As a writer I struggled for a long time with running games because I desperately wanted to tell a thematic and satisfying story. I've learned to love prewritten settings and just letting things evolve naturally. I'll save the storytelling for my books.

I can only agree partly in this case. I totally agree that players are a huge part of the story and they are independent. So they write part of the story themselves (i.e. are storytellers) but the GM adds to this with all the other details: NPCs and their background stories and actions, the world's lore (if homebrew), all the surprises the players discovered (and not only conflicts) and everything else that happens in the world while the players are exploring it and find out about at some stage. I would argue that this is storytelling as well. So for me, as most of the time in the real world, there is no black and white answers. It is not "Players are storytellers and GMs aren't" and neither is it the other way around. It is a combined effort in my opinion. And this combined effort is what it makes so enjoyable for me. We tell stories together.

I was having a discussion like this with my husband the other day! I've been slowly introducing him to some solo tools we are using to play DnD together without a DM and he (an old school TTRPG player) said "But if there is no DM to a set goal, then nothing we do matters? Like what's the story?" And I tried to explain about letting the dice and the tools we use decide etc. I think I hooked him when we were using Mythic, and some random thing happened in an inn we were staying in and the system linked that random thing to a thread we had going very neatly and he was like "OH! OH, I get it! That's kind of cool!"

This is very good advice! I feel like I'm somewhat in between when I'm playing solo. I have a very general story idea in mind, so general that it can be summarized in one sentence like: the character needs to hunt down all monsters. I have certain things I want or hope to happen, but if the dice say no, then well, I just follow what the dice tell me. One recent example is I have a player character that I planned for him to rescue a damsel in distress. Turned out he wasn't really that much of a fighter and ended up falling unconscious before he even saw the woman. Her best friend ended up saving her instead! That was not what I had in mind when I started the mission, but it was exciting and fun, even my character looks like a fool now. And I also want to add one point. I have this problem too, but I feel like solo players who write out their campaign as they play should realize too that we are just players and not writers. We should not feel pressured to write with great prose or be grammatically correct.

Roleplaying is not storytelling it’s storymaking…The characters live and act and that creates a story that the bards will tell…

I've been really happy and relieved that I don't have to create a story as a DM. And to learn about all the fantastic ways to randomize parts of the environment, events and NPC's etc. Good luck with the move! Take care!

Great response. I like using the phrasing that the GM sets up situations but that's just pedantic on my part. I wouldn't mind more videos of this type from time to time, you talking about your GM philosophy.

This is an exercise in trolling by conflating the term story teller with story creator. A GM that narrates events at the game table is “telling the story.” A GM that understands the role narrates events at the game table and is not a story creator. Two separate arguments.

Wow, that was a quick response to Prof Dungeon Masters video. (= And you two are absolutely right. And it would be cool if you and the professor could do something together. (= Can't wait for season 3 and good luck with your moving/building your studio.

I totally agree with the points you and Professor Dungeon Master make, Trevor. I think what may confuse fledgling GMs is that the GM is responsible for crafting both the physical and temporal environment. The NPCs they create move forward in time as well as place. So it is legitimate for a GM to lay out an NPC's plan of action and this will happen unless or until the PCs take action to alter or enforce the consequences. As for roleplaying in an established world with its own history I think you either accept that the overarching story is carved in stone and set scenarios which allow for little stories within it, or throw caution to the winds and let the PCs make their own impact on the world. So what happens if the Ringbearer fails? Check out the Midnight RPG for an excellent interpretation or work out your own response. What happens if Obi Wan kills Darth Vader in the duel on the Death Star? What fun it would be to find out! Just because someone else has crafted their own ending to a story doesn't mean yours should come to the same conclusion. My elevator pitch for roleplaying has always been "interactive storytelling"; remove one of the elements - either GM or players - no interaction, so no story.

Always great to hear your thoughts, Trevor. Insightful and interesting as always.

Hi there! You know, I just got mage knight ultimate edition recently and I'm loving it. And I caught myself wondering why is that I like it so much, cause it doesn't have any kind of story or even flavor text in the cards and stuff during the game. And then I came here and watched you talking about storytelling. I totally agree with you and dungeon craft, stories are created through conflict, player interaction with the world and the dice (in case of MK, card play), thats it. After an entire session of MK or any solo rpg you can look back and see all things that were generated randomly and yet it is cohesive, you can see the paths that were taken and the outcome of every conflict through dice rolling. You don't need any piece of story info, you just need to sit down and play, and all thing will become alive. Some people, and I used to be like that, don't start playing solo rpg because they don't have a pre written story, but you simply dont need it. I think this is why I love solo rpg and mage knight, btw, mage knight works perfectly as a solo game. Thanks for sharing this knowledge with us, great content as always!

