Finally we are back on schedule

We have finally gotten on the right schedule, my game will be back in two weeks. I think this is going to be a fun session. They have made it to Kathmandu and are looking for the book. They have found a house where the “book” seems to be located. What surprise could be in store for our intrepid adventurers at this time?

I would like to bring up a topic that was mentioned to me by my World of Warcraft group. Breaking a Storyteller seems to be a regular thing. I find that part of this issue with some groups is that the Storyteller does not know the players well, or does not have the knack of rolling with the punches. First, if the Storyteller does not know his players very well or has just met them, then the game may be rough to play for a while because the Storyteller may plan for X, Y, Z and the players will do A, B, C.  

This problem can be still be present with players who you do know, but it is easier to anticipate players’ potential reactions. You may not be to a point where you can pinpoint their reactions, but after awhile you get to where you can generally feel out what will exact too strong of an emotional response from your players. The goal is to keep the game fun and enjoyable to all those playing, this means different levels of interactions and different levels of structure for different players. The ideal is to be in the middle.

Some players are perfectly content to sit in the back and go along for the ride until the Storyteller does something that involves a trait that they have put points and effort into their character. While other players have a need to always be engaged with the Storyteller. Try to keep both kinds of players engaged by giving them turns. With the first kind of player, they are going to be doing something mundane with their character to pass the time. Sometimes these players are doing other things like playing on their phones, or using a computer, or reading a book. These players may also be just listening to the story as it unfolds around them.  

The other kind of player will take full advantage of their turn to talk and ask about what is going on.  They typically like to make things happen and take actions to further the story along. Trying to keep both kinds of players engaged is a difficult balancing act. However, a good way to judge if everyone is having fun is to have before game time and after game time discussions. This will allow you as the Storyteller to judge if you need to pull someone out of their boredom with the game because they feel like they don’t do anything.

Keep in mind that sometimes you can only do so much to keep someone engaged. You have to be honest with those people and ask them the blunt question of well what they would like to see happen to their character in the next few sessions. Trying to include exactly what they ask for may be difficult, but it can give you some ideas about what to include to keep them from boredom. Perhaps your player is going through something they do not wish to discuss, the game may be their escape from something else and they just need space.

On the other hand, the player that is excited and wants to take over the session needs to be reined in. They need enough interaction to keep them interested and engaged in the game, but they need to realize that there are other people in the group that have turns to take as well. This can be a delicate issue to bring up, and sometimes the overly interactive player may not realize that they are hogging the game time. Be polite, calm, and don’t pile on the player if someone else mentions this to them.

If you know that a player is doing this, try not to take them to task over it. Instead, calmly explain that you as the Storyteller need them to think about what their next move will be while you give someone else a turn. This player could also be overly involved for many of the same reasons that the other player was less engaged. As a Storyteller, you have to remember that lots of people play roleplaying games for the same reason that others get engrossed in video games or fall off the earth reading a book. It’s an escape from whatever is going on in the rest of their lives. Storytelling should be an exercise in letting the group forget about everything else for a while and just live in the story.