i>. This time, I'd like to spend a bit of time on their opposite: cardless moves.<br />
<br />
While most moves in <i>Storium</i> games will probably involve cards, cardless moves <i>are</i> an option in Storium. Narrators will vary on how much they like them. For my part, I’m totally fine with them as they add some great color to scenes, but I do want to caution that you not allow them to overwhelm scenes. They’re great for adding detail but can also sap a scene of momentum if they are overused.<br />
<br />
When writing a cardless move, think similarly to how you write a move for a Neutral card like a Subplot - but unlike neutral cards, cardless moves <i>don’t</i> push the scene closer to completion. Remember, a challenge's remaining card slots are, in a way, the measure of how much "story" is left in the challenge, and how close it is to a conclusion. When you play cardless, you aren't changing that at all. You also aren't in any way tipping the challenge's balance - cardless moves obviously don't count as Strong or Weak, or even Neutral. In other words, <i>the story of the challenge does not move forward in a significant fashion</i>, and <i>the actions of your character do not have a particularly noteworthy impact on the challenge</i>.<br />
<br />
When you write a cardless move it should be more about showing what your character is doing in the <i>current </i>status of the scene than anything else. Your move <i>doesn’t</i> significantly impact the scene and <i>doesn’t</i> move the situation forward in any notable way…but it still needs to relate to what’s going on. You’re not playing on a challenge, but…still think about the move in relation to a challenge and/or the scene all the same. It should never drift totally away from what the scene is focused on.<br />
<br />
I'm fond of using cardless moves to show my character's reactions to big moments - to help make other players awesome by making clear that what they've done got a reaction out of my character. That's one good way of using these.<br />
<br />
They can also be used to just develop a point a little more, without actually pushing it forward. Maybe your last move was about conversing with a character, trying to convince him of something, and while other stuff is going on in the scene, you'd like to take a moment to show that the conversation is still going on and develop the character's motivations a bit more, without actually having the challenge's situation <i>change</i> yet. That can be a good use of a cardless move.<br />
<br />
The trick is to use them, but not abuse them. It's easy to fall into a trap of overusing these move types when a challenge is active. They're good for reactions, and good for further development...but don't react to everything, and don't develop everything. When challenges are active, <i>keep the focus on playing on the challenges</i>. Moves <i>with</i> cards, for most games, should <i>clearly outnumber</i> cardless moves while challenges are active...otherwise, games really risk losing momentum. Use them with restraint, and they'll work best.<br />
<br />
That does bring up an important side note, though: There are times when a narrator will set up or continue a scene <i>without</i> challenges, <i>specifically to give you the opportunity to roleplay with cardless moves</i>. Obviously at that point, cardless moves are what the game's all about! Just remember to play according to the story, and even if there aren't challenges present, don't allow your character to overwhelm the rest of the game.<br />
<br />
For more information on cardless moves and cardless moments, see these articles:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/02/storium-theory-add-some-color-with.html">Add Some Color with Cardless Moves</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/03/storium-theory-chance-to-breathe.html">A Chance to Breathe: Cardless Moments</a></li>
</ul>
Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-5974088162403992422017-08-17T18:00:00.000-04:002017-08-17T18:00:09.691-04:00Storium Basics: Multi-Card MovesWelcome back to <i>Storium Basics</i>, where I'm covering general aspects of <i>Storium</i> play that I think are helpful to know as you get started. Today, I'm going to cover a <i>slightly</i> more advanced element of <i>Storium</i>. Today, we're talking about <i>multi-card</i> moves.<br />
<br />
I've already gone over the basics of making a <i>Storium</i> move with a single card back in <a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2017/07/storium-basics-challenges-and-cards.html"><i>Storium Basics: Challenges and Cards</i></a>. For a quick refresher, you'll select a challenge, select a card, and then write a move that demonstrates how that card's trait comes into play and affects that challenge, based on the type of card that you've selected, the challenge, the possible challenge outcomes, the card's description, and the current status of the challenge and scene.<br />
<br />
When you're making a multi-card move, all of that still applies. There's nothing <i>that</i> different about making a multi-card move than making a single-card move...it's just that now you have more than one trait to play to during the move.<br />
<br />
If you've played two Strengths, say...Determination and Quick-Thinking...you write it like you'd normally write a Strength move. You just play up both traits - show how your determination <i>and</i> your ability to think quickly help you move the challenge in a positive direction. Now, bear in mind that you've taken up <i>two</i> challenge points <i>and</i> have moved the challenge positive by two Strengths, as well, so you probably want to make this feel like a stronger impact than for a normal move too - but what matters most is making sure both traits feel like they impact the scene.<br />
<br />
If you've played two Weaknesses...say, Hotheaded and Easily Mislead...it's the same thing, just in reverse. Write a Weakness move, but play up both traits, and make it a stronger impact than you would for just one card. You've just pushed the challenge much closer to a conclusion <i>and</i> pushed it much closer to the Weak outcome. Show that.<br />
<br />
Where things get <i>fascinating</i>, though, is when you <i>mix</i> card types. Those moves can be some of the most fun in <i>Storium</i>.<br />
<br />
What if you have a Strength and a Weakness? Maybe you appear to make things better for a moment, then lose your own gains. Or maybe you slip up and start to make things worse, but manage to turn things around and start clawing the situation back out of the very hole you were digging. Or maybe you make things worse in one way, but set things up to turn around in another. You can write some very, very complex and cool moves by playing multiple cards.<br />
<br />
Neutral cards are loads of fun to throw in this way too. Your Subplot in particular can be quite a powerful storytelling device when used with a Strength or Weakness - you can show how your subplot influenced the actions that express the Strength or Weakness, for instance, or show how your Strength or Weakness had effects and ended up impacting not just the situation, but your views of yourself or what your subplot is all about. This can work similarly with Goals.<br />
<br />
And Assets? Well, you have a magic sword, sure, and sometimes you might want to highlight that on its own...but it can be very cool to play it with a Strength card and show how your ability to use the sword <i>well</i> or <i>intelligently</i> matters, or a Weakness card and show that despite the magic of the sword, you still get yourself in trouble...or maybe even <i>because</i> of the magic! Are you Overconfident? Maybe you rush ahead <i>because you have a magic sword</i>, and things turn out badly. Are you Inexperienced? Maybe you try to use the sword's powers and make a mistake, hurting your own side's chances.<br />
<br />
And it doesn't stop at just two cards. You can play up to three cards per move with the default settings for <i>Storium</i> - and with custom card settings, it might go even further! Just remember to think of the number of cards you're playing, and how far you are pushing the challenge forward, when you play these sorts of moves.<br />
<br />
Now...I want to also put in one word of caution. Multi-card moves are an option in <i>Storium</i>, but different games, players, and narrators will have different feelings about them. If your narrator specifies any kind of restrictions on these, or preferences for you to play single-card moves in general, or what-have-you, follow those. The rules of your individual game are as important or more important than the rules of <i>Storium</i>. And even if these moves are allowed (they generally are), it's best to be careful with them - if you're pulling these out all the time, you can shut other players out of playing on challenges at times, and that can be bad for game morale and a collaborative spirit.<br />
<br />
I myself like to play these sorts of moves on longer challenges, generally - those I won't just wrap up in one move by playing multiple cards. I will sometimes pull them out in shorter ones specifically <i>to</i> take the challenge, but in those cases I'll generally check first (or be working in a scene where the narrator has made it clear that's exactly what he expects).<br />
<br />
If you'd like to know more about multi-card moves, and <i>Storium</i> move philosophy in general, you can take a look at these articles:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/03/storium-theory-multi-card-moves.html">Multi-Card Moves</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/03/storium-theory-house-rules-single-card.html">House Rules: Single-Card Plays </a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/11/storium-theory-make-impact.html">Make an Impact!</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/11/storium-theory-play-to-your-cards.html">Play to Your Cards</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/12/storium-theory-take-charge.html">Take Charge!</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/12/storium-theory-leaving-things-open.html">Leaving Things Open </a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/01/storium-theory-address-challenge.html">Address the Challenge</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/02/storium-theory-no-card-play-is-wasted.html">No Card Play is "Wasted"</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/05/storium-theory-finishing-challenge.html">Finishing a Challenge: Strong Results</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/05/storium-theory-finishing-challenge-weak.html">Finishing a Challenge: Weak Results</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/05/storium-theory-finishing-challenge_17.html">Finishing a Challenge: Uncertain Results (Player Role)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/08/storium-theory-writing-move-strength.html">Writing a Move: Strength and Weakness Cards</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/08/storium-theory-writing-move-neutral.html">Writing a Move: Neutral Cards</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2017/04/storium-theory-reading-ahead-outcomes.html">Reading Ahead: Outcomes as Inspiration </a></li>
</ul>
<br />Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-43810276028531715622017-08-10T18:00:00.000-04:002017-08-10T18:00:24.213-04:00Storium Basics: Assets and GoalsWe've already discussed <i>Storium</i>'s first (and my favorite) Neutral card type, the <a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2017/07/storium-basics-subplots.html">Subplot</a>, but that's not the only Neutral card type in <i>Storium</i>. Today, I'm going to discuss the other two types: Assets and Goals.<br />
<br />
Unlike all the other cards in <i>Storium</i>, Assets and Goals are not things that you <i>start</i> with - they aren't part of your character from the beginning, and they aren't chosen at Refreshes or upon spending a stack or anything like that. Whether you have these cards or not isn't up to you, entirely - it depends on the narrator. These are both given to players - or provided for pickup - by the narrator at his will.<br />
<br />
Assets represent things like items, people, or other resources that are sufficiently important to the story to be specifically noted. Narrators vary in how they use them—some toss out a ton, some toss out generic ones that players can customize (more on that later), and some provide only very specific, story-critical assets. The use is the same, regardless: You play the card and move things forward, telling how that resource is important in pushing the challenge closer to conclusion. It can sometimes be easier to write asset moves if you play a Strength or Weakness with them, so you can write how you use that asset well or badly.<br />
<br />
Goals are kind of like Subplots, but they’re things the <i>narrator</i> would like to see you address during the game. Like assets, narrators use these for all sorts of purposes. I’ve seen them used to represent injuries, enchantments, objectives…I’ve seen them used as requests to world-build or create NPCs that the narrator can use…all sorts of things. They work similarly to subplots - you get a stack, and when you play all the cards of that stack, you get a free Wild Strength as a reward. Basically, these are the narrator’s way of saying, “Hey, talk about this in the story or show this happening, and if you do it, you can get a Strength card for making the story more interesting.”<br />
<br />
Narrators may give Assets or Goals to you directly, or may lay them out to be picked up. You can pick up a card that a narrator set out by using the “pick up cards” button at the bottom of your move editing window when writing a move. If picking a card up, you’ll often want to actually show the item being picked up as part of your move, or show your character now thinking about the Goal and deciding to take it up, but that isn't always necessary (for instance, I often use Assets to represent other characters traveling with the group).<br />
<br />
Whether given to you or picked up by you, you can then hold on to the asset card until you feel like playing it. You <i>can</i> also pick up and play an asset card in the <i>same</i> move.<br />
<br />
Like subplots, assets and goals are neutral cards–they push a challenge closer to conclusion but don’t themselves tip the scale one way or another. I look at it like this: You might have a gun, and that might matter to a scene, but whether it is a good thing or a bad thing really depends on how you use it…so Strengths and Weaknesses are still what you use to affect outcomes. That’s not to say you have to play one of those cards along with an asset or goal, but I do have to say I generally find it easier to write moves for asset or goal cards if I play them with a Strength or Weakness myself.<br />
<br />
If you play an asset or goal card on its own, think like you do for Subplot cards: the card is <i>important </i>to the scene and <i>pushes things towards a conclusion</i>, but doesn’t change the current Strong/Weak balance so things still feel like they’re headed for the ending they were headed for before, overall. As with Subplots, that can feel good if things were headed towards a Strong outcome, or bad if they were headed for a Weak outcome, or just...well...uncertain if they were headed for an Uncertain outcome. The overall <i>feel</i> of the situation hasn't changed, but now there's less time to change it.<br />
<br />
Asset cards can be rewritten, as I've noted above. <i>If</i> an asset card has multiple uses (a "stack"), you can use the “browse your cards” button in your move writing window to look at it and rewrite the asset. This consumes one use of the asset card stack, but lets you rename it to something that seems more narratively important at the time. That means that if you have, say, a stack of asset cards representing a gun and you don’t have access to that gun in the story presently, you can just rewrite the stack into something else–maybe your character always keeps a city map around.<br />
<br />
<i>Note that not all narrators allow that</i> – some really prefer assets to represent one thing and one thing only. But the basic idea of how they’re set up is to give you something to use when you feel like your character would have something to help out and you want to highlight that. I believe Stephen Hood called them “ways to plug holes in the plot,” and that’s a pretty apt description.<br />
<br />
Assets and Goals will feature majorly in some games, and barely at all in others, depending on the narrator’s style, but they’re cards you need to be aware of. I actually haven't written all that much on Assets and Goals over the course of my writing on this blog, as in my own narration they are cards I don't use much! This is a case where I suggest talking with other players and narrators on <i>Storium</i> more than looking to my writing for advice. That said, here are a few articles that cover Neutral cards more generally:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/08/storium-theory-writing-move-neutral.html">Writing a Move: Neutral Cards</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/05/storium-theory-finishing-challenge_17.html">Finishing a Challenge - Uncertain Results (Player's Role)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/03/storium-theory-multi-card-moves.html">Multi-Card Moves</a></li>
</ul>
Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-27934734390355130002017-08-03T18:00:00.000-04:002017-08-03T18:00:01.321-04:00Storium Basics: Card Spending and RefreshWelcome back - today, as we continue discussing the basics of <i>Storium</i>, I'm going to spend a little time on the concept of <i>Refresh</i>. <br />
<br />
First, though, a bit about card spending: As you play Strength and Weakness cards, you’ll notice they become unavailable for selection on future plays. Even once you reach the end of a scene, you'll find you won't have the cards that you already spent available to play again.<br />
<br />
This is how <i>Storium</i> manages helping you tell the ups and downs of a character’s tale. As you spend Strengths and Weaknesses, they become unavailable for use. You don’t get <i>any</i> of them back until you’ve spent <i>all</i> of them. That is, you have to spend <i>all</i> your Strengths <b><i>and</i></b> <i>all</i> your Weaknesses before you get <i>any</i> of them back.<br />
<br />
This is another reason I’ve said it is best to not play <i>Storium</i> tactically—the system is geared towards storytelling, and in storytelling, characters have ups and downs. This is actually really cool for developing a character arc, but that's somewhat beyond the basics - for more on that, see the links below.<br />
<br />
So, say that you've spent all your Strengths and all your Weaknesses...now, it's time to <i>Refresh</i>.<br />
<br />
At the beginning of the next scene, you’ll get to Refresh your cards. When you click the button to do so (which replaces your button for writing a move), you are presented with a list of all the Strengths and all the Weaknesses that you’ve played in the game so far. You select some of each, and those become your new hand of Strength and Weakness cards. Simple as that!<br />
<br />
Note that the number of cards you get to refresh is determined by settings for the individual games<br />
<br />
But though it's a simple concept, don't just rush through.<br />
<br />
This is your opportunity to define what is important in your character’s story now. That may not match up with what was important in the beginning. Refreshes are a great way to show how your character has changed, or to show what elements of your character are stable. Pick the cards you want to focus on for the next chunk of the story.<br />
<br />
Take some time to really think it over - <i>what is important now</i>? What do you want to say about your character <i>now</i>? Who is your character <i>now</i>? That's what a Refresh is about - not who you've <i>been</i>, but who you are <i>now</i>. Who you are going to be as the story moves forward from this point.<br />
<br />
So...sure, who you are now might be just who you were in the past - you might just pick your starting Strength and Weakness, maybe something closely related to them too, and call it a day. But maybe things you've revealed about yourself since then have become more important. Maybe your <i>Toughness</i> was central to your character at the beginning, but since then, you've become focused on <i>Leadership </i>and <i>Empathy</i>, like I mentioned last time.<br />
<br />
This is the point where you get to show that...so take some time to think it through. <br />
<br />
And remember: As with character creation, pick cards you want to play...not just cards you’re willing to play. Just like at the start of the game, you want to pick things that <i>excite </i>you about using them. These cards are the things you <i>will have in your hand</i>, so they're the things you will <i>have to play before you can Refresh again</i>. So make them things that you <i>want</i> to play, not just things that you grudgingly put in your hand again.<br />
<br />