RPGs are for roleplaying. There are other activities like fishing, clubbing, hell even certain video games (minecraft, dwarf fortress, etc.) that also produce emergent stories but that does not mean they're for or even are storytelling. The telling of the story is when you retell someone what happend in your game.

I've been getting into solo stuff recently, picked up the arc of an otherwise-parked DnD character, which has been a real mix of me having certain ideas and yet going with the flow. Well, the principal villain of the first arc was someone I didn't know existed when I set out! I'm looking forward to going for even more of a blank slate when I leave this character behind. Besides...it's all great improv practice for when you're in the hot seat for a group!

This just popped up on my home feed. I Love Professor Dungeon Master, and actually got to meet him this year at GenCon - the same year I met you and Jim!

Great comments! I myself had this thing where I felt that there was something noble about being "the storyteller". Of course, since I started GMing in my adulthood, and had played as a player, I knew about the ideas of avoiding railroading, etc. Nevertheless, it DOES take some time as a GM to develop the maturity to understand what you really should be doing. Honestly, in the end it's kind of "freeing", because you realize that your role is not to know stuff, but just "conduct" them gently, interpret outcomes, accept your roles as various NPCs, etc. Even when I thought I had understood the things I shouldn't be worrying about, I still worried way more than I should, haha. I guess I still like to create details in advance, because I'm the worldbuilder type, but my own conception of what worldbuilding should be for RPGs has changed a lot over the years. I think that one of the things that affected me the most in that sense was getting in touch with more modern formats for organizing a campaign, like the Savage Worlds concept of "Key Point Campaigns". So light, so flexible, so freeing. Even though I prefer systems that allow me to "feel" the details better, mechanically, like my beloved GURPS, those concepts truly changed how I GM.

I've seen this video sitting there and didn't want to watch it for the longest time. I kept trying to figure out why GM's are not storytellers because of the proverbial catch phrase that 'it is collaborative story telling.' I wish I would have never heard that phrase at all. I am so glad I finally sat down to watch this because not only did it help me tweak my view of what being a GM really means but I can literally feel the stress of coming up with something interesting melting away. We don't tell stories, We Create Conflict! GENIOUS!! Thank you Trevor, not just for this video but for all of them. And thank you for turning me onto the Dungeon Craft channel. Much love, xXBlackGoblinXx

I don't think that a lack of complete pre-determination means that GMs aren't storytellers. The sole job of the GM is NOT just to throw obstacles in the players' ways; it is also to interpret the events of the game, whether a single combat roll or a series of player decisions, and to surface a narrative through all of that to interpret and present to the players. Player agency is treated like a sacred cow and assertions like "They will ALWAYS rebel when they think you are guiding them down a path" are made all the time, but that simply IS. NOT. TRUE. Player agency is important, but just as important is giving players cues to respond to, to help give them direction toward moving things forward in some kind of interesting way. Very frequently when you give players true agency, they don't know what to do with themselves! Some people want to be guided; some people show up to the table to experience a story, not to drive it themselves. We all know those players, the ones who don't engage at the same level as everyone else at the table, who never try to have big moments, who are happy to just be there with their friends and to support them in their big moments. I used to think I was failing as a GM when people like that were in my games until i realized that not every player is trying to drive the narrative and make meaningful choices. I agree that you shouldn't have predetermined outcomes, but even if you think of GMing just as presenting obstacles to the players, the choices yo make in what obstacles to present and how you present them is in itself a form of storytelling. I think arguing either "side" of this, either that GMing isn't storytelling or that it is purely storytelling are both reductive and ultimate unproductive arguments.

Amen! And this is why I patreon both you and DungeonCraft…. Let’s throw Runehammer in there as well. Thank you Trevor for this quick video, warranted, brave and builds on PDM’s thoughts. BTW this video in terms of quality is not a problem at all, I’d rather this raw gut reaction than anything polished.

