Learning to Tell a Story: Part I

Do you have trouble hooking your party? Do your plots fall apart before you even get out of the tavern? Are your players falling asleep at the table, and it's not from a lack of Mountain Dew? If you yourself asking these and other questions, then you might want to take a second look at the most important weapon in your Game Master's arsenal. The Story.

Being a Storyteller is one of many hats you wear when running a table-top game. It crosses the boundaries of genre and rules, and can make or break any campaign. For most GM's it is also the most difficult part of their job. But what makes it so hard? Like any good book you first need to understand pacing. Pacing is the framework for your game; how fast you want your party moving from chapter to chapter. If your pacing is too fast your party will become overwhelmed with encounters. If your pacing is too slow it will make your game sessions a snooze. There are several parts to a good pacing and understanding each one is where you can really jump start your career as a Storyteller.

The Hook:

Also called the introduction, the hook is where you generate your excitement. A good hook gets the players asking questions, their character's emotions running on high, and generally should be tailored to get your party involved. Simple and effective ways to do this are:

• Make them a Witness: Magic explodes across the sky, yards away a man is gunned down in the street, or maybe their arch nemesis is seen entering the police station. Making the party a witness to something as the game opens is a great way to not only get your player's attentions, but it may be the common goal they needed to see. (remember that what the characters "see" is what they will interact with).

• Make them Targets: Bandits are attacking the group's caravan, thugs or occultists have abducted the characters, something was stolen from each of the party members. Making the PC's a target is a good way bring them together and introduce your antagonist. It gives them a clear goal before letting them muddy around with the general population and usually gets the players reacting to a scenario as their characters.

• Give them an Object: The party has obtained something special. The object can be anything from a magic item they cant use without a key, to a rare breed of animal, or even the King's scepter. It also needs to be an item that has a pretty predictable course of action. In the case of the king's scepter the most obvious choice of action is do the players try to return it or do they want to sell it? Carrying the item is dangerous and would require a special buyer, and returning it would require an audience with the king. Both of these choices give the party a clear direction and allows you to elaborate on your adventure in the next scene.

• Give them Importance: A wizard of power seeks them out to do a job, the police chief is looking for superheroes to rescue the city's champion, or perhaps a powerful gangster has heard of their reputation. Making the players feel important and stroking their ego is both a good practice and a great way to get them walking right into the story. Players are always looking for a way to show off their characters.

Your hook should be simple, but don't be afraid of mixing up these tactics. It's another great way to get each party member into the game. If most of the party are easily hooked as witnesses, but that last one needs to be a target, then use that to your advantage. When that one character is abducted right in front of the others you can be sure they will go chasing after their companion.

-Adam S.

Next Time..... Learning To Tell a Story Part II: The Adventure.