For more on Refresh, see the below posts - but please be aware that since I wrote some of these, the Refresh rules did change somewhat. The philosophy still applies, but some of the mechanics will sometimes be a bit different. In particular, I believe you can now pretty easily choose to get rid of your starting Strength / Weakness in a Refresh because - if I'm recalling correctly - you can now choose any card multiple times in a Refresh. In the old days, that wasn't the case, so you'll see references here for how it will take multiple Refreshes to get a starting card out of your hand.<br />
<br />
Similarly, these were written before custom card settings were a thing.<br />
<br />
Still, I believe the philosophies discussed here can be helpful:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/01/great-ideas-easy-resource-management.html">Great Ideas: Easy Resource Management (<i>Storium</i>)</a> </li>
<ul>
<li><i>Okay, that one is just about why I love the way Storium handles card spending and Refresh.</i></li>
</ul>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/01/storium-theory-establishing-character.html">Establishing Character Arcs</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/01/storium-theory-character-arc-vs-game-arc.html">Character Arc vs. Game Arc</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/02/storium-theory-no-card-play-is-wasted.html">No Card Play is "Wasted"</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/02/storium-theory-character-development.html">Character Development Through Wild Cards</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/02/storium-theory-refreshing-cards-whats.html">Refreshing Cards - "What's Important Now?"</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/06/storium-theory-situational-strengths.html">Situational Strengths and Weaknesses</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/08/storium-theory-building-character.html">Building Character</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/08/storium-theory-choose-cards-you-want-to.html">Choose Cards You Want to Play</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/12/storium-theory-build-towards-something.html">Build Towards Something</a></li>
</ul>
Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-47956813413720084212017-07-27T18:00:00.001-04:002023-03-13T01:21:53.565-04:00Storium Basics: Wild CardsWelcome back to my series on <i>Storium</i> basics. Today, we'll be discussing Wild Cards.<br />
<br />
When you create a character, you start with a defined Strength and a defined Weakness. Usually you'll start with more than one copy of each, making it your character's strong theme - the amount can vary depending on your game's settings. However, in addition to those, you'll also usually start with a few <i>wild cards</i> - some Strengths, and some Weaknesses.<br />
<br />
These are how <i>Storium</i> handles the mechanical side of <i>character development</i>. <br />
<br />
Wild Strength and Wild Weakness cards are <i>Storium</i>’s way of letting you develop your character and reveal new traits about them. When you pick one, <i>Storium</i> will ask you to title it and write a description for it, just as if you were creating custom cards during character creation. You can also select from other cards the narrator had as options for character creation, or from cards you've already played in the game.<br />
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Which should you do? Well, that's up to you.<br />
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Early in the game, it's probably best to either pick another card from the character creation list that seems to apply to your character, or write a custom card.<br />
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Picking another card from the list is pretty simple - just find one on the "Existing Cards" list and select it. Make sure to pick something that feels like it applies to your character - something that fits with your concept.<br />
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My preferred method, though? I prefer to write my own Wild Cards. Once you've started the game, you're probably starting to develop your character's identity and traits in your head. The other existing cards <i>might</i> apply, but I tend to find that only works for one additional card, two tops. To <i>really</i> reveal who my character is, I find it's best to write up some custom cards.<br />
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It's also lots of fun.<br />
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When you're writing a new card, what you want is to aim for something that feels <i>broad</i> but still <i>descriptive</i>. Strengths and Weaknesses in <i>Storium</i> work best when they can apply to a wide variety of situations, but they still need to say something specific about your character. Not that you can't use very specific facts from time to time, but overall, I find it easier to write things you can use again and again. For more on that, see the links below.<br />
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The other thing you want to do here is say something <i>new</i> about your character. Something that spins off of what we know about them, but that is <i>different</i> in some way from what we knew before. You'll get the most fun out of Wild Cards if they differ from cards you've already played. They can be <i>similar</i>, but there should be differences. As an example, if your original Strength card was something like <i>Brilliant</i>, reflecting your ability to use intellect to find a way through your problems, maybe your new Strength might be something like <i>Lateral Thinking</i>, reflecting a particular and unusual strategy that allows you to find creative solutions, or <i>Multitasking</i>, reflecting your ability to split your brainpower to handle multiple tasks at once. They still <i>relate</i> to your intellect, but they tell you something new.<br />
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Now, it doesn't have to be that direct of a link all the time, but it’s important to try to link Wild Cards to your character concept. You’re describing new elements of your character, but they shouldn’t (generally) feel like they come entirely out of nowhere. Build on what you’ve done so far or formalize traits you’ve hinted at in the past. There may be times where it’s appropriate to reveal a totally surprising character element, but done improperly, or especially done too often, it ends up just feeling like bad writing. So: Tell us something new about your character, but not something outlandish about your character. In general.<br />
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Late in the game, when you've already made a lot of wild cards, you may find it easier to start using the "Previously Used Cards" tab to select cards you've played earlier in the game. In the late game, you've already got a pretty decent list designed and it may be hard to think of <i>new</i> traits for your character. That's when I find it handy to sometimes use this list and just bring another of my existing traits to the fore. In the early game, there's just not enough on this tab and using it will stop you from adding new traits to your character - but in the late game, it can be very handy. <br />
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Whatever you do, you'll then play that card just like any other card - write your move according to the traits you've revealed. Once you've written the card, there's nothing particularly different about using it than using other cards.<br />
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At Refresh (more on that next week), any wild cards you’ve played will show up with their names and descriptions as options you can choose. This is how you can change your character’s primary, noted traits over the course of a game. A paladin who starts out with Toughness as his starting Strength may turn out to concentrate on Inspirational Leadership and Empathy by the end of the game - so Wild Cards don't just let you reveal new things about yourself, they can ultimately let you <i>change your character</i> in accordance with the story.<br />
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For more on Wild Cards and writing Strengths and Weaknesses, see these articles:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/11/storium-theory-writing-good-strengths.html">Writing Good Strengths and Weaknesses</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/02/storium-theory-character-development.html">Character Development Through Wild Cards</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/06/storium-theory-situational-strengths.html">Situational Strengths and Weaknesses</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/08/storium-theory-choose-cards-you-want-to.html">Choose Cards You Want to Play</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/12/storium-theory-build-towards-something.html">Build Towards Something</a></li>
</ul>
Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-40760670190817352382017-07-20T18:00:00.000-04:002017-07-20T18:00:26.709-04:00Storium Basics: Playing Off Each OtherWelcome back to <i>Storium Basics</i>, where each week I'm going through a basic aspect of <i>Storium </i>play. This week, I'm going to talk about something that's a little bit more advanced: playing off of each other and leaving openings.<i> </i><br />
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<i>Storium</i> games are <i>stories</i>, and that means that scenes work best when they feel interconnected. It's easy to lose sight of that when you are writing independently, often at different times from the other players. However, it is important to make a conscious effort to tell a continuous story between your moves and those of other players. You're not just writing the tale of your own character - you are writing the story of the challenge, and the scene, overall.<br />
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When you write a move, look back at what has happened so far in the scene and call upon it to set the stage for your move or give you things to react to. Is a statue falling over? Show it crashing to the ground. Did a friend just get hit? Call out if he's okay, or go to his aid. Did someone just do something totally awesome? React to it!<br />
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Tell the overall story, not just your own actions.<br />
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Additionally, I encourage you to leave openings in your moves for others to use. You don’t have to call out specific other players to use them - in fact, unless you have a <i>very</i> good relationship with a player I advise against doing that - but it’s very helpful to your fellow writers if you raise a situation in your move that you do not resolve or close.<br />
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This could be noting that a bandit escaped and you couldn’t get him, or that you got kicked into something heavy and now it is starting to fall, or that there’s an enemy starting to draw a bead on you and you don’t see it, or an enemy wizard casting a spell...as appropriate for the situation and story, of course, but you get the idea. If you are writing something other than the final move of a challenge, leave cues out there people can pick up on.<br />
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If someone does leave those cues out there for you, use them. You can resolve them quickly (maybe you call a warning or shoot the enemy who was lining up a shot on the previous player, then go on to do other things), or make them the focus of your move (your entire move is about how you race against time and get there before the shot, maybe, or about the fight between you and the bandit when you get there).<br />
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Then, leave your own openings too!<br />
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One quick further note on this: This is another reason you want to have <i>detail</i> and <i>story</i> to your moves. It is much easier for people to play off of moves if there are details they can latch on to, and if you show your impact. So when writing moves, Add some detail, and especially remember that if you play a card you need to show what impact the card has on the scene. Don’t just explain how your trait is good or bad - show the effect it has, and make us feel it.<br />
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For instance, if you’re “Clumsy,” maybe you trip up and bandits get past you...and run straight for a group of villagers, brandishing their weapons and putting them in danger. If you have “Mighty Muscles,” you move a heavy stone in front of the gate...and the bandits struggle with it before being forced to go another way, giving you time to send some guards that way too. Things like that. Don’t write the entire battle in one move, of course, but be sure we feel the impact of each move. <br />
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Finally, <i>Storium</i> works best if there’s at least a little shared writing rights to the player characters—and definitely to the NPCs. Here are my rules - these are what I find work well, but different games may have different rules on this, so be sure to check on this with your narrator.<br />
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<b>Player Characters: </b>Players should allow other players to use their character for basic statements, basic questions, or assistance with actions as required for moves without requiring them to ask beforehand. They can always politely request a change if they want, and the writer should be amenable to doing so. If you want to write more heavily for another player character, I advise then asking for permission first, unless you’ve already established a good collaborative relationship. And, of course, if you’re writing for someone else’s character, keep their portrayal consistent as you can.<br />
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<b>Non-Player Characters: </b>Non-Player characters, especially those established by the Narrator, are generally totally free for players to write in whatever way they choose, within the bounds set by a challenge. I may sometimes provide guidelines for NPCs, but by and large, they’re your tools to play with. In rare cases an NPC heavily important to the storyline may be treated more like a player character, but I’ll always say so if that’s the case.<br />
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Those are what work well for me, but again, this is a good thing to check on with your narrator. Some games have a tighter atmosphere where characters need to be more solidly held by their creators, and others have a very loose atmosphere where even more is allowed. Some players, as well, will permit more with their specific character even if the rest of the game is tight.<br />
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If in doubt, there's no harm asking.<br />
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Want to know more about playing off of each other and leaving things open? Here are some further articles I've written on this and related topics:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/12/storium-theory-leaving-things-open.html">Leaving Things Open</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/12/storium-theory-giving-up-control.html">Giving Up Control</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/12/storium-theory-using-another-character.html">Using Another Character</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/04/storium-theory-making-everybody-awesome.html">Making Everybody Awesome</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/06/storium-theory-people-people-who-need.html">People, People Who Need People</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/10/storium-theory-lets-make-some-trouble.html">Let's Make Some Trouble</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2017/04/storium-theory-questions-and-answers.html">Questions and Answers</a></li>
</ul>
Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-16245289383327118712017-07-13T18:00:00.000-04:002017-07-13T18:00:35.136-04:00Storium Basics: SubplotsWelcome back to <i>Storium Basics</i> - today, I'd like to briefly discuss the Subplot card type.<br />
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Subplots are actually my favorite card on Storium. The other cards show your character’s impact on the story—a subplot shows the story’s impact on your character.<br />
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Subplot cards are considered neutral, so they don’t affect the Strong/Weak balance of a challenge. They do, however, push things closer to a conclusion. I like to use them to set up situations that might go either way, or to emphasize the way the challenge is currently going while moving events forward.<br />
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It takes some time to get used to writing subplots, but here’s the basics: When you play a subplot, it’s time to get a little introspective. Show how the subplot has been affected by the story events—how are the events of the story shaping your views of your subplot? Or, alternatively, you can show how your subplot is driving you to take the actions that you are taking. I use a mix of both. As you play subplot cards scene after scene, show how it is developing in your character’s mind.<br />
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Now, that doesn't mean that your move is <i>entirely</i> internal! As I said above, this is <i>still</i> a move on a challenge, and thus it <i>still</i> moves the story of the challenge forward. So, this move needs to be both about <i>your character</i> and about <i>the story of the challenge</i>. It is tilted more towards your character than other moves, but the challenge's story shouldn't disappear.<br />
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A great way to do this is to tie what's going on in the challenge specifically to what's going on with your character's subplot. You can, like I suggested above, show how your subplot drove you to take the actions you're taking in the challenge. Or, you might instead decide to show how the actions you took affected your view of your subplot.<br />
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For example, if you're playing a character with the subplot <i>Prove Yourself</i>, reflecting his desire to have his abilities acknowledged by those around him, that subplot might be involved in a few ways. Now, these aren't the only ways you could do it, mind - but here's a couple thoughts:<br />
<ul>
<li>Inspiring Actions: Out of a desire to Prove Yourself, you charge headlong at the enemy, filled with ambition to win the day and be acknowledged by the other heroes.</li>
<li>Reflecting on Actions: You charge headlong at the enemy, and X happens. In the moments afterwards, a thought goes through your head about how that's likely to affect your goal of proving yourself - do you think you've gotten closer, or further away?</li>
</ul>
As mentioned above, a subplot is a <i>neutral</i> card. That means that it doesn't tip the balance towards Strong or Weak as far as the challenge's progress towards an outcome goes. But it <i>does</i> progress the challenge's story.<br />
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Neutral cards can be a little hard to picture this way at first - how do you progress the story while not making things Stronger or Weaker? That's a bit of a misconception, I think.<br />
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When you play a neutral card, like a Subplot in this case, you push the story forward. This <i>can</i> feel like it's pushing closer to one of the endings, <i>based on which ending the challenge was headed towards</i>. If the challenge is already going Strong, your subplot can feel strong. If the challenge was already going Weak, your subplot can feel weak.<br />
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Why? This is because a neutral card leaves the status quo where it is, but leaves less slots to change it. So while you aren't actually <i>making things Stronger</i> or <i>making things Weaker</i>, you are progressing the story of the challenge and there is now less "time" for the challenge to turn around.<br />
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So, while a subplot play shouldn't feel exactly like a Strength or Weakness play, there's no problem with using it to emphasize the current story direction. With a neutral card, you're saying that things continue along the same path they've been continuing on...if that's a good path, that's good, if it's a bad path, that's bad.<br />
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That assumes you're playing a neutral card on its own, of course - playing multiple cards at once is an option in most <i>Storium</i> games, and I'll discuss that technique and its effects on moves another time.<br />