This is so spot on, Trevor! Thanks so much for contextualizing the Professor’s video for the soloist. Now I understand why my solo Ironsworn game stalled. It stalled precisely when I started to try to write it up as prose narrative. And this is also why my Ironsworn: Starforged game hasn’t gotten out of the gate. I’ve done a ton of world building but taken no moves. You and PDM have given me the key get going by letting go of the storytelling. Time to re-embrace the concept of playing to find out what happens. Deciding on a story idea and then trying to play it out simply doesn’t work. Thanks again and best wishes in settling in to your new place and setting up the new studio.

Hi, Trevor. I'm glad to have found your channel. It makes me happy to know that you can be a DM and a PC at the same time, which is what I'm trying to do as a beginner player for D&D. I'm currently going through Death House before playing the Curse of Strahd. 🙂 This is a very interesting point.

Spot on, a Game Master creates a believable environment with conflict, problems and complications, in which the players explore making their own choices, that's what creates story!

I think a lot of people confuse 'story' and 'narrative'. There may not be a 'story' but there is an 'on going narrative'. I personally don't rely too heavily on pure randomness... though combat is what it is. No fudging, die rolls in the open. I try to create NPCs as the game moves along and requires their creation. Mundane 'afterthought' NPCs sometimes become important to the narrative of the game as I have to develop where they came from to understand their motivations and why the do the things they do and to answer questions the players ask me. NPCs that just act 'randomly' without reason or logic is completely unsatisfying IMHO. There are 'events in motion' that occur for a variety of reasons. The world is a living, moving thing, trade routes get disrupted, various factions go to war or have conflicts.. these may.. or may not affect the player characters, but they are 'still happening' in the background. I don't necessarily even know 'what these conflicts specifically' are until I NEED to know because the players actions have driven me in that direction, but as DM I'm aware that, 'they are there'... the 'backstory' of the NPC is 'there'. I don't need to know what it is until I need to know... lol.. But I try to keep in mind that every npc that is encountered has a whole life 'before' they encountered the players. Its VERY accurate to say, I have 'no story'. I don't. There are 'events'.. and I have no clue how those events are going to resolve. SOME may resolve through the actions of the players, and some may resolve due to the 'inaction' of the players. For that reason its important to keep good notes. While I run an open world sandbox with player driven narratives, if the players don't 'do anything' that doesn't mean, we spend the entire session sitting around the table 'doing nothing'. The world is in motion! I'm sure something will happen... maybe i will roll a random die, or maybe a forgotten npc from the past shows up... who know? I know I sure don't! Great video.

I came prepared to disagree based on the title, because I still see myself as a (coop) storyteller, but then I watched it and found myself nodding and agreeing. As a kid, I loved to write and I loved to GM, and my dream was to write a book based on a campaign, like Record of the Lodoss War back then, or more recently The Expanse. But even then, I knew that game sessions do not great stories make, at least not with a lot of work afterwards by the writer. Unsurprisingly, my games back then were pretty railroad-y, and my fellow players frustrated me on no end, so I ended more campaigns half-way than I finished properly. The next time I GM I'm going to fully embrace the randomness. I'm going to train myself before that by playing a few solo games, I hope I can learn a few more tricks from you, Trevor.

While I dont agree with this point of view or opinion, I love this video and the positivity it shows towards other creators. Great video, gets a like for the thought and ideas its given me !! Always stay open to others, we as a community who all love the same hobby gotta stick together 😊

Good to see a video from you. Hope the move is going smoothly; it's always a massive pain! Also, I've gotten interested in dipping my toes into tabletop RPGs after watching your videos and I have assembled a group for D&D (seems like the most accessible entry to me). I have the most free time, though, so the DM role has fallen to me. Thus, I've been doing my best to read and watch videos on the subject. It seems rather daunting but also exciting as well! I enjoyed hearing your insight in this video.

Great vid! People tend to confuse "happening" with "storytelling". There's a real difference.

This video answered my personal ever growing doubts about my quest in solo RPG gaming: Am I actually just a regular author with a somewhat exotic approach to my creative writing, or am I playing a game? My hopes were, that I only needed the right equipment to finally being able to make it work. After months of watching sessions of others, reading the book of geek gamers helped me a little in lowering my expectations. According to the book just designing a setting or just thinking about the rules or fictional world is already being considered as gaming, then that was not what I was hoping for. I got so lost in all this information, that I had doubts about the whole idea of solo RPG gaming. Watching your video finally helped me answer the question, if I was just chasing unicorns. Thank you very much!

