How do you Storytell?

[Persell]

Hi all.  How do you Storytell?


Please input personal preferences AND advice.


I haven't played RPGs for long, but it has always been my dream to DM a game since I heard about DnD.  Now that I have a group of friends that have introduced me into this genre of entertainment, I am at a loss for creativity and feel inadequate to perform my role as the story leader/creator.


I'm STing my first campaign (which hasn't been written out or planned too much really), and have gone through maybe six sessions.  I started with four players, one quit, and another is flaking out a bit.  I'm not asking for story ideas, just story inspiration/motivation and all that jazz.  I've watched the anime recommended in the core book (1st edition), but it seems I just don't know how to think it through to make my own storyline (all parts of it).   :?  The sessions I have gone through already were pretty much on-the-spot make-up, and the players almost seem intent on getting their characters killed... that or I am giving them too many opportunities to.  e.g going into the Mask of Winter's Juggernaut all by themselves, and running through a crypt full of traps carelessly.


I have them roll Wits checks to let them know that common sense says otherwise.  What the hell?!  :?


I don't feel I'm describing what's going on in the world very well to them allowing them to make improper decisions... either they're not asking enough questions or I'm being too lax on forethought or both.


I  just... DON'T KNOW!!   :x


HELP!

 

[Persell]

Re: New STer, no DMing experience

Hi all.  How do you Storytell?

I'm going to answer this as to how -I- Storytell, since that's technically what you asked.  


Everyone starts out somewhere, and believe me, when I started STing Exalted three years ago, I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing.  I let scenes linger too long, combat took forever, and I constantly had to keep looking things up.  My story ideas were lame at best, and took three or four sessions to truly develop (with the sole exception of my Tepet House game, which I was bang-on from the beginning).


You'll get better as you go, and luckily for me, two of my four players were experienced STs who could lend me a hand.  This is what they told me, and I found it cleared up a lot of my problems fairly quickly.


1. Keep scenes concise and tight.  Players get bored if you ramble on and on about travel times and so forth.  Crunch as much time as you can.  


Example: The PCs are at a formal dinner party scheduled to run from dusk to early morning, and the ST has an assassination of one slated to happen sometime around midnight. Every minute doesn't have to be played out; it's better in fact if it isn't.  


ST: <sets the scene>


Players: <describe their entrances>


ST: <describes notable NPCs and gets the PCs to the dinner table>


Players: <mingle a bit if they want or need to for a few realtime minutes>


ST: "A few hours and several courses of the meal pass by, and the clock approaches midnight..."


This is only a small example, but believe me, it'll really help.


2. Keep cheat sheets handy. Until you can get the rules down pat, use the Storyteller screen to constantly refresh yourself on the way the systems work.  If you don't have a ST screen, type up or write down the basic rules you need to remember: combat order, anima banner abilities and display levels, so on.  This will speed up the process of gaming, as you'll have the information in front of you instead of having to constantly flip through the core book to find what you need to reference.


3. Keep a game Bible handy.  I usually run my best games by flying from the seat of my pants. However, while my players usually end up enjoying it, it's haphazard at best.  Lately, I've tried actually plotting out the course of games.  It's nothing major; history of places of my own creation, any artifacts I've created for the game, notable NPC stats and descriptions, and a brief, somewhat vague outline of the future sessions I'm going to be running.  A previous ST of mine rarely planned anything out on paper and kept it all in his head, and it made for some irritating wait times while he scribbled out foe stats and Charms five minutes before we were due to fight.  Some degree of planning goes a long way into making an enjoyable game for your players.


I hope this helps in some way, shape or form.  In the end, it just comes down to you finding your own groove and learning which mix of planning and freeform most suits you.


As for inspiration for games... There are story seeds sidebarred in many of the source books, and many more craftily woven into the base material.  My suggestion is to find a spot that piques your interest -- with me, it's currently the south seas and An-Teng -- and start brainstorming ideas for that area.  Don't stick too much to canon if you don't feel it will fly with what you're thinking about doing. And don't be afraid to ditch a story idea even if you're in the middle of running it.  If it isn't working out for you, your players will most likely appreciate it more if you're running something you can get into instead.

 

[Jakk Bey]

Start small.  Work your way up.


Seriously.  


Take your characters' motivations and histories into account.  Build a small plot that links into larger ones later--you can always retcon yourself into bigger implications later.


If you have some dough set aside, you might want to think about purchasing the Gamma World Gamemaster's Guide which is perhaps one of the best books put out on building plots, and giving good advice on the different methods that you can use.  It is a fantastic resource for any game, especially for the Noob ST/GM.  It is concise, full of examples, and while a lot of the material is for Gamma World, it can be applied to any game.  It is put out by the nice folks at Sword and Sorcery, which is a WW imprint for d20, and it is excellent for the new GM/ST.


Think small plots at first.  Bandits. Local Spirits getting out of line.  Stopping attacks by Beastmen.  Look at the characters' histories and their backstories, and pluck things from those, and make the story relevant to their experiences.  Use their contacts and build those characters into important set pieces.  Don't be afraid to start small, and then work your way up.  Give them a little time to adjust to the combat system, and that means something easy to beat on.  Give them little challenges, like getting back a hostage from bandits or raiders.  Talk down a Spirit from drowning a village.  Acclimate them to the setting, and that will mean reinforcing their place in the setting. Use the people around them to jump start plots.  They've got Followers?  Then perhaps one of them is looking mopey, and comes to the character with a problem.  


You can work details on how that little problem fits into a larger plot later on.  Bandits are raiding.  PCs stop the bandits.  Later on, you can have the Lintha who were running those bandits investigate what the heck happened to their shipment of slaves.  