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When you play the last subplot card in your stack, it is time to move the subplot forward in a notable fashion. Show how the story’s events have led the character to some kind of development point—some place where their views change, or perhaps harden and evolve to a new level. Moves where you're finishing up your subplot stack should feel <i>significant</i>. Even if they're in the middle of a challenge and other things are going on, be <i>sure</i> to take some time to leave a sign of <i>development</i> of your character's story. You don't have to know precisely where it's going yet, but you should make clear that <i>something has changed</i> in how your character views or interacts with the issue covered by the subplot. Leave yourself some cues, some thoughts on how this might develop<br />
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It's okay - even fun - to leave the full development a bit up in the air here more solidly decide when you pick your new subplot a little later. You can ask yourself a new question the subplot inspires rather than providing an answer. This doesn't have to be a full <i>conclusion</i> to the subplot. It's a <i>major development</i>, not necessarily an <i>ending</i>. You are moving forward in a way, but you aren't necessarily moving forward to something totally different.<br />
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You also get a wild Strength card any time you play the last subplot card—you’ll get it at the close of that scene.<br />
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At the start of the next scene after you finish your subplot, you'll also have to define a new subplot. It’s pretty simple—just click the “Define a New Subplot” button that replaces your Move button, and write one like any other custom card.<br />
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What you want to do here is think a bit about what happened regarding your prior subplot. Where did your character start out regarding that issue, and where did he end up? What is he thinking about now? Is it the same issue, with some new color to it, or has he moved on to some other thing?<br />
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This is why it helps to be thinking about your subplot each time you play it, and get a little introspective each time. If you take the time to think about this along the way, you don't have to think about it all at once. And, if you use that final move of a subplot to leave yourself some thinking cues, you'll more easily find direction in writing your new plot.<br />
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Don't forget to consider how the game's story itself has been going, either! Subplots are about how your character and the game interact.<br />
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Subplots are, as I mentioned, how you show the game’s impact on your character–and when you define a new Subplot, that’s a big chance to show it. It’s one of my favorite times in Storium–when I get to write a new subplot, I can definitively show everyone just what my character has gone through and what issue he’s working through now as a result. Sometimes my new subplot is a development of the prior one, a furthering of that issue with a new name and new stakes. But sometimes things have gone totally sideways and unexpected things came up, or the character realized that what he was working through wasn’t what he thought he was working through, leading to a subplot that’s pretty drastically different.<br />
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Here’s an example of one that developed over the course of “Sorrow’s Shores” for my character, Brennan:<br />
<ul>
<li>It started out as “Learning the Basics,” reflecting Brennan’s unfamiliarity with the situation he was in and his desire to be able to at least help out a little and learn what he could to take care of himself. </li>
<li>From there, it moved to “I Have to Do More!” as Brennan learned to do his part but saw the group struggling and dealt with the loss of one of the group’s members–he felt like he hadn’t been strong enough yet and wanted to push himself. </li>
<li>Finally, it became “When it isn’t enough…” as more bad things still happened, and he began to realize that sometimes no matter how hard you tried, sometimes you weren’t strong enough on your own, and maybe it wasn’t just him that was like that, maybe it was everyone. So he started wrestling with what that meant and learning that it was okay if he had to depend on other people.</li>
</ul>
I hope that all this has helped you gain an understanding of Subplots in <i>Storium</i>. If you'd like to read more, here are a few articles on this and related topics:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/11/storium-theory-develop-those-subplots.html">Develop Those Subplots!</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/01/storium-theory-establishing-character.html">Establishing Character Arcs</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/01/storium-theory-character-arc-vs-game-arc.html">Character Arc vs. Game Arc</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/02/storium-theory-subplots-and-character.html">Subplots and Character Arcs</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/08/storium-theory-writing-move-neutral.html">Writing a Move: Neutral Cards</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/12/storium-theory-build-towards-something.html">Build Towards Something</a></li>
</ul>
<br />Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-41313841120524432972017-07-06T18:00:00.000-04:002017-07-06T18:00:25.940-04:00Storium Basics: Challenges and CardsContinuing my <i>Storium Basics</i> series, today we'll be taking a look at the basic gameplay mechanics of the <i>Storium</i> system.<br />
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Storium is played, primarily, by making moves that lay cards onto challenges. These cards tell the story, move by move, of what happens during the challenge.<br />
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When you play a card, write a move explaining <i>what your character does</i>, and <i>how those actions impact the challenge</i>.<br />
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The effect depends on the card you played. Strength cards improve the situation covered by the challenge. Weakness cards make it worse. Neutral cards, which might be subplots, assets, or goals, push it closer to conclusion without making things feel better or worse.<br />
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To think of it from another angle: Challenges have <i>Strong</i> outcomes and <i>Weak</i> outcomes. A Strength card pushes the challenge closer to the <i>Strong</i> outcome, and a Weakness card pushes it closer to the <i>Weak</i> outcome. A Neutral card pushes it closer to <i>a conclusion</i> - a Neutral card doesn't <i>change</i> the direction or push it closer to either outcome, but it does shorten the amount of moves left in the challenge. Thus, a Neutral card might feel <i>good</i> if the challenge is trending Strong or <i>bad</i> if the challenge is trending Weak, as you show things continuing along the lines they have been so far.<br />
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It is a <i>very</i> good idea, actually, to check the possible outcomes before you play any moves on a challenge. You can do this simply by clicking on the challenge title / challenge card - this will also show some descriptive text, which can help guide your writing as well. The outcomes tell you what the possible range of results of a challenge are, and where you should be focusing your writing. Knowing them in advance gives you something to work towards. You know that if you play a Strength card, you should be writing something that pulls things closer to the Strong outcome, and if you play a Weakness, you should be writing something that pulls things closer to a Weak outcome. This gives the scene more of a feel of a full story, rather than a bunch of independent moves. <br />
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When you lay a card, be sure to <i>involve that card</i> in your move—if you play a Strength card labeled “Agile,” for instance, your move should be based on your agility in some way, showing how it helps. If you play a Weakness card labeled “Cowardly,” your cowardice or tendency to be overcautious should affect things and make them worse somehow. And if you play your subplot, it’s a good time to get a little introspective and show how that subplot is driving you to do what you do, or how the events of the game have changed your view of your subplot.<br />
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Note that when you're starting out in a game, it's <i>usually</i> easier to play your first move as either a Strength or a Weakness. Subplots are great cards (my favorite type, in fact), but they can be hard to use for your very first move. <br />
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Because you know what impact you’re having on the challenge when you lay your card, you should go ahead and <i>write that impact</i>. Don’t feel that you need to keep to just your actions—write <i>how you changed things</i>.<br />
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A lot of narrative power rests with the players here. Don’t worry if you don’t quite get it right away—it can take some time to learn the right balance, especially if you’re used to a tabletop or MUX method where someone other than you determines your results.<br />
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There are limits: until all pips on the challenge are filled, neither of the final results of the challenge should happen. For example, let's assume that the following two challenges exist:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Drive Back the Assault!</b></li>
<ul>
<li><b>Strong: </b>You and the other defenders solidly repel the enemy army, driving them away from the town with a minimum of damage or casualties. The battle isn't over and the bandit lord still lives, but the town has some breathing room.</li>
<li><b>Weak: </b>You drive back the bulk of the army to give the village some breathing room, though the bandit lord still lives. However, several of the bandits break through the defenses and make it into the village proper. There, they light several more fires and snatch whatever limited wealth the villagers have.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Rescue the Villagers!</b></li>
<ul>
<li><b>Strong: </b>You manage to get most civilians - including the mayor - further into the village, to relative safety, without any of them getting notably hurt.</li>
<li><b>Weak: </b>You get most of the civilians to safety, but a few - including the mayor - are killed either by the bandits or by being trapped among fires started in the midst of the battle.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
Until “Drive Back the Assault!” is finished, you shouldn’t get the enemy army <i>totally</i> clear of the village, and <i>no</i> bandits should get into the village proper.<br />
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Likewise, until “Rescue the Villagers!” is finished, you shouldn’t state that <i>all</i> the civilians are free of danger, and you shouldn’t state that any <i>significant</i> number the civilians have been killed, <i>especially</i> not the mayor.<br />
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However, while playing on “Drive Back the Assault!” you might kill some of the bandits on any card play, organize some villagers into a strong defensive line, take down an enemy champion, slip up and let some bandits surround you, get knocked aside and let the bandits get closer...any of these things, and more, are within the bounds of the challenge.<br />
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And on “Rescue the Civilians!” you might certainly get some civilians free, kill a bandit or two threatening them, rescue some from a burning building, be unable to find a way past some threatening bandits or into a burning building, or otherwise show the situation developing.<br />
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It’s a balancing act—the trick is to <i>show development</i> but leave the <i>final conclusion</i> for the last card. Be guided by your own card play as well, of course, and by which Outcome the challenge is headed towards.<br />
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When you play the <i>last</i> card on a challenge, you need to <i>write the conclusion</i>. You’ll do that based on the result the game displays. Strong or Weak results are written totally by the player.<br />
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Take a look at the outcomes above - they state, in low detail, what happens when those challenges conclude Strong or Weak. If you finish the challenge Strong or Weak, the applicable outcome text will show, and you should use it to guide your writing.<br />
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For example, if you play the last card on "Rescue the Villagers!" and it finishes Strong, then by the end of your move, it should be clear that most civilians, including the mayor, are in relative safety further into the village and away from the bandit threat, and none are notably injured. <i>How</i> that happens, though, is up to you!<br />
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Remember: The challenge outcomes are important. Don't just stick them in at the end of your move - if you're writing the final move of a challenge, <i>involve the outcomes in your move</i>. Make them a central element of that move's story.<br />
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An Uncertain result - which happens if there’s an even number of Strength and Weakness cards played or if none are played - is written by the narrator. If that comes up, you’ll leave the final results open and the narrator will write something for them. I generally advise that in those cases, you pretend you're writing the second-to-last move of the challenge rather than the last.<br />
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Though there are only 3 result types—Strong, Weak, and Uncertain—Storium does track the actual number of each card type played, and if more cards of, say, the Strength type are played, it will take more Weakness cards to bring it back to neutral—or vice-versa. In Storium, every card play does matter, even if the results only fall into three basic fields.<br />
<br />
And, of course, the scene can feel very different depending on the card play flow. If the group plays 3 Strength cards followed by 4 Weakness cards, the scene will read differently than if it played 1 Strength, 2 Weaknesses, 2 Strengths, and 2 Weaknesses, or some other combination—even though the final result is Weak either way. The first way will feel like a situation that was promising at first and took a drastic disastrous turn from which it never recovered, while the second way will feel like it went back and forth.<br />
<br />
In Storium, by default, you can play up to three cards on a single move, and up to three cards per overall scene. This can vary by game based on settings the narrator chooses, but bear it in mind - if you blow all your card plays on a single challenge, you will have a major impact on that challenge...but no impact on the rest of the scene. Sometimes that's entirely right and proper, mind! It's just something to be aware of.<br />
<br />
Some narrators will set up special rules regarding card plays - for instance, some narrators want players to <i>generally</i> only play one card at a time. If your narrator has set up rules for how to play cards, be sure to follow them, as they are part of how the narrator sets up the feeling and tone of the game.<br />
<br />
For more information on playing on a challenge, see...well, most of the articles I've written. But especially these ones:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/11/storium-theory-make-impact.html">Make an Impact!</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/11/storium-theory-play-to-your-cards.html">Play to Your Cards</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/12/storium-theory-take-charge.html">Take Charge!</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/12/storium-theory-leaving-things-open.html">Leaving Things Open </a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/01/storium-theory-address-challenge.html">Address the Challenge</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/02/storium-theory-no-card-play-is-wasted.html">No Card Play is "Wasted"</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/03/storium-theory-multi-card-moves.html">Multi-Card Moves</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/05/storium-theory-finishing-challenge.html">Finishing a Challenge: Strong Results</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/05/storium-theory-finishing-challenge-weak.html">Finishing a Challenge: Weak Results</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/05/storium-theory-finishing-challenge_17.html">Finishing a Challenge: Uncertain Results (Player Role)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/08/storium-theory-writing-move-strength.html">Writing a Move: Strength and Weakness Cards</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/08/storium-theory-writing-move-neutral.html">Writing a Move: Neutral Cards</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2017/04/storium-theory-reading-ahead-outcomes.html">Reading Ahead: Outcomes as Inspiration </a></li>
</ul>
Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-64131521737214029072017-06-29T18:00:00.000-04:002017-06-29T18:00:23.361-04:00Storium Basics: Creating a Character / Applying for GamesWelcome back to <i>Storium Basics</i>. This series of articles is designed to help new players understand <i>Storium</i> in general, and be able to get started on <i>Storium</i> games. For those looking for more, see my more advanced article series, <i>Storium Theory</i>.<br />
<br />
Today, we're taking a look at the first thing a player will need to do to get involved in a game: creating a character.<br />
<br />
Once you've found a game that you'd like to join, whether through the Browse Games feature, the forums, or some other method, what should you expect to happen, and what should you do? <br />
<br />
First, a bit about how narrators set things up:<br />
<br />
The system a lot of narrators - myself included - will use for open invitation games is to take applications up until about the end of the default two week application period, then look over <i>all</i> the applications and choose the ones they feel will work best for their game. They’ll certainly comment on applications before that point and will let you know if the character just outright doesn’t work, but you often won’t hear a definitive yes or no until the application period nears its end.<br />
<br />
There are exceptions, of course - sometimes your character is just so clearly right for the game that they take it right away, or of course sometimes you’re specifically invited to a game—but that’s how that style works.<br />
<br />
Note that some narrators also use the “Open Lobby” feature of Storium or forum topics to let players discuss character options and ask questions in a place specifically set aside for the game as well - I tend to just take applications, myself, but a lot of narrators love using that feature and if one does, you should certainly feel free to ask questions there! Even if they don't, you can usually ask questions via private messaging. Make sure that you understand the world and the game concepts if you're fuzzy on anything.<br />
<br />
Remember, though - whether you are talking to the narrator in the Open Lobby, on the forums, through private messaging, or through any other method, do not construe the narrator saying that it is all right to apply with a particular character as the narrator saying that they will definitely approve a particular character. Narrators will often be willing to help you work through applying for a character or iron out a character idea, but until they actually hit "approve" on your character application, you do not have their approval. <br />
<br />
Now...how do you actually apply?<br />
<br />
I look at Storium applications as…kind of a job application, honestly. A fun one, but still, the idea as a narrator is to pick out people you’re willing to be writing with for potentially several months to a year - these games can last a while, even if they sound short to begin with. You want to get a cast of characters that seems like it can work together, and do your best to pick a group of players that seems like it can gel pretty well.<br />
<br />
It’s in your interest as a player applying for games to look at things from that perspective too. You need to sell both your character and yourself - your character as an interesting element for the story, and yourself as a player who will be active, reliable, and easy to work with.<br />
<br />
So, here are a few things I’ve found can help you be more likely to be accepted for a game:<br />
<ul>
<li>Provide a character picture.</li>
<ul>
<li>Narrators like to see those—it helps show that you’ve thought about the character more, and honestly just gives a good “at a glance” for the character’s appearance and general mood or theme. </li>
<li>Don’t worry about getting this exact, necessarily - you don’t need to go build your character in an art program or get it commissioned or anything. </li>