This is something that I only understood after a long time GM ing. What I like is to discover what is going to happen next, that way I feel like I am playing with my players, too (and not against, "running the baddies"). For this reason I gravitate towards game systems which allow me to create what I need on the moment. Even for major NPCs (or for NPCs which turn out to be major even if I didn't know it at first) I often only have a one-liner description, like "So and so, glamorous philosophy professor"...

Great response Trevor. For me the story is the emergent product of playing an RPG either solo or with others - letting the setting, mechanics and decisions take you on that journey. It isn't pre-ordained. Let the dice fall where they may!

Totally agree here. This is the basis of my efforts.

Best definition ever ! xD Ill start to use it from now on. I used to compare an RPG session/campaign to a car, where the GM handles the accelerator and brakes, but the players had the wheel.

I love the explosion analogy; Playing an open-ended game is like making a concoction of different chemicals, throwing them all in a pot and then watching them react. Occasionally they fizzle out, but often they're explosive.

Thank you so much for this video. I've been a fan of Dungeoncraft for a long time and I love seeing this sort of "meeting of the minds".

I agree. When you're playing a sandbox fantasy adventure game. Cthulhu, Delta Green, etc are a bit different.

DMing is whatever you want it to be. The End.

I somehow missed when this came out (thanks KZfaq), but I love this kind of 'behind the scenes' look into your methods and philosophies. I'd love to see one of these where you get into the Art of crafting conflict (which I sometimes struggle with). Also, for what it's worth, I love the term "referee" used by Traveller rather than "Dungeon Master" or "Game Master" and especially "Storyteller". Referee implies impartiality in a way that none of the others do, and reinforces the idea that there's no predetermined outcome for the game. Anyway, so very glad to hear from you and that your making progress on your move. And as always, looking forward to the new season of Me, Myself & Die.

Brillant and concise vision of what tabletop RPG is all about. Kudos for taking a constructive approach based on the words of another one. Loved it as i did for every bit of content on this channel !

Ok, this is an old video, but it happens to be quite useful to me now, with my current new party. It's fun to see the metagamer learn there's a world around her character, not just encounters leading up to the "boss" fight. I shared it with the party.

This video is exactly what I needed! It can be some dang daunting to DM sometimes without feeling like you need to create an elaborate tale. I really want to try a solo game one day, and I want to watch your supplement videos, but I still have to finish season 1 and I don't want to get spoiled!

Wow, thanks for giving your input. I watch Dungeoncraft quite often, and respect his opinion most when it comes to DM/GM advice and hacks to streamline the game. I enjoy your channels as I use them as an example to craft my own "stories" or adventures. But "to free you of a story" is a much better way to look at it.

I have started to look into role playing for kids from 3 years and up. Martin Lloyd have nailed this with Amazing tales. Where the key take aways from this video is also emphasized and really becomes important when dealing with kids that young.

Could not agree more! I know in my early days of DMing it was my tendency to think of myself as a storyteller. However, like you and Professor DM, I see the light. On a side note, thanks for making this channel! It’s inspired me in my own solo play! Can’t wait for more once you get settled in!

Cross posting this just because. I hate to say it but I can kill this whole line of thinking with one word: Dragonlance From the wiki: The DL series of modules were different from previously published Dungeons & Dragons modules in two ways. First, instead of being stand alone adventures, or a short series of adventures, they combined into a single large plot arc. This arc covered the War of the Lance. Second, players didn't use their own characters, as in other modules, they played preexisting characters such as Tasslehoff Burrfoot. This allowed for shorter character arcs within the larger story (note the word STORY) Dragonlance is a story, in contrast to many other Dungeons & Dragons adventures, particularly those that came before it, which are location or event based. (note the word STORY) Yes, there is the sandbox style campaign and that is perfectly legitimate, but to say there is no story style of play and thus the DM is not a STORY TELLER flies in the face of one of the biggest D&D series EVER. (I did not like the concept of DL because it was so railroad, that as it mentions, you didn't even make your own character...you play a pre-generated character) And how do Adventure Path modules exist that tell a story that take the characters all the way through their career? Yes, sometimes the DM IS a story teller...it's just not a play style for everyone.

