By Caleb Goodson
Hello, everyone!
Last article, I spoke about how to effectively use Rule Zero to improve your game. Now, I will talk about how to create a great story as you run your games, which is an important part of any game. Part of the enjoyment of playing tabletop role-playing games is the memories that you will create with your players, and the fun stories about great triumph and terrible failures.
Here is what you need to do to create a memorable story.
- Let your players do anything, but make sure there are consequences for everything.
If a player wants to try something new, but the rules do not support it, then use Rule Zero. Make a ruling, and let the player try. If the player wants to try to kill that powerful NPC that he or she hates, let the player try. If the player wants to try to seduce the wife of the king, let him try. No matter how foolish or suicidal an action may seem to you, let the player try it, if he or she wants to.
Give a single warning, and then let the player act. This does not have to result in a Total Party Kill (TPK). It could result in the player group being imprisoned or forced to do some task, and lead to an advancement in the story. Weave your players’ actions into the overarching story you planned. This leads me to my second point.
- Have an overall goal, but let the players get there on their own.
You want your players to wind up in this city, because the Big Bad’s home base is there, but they want to go to the neighboring city? No problem. Let them go, and the Big Bad has a satellite operation there your players “stumble” over.
Your players are supposed to find an important item, but they never did the thing to get the item? No problem. It’s a quest reward now, with a full explanation of how important it is from the quest giver. (Or, if you have a stick-fingered player on your hands, he or she accidentally STEALS it!)
These are just some examples, of course. Give the players the freedom to go where they want, but make sure you gently guide the way. You should never be overt about what you want them to do, unless the players flat-out ask the quest giver.
- Make your fights challenging, but not impossible.
This is a balancing act that takes time to master. There must be an element of danger. If a character has no chance of failing or dying, then the fight is boring. However, if the character simply can not win, then the fight is frustrating.
Sometimes, you will create a combat encounter that is just TOO HARD. We have all done it. There is no shame in changing your monsters on the fly, lowering their stats, or just have them flat-out “forget” an item or enhancement.
- Create memorable critical successes AND critical failures.
Critting, usually by rolling a Natural 20 on a 20-sided dice, is a chance for you to make something memorable. A horrifically difficult task overcome, an impossible leap, or even a telling blow to an enemy can result from a critical success. Make sure you describe whatever the critical success is in the best and most descriptive terms possible.
This is when your player gets to really shine, and you need to make sure he or she shines brightly. This should be true for anything, even something mundane. For example, if a player rolls a critical success on a perception check, reward the player with an interesting treasure or encounter.
Make sure this holds true for critical failures, usually the result of a Natural 1, too. Make them just as memorable, and even funny. A player accidentally throwing his or her weapon away in the middle of a fight will make for an interesting encounter, especially if the enemy criticall fails and does the SAME THING!
- Have fun, overall.
Remember, this is a game. If you have not had fun, then you have failed. Even if your players all get killed, and they still had fun, then it was a good session!
And remember, Frontline Gaming sells gaming products at a discount, every day in their webcart!