<li>There was a good forum topic a while back where someone - I forget who - said that he looked at it as kind of “casting the part” as though this were a movie or some such - he looked less for an exact appearance match and more for a picture that fit the general mood and tone of the character.</li>
<li>If you <i>cannot</i> provide a picture for your character - for instance, one player I play with is blind and therefore cannot - then just make sure to state that you could not in your comments along with the application. Narrators will generally be understanding, but it's important to let them know that there was a reason. </li>
</ul>
<li>Card art isn’t as required, generally, but do pay attention if the narrator <i>specifically asks for it.</i> Narrators don't like having their instructions ignored.</li>
<li>Take some time on the background - you don’t have to (in fact, you shouldn’t) spell out every detail of a character’s life, but there should still be a perception that you know, in general, who the character is.</li>
<li>Involve your character in the world. </li>
<ul>
<li>If the narrator calls out particular kingdoms or locations or tribes or what-have-you, consider having your character be from one of those places, or having run into people from those places. </li>
<li>If he mentions events, particularly disastrous ones, consider having those events influence your character’s background.</li>
<li>Above all, try to fit your character into the game's world <i>and</i> the game's tone or mood, or be ready to explain why your character can still fit the game despite the differences. Characters that clash with the game's tone or world <i>can</i> sometimes work, but they will make narrators skittish - it is on you to explain how your character can still fit the game. </li>
</ul>
<li>A lot of players will submit characters they played elsewhere, and that’s totally fine - I’ve done it myself with old MUX characters or tabletop characters - but make sure to make that character fit into the story’s world all the same, likely with the above methods.</li>
<li>You don’t have to be perfect (though there are some sticklers for grammar rules on <i>Storium </i>that will say otherwise), but do take the time to do what you can to make your writing clear. </li>
<ul>
<li>In particular, split your background up into paragraphs (and when you do, hit enter twice to clearly separate them - believe me, it makes it so much clearer). It makes it easier to read, and narrators like to know that they’re going to have an easy time reading your posts.</li>
<li>Take a little extra time with your app - and with your writing on <i>Storium</i> in general. Again, you don't have to be <i>perfect</i>. Just make it clear that you do care about your writing. </li>
</ul>
<li>Put things into your background that the narrator can use. You don’t have to spell them out as bullet points or anything, but characters that provide the narrator with possibilities are more exciting than those who just are what they are. </li>
<ul>
<li>Leave some <i>mystery</i> in there, or imply that a person that hurt you was involved with some evil force or another the narrator established in the game description.</li>
<li>Narrators, by and large, <i>love</i> to have little cues that they can find in a character's description or background. It helps them involve the character more in the story, and make the story <i>about</i> the characters, rather than about events that the characters happen to be involved in.</li>
<li>This is a good thing to use comments for as well - when you submit your character and that little box comes up with additional comments, take the time to just briefly talk about some ideas for how the character might tie in to the story, or call out bits in your application that you've intentionally left open for the narrator to use.</li>
</ul>
<li>Take a look at the other existing apps and try to make your character feel <i>different.</i> </li>
<ul>
<li>If other people are choosing a particular nature, strength, weakness, or subplot, it’s a good idea to pick a different one. Storium may not have a tactical <i>need</i> to have different “classes” in your party, but narrators like to have characters that are different from each other. </li>
<li>Work on differentiating Strengths, Weaknesses, and Subplots as well. A game with three people who all have Agile as their Strength card is simply not as fun to read as a game where those three people have different Strength cards. There are definitely story possibilities with overlap, but most narrators I’ve seen will prefer characters that differ over those that are similar.</li>
</ul>
<li>Write your character as someone who <i>can</i> and <i>will</i> get involved with the story <i>and</i> the other characters. </li>
<ul>
<li>Characters who feel like they’ll want to be separate from the rest of the group a lot of the time (loners, “I work alone” types), or those who feel like they won’t care about the story or will actively act against the story (for instance, a totally sensible character in a slasher flick game, who won’t go to explore the creepy old house) will make the narrator nervous. </li>
<li>Remember: You are writing a character <i>for this story</i>. Your character doesn't have to be fated to be a hero or something like that. He doesn't have to be thrilled about what he's going to be doing. But, deep down at the very least, he should be the sort of person that <i>will</i> pursue the activities the story demands.</li>
<li>If your character <i>appears</i> to be the sort of person who would run screaming in the other direction from the events of the story or otherwise avoid participating in it, take the time in comments to tell the narrator how you'd like to tie the character to the story more firmly - or at least to give the narrator a few ideas for how it might happen. As above, it is on you to explain why a character that doesn't seem to fit can actually fit.</li>
</ul>
<li>Pick the starting cards for your character based on what you <i>want</i> to see come up in the story for that character - not just based on what sounds right for the character. You need to pick starting cards that feel like things that would be interesting to you - <i>things you are going to want to play. </i></li>
<ul>
<li>This tends to matter most for Weakness cards, but can also be a factor in choosing a Strength or Subplot. Pick something that interests you and that you <i>want </i>to see as part of the story.</li>
<li>I’ve seen players pick stuff because it “sounded right” or because it was who the character was before the tale, not thinking about where their character’s story was quickly going to go and how they actually wanted to portray the character, and it always becomes something frustrating for the player then.</li>
</ul>
<li>Finally, for yourself, try to build a good reputation in general. Narrators can, and do, look at your play history. If they see interesting characters, story participation, group interaction, a good attitude, and completed games, they’ll look forward to the possibilities presented by having you in their game.</li>
</ul>
Narrators aren’t professionals and we all work a little differently, and nothing’s a guarantee, but the above should generally help you be more likely to be accepted to games, and just help you have more fun and help others have more fun when you’re in them.<br />
<br />
If you would like to know more about character creation and applying for games in <i>Storium</i>, here are a few of my <i>Storium Theory</i> articles on that topic:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/11/storium-theory-writing-good-strengths.html">Writing Good Strengths and Weaknesses </a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/02/storium-theory-play-within-world-making.html">Play Within the World: Making Characters "Fit In"</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/06/storium-theory-people-people-who-need.html">People, People Who Need People</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/06/storium-theory-uniqueness-of-ability.html">Uniqueness of Ability</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/06/storium-theory-uniqueness-of-cards.html">Uniqueness of Cards</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/07/storium-theory-support-story.html">Support the Story</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/08/storium-theory-building-character.html">Building Character</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/08/storium-theory-choose-cards-you-want-to.html">Choose Cards You Want to Play</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/12/storium-theory-build-towards-something.html">Build Towards Something</a></li>
</ul>
Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-28933291576633051082017-06-22T18:00:00.000-04:002017-06-23T16:35:41.712-04:00Storium Basics: OverviewToday's article - and the next several - are going to be of a different sort than what I've done so far on this blog. Today, I'm beginning a series I'll call "Storium Basics." This series is targeted at <i>new</i> <i>Storium</i> players rather than those who already know a bit about it and want to explore it further. It is drawn from my writing for beginners' games that I have run. This series will largely be targeted at the <i>player</i> side of <i>Storium</i>, rather than the narrator side, but should help either come to a general understanding of how the system works.<br />
<br />
If you are a new player, I hope that these articles will be helpful for you and help you get started in <i>Storium</i>. If you find these interesting and want to explore further, please take a look at my prior articles on this blog - I've written on quite a lot of different topics since starting up, and there will be articles that explore issues I raise here in more detail. I will try to link to articles that I feel could provide additional help as I go through these basics. <br />
<br />
First up, let's take a look at the first question a player will want answered: What is <i>Storium</i>, anyway?<br />
<br />
<i>Storium</i> is a play-by-post storytelling game where the players and narrator work together to tell a fun, exciting, interesting story. Narrative control is shared by means of cards: the narrator uses his cards to set up challenges that focus the story on particular characters or events, and the players play their cards to address those challenges and determine how they work out. As this happens, control of the narrative shifts from narrator, to players, and back to the narrator. They cooperate to tell an entertaining story.<br />
<br />
<i>Storium</i> is <i>not</i> about winning or losing - it’s about telling a good story. The narrator’s cards are not meant to be a tactical challenge - they’re meant to provide players with interesting things to write about, and provide branches for the story that could either let the heroes show off or add complications and drama to their journey. When the narrator sets up challenges, he's not trying to push the players tactically, make them figure things out, or set up a difficult situation for <i>them</i>. All these things may in fact be true for the <i>characters</i>, but for the <i>players</i>, the narrator's only goal is to give them the opportunity to write a fun and interesting tale and bring out aspects of their characters.<br />
<br />
<i>Storium</i> is, in fact, set up to ensure that narrative rises and falls will happen. The card system is designed so that characters will have to have their strong times and their weak times. It is based around storytelling principles, and in a good story, the heroes have their moments of glory and their moments of struggle. Struggle, in writing a story, is not something to be avoided - it's something to be pursued for the sake of adding suspense and interest.<br />
<br />
What this means - what I really want to emphasize - is that challenge results are <i>not</i> determined by how <i>well</i> you play. Whether things go Strong or Weak isn't about tactical skill or anything like that: they’re story choices, not successes or failures on the part of the players. The <i>characters</i> may be perceived to have failed sometimes, or at least to have succeeded with complications, but the <i>players</i> should never feel that they have. A Weak outcome is <i>not</i> a result of the players making a mistake - it’s just where the story went, or even the result of the players deciding that yeah, going Weak sounded interesting.<br />
<br />
Storium is about telling stories, and if you’re telling a fun story with lots of twists and turns, rises and falls, that’s victory for it. :-)<br />
<br />
From a player perspective, then, I find it's best to take the mindset that <i>I am trying to tell a story</i>, not <i>I am trying to beat the challenge</i>. You will have more fun in <i>Storium</i> if you are enthusiastic about getting <i>any</i> outcome, not just Strong ones. Come to the game<i> wanting</i> to see your characters struggle at times, and you'll have more of a fun time.<br />
<br />
If you take nothing else away from what I write, I hope you take this: Go with the flow and play to find out what happens next. That doesn't mean you can't sometimes aim for a particular outcome - sometimes, something will just feel better for the tale - but try to play for an <i>interesting story</i>, not for <i>tactical success</i>. You will have more fun with <i>Storium</i> that way, and I think in the end you'll find you've written stories you love to go back and read.<br />
<br />
I know I have.<br />
<br />
<i>Storium</i> is about <i>stories</i> - approach it with that mindset, and you'll find the system's power and how it becomes the most fun.<br />
<br />
For more on the general concept of <i>Storium</i>, see:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/02/storium-theory-collaboration-narrator.html">Collaboration - Narrator and Players as a Team</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2015/11/what-is-storium.html">What is Storium?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/05/storium-theory-best-way-to-play-storium.html">The Best Way to Play Storium</a> </li>
</ul>
Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-71676399489585652362017-06-08T18:00:00.000-04:002017-06-23T16:32:25.961-04:00Storium Theory: Optional ChallengesMost of the time, when we put down a challenge, it's <i>definite</i> - a note that the story <i>will be focusing</i> on a particular point. But is it possible to use challenges differently? To lay down a challenge for something the players <i>might </i>want to focus on, but are not required to focus on?<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I believe it is a tool for the toolbox...but one I would show great caution in using. I've only pulled out an optional challenge once or twice in my own games, and I am wary of using them often, if at all, in my own narration generally. Storium's rules are set up more for <i>completion</i> of challenges and <i>requiring </i>of challenges, and I think there's a good reason for that.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In setup, an optional challenge wouldn't be so different from a regular challenge - you still want to establish the starting situation, the facts of the challenge, and the possible places the challenge can end up once it is complete. There's not much different in the overall technique of setting it up.</div>
<div>
<br />
But should you decide to use this tool, I think there are some very important things you will need to be sure you address.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
First: How will you know if players <i>are</i> or <i>are not</i> going to play on the challenge? You will need a good way of knowing if players have not played on a challenge yet because they haven't gotten to it yet, or because <i>they do not intend to play on it at all</i>. An optional challenge, being optional, could be ignored completely by players for reasons that have nothing to do with slow play or inactivity. It is important to have a way of determining that the players are not going to play on the challenge, and that it is time to move the scene on.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I suggest that you consider one of the following ideas:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Set a deadline based on the other challenges - if the optional challenge is not completed by the time the scene's other challenges are, you will consider it incomplete and move the scene on.</li>
<li>Set a deadline based on actual time - if the optional challenge is not completed within X days after the rest of the scene's challenges are (or just within X days if there are no other challenges) you will consider it incomplete and move the scene on.</li>
<li>Require an affirmative statement from a player that they intend to play on the optional challenge by a specific date. If you have no such statement by that date, you will remove the optional challenge.</li>
</ul>
<div>
These methods are probably not the only ones...or even likely the best...but they all allow you to know <i>when</i> you can regard the challenge as incomplete and move forward. Whatever choice you make, be sure you tell your players so they know what the requirements are.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Second: What happens when the optional challenge <i>is</i> incomplete?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is a pretty important question, and one that, I think, gets at the reason I don't use optional challenges much. If something's critical enough to the story that you want to set up a challenge for it, it seems like it is something the group should <i>have</i> to interact with - even if their interaction is playing Weakness cards and having their characters utterly ignore it and let it go wrong. In other words, the <i>characters</i> might not care about something, but if it is important enough to the story to rate a challenge, the <i>players</i> should have to do something about it...even if that something is having their characters do nothing. The story of the challenge, once laid out, should probably progress.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If it goes well, then, it ends Strong. If it goes poorly, it ends Weak. If it is less clear, it ends Uncertain. But that's all determined by the cards.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So...what do you do with a challenge that seemed interesting enough to put out there as an option, but that seems like something the character's don't <i>have</i> to address?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My best bet is that you do nothing. An optional challenge is something that is interesting, but not critical. The players don't gain or lose anything by <i>not</i> going after it. It's only if they actually engage it that it matters to the story in any way.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Thus, if the players don't seem interested in it and leave it alone, it just drops off for the moment. Nothing bad happens, nothing good happens. It just fades away into the background again.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That's not to say you can't bring it back again later, or bring it back again later as a normal, <i>required</i> challenge. It's just that for the moment, it wasn't critical enough to be made required, so nothing's reaching any kind of story-altering point with it. It just fades away for now.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If on the other hand players play some of the cards on the challenge, but don't finish it, I'd probably go by my usual rule for ending a challenge early when it becomes absolutely necessary: Most likely, end it by whatever the current result would be (i.e. if it is going Strong, it ends Strong, if it is going Weak, it ends Weak, if it is going Uncertain, it ends Uncertain) - this method makes the players' card plays so far clearly matter, so that's my preference. If you use a different rule for those cases in your own games, be consistent.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But that brings me to another consideration...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Third: How many points do you put on the thing, anyway?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm going to just say outright that I think the answer is <i>one</i>, possibly <i>two</i> at maximum. An optional challenge is not the focus of the scene - it is by definition something that can be entirely ignored. Thus, it isn't anywhere near as important as other challenges, and shouldn't get a lot of focus in the scene at hand.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Furthermore, if you put more points on an optional challenge, it makes it harder to judge when players no longer care about it - once it has become active, how do you judge that it isn't going to be active any further? You can always rule that an optional challenge becomes required if at least one player plays a card on it, of course, but that could get messy in terms of game morale and community if players disagree about whether they want to play on it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So...I suggest making your life as easy as possible by using only one or two points, tops, and making clear to your players that whatever "deadline" you set for the optional challenge is a completion deadline, not a play deadline - the challenge needs to be <i>complete</i> by then or you will move things on. That will prevent an optional challenge from causing delays.