Agree about solo, the character has an idea but the dice and (in this case Mythic etc.) tell them how it turns out - my favourite twist was the knight character returning from wars to prove himself to his no-good older brother no doubt mismanaging the estate finding out his older brother was actually "doing everything he could and more" and it was the PC who had to prove himself.

Absolutely spot on. Most of the joy in a game to me especially solo is how unexpectedly the things can turn just on a roll of the die

Indeed. I agree with both you and Prof. DM. That has been the way I have approached game mastering for quite some time, and it pays off incredibly. Stay safe! Stay great!

New subscriber here! I've been binge watching the adventures of Simon and I'm currently on episode 9 and excited to see where the story goes! It's super interesting to hear your thoughts on GMing as a whole. Hopefully, I can use this video to help give my PCs a more entertaining game! Thanks!

this has really helped me enjoy solo, thanks. i felt a sort of innevitqbility with the other way I was doing soli. i really think framing is super important at a base level of how you go about enjoying something.

I couldn't agree more. It is "Sandbox" vs "Railroad." The Sandbox rules!

As a DM, i completely agree and i don't see myself as the teller of the player's story. I simply put an environment out there and let them create. But what i like about DMing is the worldbuilding and in that role, i become the storyteller of the world around them. I like to drop the players and their characters in an environment of my creation with its rich history and stories and see what THEY will create in that environment. With that approach, i get to satisfy both passions : Storytelling and game mastering.

You two put words on a feeling i had since a long time ... Indeed, i always thought it was hard to follow a built in scenario since players were always having ideas that were not covered by the book. I felt i was struggling to get them back on tracks ... i always preferred short synopsis and think about a game session at a time. Your videos brings clarity to that feeling and some kind of legitimacy also 😅

Uses my necromantic powers to raise this two year old discussion from it's sodden grave... (Hey, it's Hallowe'en, keepin' the mood here). I've heard this argument for ages; GM vs Storyteller vs Referee.. etc.. Is the Role Playing Game a Game? Is it a Story? Is it improv theater with dice? Of course, this is all just topics for peeps like us and Prof DM to chew up discussion time about with sometimes circular debates. These Role Playing Games are all of the above. And the Players and the GM play the game in the way that works best for them. I'm a narrative sort. I like to watch characters and the settings develop. I'm cooperative, I consider the players to be co-storytellers in our shared experience. Other groups, hate that style of play. Some groups want an adversarial relationship, the wits of the players challenging the authority of the DM, and the characters' lives being the measure of success. Some groups just wanna smash some monsters and blow off steam. Others square off against one another, each character striving against the others, each player matching wits and system mastery against the others *and* the DM. All of these styles are valid, if not exactly compatible with one another. In the end, the only real measure of success is the amount of fun you have with one another. Considering after 40 years the sheer volume of words I've written in creating and designing settings and campaigns, I'll argue that I'm sure as HELL an author! I've poured my blood, sweat, and tears into volumes by the hundreds, and I measure my success by the fact that my friends and I have shared the same old stories about past games for years and years. I've also had players step away from my table for a bathroom break and *never came back* because the game I'm running wasn't fun for them. Those moments, for me, say that I didn't succeed as a GM. Those players weren't having fun. I have to look at that moment as a sign on what I can improve as a DM. But am I a storyteller, a GM, a narrator, a referee? Do those terms really matter? I have a community, I run games for members in that community. Sometimes I play in games someone else runs, but I try not to get hung up on what the nuance of one title or another implies. And, looking at you new gamers out there, neither should you.

Honestly could listen to you talk all day.

I used to think the GM should be a storyteller, & that the ideal adventure was plotted like a movie that allowed players to make decisions for the hero but only to get to the next set piece to reach the final goal. Fortunately, this came right after i stopped playing regularly, & i never subjected players to these ideas.

thank you for the great response - I totally agree. A small comment: Who cares about quality of light and sound? The quality of your message is most important! Substance over style! Best regards from the imperial Union of Europe and hail to her higness empress Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen! [/irony]. +smirk+

The DM is the story teller of the world around them. The Players are able to change up some things, and the DM has to react and act accordingly but a good DM is using the Players to help author the whole campaign.

Inspired by your series I have just started some solo rpging myself. I decided to make use of a published adventure to get me going and I discovered what you are saying. With the constraints of the adventure I wasn't really able to get the experience I was looking for. I was railroading myself! Note I am trying to use the adventure as a source of NPCs, maps and background events that are going on, but trying to allow my characters the ability to go where the story takes them.