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Finally, though: Consider whether the challenge should even be optional in the first place.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Most of the things I've considered as, well, <i>optionally</i> "optional" challenges were ideas that I ended up deciding would either fit perfectly well as required challenges right then, or would fit perfectly well as required challenges later. I've rarely come across something that I considered important to note in challenge form, but not critical enough to be something the players <i>had</i> to address.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you're considering an optional challenge, think about it a bit more for a while...is it really something that should be <i>optional</i>, or is it just something that <i>hasn't come to a head yet</i>? Maybe it's something you can get some actual drama out of <i>later</i>, and make it a normal challenge in a later scene. Or maybe it's something you can hint at with a minor required challenge now - perhaps to see if someone notices something - and bring in more fully down the line.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Or perhaps it is something that actually is pretty vitally important right now, in which case it should be a required challenge...right now.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, when can an optional challenge be helpful?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I could see them being useful if you want to allow the group to choose a direction, but neither direction is necessarily better or worse for the story (if one direction is better and the other is worse, you'd instead do a regular challenge and set the first up as the Strong outcome and the second as the Weak). Then, you could set up two different one-point challenges, and tell the players they can only do one of them - that sets them off on that path and determines how it starts out for them.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It isn't my chosen way to find where the players want to go in the story, but I could see it working.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Another method might be something that is solidly an <i>opportunity</i> for the players - again, if they don't do anything, it doesn't go wrong or anything like that, but perhaps it is something they can use to "shortcut" the plot in some way. You'd have to be careful with this one - it's easy to run into the "why don't you just do this as a regular challenge" internal question - but there are ways I could see it working. If you do this, then, the Strong result is very good for the characters, and the Weak result is perhaps less so, but still generally quite good.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The problem I run into myself with that is that if you use that method, it becomes hard to argue that things aren't <i>worse</i> if the player decide not to play the challenge...in which case, again, I feel like it probably shouldn't be optional because it <i>impacts the story</i> in a notable way. And that's exactly where I've ended up when I've reflected on the few times I've used optional challenges...I end up feeling like what I did was render a part of the story <i>optional</i> when it was actually going to have a definite impact. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And that's the point I keep coming back to myself in considering this - I just generally can't justify putting a challenge down and treating it as "optional." When I put a challenge down, it means that a notable event has started in the story, and the players, through their card plays, need to see where it goes. It needs to get to some conclusion or another, so that we know where the story goes after it. When I find myself thinking of perhaps telling my players a challenge is optional, I start instead thinking of whether it should be there yet at all.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But: I know that this is a technique some other narrators have used in the past, and I'd very much be interested to hear others' thoughts on it. Have <i>you</i> used optional challenges? What did they represent in your game? And how did you ensure that you knew it was fine to move the game forward? Write in, and let me know!</div>
Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-23519734484158455132017-06-01T18:00:00.000-04:002017-06-01T18:00:19.357-04:00Storium Starters: Crash Landing<b>Storium Starters</b> are starting scene ideas for the generic Storium worlds available to everyone. They contain introductory narration, challenge text, outcomes, and some location or world information that may be necessary to understand the first scene, though I attempt to keep them generic enough that they can easily be slotted in regardless of other world details you might have designed. Along with the initial scene idea, they will also contain ideas for where the story could go from the starting point. Storium Starters are released to public domain and may be used without attribution for your own games.<br />
<br />
This <i>Storium Starter</i> is meant for the Space Adventure world. It is possible you may find uses for this starter outside of that world, but your mileage may vary on that.<br />
<br />
This starter assumes that you are using the <i>Dauntless</i> ship described in the world's cards. If you have another name and design for your ship, you may need to make modifications to make this make sense with your concept.<br />
<h3>
Scene:</h3>
In the moments before the crash, it was like the world went silent.<br />
<br />
It didn't, of course. The crash was the loudest noise any of them had ever heard by far. But in the moments before it, they heard nothing. The world moved slowly, too slowly, and they could see every little detail, every tiny blade of grass, every speck of dirt on the ground that was coming far, far too close.<br />
<br />
The world moved too slowly, yes, but too quickly as well. They had time to take everything in, but not enough time to *do* something about it. One eternal moment they were plunging towards the ground, staring in horror at the shuttle's viewscreen and blaring alarms. The next...<br />
<br />
Impact.<br />
<br />
They weren't sure how long it took for them to shake off the daze, to clear their vision, to scrabble at their safety harnesses and crumple out of their seats. They weren't sure quite how they got out of the shuttle. Some walked, or walked and crawled and stumbled. Some were carried.<br />
<br />
When they were fully able to take in the world about them once again, they were clear of the shuttle, and they were alive. That was what mattered.<br />
<br />
They each looked around. Others had gotten clear too. Everyone? That wasn't sure. Some, at least. Shell-shocked, defeated, despondent, defiant...the expressions varied, but all knew the danger they now faced.<br />
<br />
The *Dauntless* - the ship on which they served - would search. But it would take time, and in the meantime, they had to survive.<br />
<br />
They were on an unknown world, in the middle of a wild jungle of strangely-colored plants and natural metallic formations. They'd come to explore it, in fact - that had been the mission. Quietly explore, take some samples, get recordings of the local wildlife, determine if there was any sign of sentient life. They'd taken a few preliminary scans on the way down, and located a safe place to touch down.<br />
<br />
That place was *hundreds* of kilometers away.<br />
<br />
So, first things first: They needed a safe location where they could patch up anyone in need of it, take stock, and get their bearings. It wasn't safe to remain by the crash site longer than they had to. The noise would certainly have attracted some attention, and chances were, anything willing to approach could be deadly. It wasn't a good idea to go traipsing off into the jungle on a longer journey yet, but hopefully they could find a place nearby that would serve their needs for the moment.<br />
<br />
Hopefully <i>without</i> stirring up any of their own trouble, or getting lost. The jungle was sure to be confusing, but on the bright side, the smoke rising from the crashed shuttle, higher and higher, could guide them back if they ran into trouble.<br />
<br />
And the shuttle...the shuttle itself was totaled, a mangled mass of metal. It was hard to believe any of them had gotten out of it at all. It was sure to be dangerous - sharp bits of metal were poking out seemingly everywhere, and exposed wiring and damaged control panels emitted sparks. But there might be something of use in there - and at the very least, they needed some basic supplies. Best to get what they could from the shuttle before they had to leave.<br />
<br />
Slowly, the team set to work. The mission was a wash, but they had a new one now: Survival.<br />
<h3>
Challenges:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Seeking (Relative) Safety:</li>
<ul>
<li>Description: A crash-landing on a world that's still a mystery...there's sure to be dangers lurking in the wilds. Immediate survival is priority number one: You need a place you can defend.</li>
<li>Points: This is the major challenge for the scene. Assign it points equal to the number of players you have. </li>
<li>Strong Outcome: You find a location nearby the landing site that is safe enough for now. There aren't any notable dangers near it for the time being.</li>
<li>Weak Outcome: You find a location nearby the landing site that *seems* safe enough for now. What significant danger did you miss spotting?</li>
<li>Uncertain Outcome Idea: The players find a safe location, but there's a danger approaching that they're aware of so their time there will be limited. Or, the players are unable to find a safe location, and return back to the crash site to let everyone know they're just going to have to get moving as soon as they can. Or, the players find a site that *could* be safe...once they deal with a more minor threat.</li>
</ul>
<li>Salvage:</li>
<ul>
<li>Description: Your shuttle crash-landed, and it won't be flying ever again. Best see what you can salvage from the wreckage before you move on.</li>
<li>Points: This is the secondary challenge for the scene. Assign it points equal to half the number of players you have, rounded up.</li>
<li>Strong Outcome: You salvage some general supplies and one particularly useful item from the wreckage...what is it?</li>
<li>Weak Outcome: You salvage some general supplies, and CHOOSE: You salvage a particularly useful item...what are it? But whoever played the most weakness cards (or a volunteer) is injured while they search the ship - how? OR: You salvage something that you think will be particularly useful - what is it? But you don't notice it was damaged badly in the crash.</li>
<li>Uncertain Outcome Idea: The characters discover an item that would be very useful to them...but it is trapped within the wreckage. Now they'll have to figure out a way to free it in another challenge.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
These two challenges are both focused on searching or exploring in some ways, but emphasize to the players that the manner in which these challenges progress is up to them. If characters are more combat-focused, for instance, they're welcome to state that they encounter aggressive wildlife while exploring or other minor physical threats that they can overcome with their weapons and combat skill. Or, maybe there's something in the ship that's being blocked by a heavy object, and a big guy needs to move it out of the way.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Storium</i> allows players a lot of leeway with defining what happens during a challenge, including defining their own threats if need be. The Outcomes should tell players the range of things that can ultimately result from a challenge, but the way the challenge gets to those outcomes is fairly open. Players should keep things on theme for each challenge, but should feel free to come up with details that suit what their characters can do...or what they really struggle with.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you plan to do a second set of challenges this scene, you may wish to warn your players not to play all three of their cards during these starting challenges (or all their card plays for the scene, in any case, if you are using different settings from the defaults).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Players get to get creative with the outcomes on these challenges - they're quite open. If you'd rather have more control over things starting out, or if your group doesn't seem comfortable with creating the details in the outcomes, you may wish to specify more clearly what "useful item" is found or what "safe location" is discovered. Making these sorts of things up can be a lot of fun for players, though - and for you as narrator - so if it feels possible, try letting players have more freedom with the details.</div>
<h3>
Setting Information:</h3>
<div>
This starter takes place on an uncharted alien world which the crew of the <i>Dauntless </i>had been tasked with exploring. The <i>Dauntless</i> itself is not present yet - the characters took one of the exploration shuttles on this mission. The <i>Dauntless</i> may arrive during the game as a change to the story, or its arrival may take place at the end of the game - the event everything builds towards.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The nature of the world is up to you, and depends on where, precisely, you would like the story to go. You might start with either the Planet DRX-31880 or the Planet EV-1996 location cards, or feel free to make up your own as suits the direction you'd like to go with the story. I've set things up with a jungle environment above by default, which fits DRX-31880 best, but that's a fairly easy modification to the narration if you'd like to have a different sort of environment.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The <i>Dauntless </i>itself is an exploratory space vessel with several decks in the offical cards, which should have a fairly large crew. The player characters and any NPCs you decide to have as part of the crash landing are a small subset of this crew. The <i>Dauntless </i>knows they are here, so it will come and look for them.</div>
<h3>
Moving Forward:</h3>
<div>
Where do you go from here? Well, there's quite a lot of options:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b>Hostile Sentients: </b>Maybe what brought the shuttle down was an intentional attack by a hostile force. Are they native to this world? Perhaps they are from an old enemy of humanity, or perhaps they are a new foe. With this idea, it's best to hint at the possibility of these sentients early on - maybe as early as right after these starting challenges, by having someone notice that some of the shuttle's damage looks like it was hit by a powerful energy pulse. Introduce them as actual antagonists as early as scene 2, and either have the players play the mouse to their cat and try to reach a place where they can safely signal the <i>Dauntless</i>, or find a reason they need to confront the hostiles directly. Is peace possible?</li>
<li><b>Survival: </b>With this, it's all about survival - the players are faced with challenges from wildlife and plants and unusual weather and anything else that seems interesting that you can throw at them. The story is all about waiting for the arrival of the <i>Dauntless</i>. You'll want to be careful to give players reasons to be <i>active</i>, though - what are the group's actual moment-by-moment tasks? Finding food and shelter, chasing after dangerous wildlife that also stole something crucial, saving an endangered crewmate...those are the sorts of challenges that can give the story a sense of momentum. It is harder to do a pure survival story than a story with solid antagonists. One angle that you can approach, then, is to find an antagonist - why did the ship crash? Maybe someone <i>on the crew</i> didn't want something on this planet to be found, and committed sabotage...and maybe he's working against the crew even now. Or, maybe there's just an incompetent NPC officer who tries to assert his authority and gets the group into dangerous trouble.</li>
<li><b>A Trap! </b>With this one, it's about the <i>Dauntless</i>. Bringing down the shuttle was a trap set by a hostile force, but a force that doesn't fully reveal itself until the halfway point when <i>Dauntless</i> arrives. Perhaps the players can realize the danger before then, and work to stop the plans of the aliens, or perhaps they struggle with their survival until the arrival and then have to work to take back <i>Dauntless</i> when the hostiles take it over.</li>
</ul>
<div>
There's sure to be more you could do - maybe the world is the home not of a hostile alien force, but of an inexplicable supernatural entity or other being beyond human understanding. Maybe the world itself is sentient and trying to kill the characters. Maybe they all actually died in the crash and their existence now is a purgatory where they have to work through their faults and come to understand themselves better...there's a lot you can do with this as a launching pad, so take the story where it seems to go...or just see what your players come up with and go from there, as suits your narration style.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I hope that you find this starter useful for your games! </div>
Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-35593174178204782792017-05-26T18:00:00.000-04:002017-05-26T18:00:00.167-04:00Creative Gaming Watch: Divinity: Original Sin 2A rare non-<i>Storium</i> post here, but even if that has largely taken over the blog, I do still keep an eye on other forms of creative gaming!<br />
<br />
One concept I've always been interested in is a game which merges, as much as possible, the ease of play of a video game and the creative power of a tabletop RPG. Not just a virtual tabletop, but something that actually played like a video game, but allowed someone to create and run their own adventures. There have been some attempts throughout the years - <i>Neverwinter Nights</i>, for instance, was a good shot at it, and <i>Sword Coast Legends</i> was a recent...not-quite-as-good shot at it. But nothing's quite gotten there for me - either there was too high of a barrier to entry for the GM for my tastes, or things were easier for the GM but fairly limited in power.<br />
<br />
Obviously, that's quite a balancing act. But, fortunately, it hasn't stopped game companies from trying...and that brings me to today's subject, <i>Divinity: Original Sin 2</i>.<br />
<br />
The first <i>Divinity: Original Sin</i> is quite a nice game, full of tabletop flavor and with an impressive amount of freedom for a video game - there <i>are</i> constraints, as one would expect since nobody can program for everything, but it definitely feels like you have more approaches to situations than in many other video game RPGs. I've found this particularly interesting in combat, where there seem to be all sorts of interesting tactical options that I can try to take advantage of and usually end up accidentally shocking and stunning my own guy, because I suck at tactical gameplay. The system's pretty brilliant, I'm less so.<br />
<br />
<i>Divinity: Original Sin 2</i> is building on that and adding new tactical options, and expanding the rest of the game besides...but it's also doing one more thing that has me very excited. It's adding a GM mode.<br />
<br />
Like the mode in <i>Sword Coast Legends</i>, it appears this one is focused more on the concept of live GMing, rather than building a plot that can be played without a GM like <i>Neverwinter Nights</i> allowed. Not sure if that will be an option too or not. Regardless, the live GMing mode looks very promising in the previews I've seen so far. A few highlights:<br />
<ul>
<li>It will be both providing a lot of prebuilt areas <i>and</i> allowing them to be built via some kind of modding package. This was a major early weakness of <i>Sword Coast Legends</i>, which only provided some prebuilts at first (I believe they did eventually add a toolset) - those only work for so long, so it's tough to build a full adventure. The combination of prebuilts <i>and</i> more extensive construction tools should allow a good mix of having what you need to grab at a moment's notice and being able to build something more detailed when needed.</li>
<li>It looks like it will, like <i>Sword Coast Legends</i>, allow some on-the-fly setup. Not sure on the extent yet, but this is one of the things that game got <i>very</i> right, so I'm pleased to see other companies exploring that idea. If you're used to GMing, you know for a fact that nothing ever goes exactly how you'd plotted it out. Having the ability to add characters, quests, areas, and the like during a session is pretty essential.</li>
<li>There's a GM override function, so if players want to do some tactic the game doesn't natively allow for, you can improvise and apply effects as you wish. That's just plain cool. One of the weaknesses of video games compared to tabletop gaming has always been that there's constraint over the options players have, to it's great to see that they've planned for ways around that.</li>
<li>The system itself is turn-based, which...I just always find works better for the tabletop atmosphere. A little more time to think, and more allowance for players to come up with unique tactics that way, too.</li>
<li>There's a "vignettes" feature that sounds excellent - a way of using images and text (they've compared it to PowerPoint) to convey parts of the story, and allow players to make choices. These sound like a great idea. Sometimes you really don't need to have a full, populated area for part of the story, but you still want to have a little more "pop" to it...this system should allow GMs to present stories in more freeform ways when needed. It looks very pen-and-paper, too.</li>
<li>This hasn't been confirmed to my knowledge, but <i>Divinity: Original Sin</i> had co-op for two players on a single console - I know the sequel is planning on expanding co-op in general to up to four, but haven't heard if they are going to have two or four players on the same console, or if that can interact with GM mode in any way. It'd be great if we could have the ability to run an adventure for a full party of players on only two computers, one for the GM and the other for the players, but that's probably wishful thinking. Still, it's a <i>good</i> dream. </li>
</ul>
We're still in the early going here and the mode isn't available for general tryout yet, but it looks promising. Here's hoping it goes well.<br />
<br />
I'm less enthused by the character creation engine...specifically, for appearance. There's just not that many options at this point for those of us who really get into appearance creation, and I honestly don't know why games based on tabletop roleplaying don't ever go whole hog with character appearance creation the way things like <i>Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires </i>or <i>Dragon's Dogma</i> do, to say nothing of various <i>WWE 2k</i> wrestling games or the like. If any game type should let you truly put the character in your mind on to the screen, it's one with a strong tabletop gaming concept like this, but it never really happens. Here's hoping that they take another look at this at some point, but it seems pretty locked in now. Ah, well. If this GM mode works out, I'll be happy with that...and encourage them to take another look at appearance creation for <i>Divinity: Original Sin <b>3</b></i>.Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-84355750430378224672017-05-25T18:00:00.000-04:002017-05-25T18:00:18.902-04:00Storium Theory: Tell the Story of the CharactersI've written in the past about the responsibility of the narrator to use the details provided by player characters, and to set up challenges for the player characters chosen for the game. Today, I'd like to delve into that same general idea, but from a slightly different angle.<br />
<br />
As narrator, you're responsible for setting up the story. You're responsible for figuring out possibilities for the game arc - the way the game will start, how it will progress, what variations could come up along the way, how open things are to being altered by the player characters and by how much, and where the story is likely to go. I've written about these concepts quite a bit, as the responsibility the narrator holds for defining the game as a whole is pretty huge.<br />
<br />
But don't forget that as narrator, your job is <i>also</i> to help the stories of the player characters - the main characters, the stars - emerge.<br />
<br />
I wrote about this in brief a while back, when I discussed game arcs vs. character arcs - a story, ultimately, is not about what happens to the world at large, but what happens to the characters we are following. Therefore, the narrator's job is not just to define the world's plot, the game arc. The narrator's job is also - in fact, arguably more importantly - to help draw out character arcs and issues.<br />
<br />
It is all well and good to have a grand, epic game plot, or events that will affect the fate of the world, or other things that will affect a great many people beyond the main characters. That's fine. In many genres, in fact, it's pretty darn essential.<br />
<br />
And it's fine to have a structured story, plotted out to some degree in advance, with some events set reasonably in stone. Some narrators use looser setups with greater player influence, others use more defined ones with less player influence, and those are just a matter of the narrator's particular style. As I said in my discussion of said styles, they're all pretty much fine - it's just a matter of narrators and players who like similar styles finding each other.<br />
<br />
So that's all fine.<br />
<br />
But what's essential, no matter how you're running the game, is that the story needs to relate to the main characters. It needs to tie in with them. Not just <i>involve</i> them. Any story <i>involves</i> its main characters. What I'm encouraging you to do is more: Go <i>beyond</i> involving them. Go <i>beyond</i> just having them affect events in the story and be affected by them.<br />
<br />
The story needs to be <i>about</i> them. It needs to <i>relate</i> to them. Even if there are events in the tale that would have happened without them, there need to be major, <i>major</i> elements of the tale that directly relate to the main characters.<br />
<br />
Elements of the main characters' pasts should impact how the story develops. Who the main characters are should matter to the tale. Who they are should be tied intricately in.<br />
<br />
Don't just set up events that would work with any group of characters. Look at the characters you have and design events, or at least twist events, to work specifically with them. The tale should never, <i>ever</i> feel like it would happen precisely the same way with another group of player characters. Sure, there can be certain broad strokes that could potentially come out regardless, but the intricate details of the story, the motivations and drama? That should all emerge from who these particular characters are.<br />
<br />
And while the responsibility for that falls in part on the players - these are their characters, after all - it can't rest entirely on their shoulders. You, the narrator, must help them. You, the narrator, must make efforts to connect your tale to their tales.<br />
<br />
I don't think I'm always successful at this, myself, but when I narrate a Storium game, I want the players to feel like it ended up tied in very strongly with their characters. I want them to feel like their characters' personal problems, issues, subplots, nemeses, and more all got involved. Even when the events <i>start out</i> not directly tied to them, I want them to end up tied in. I want the story to be the story <i>of these characters</i>, not the story <i>of the situation</i>.<br />
<br />
That's the sort of mindset I encourage you to have.<br />
<br />
Characters have their own subplots (they even have cards for those), their own issues, their own relationships, their own details. And these are not <i>side</i> elements to the story. These are the <i>heart</i> of the tale. These are what gives a tale meaning and drama and emotion.<br />
<br />
Do not look at the individual character elements as the things to let players do when the main plot takes a break. Do not look at them as the things players can pull in if they want, so long as they don't get in the way of your primary tale. Do not look at them as "side" elements. Do not look at them as things to be covered "between" major threats.<br />
<br />
These are not side elements. These are not less important. These are the very center of your story.<br />
<br />
Some narrators plot out a lot in advance. Others take things as they come. Either is fine. But in either case, <i>let the characters guide your story</i>. You can plan events. But plan events around the issues raised by the main characters. Maybe you have things plotted out in advance. That's absolutely fine. But plot them out around the main characters.<br />
<br />
There should never be a point in your tale where you say to yourself, "Well, this would be a good point to let the players go explore their personal plots, because I need a break between things for the main plot." That's because the personal plots and the overall plot should be interwoven sufficiently that pursuing the personal plots <i>is</i> pursuing the main plot, or vice versa.<br />
<br />
If a player character has a villain in their background who kidnapped their brother, finding that person shouldn't be a side story. That person should be intricately tied to the main story, so that by pursuing the overall plot, the character plot is also explored, and by pursuing the kidnapper, the overall plot elements are revealed.<br />
<br />
If a player character was accused of a crime they didn't commit, witnessed a foul deed, murdered a rival, sought approval from a parent, idolized a mentor...those are not things to leave on the sidelines or just explore when you have time. Those are things to tie into the tale. Those are things, in fact, to build the tale around as much as you can. The actual culprit is involved. The murdered rival had information that could've helped. The idolized mentor tried and failed to solve the problem...or maybe is involved in it.<br />
<br />
Again, that doesn't mean you can't have an outline to start - having an outline to start is a great narration style. But the outline should be modified by the player characters. The story should fit their stories, and call to their themes.<br />
<br />
Remember, you aren't just telling a story - you are telling the story <i>of the characters</i>. Don't build a generic story and then slot them in, or fit their tales into the breaks. Interweave the characters with the tale, and the tale with the characters, as much as you can manage.Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-85059211590739441262017-05-18T18:00:00.000-04:002017-05-25T13:59:50.592-04:00Storium Theory: Inverting the TropeWe've seen it before.<br />
<br />
A young hero has an older mentor, who taught the hero everything the hero knows. The mentor takes on a mission, and is captured, or killed, or goes missing, or what-have-you. Now the hero has to step up and save the day.<br />
<br />
It's a trope.<br />
<br />
It's a trope for a reason. It's a pretty powerful story. There's a personal connection between the hero and the mission - a need to carry on after a person the hero respects, perhaps, or redeem the person's reputation, or even rescue the person. It ties the hero more deeply to the tale than if the hero had simply taken the mission himself in the first place.<br />
<br />
There's nothing particularly wrong with tropes, even with tropes that are used extremely often. Frequently, tropes are tropes <i>because</i> they are powerful and beneficial to stories. They give additional emotional impact. They create interesting character types. They give us connections to stories.<br />
<br />
But for all those reasons, they can <i>also</i> be extremely powerful when <i>inverted</i>.<br />
<br />
Consider the above trope. And consider these others:<br />
<ul>
<li>The combatant has to save the non-combatant.</li>
<li>The parent has to rescue their young child.</li>
<li>The lawyer has to figure out the conspiracy entrapping their client.</li>
<li>The detective has to discover the secrets of the corrupt corporation.</li>
</ul>
You've seen all these stories. And oftentimes, they're <i>good</i> stories. There's nothing inherently wrong with using these tropes - they can lead to gripping, emotionally affecting tales.<br />
<br />
But let's look at taking each of the tropes I've mentioned and turning them around:<br />
<ul>
<li>The older mentor's successor takes a mission and is captured/killed or goes missing, and the mentor must now take the mission in his place.</li>
<li>The non-combatant has to somehow rescue the combatant.</li>
<li>The young child must figure out how to rescue their parent.</li>
<li>The client must figure out a conspiracy that has even enveloped their lawyer.</li>
<li>The corporation is being menaced by a corrupt detective, and an employee must figure out how to clear its name.</li>
</ul>
These sound interesting, don't they? In some cases, they give us natural questions that are inherently intriguing. Take the "non-combatant has to rescue the combatant" one...if the combatant, i.e. someone trained in battle, is in trouble...it's going to be extremely dangerous for a non-combatant, i.e. someone <i>not</i> trained in battle, to come to the rescue. We'll wonder how this person is possibly going to accomplish their goal against such odds.<br />
<br />
And sometimes, they're interesting just because they play with our usual sympathies. In a battle between a corporation and a detective, we're pretty hardwired to sympathize with the detective - large organizations are generally things we mistrust instinctively. If one's being investigated, there's always a background thought of "well, there's probably <i>something</i> going on there, right?" So if a story plays with that, and has the <i>corporation</i> innocent and the <i>detective</i> corrupt, it twists our sympathies around.<br />
<br />
Sometimes, these inverted tropes can become so popular that they then become tropes themselves (I'm sure that you've seen at least <i>some</i> examples of each of the "inverted" stories I mentioned, too). But the point stands: When you find yourself thinking about using a trope, consider for a moment how you might invert it. Sometimes, an inversion of a trope can be just as powerful, or more powerful than the trope itself. <br />
<br />
When you're creating a story concept, or a character concept, tropes are going to come into play. You'll find yourself slotting characters into recognized boxes, consciously or unconsciously. And that's fine. But take a little time to think about what you might be able to do if you turn the trope on its head instead. Maybe it won't fit your story, or maybe it won't give you the ideas you need...if so, that's fine. Write your story the way you write your story. But maybe, just maybe, an inverted trope will give you some inspiring story or character ideas, something that excites you and will excite your fellow players and readers.<br />
<br />
So take some time. Look at the tropes you find yourself using, and think about how to invert them. When you walk a well-trodden path, look for the points where you can step off or make it lead to a different destination. You can get some excellent stories from tropes...but you can get some excellent stories by twisting them around, too.Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-59568754122507684032017-05-11T18:00:00.000-04:002017-05-11T18:00:00.168-04:00Storium Theory: A Shadow in the LightI've written a bit about this before, but today I'd like to discuss one of the most fun things that I've found to do on <i>Storium</i> - ending a challenge with a <i>Strong</i> ending by playing a <i>Weakness</i> card.<br />
<br />
Sometimes, you find yourself with a really fascinating opportunity on <i>Storium</i>. You're writing the final move on a challenge, and it is <i>definitely</i> going Strong - there's only one card slot left, for instance, and at least 2 more Strong cards have been played than Weakness cards, so even if you play a Weakness card, it's still going to be 1 up on Strong.<br />
<br />
These are amazingly fun writing opportunities, and I encourage you to make the most of them.<br />
<br />
Play a Weakness card...and make it just as Weak as you normally would! Your character screws up, or stumbles, or otherwise expresses his Weakness. It's just that in the end, the challenge succeeds <i>despite</i> him.<br />
<br />
Don't have his Weakness lead him to victory - instead, have victory happen <i>despite</i> his weakness.<br />
<br />
The other characters' efforts succeed. They win the day. He <i>almost </i>screws things up for everybody...but they'd done well enough before that point that it didn't end up mattering.<br />
<br />
This is one of your best possible opportunities to make someone else...or <i>everybody</i> else...awesome.<br />
<br />
You can take the time to build up how well someone else did. You can show how the situation is set up perfectly to go to the Strong outcome. Then, you take it one step farther - you show how you make a mistake, how you screw things up...but because things were set up so well to begin with, or because someone else is doing what they're doing and doing it so well, things go right <i>anyway</i>.<br />
<br />
It isn't luck. It isn't happenstance. It's the efforts of the other characters involved, acting along the lines they've acted in prior to your move, using the Strengths they've put down before. <i>You </i>nearly mess everything up...but <i>they</i> either save the day, or have already put things in such a good state that your screw-up is a drop in the bucket.<br />
<br />
Some of my favorite moves on <i>Storium</i> have been the points where I've had the opportunity to write this way: Where I could show just how <i>good</i> the other characters have been in a challenge by having my character seriously screw up...but letting the group win the day anyway. The other players feel great because you gave them recognition and made them look like a million bucks...and you? You get a really, <i>really</i> powerful character moment out of it.<br />
<br />
You can hit your character <i>hard</i> from a moment like this - a moment where everyone else looks good, and he looks bad. You can use it to push him to <i>change</i>. You can inspire a difference in attitude. Maybe it's negative - feelings of inferiority or questioning of his skills. But maybe it's positive - a new respect for other characters, or the discovery of a mentor who can help him exceed his current limits.<br />
<br />
So when a moment like this comes up in a story, don't just toss out a Weakness card just to get rid of one. Don't look at it that way. Look at it as a great opportunity to <i>really</i> make other people look good, and to <i>really</i> draw comparisons between your character's failings and someone else's strengths. This is an excellent, amazing chance to develop your character and make other people look their best at the same time. Take advantage of it!Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-39192257274705378112017-05-04T18:00:00.000-04:002017-05-04T18:00:03.527-04:00Storium Theory: Don't Count Yourself OutToday, I'd like to spend a bit of time on something that I've seen here and there on <i>Storium</i> - cases where a person perhaps goes a bit <i>too</i> Weak with a Weakness play...and takes themselves out of a scene.<br />
<br />
It feels right - it feels <i>better</i> than right, doesn't it? Isn't it a <i>great</i> expression of a Weakness to not just suffer a setback, not just suffer some kind of injury, but actually get knocked out or otherwise removed from play for a bit?<br />
<br />
Well...it is, and it isn't.<br />
<br />
Let's start off with the good: This <i>is</i>, undoubtedly, an example of a player being very willing to show his character suffering for his Weakness. That's great, and that's an attitude that I hope people learn on <i>Storium</i>.<br />
<br />
But actually taking yourself <i>out</i>...getting knocked out, getting poisoned to the extent that you can't move, draining yourself so much of energy that you're too exhausted to go on...there are times these things are appropriate, but they need to be used with restraint.<br />
<br />
Otherwise, they can mess with the flow of a story. <br />
<br />
I've seen it happen: A battle happens, one part of a longer sequence of events all taking place in a short period of time. One player plays a Weakness card and portrays themselves as exhausted, or poisoned, or just plain knocked out cold. Then the battle ends.<br />
<br />
Now a few things can happen:<br />
<ul>
<li>Somehow, the player character recovers very quickly, and keeps on going, so the story can keep moving. That's unsatisfying, as it feels like a major moment is just brushed over and somewhat ignored.</li>
<li>The narrator puts in a point where the group can rest for a while to make it seem more realistic that the player character takes time to recover from his state...but now the story loses momentum.</li>
<li>The story goes on, and the player character is put someplace safe to recover in the meantime, which means:</li>
<ul>
<li>The player misses out on part of the story, or...</li>
<li>The narrator has to come up with things that happen around wherever the player character was left that they can work with in their current state.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
I'm not particularly fond of any of these options. If you address a Weakness play that <i>severe</i>, you're going to find your story either feeling like it doesn't address the weakness properly, losing its momentum, or going on temporarily without a player (which can be harmful both to that player's experience with the story, and to the game as a whole, given how <i>Storium</i> tends to work).<br />
<br />