Awesome insight and comment on the video. Although I really love storytelling and it is useful in so many ways, it is NOT in GM'ing. Thank you for your both insights!

Great video! Definitely heading over to watch the original now :D

Thank you for making this video. It's an interesting insight about DMing. So, a DM isn't a conventional storyteller, because they tell an open-ended story, not a fixed story from start to end. I'm an author who lately worked on video games storywriting where I had to make good story with available assets by the gamedev staff. All I need to think is "what can I do with these kind of gameplay, characters, elements, levels, etc."--especially for games with multiple endings. It's not as open as making a tabletop rpg theme, but it also actually helped me on generating conflicts, consequences of outcomes, etc. for my solo tabletop rpg story.

As a new DM this takes some weight off my shoulders, Thank you for your insight.

I'm late to reply on this, I really like what you have said on this particular subject. If you think of it a normal story is really linear, but a game of D&D is not designed that way. It's designed in a radiant fashion, where anything is possible, the players decide and of course Dm referee the actions. The experience is really liberating to allow expression and honestly nothing like it in the gaming world. Video games have try to emulate that experience, but honestly it's not the same because It fails to capture improv on the spot or something that we as human beings can do. I couldn't agree with you more at the end is when you have a story. Love the channel, thank you for your opinion and to shine some light on this subject.

The professor has taught me a lot about dnd in my solo games. He keeps it real

Good to see a video from you, Trevor! Keep your head above water with your move lol We'll still be here after!

I agree with the gist but RPGing is still an "interactive open-ended story", one that is organically formed as a result of the dice, NPC actions, and player decisions. The notion that "storytelling" automatically implies railroading or creative writing towards a pre-defined outcome is too narrow a definition of storytelling. Sure, DMing/GMing is not storytelling from that narrow view. But, in the general sense, the DM/GM and players are still creating a story as they play, one that is being produced in real time as the session proceeds (it does not get magically created only after the tabletop session is over).

I am "like" #505. YESSSSS!!! Finally! What... a guy can't make a big deal about the little things that make him happy?! Geesh!

Thanks for the video Trevor, looking for more content!

if i recall correctly it was the World of Darkness ( Vampire being the most famous ) who said that your DM or GM was called a Storyteller in there game, also i do think you can call them a storyteller, in fact everyone tells a story. There Life is telling a story so in my mind you are the story, we all are.

I believe there is an RPG STORY that happens as we go. It's a little different. It's NOT the campaign. It's not the GM forcing an outcome to suit their perceived goal. That is NOT what I am talking about here. But I don't agree that the story comes to be known when the game ends. I believe the STORY happens in the MOMENTS within the SCENES. Remember the MOMENT when Indiana Jones shoots the swordsman? Now that's STORY telling! That's what I'm talking about. The MONENTS within the SCENES. This is what turns dice rolls into the swoosh of a sword or the the bleakness of a foreboding forest. The GM who colors in the lines with life. The RPG STORY is having players say to one another during a session "This thief is no good. Be careful. He lies!" and they are talking about an NPC the GM is voicing who has appeared here and there in the SCENES and his personality and history have begun to effect the players choices and decisions. Most of all, I believe, we can say that a GM is a STORYTELLER when the SCENES are filled with MOMENTS when we roll the dice and unconsciously hold our breath! And when they fall the GM uses words and inflection to turn the result into a fully rendered drama that lives in our mind! And that's what we keep. That's what we talk about. As far as the long story, the players fill much of that in on their own. That is how this RPG thing works. YES, GMs, you are STORY TELLERS. One SCENE, one MOMENT at a time. This is an RPG STORY. This is also my opinion; based on my experience. Yours may differ. Happy gaming!

That wallpaper is swanky! :P

Good luck with the rest of the move Trevor! Any hints on Season 3 yet ;) If not, maybe you could do some smaller Soloing Tips that you only need a Webcam for. I miss your insights!

If a DM Instigator of conflict, playing solo is making trouble for myself. Great vid. Love PDM (kind of wish he discovered solo gaming and gave us some insight). Many blessings on your move, long moves are terribly stressful.

i am totaly new to rpgs and i get what you are saying and it makes sense. but how are these 6 book lvl1-20 adventure paths then possible?

Excellent response. Couldn't agree more.

Absolutely agree with everything you say here. Thank you.

I have to admit that I have a problem with the whole storytelling thing. As an author, I do tend to want to plan out a story and reach a destination that will be a logical, fulfilling end to the tale. I am currently playing my first Ironsworn game and I had two sessions that went quite well, but then I froze. It has been about 5 weeks or more since I played and it's because the very thing that excites me about the game (not needing a GM and having the story develop on its own to surprise me) is the very thing that makes me hesitate. I keep thinking to myself "I don't know where this is going. What if it goes... nowhere?"

I know it’s almost an year old video but I need a clarification if I’m an idiot or the game developers are. World of darkness line of games actually calls their masters STORYTELLERS. So if somebody can be kind enough explain why GM shouldn’t and can’t be storyteller? Is this line of game special and play by different rules and I should railroad players there more and forget the improve and collective story based on the terminology or what?

I have to disagree. Yes, dice and players influence a story’s outcome but the person presenting the world and events of said story can still call themselves a storyteller. You said it yourself, “If there was no conflict, there’d by no story.” If DMs were merely conflict-providers, they’d merely present blank rooms full of puzzles to be solved or enemies to fight. But we all know they do so much more than that.

This is one reason modern versions of D&D & other high-prep RPGs of any age are difficult to run well & why the experience of their players is so variable; the high-prep for such games creates a constant temptation for their GM facilitators towards “storytelling” so their prep doesn’t “go to waste.”

We play a lot of Chronicle of Darkness / World of Darkness stuff. One of us, who like to be in the game master seat a lot, made a similar observation ones. He said: "The game book likes to name me the Storyteller, but the only story tellers I ever see at this table are you guys when you recap what happened last session."

Trevor you are my f****g hero

DM is The World where the players are So simple

So satisfying when all the guys you admire say the same thing and confirm your personal preferences and opinions

What about playing solo? I am the GM and the player/s...

Brilliant.

Miss videos from the channel...

Thanks for clarifying that. I am kind of struggling with starting solo playing ironsworn.

DM's are "storytellers" are only insomuch as world-building in general since it's up to the DM to provide said information so players know what kind of character(s) they can play. If anything, a DM is essentially a historian for the world the characters interact with...but the main gist of storytelling is primarily in the hands of the players though DM's (via conflict resolution) contribute to said storytelling - it's a collaborative effort.

I turn my games into story's but I do like the fun of just go with the randomness

Mr. Devall! How do you do sir? It's great to see you in good health sir.

Yeah, the DMs campaign is the backdrop for the story and the players ARE the story.

It's so great to see you Trevor! Loved the video. Quality was fine. Not every video needs to production quality. I really loved this content and would love to see more like it. Take care man.

I can definitely see you two are trying to communicate. The One Ring RPG says that "Story-building is a fundamental component" of RPGs and I like that approach. Nobody is telling a story to anyone else, we are all building the narrative with the tools that we have available to us with our distinct roles. This asymmetry of the three roles mentioned in the video is what builds the story, not any one individual. It's kind of like cooking a great meal. Basically every great meal has salt, fat, acid, and heat. If you only had one of those things, the meal would be gross. It's only with the balance of these very different additives that food becomes delicious. If 1 DM or 1 Player goes too far into alpha mode, you lose a lot of what makes it special.

I like building a story when I do solo, but ugh, sometimes I just want to delve in and solve some conflicts. So, sometimes I even see the ending of what I want to do and it spoils the fun for me. That's why I do both- I do random dungeon crawling and if I want to build a story about the character, I do write some things here and there.

I find character choices to be the most important part of RPGs. It's their story. The DM/GM is there to help construct the world and create responses for each choice. I'm currently in a campaign where my character was unknowingly put under a spell until he launched an arrow through the shoulder of the party's guide, thinking he was firing at an enemy and causing the big bad to break out of his prison due to "some magic ritual thing" as my character would call it. The thing is that the curse was placed on him a few sessions prior due to a wisdom saving throw that I failed while fending off an enemy. My DM asked me to make the throw, wrote down the result of the dice and said nothing about it until it took effect. He created the obstacle, my character reacted the way I imagined he would, the dice made the final decision.

Great Response!

A 'story' implies rails. Players often do not like rails.

jaja i need Dungeon Craft and MM&D cross over!! excelente video and input!.

Play a game, if you want to play a game. If you want to write a book, then write a book.