Now...you <i>can</i> make this work. You can. A good narrator who is used to letting the players have <i>heavy</i> story control, especially, can make this work out great. Maybe the group has to stop to allow the player character to recover, but in the process, the problem they're trying to address worsens. Or maybe that's the next challenge: Can they find things to help the player <i>quickly enough</i> that the next challenges don't worsen in the meantime?<br />
<br />
But the thing is, even though you <i>can</i> make this work...it just oftentimes ends up more trouble than it is worth to put in this strong of a Weakness play. You can get some great, <i>great</i> character moments and a strong feeling of struggle and danger and fading hope from <i>injury</i> or <i>tiredness</i> that still leaves the character able to go on to new fights.<br />
<br />
Sometimes, that can be even stronger. If a character is knocked out, the group might stop to deal with that and then go on once he's recovered. If that happens, the knockout doesn't add as much tension to the story. If a character is injured or tired but still goes on, though, we see that in everything they do for the next few scenes - they're in a bad way, one arm too hurt to hold up their shield, or dragging themselves forward in the battle. It's powerful.<br />
<br />
<i>Stopping</i> the story's progress <i>can</i> add some tension if managed properly, but <i>continuing </i>despite your wounds <i>always</i> adds tension.<br />
<br />
I'm not saying that you should absolutely avoid major consequences as part of Weakness plays, mind! There <i>are </i>times when it is appropriate, entirely appropriate. Particularly late in the story, particularly when the narrator has <i>told</i> you this is the final battle, you might pull out these powerful Weakness plays. Because there - <i>there</i> - it won't make the story pause or lose momentum. It'll emphasize just how bad things are currently, just how much of a struggle it is for the characters...but there's nothing <i>ahead</i> that the players need to address.<br />
<br />
Keep yourselves within the bounds of the challenge, but <i>that</i> is when you should be safer using some of these powerful Weakness concepts.<br />
<br />
Before that? Before that, earlier in the story, don't go that far! Go lighter with what goes wrong...but <i>use</i> what goes wrong <i>more</i>. Pick up some kind of injury and carry it with you for the next few scenes, showing your character struggling with it. Show the tiredness that you're feeling, even as you struggle to move on.<br />
<br />
Or <i>almost</i> encounter one of those points...and leave things open. Let someone else <i>save</i> you from them. Those can be amazing moments in a tale too.<br />
<br />
Weakness plays don't have to be about solid, absolute consequences for your character. They can be about the <i>threat</i> of those consequences. They can be about what <i>might</i> happen if the battle isn't turned around. If you knock your character out, he's knocked out. That's certain. It's done. But if you put in the <i>possibility</i>, you're giving someone else the chance to write. And that's what <i>Storium</i> is all about - working <i>with</i> each other to write interesting or fun stories.<br />
<br />
So I suggest pulling back from the <i>solid</i> a bit - work with possibilities. Get hurt and need help. Or, need help to avoid getting hurt. Get tired and struggle. Need someone's shoulder to lean on. Need someone to fight by your side. But unless the story really, truly demands it, don't get taken out entirely. That cuts off possibilities - like bluntly leaving in the middle of a conversation.<br />
<br />
And if you're going to take yourself out at all, try not to do it while you still have card plays left for the scene! Hopefully narrators are taking my advice to not use up all their points, but still, it's useful if players keep open the option to play all their cards if needed.<br />
<br />
Now, one more note here: I've already said that late in the story you might be fine pulling out heavier, solid consequences as part of a Weakness play if that's your thing. There <i>are</i> points earlier in the story where you might do that too. The narrator might even set them up specifically. If he does...go with it, obviously! If the Weak <i>outcome</i> is "you're all knocked out," well, that's what the outcome is, so do the normal thing with a Weak outcome if you get it and write your spin on that outcome! You get knocked out.<br />
<br />
The narrator, obviously, will have <i>planned</i> for that possibility since he put it in the outcomes, right?<br />
<br />
Similarly, you might find a situation where it feels like the consequences should be higher - where the outcomes suggest this battle or event is more dangerous than normal, or where you're already portraying your character in a bad way and it just feels like they should have something more solid happen to them on your next Weakness play. And that's fine...I just suggest that you consider talking to the narrator first. Remember, you're writing collaboratively: Check, when you're thinking about having something this major happen to your character, and work with the narrator to figure out how it can happen but still keep the story moving (and not exclude you as a player).<br />
<br />
This isn't a solid "don't ever do this." I want to be clear on that. What it is is a caution: Be <i>careful</i> of how and when you do this. When a hero is solidly defeated in battle or exhausts herself in the service of a cause, that <i>can</i> be a great story moment. It's just important to make sure that it's the right time - and that it doesn't derail the story's momentum or leave it short of players in the process.Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-36040974573941277842017-04-27T18:00:00.000-04:002017-04-27T18:00:08.687-04:00Storium Theory: Only NaturalI've spent quite a lot of time on this blog on Strength cards, Weakness cards, and Subplot cards. I haven't spent all that much time, though...if any...on the other card type that players pick out at character creation: Nature.<br />
<br />
So, let's talk Natures. Specifically, I want to focus on <i>writing your own Nature card</i> during character creation. What is a Nature card all about? What should you do if you're creating your own for your own character?<br />
<br />
A Nature card is your "at a glance" statement of just what, exactly, the character is. It's the broad strokes of the character, the central <i>concept</i> that defines them. In many ways, it is the single most important card you hold. You never, ever play it in the game, but it should guide every single thing that you do.<br />
<br />
If you're familiar with tabletop roleplaying, a Nature card is similar to your <i>class</i> in some regards. It defines what people should expect from your character overall. Now, <i>Storium</i> Natures are nowhere near as defined and spelled out as classes in some tabletop RPGs, but the purpose, in terms of expectations, is similar: They tell the narrator and other players what sorts of things they should probably expect your character to be doing over the course of the game.<br />
<br />
It's pretty understandable in that regard, right? If you're a Warrior, people expect you to fight. If you're a Thief, people expect you to sneak around and steal. Combined with your starting Strength, Weakness, and Subplot, a person can get a quick at-a-glance look at what makes your character tick.<br />
<br />
But that's not all a Nature card can be. The default natures are often by necessity pretty broad, right? You get things like Warrior, or Paladin, or Wizard. They're broad, easily applied to a variety of characters. They suggest a little about what the character is, but really defining the specifics are left to the description and the other cards.<br />
<br />
And that's fine, for the Nature cards built into a world or game to begin with. But again, that's not all a Nature can be.<br />
<br />
When you're writing a custom Nature card during character creation, go deeper. More specific. Make <i>your character's</i> Nature.<br />
<br />
When you're creating your own Nature card while you're creating a character, you aren't making something anyone else is going to have to use. You're not making something that has to be applicable to lots of different characters. You're making something that applies to your character, and your character alone.<br />
<br />
Your custom Nature card, then, can be more openly <i>about</i> your specific character. It can say things that only apply to your character. It can spell out more details about their specific variant on an overall concept, or tell how they're entirely unique among the characters.<br />
<br />And in doing so, it can give a much, much stronger "at-a-glance" understanding of the character. <br />
<br />
Here's some examples:<br />
<ul>
<li>You might explain more of a character's story or highlight the most important element of it: </li>
<ul>
<li>A character isn't just the Chosen of a Time God, he's the <i>Displaced</i> Chosen of a Time God, highlighting the fact that his personal tale is all about being displaced in time.</li>
<li>A character isn't just a Sorcerer, he's a <i>Cursed</i> Sorcerer, and the card text even notes that he was cursed for arrogantly challenging a person he shouldn't have.</li>
</ul>
<li>You might establish that you're something different or unique, and explain the concept in more detail:</li>
<ul>
<li>You're an <i>Experimental Computer</i>, and because that concept is not exactly a normal one for the world, you take the time to spell out a basic form of your origin and what sort of things you might be expected to do.</li>
<li>You're a <i>Commune Kid</i>, and you take some time to spell out that that means you've been raised with great freedom, but a general lack of restraint. </li>
</ul>
<li>You might highlight something about your <i>abilities</i> that makes you a more focused or unusual variant on something expected:</li>
<ul>
<li>You're not a Wizard, you're a Wizard <i>of the Flame</i>, focused entirely on fire and heat magics.</li>
<li>You're not a Warrior, you're a <i>Bladedancer</i>, an agile and graceful fighter for whom battle and blades are sacred and beautiful.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
If you're writing a custom Nature, take a little time with it to make it something different. There's a reason you haven't picked one of the existing nature cards - so take the time here to make your custom Nature something particularly interesting, or to tie it directly to what makes your character unique or separate from others that are of a similar type. Or, heck, make up something entirely new (appropriate to the game, of course)!<br />
<br />
For names...use more than one word, or at least an unusual and evocative single word. Give your nature a name that immediately calls to mind some traits or a mental picture of what this sort of character could be. Your Nature card's name should immediately give a <i>feel</i> for what your character is about.<br />
<br />
For the text on the card, take a little time to spell things out in a bit more detail than the regular nature cards do. The regular nature cards are intended to be fairly generic in most cases, so they don't need to go into heavy amounts of detail. People understand what a Wizard is, or what a Warrior is, or what a Thief is. In the more unusual genres, there may be some more detail and thematic content, but overall, an included Nature card is pretty basic.<br />
<br />
Don't be basic.<br />
<br />
You don't need to spell out every detail of your character here, obviously. You don't need to go into much detail. But explain what the Nature is. What makes it interesting? What ties it in to the story and world? What sort of things is it expected to do? What sort of things might be expected to give it trouble?<br />
<br />Again, don't list everything...but give a general understanding. When you define a custom Nature well, you give a narrator a great, quick picture of how you're going to interact with the story...and you also make it much, much easier to use the Nature <i>yourself</i> for later inspiration! Believe me, six months in to a <i>Storium</i> game, it can be a little tough to remember just what you were getting at when you made the character half a year before...it helps to have taken the time to spell it out a bit.<br />
<br />
Custom Natures are more art than science, but they are <i>loads</i> of fun if you take a little time on them. They're some of my favorite things to create when making my character in a game. Sometimes I'll start with one, sometimes I'll come back to it once the character is done, but it's fun just thinking of a way to "sum up" what a character is about, and it continues to help me as I go through the game and think about what, exactly, my character should be doing or how they should be doing it. So take some time, have some fun with it, and get creative - you'll find you have a fuller-feeling character, one that feels vibrant and interesting, and one that you can play more easily as you go through the game.Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-13840271639490464482017-04-20T18:00:00.000-04:002017-04-20T18:00:10.455-04:00Storium Theory: Reading Ahead - Outcomes as InspirationI've written a bit before about how challenge outcomes provide guidelines for writing during a challenge...how they provide the effective limits of what can happen during a challenge, and how they reveal what the players should be writing <i>towards</i> when playing Strengths and Weaknesses.<br />
<br />
Today, I'd just like to take a little time to look at that from a slightly different angle: Outcomes as inspiration.<br />
<br />
This falls along similar lines to what I said above: Challenge outcomes reveal what players should be writing towards when playing their cards.<br />
<br />
Because of this...challenge outcomes provide <i>ideas</i>.<br />
<br />
If you have trouble writing on a challenge, one of the first things you should do is take another look (you did take a <i>first </i>look, right?) at the outcomes for that challenge.<br />
<br />
Think about what they mean.<br />
<br />
What happens in the outcomes?<br />
<br />
What does it mean for the story?<br />
<br />
What does it mean for your character? <br />
<br />
Then, think about what events might <i>lead</i> to those outcomes.<br />
<br />
And now...think about what your character might do that causes those events.<br />
<br />
These steps can help you to draw inspiration from the challenge outcomes. They tell you what your character's involvement in the tale is. They tell you what the challenge <i>means</i> to your character - how he sees himself in the midst of the problem at hand. They tell you what your character thinks she is fighting for, or struggling to accomplish. They tell you what your character thinks is slipping away when things go wrong.<br />
<br />
They tell you where the possibilities lie. They tell you what paths lead to the different potential endings.<br />
<br />
And when you can see a path, and see what your character values in a situation, it can start to become quite a bit easier to think of what your character would <i>do</i> in such a situation. It gives you context, and context is an excellent guide for storytelling.<br />
<br />
By taking a look at where the challenge can go, you can make it easier to determine how your character can take it <i>closer</i> to where it can go.<br />
<br />
One important point, here: Even if a challenge's path is at this point "certain" - if, for instance, there are 4 Strengths and 1 Weakness or 4 Weaknesses and 1 Strength and there's only two card slots left - I still advise reading both outcomes when you're using this method. Both outcomes still provide valuable context. The Strong outcome still shows what <i>could</i> have gone right. The Weak outcome still shows what <i>could</i> have gone wrong.<br />
<br />
In the process, both show what your character's actions would lead <i>towards</i>...even if there's no longer a possibility of the challenge actually <i>getting there</i>. They show what can be <i>nearly </i>grasped...or what can be <i>threatened</i>, but end up avoided.<br />
<br />
I encourage reading outcomes ahead of time anyway, simply because of the focus they provide to the story...but they're a great resource when you need a little nudge, a little context, to get yourself thinking on just how you can progress the story of a challenge. They should not be your <i>only</i> resource when you need inspiration, but remember that they are there and put them to good use!Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-44579154747507594062017-04-13T18:00:00.000-04:002017-04-17T08:43:33.710-04:00Storium Theory: Inaction In ActionSometimes, I see players make comments in a game, explaining why they haven't made a move in a challenge so far:<br />
<br />
"I don't think this is something my character knows how to deal with."<br />
<br />
"I'm not sure she cares about this."<br />
<br />
"I think he's just kind of stunned right now.<br />
<br />
"She doesn't know what to do."<br />
<br />
Sometimes these are indications of a problem in the story - if <i>all</i> of a narrator's players are telling him their characters don't care about the current situation, it is probably time to revise the situation and figure out how to better relate it to the story at hand.<br />
<br />
But...more often, they're a statement that is actually pointing directly at a very interesting opportunity for the character: A chance to make inaction your action.<br />
<br />
When you're writing the story of a challenge, <i>things are happening</i>, whether your character is acting on them or not. Each move drives the timeline of the challenge forward. When a card is played, something <i>happens</i>, and the challenge moves positively or negatively, or just towards the end of its story.<br />
<br />
So...if your character, for instance, doesn't know how to deal with something, and chooses not to act...that's a choice. And that's his "action" for that moment in the tale.<br />
<br />
So let it <i>be</i> an action! Make your move! Show your character's uncertainty or confusion about what to do! Show how your character hasn't cared about the situation, if that's the case, and chooses to ignore it! Show how the situation has left your character stunned, or how he's tired and needs rest, or how his injuries prevent him from joining the battle!<br />
<br />
Sometimes, those things are treated as reasons not to make a move, but...that's not what they should be. They are, in fact, excellent opportunities <i>to make moves</i>.<br />
<br />
Especially...<i>especially</i>...if you have either Weakness cards to play, or a Subplot.<br />
<br />
I'm stunned. I'm confused. I'm shell-shocked. I'm injured. I'm exhausted. I just plain don't care about this.<br />
<br />
Those are all <i>excellent</i> weakness plays.<br />
<br />
When a situation is ongoing and your character <i>chooses not to do anything about it</i>, that's a great opportunity to show what starts going <i>wrong</i> with the situation <i>because your character is not preventing it</i>. Philosophically, there's nothing really different here from if things start to go wrong and your character <i>tries</i> to prevent it and fails because of a Weakness, right? Something goes wrong either way. The difference is just that your character, in this case, <i>didn't</i> do something to stop it instead of <i>doing</i> something but getting it wrong.<br />
<br />
What about Subplots? Well, Subplots are <i>great</i> for these situations too! When a character is shocked into inaction, when she finds something she doesn't care about, when he struggles to understand what he's supposed to do in a situation...those are great times to explore the other mysteries in a character's life or the things the character <i>does</i> care about. There are some excellent subplot moves available that show how the character withdraws into themselves, or starts thinking about how all this ties in with their personal problems, or tries to examine where they are right now...and because of all that, something starts to happen in the current situation, and they're not really sure what to do in the face of it...or even if they should do something.<br />
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A subplot isn't a weakness play, mind, so chances are nothing ends up going outright <i>wrong</i> right away, but you can certainly hint that something <i>will</i>! While your character is distracted by his own thoughts, or full of self-doubt, or struggling with what he's supposed to do, or disinterested in what is happening, <i>how does the situation evolve</i>?<br />
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If your character doesn't seem certain of what's going on, or doesn't know what to do, or just plain doesn't care...don't just drop out of the challenge. <i>Use that to advance the challenge</i>.<br />
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Now...one more point on this. Especially in the case of a character that "doesn't care" about a challenge, this <i>can</i> actually be a great way to figure out what would <i>make</i> them care, and therefore explain how a Strength comes into play, or at least how they get involved in the challenge despite their feelings. If you find yourself thinking that your character just wouldn't get involved for some reason or another, put a little time into thinking about <i>what might happen because of that decision</i>.<br />
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Then, write a move based on that...and maybe, maybe midway through the move, you'll realize the character now <i>does</i> know what to do, or <i>does</i> care about the situation, as she sees what is about to happen, or starts watching something she <i>does</i> care about slip away.<br />
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Maybe that leads to the character using a Strength and turning things around after all. Or maybe the character ends up doubling down on fear or uncertainty, or just takes the wrong action, using a Weakness. Or maybe, the character's Subplot drives him forward, making him engage with the challenge now that he's seen what it could mean if he doesn't.<br />
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Now...this isn't something you need to pull in all the time. (And to be clear, if you find yourself <i>constantly</i> trying to figure out why your character would get involved in something, it may be time to talk to the narrator about how to make your character mesh better with the story.) But there are times when an inability to think about something that your character would <i>do</i> can itself be precisely what drives the story forward and makes an interesting situation.<br />
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Don't overuse this, but...keep it in the toolbox. It's a handy trick to pull out and it can lead to some astonishingly interesting moments for a character if used properly.<br />
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Remember Spider-Man and Uncle Ben...sometimes, when your character <i>doesn't</i> take action, that ends up driving his story more than anything else.Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-69691785025729293642017-04-06T18:00:00.001-04:002023-03-13T01:22:27.351-04:00Storium Theory: Questions and AnswersA while back, I wrote a post on <a href="http://gamingcreatively.blogspot.com/2016/10/storium-theory-lets-make-some-trouble.html">making trouble</a>: The technique by which players could elaborate on the dangers or problems their characters encounter as they wrote the story of a challenge, rather than just leaving the troubles to what the narrator initially established.<br />
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When you're writing on a challenge, you're writing not just your own character's story but the story of the challenge itself. I've already written a great deal on the need to write not just your character's actions, but the results of those actions, and how those results impact the challenge going forward.<br />
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I've also written on the need to <i>leave things open</i> for other players to use.<br />
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Today, I'd like to take another look at that, from a slightly different angle: <i>Questions</i>.<br />
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When you are writing any story, the thing that gets readers involved is <i>questions</i>. You establish questions early on, and as the story goes on, you provide answers to those questions. That's the cycle of a story. Create mystery or uncertainty in the early going, and provide truth and certainty later on. I think we tend to understand that in writing pretty naturally - it's easy to get the idea that for the story in general, for instance, I would be starting out a story asking the question of "Who can defeat Doctor Fear?" and end up answering it with "Bravery Man can defeat Doctor Fear!" by the end.<br />
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Silly superhero names aside...we get that part, right?<br />
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But smaller parts of a story follow the same cycle. Challenges, for instance, are all about <i>questions</i> and <i>answers</i>.<br />
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The existence of the challenge itself presents a question. Usually, the answer is in the form of one of the final outcomes of the challenge, as written by whoever plays the final card. But that isn't the only question and answer cycle that can be contained in a challenge.<br />
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As I've mentioned in prior articles, telling the story of the challenge is up to the players once it is established...and thus, the players have the opportunity to define further questions asked by the challenge, and to answer those questions.<br />
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This goes back, somewhat, to the concept of making your own trouble, but questions aren't always about <i>trouble</i>. They're about mystery, or about the unknowns of a challenge. They might be about what's going to happen next...but they might also be about what just happened. Why did it happen? What was the cause? Or, what is the consequence?<br />
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The early moves of a challenge are <i>about</i> questions. The later moves are about answers.<br />
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To put it another way, you don't want to get too definitive too early.<br />
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If you're playing a Strength card on a challenge, you want to move the challenge in a positive direction related to the Outcomes. That's fine, that's expected, that's what you should do. But you also want to look at where, exactly, you are in the challenge's story.<br />
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Is this late in the challenge's story, or early?<br />
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Should you be wrapping up challenge elements? Or is this the point where the story of the challenge is still being established?<br />
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If this is the second card play of a nine-card challenge, well, you're probably still more at the establishing point of the challenge's tale. Everything still feels uncertain, unclear. Even if you're moving the challenge in a positive direction, it shouldn't feel <i>stable</i>. The gains shouldn't feel <i>firm</i>.<br />
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There should be <i>questions</i>.<br />
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The gains made by Strength plays feel uncertain, perhaps even risky. There are open questions about how they can be maintained. The positive movement of the challenge feels tentative.<br />
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Save solid gains for later in the challenge, or especially for points where based on the Strength/Weakness balance of a challenge, it feels unlikely (or even impossible) for it to turn back to Weak. Late in a challenge, when there's three Strengths on it and only one Weakness with one or two cards left to go, that's the time to do something like managing to fell the enemy commander and drive the army into disarray, or find the one solid lead that gets you to the person who knows what you need to know - and all you have to do is convince him to share.<br />
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The same can be said of Weaknesses, too! When a challenge is in the early going, Weakness plays are about establishing the <i>potential</i> for things to become very bad. They're about putting your character into trouble, or having your character cause a problem that <i>might</i> become truly devastating in time. If the second card play of a nine-card challenge leaves the allied lines <i>entirely routed</i>, or leaves one of the player characters down and out...that might be pushing things too far. But towards the end of a challenge, especially when the Weaknesses have the Strengths outnumbered, well, those might just be exactly what is called for.<br />
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Depending, of course, on the nature of the challenge and the outcomes!<br />
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So...what you want, in the early going, are questions. Uncertain situations, things that are still a little up in the air. Maybe they're trending one way, or maybe the other. Or maybe, especially with neutral cards, they're totally uncertain. But...they're questions. They're situations that still need to be resolved. Mysteries that still need their truth.<br />
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When I say "questions," now...I don't mean literal, straight-up questions, worded as such. I don't mean that you write in, "Mighty Arnbjorg struck forth into the enemy lines and drove the defenders back, but has he dared too much? Will the enemy swarm in around him?" That's actually a great question to ask...but that's not how I'm suggesting you write it. If the end of your move leaves you thinking you should really tag on "Find out next episode!" you're probably being a little bit too direct.<br />
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Questions are things you draw from a story, not things the story shoves in your face.<br />
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So if you're writing that bit, instead, what you do is write about how Arnbjorg's attack drives back the enemy, and they are temporarily stunned and confused by the sudden ferocity of their foe. But the commanders are shouting orders, and the enemy ranks are starting to form up again. The enemy general is shouting to regain order, and pointing his sword at Arnbjorg. The enemy's attention is on him.<br />
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The question is understood. Will Arnbjorg's gains be able to be held? Or will the enemy swarm back in and put <i>him</i> in danger now?<br />
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And late in the challenge? That's when the <i>answers</i> start coming in force. The final few moves of the challenge introduce <i>answers</i> to the lingering questions of the challenge - the questions asked along the way by other player moves, and finally the questions that established the challenge in the first place.<br />
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When you're making moves in the latter half of a challenge, or further, that's when you need to take a good look at what is still out there to be answered. What doesn't feel like it has been resolved? If you aren't writing the final move, don't resolve <i>everything</i>, but maybe there are still some things that are lingering out there and you can wrap something up. Maybe earlier, Arnbjorg was shown fighting for his life and for the line against the enemy after he managed to break in among their defenses...and that situation still feels like it needs an answer. Now's your chance. Do your character's actions stabilize Arnbjorg's gains at last? Or does something go wrong in the attempt and lead the enemy to swarm in at last?<br />
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Transform uncertainty to certainty. This situation has now definitely gone right...or definitely gone wrong. There's no longer a feeling that this element of the story can go a different way. Arnbjorg and Skjoldis hold the line solidly, preventing the enemy from gaining access that way...or, Arnbjorg and Skjoldis are forced to withdraw, and the enemy breaks through and can't be driven back that way. An answer.<br />
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Now...there's nothing wrong with <i>answering</i> something earlier in the challenge, or <i>questioning</i> something later. This isn't a hard and fast rule. It's a guide. Early in the challenge, tend towards questions. Late in the challenge, tend towards answers.<br />
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The reason is...questions provide opportunities. They leave things open for other players. They give inspiration, so someone can further the story of a challenge. Answers, meanwhile, close doors. When a situation is resolved, the part it played in the story is over and players need to look elsewhere for inspiration. So: By asking questions early in a challenge, you provide lots of inspiration for other players to use. But late in a challenge, you don't want to risk leaving dangling plot threads or forcing the final player to wrap up every little bit of a challenge...so it's time to start closing some of the extra doors so that the final player only has the main challenge questions (or close to that) left to resolve.<br />
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This isn't the only way to think of a challenge's story, and I don't think it's something you should hold in your head as some kind of sacred, infallible rule...but it's a helpful way to think about how you can write on a challenge, and I think if you take a look at moves - yours, and others - and ask yourself, "What questions are asked?" and "What answers are given?" you will find your challenge writing feeling more like a full, cohesive story.Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5300652297526559729.post-75688384855533857772017-03-30T18:00:00.000-04:002017-04-17T08:37:15.420-04:00Storium Theory: Limiting Your LimitationsToday, I'd like to write a bit about something that I think we all do as narrators from time to time: Limiting the options that players have for writing about a situation.<br />
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Limits are good. Limits, at their base, are a way of ensuring that the scene has focus. When we set up a challenge at all, we are putting limits on the scene in general - limits of saying "the scene is now about this problem, and it needs to be addressed." We're defining what the actual problem is, and to some extent unavoidably defining the sort of things that can be done to address the problem.<br />
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But it's important to recognize when we take these definitions too far.<br />
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I've been playing a roleplaying game outside of <i>Storium</i> recently, using some pre-prepared scenarios that I found, and I've been struck by something in reading those scenarios: Oftentimes, they focus extensively on what <i>definitely won't work</i>. They spend a lot of time discussing why the players should absolutely not try a particular tactic with a situation, and how many brick walls can be thrown in their way should they dare to attempt such a thing. They're not quite set up to allow <i>only one path</i> forward, but they dwell a lot on why solutions A, B, C, D, E, and F are all terrible ideas that will only increase the scenario's difficulty. They show the walls, not the paths forward.<br />
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I've noticed a similar mindset subtly sneaking into <i>Storium</i> games at times. In our challenge setups or narration, we can sometimes spend time focusing on what <i>won't</i> work - on the walls set up in the way of particular solutions. Maybe we show the player characters trying a solution and discovering it won't work in the opening narration. Maybe we just describe something as impossible on the card or in the outcomes or in the narration.<br />
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Sometimes, this is fine. Sometimes, this is appropriate.<br />
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But it is definitely something we should <i>question</i>.<br />
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<i>Storium</i> works best, I have found, when players have enough information to <i>focus</i> their writing without <i>limiting</i> their ideas. That is: The <i>problem</i> is well-defined, but the <i>solutions</i> are left as open as possible given the problem at hand.<br />
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If the <i>problem</i> is a powerful wizard who the heroes need to get past to get to their goal, the <i>solutions</i> could potentially involve all sorts of things - maybe the heroes manage to fight the wizard and drive him away, maybe they evade his attacks and race beyond him into the fortress. Sometimes, limiting those options is perfectly appropriate...but it's important to be careful just how far you take the limitations. For instance, it might be appropriate to say that the party <i>has</i> to fight the wizard, because he's set up a magical barrier over the exit or because it's just too dangerous with him raining magic around the area. But further defining that the wizard is absolutely invulnerable to non-magical attacks himself is probably going to take it too far - it'll most likely make players of non-magical characters struggle a bit to figure out how to participate in the fight. Or, alternately, it might be appropriate to say that the wizard can't be killed and the characters need to escape - the wizard is just too powerful and his defenses too strong. But it'd take it too far to say that his attacks are unstoppable and his defenses are so strong he can't even be shaken by the characters at all, most likely, because again, it seriously limits what players can write and the ideas they can come up with for the scene. Some characters might have things they can realistically write to make just running away interesting, but others might really need to be able to provide some cover for the others or manage to disrupt the wizard for just a moment (or at least, attempt to do so and get turned aside, if they're playing a Weakness).<br />
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Similarly, consider an investigation. Maybe you're asking players to find information on a criminal gang that has troubled the area. That's fine. But if you go to the extent of saying that the other gangs in the area definitely won't share their information, or that police contacts are totally mystified and have no knowledge of the gang at all, well, that's probably going to cause people some trouble. You're limiting the ways that players can write the scene, and that's likely to make it tougher for them to come up with ideas.<br />
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Remember: <i>Storium</i> is about <i>helping</i> people write. The things that you put in your narration should <i>encourage</i> writing, not oppose it.<br />
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That's not to say that you should totally avoid limitations. Yes, there are times that they fit the story. If it's expressly established that the gang is totally new to the area, for instance, it makes sense that the heroes <i>might</i> not be able to trust contacts that would be working from existing knowledge...but how are the heroes able to get the information? Word the challenge in such a way that you <i>reveal the possibilities</i> rather than <i>set up the walls</i>. And don't just give one option! Show a wider field of openings, something that lets the players still have room to get creative on their own.<br />
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And remember to ask yourself: What is this challenge <i>actually</i> about?<br />
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In the case of the gang, for instance: Is the question really about <i>who</i> the heroes are able to go to for the information they need? Or is it just about <i>what they are able to find out</i>? If the latter...does it <i>really</i> matter whether they are able to use their contacts with the police? Or is the question just about whether they find information about the gang in the first place?<br />
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I want to be clear: Sometimes it <i>does</i> matter <i>how</i> the players are able to accomplish something. Sometimes that <i>can</i> be a problem you need to address as narrator. Sometimes it <i>can</i> cause trouble for a plot if players are allowed to do things a certain way, even if that way fulfills the overall concept of the challenge. That's very true.<br />
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But not all the time.<br />
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Not even the number of times we as narrators <i>think</i> it is true.<br />
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So...when you're setting a challenge up, take a good look over the card and narration associated with it. Look over what you've written, and ask yourself:<br />
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<li>Have I set up any limitations here I didn't intend to? Are there places where I suggest something is impossible where I didn't mean to?</li>
<li>Have I set up limitations that I <i>intended</i> to...but that on second thought, really don't matter? Are there places where I have put limits that will make my players struggle to write, rather than providing useful focus?</li>
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If the answer to any of those questions is "yes," think about what you can do to open things up for the players. You still want the challenge to be <i>focused</i>...but <i>focused</i> and <i>limited</i> are two very different things. Robert Mohrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743186445657692368noreply@blogger.com0