Perhaps one of the potential slaves then develops a crush on one of the PCs and breaks her marriage off to follow them, to pledge herself to him.  Oops, he happens to be a Patrician, who has a few favors owed to him by a Dragon Blood who will take the time to track down the wayward bride-to-be.  DB gets his butt handed to him, but he left word, and then his family is going to investigate, and word that Anathema are on the prowl brings in the Wyld Hunt.


Start off little, and be sure to ponder on how the PCs' actions can affect things, and work out from there.


Little actions have reprecussions, and sometimes they lap out like waves, and each wave of action has results.  Let those reactions build, and keep plugging new things into the equation, but be consistant.  Just dropping the Hunt on the characters isn't a great idea, unless they've done something to draw attention to themselves.  


It's far better to build your tales on the first steps of the journey.  Details that the PCs didn't think about too much can become very improtant later--someone they killed, or spared.  Every action ripples out, and touches others, and those actions can draw them deeper into larger plots.


The bandits who were supplying the Lintha with slaves might have a map to drop off the slaves, which the Lintha are going to be keen on getting back, because it's a link to where they're going to be dropping anchor, and it has clues on how to reach their home berth.  Can't have that in someone's hands, so the Lintha start to look on getting it back, either by purchasing it if the PCs appear very strong, but clueless, orjust killing them in their sleep.


Why'd the blue and green haired guys try to knife us?  What were they looking for?  This scroll case?  WTF?  What's so important about this?  In the investigation, they bring more heat, this time on an erstwhile Ally.  Now you've got the makings of a feud.  All because they wanted to get a bunch of kids back from some bandits.  Now you can start building some bigger plots.  The Lintha now know the Solars are powerful, and will be more circumspect in their trying to get the map back.  Maybe start threatening their Allies and Followers.  Their family.  Calling in the Wyld Hunt on them.  Now the Dynasts want to get both the Lintha and the Anathema, and the Lintha and the Solars may be forced to work together.  In saving a powerful Lintha, they can claim they want the feud off, and will hand back the map, if they can just end this--but the Lintha aren't so nice, so it becomes sticky in trying to get the thing called off.  


It all stems from a small action, but can build that way.

 

[Persell]

Well I have no long text for you, just a few hints:


1. Keep cool, hurrying doesn't buy you anything


2. Don't stick to the rules to strictly. So you don't know what exactly is needed to roll to operate that first age gun... looking 5 mins into the rulebook hurts the game more than just making an educated guess


3. Enjoy it, it is a game

 

[wordman]

looking 5 mins into the rulebook hurts the game more than just making an educated guess

When you do this, tell your players "I'm winging this, as I don't want to spend the time to look it up now", then look it up later and tell your players the result. This will stop endless choruses of "hey! last time it worked!"

 

[Persell]

looking 5 mins into the rulebook hurts the game more than just making an educated guess

When you do this, tell your players "I'm winging this, as I don't want to spend the time to look it up now", then look it up later and tell your players the result. This will stop endless choruses of "hey! last time it worked!"

Yes, very important advice!

 

[Jakk Bey]

I keep copious notes.  


PCs do something, I make a note of it.  Who they talked to.  Write down the names of the incidental characters you just riff with, because you may want to use them later.  PCs threaten someone, make a note of it, because you may want to use that later.  PCs are kind to someone, make a note of it, because you may want to use that later.  Small details are often key, and if one person didn't eat the mushroom soup that the Rakasha Lord provided, that can come in handy later.  


Never underestimate the players' ability to recall what seems like minor information.  I tend to make notes of what PCs pay attention to, even if they aren't terribly important details, because you can always go back and make that detail important, if they seem to want to head in that direction.  


"There is low cracked wall overlooking the valley.  It appears to be the remains of a small house that has been tumbled with age...


--Player One--I check the wall, to see if there are any clues to what tore the house down.


--Player Two--I'll give a Warfare roll to see if the place is defensible or important to surveying the valley.


The house appears to have fallen into disrepair after being abandoned many years ago.  (Faux Ability Roll for effect)  The place appears to have been place to overlook the valley, but not with any real strategic value.  There is evidence of some land that has been cleared, probably fields, but that was a long time ago.  It appears to have been a homestead, abandoned many years ago.


--Player One--Why was the farm abandoned?  Seems like a good set up.  Hmmm.


--Player Two--Does it appear to be a good campsite..."


Now then, the ST knows that the wall was just flavor text, to show the area hasn't been inhabited for a while.  The players are moving away from civilized lands, and the homestead might have come under attack long ago, or it might have just gone bust.  Who knows?  


The kicker is, that the homestead could spawn a neat ghostly encounter now, to give the PCs some clues for their real mission, if they decide to stay.  They've decided it's important, and a good ST should occasionally let the players dictate what is important, so as not to just send them off on wild goose chases all the time, when they get it into their heads to be stubborn, and NOT get their butts moving to the encounter that you sketched out with the Barrow Ghosts down the road.  


This is a good time to move that encounter a bit, and their insistence at investigating this little house should be rewarded, so as not to waste time trying to get their butts down the road, and put off the encounter, and bog down the game for another twenty minutes of them setting up camp, posting their watches, and the like, and then have them head out for another day's travel to the site you'd planned on.


Being flexible in your plans will save you a lot of headaches.  Keeping lots of notes, not just on the stats of opponents, but where the PCs have been, where they've been thinking about going, what they've sort of quipped about being interested in, what they've pursued actively, and what they might have missed--missing a clue or two shouldn't bog your plot down--let that particular plot thread go on.  They missed the signs of the Abyssals camping down the road.  Oh well, that means the Abyssals complete their mission and the PCs didn't thwart their nefarious plot to harvest some ghosts, and later on they may regret that--especially if the villains use Loquacious Plot Summary Prana when they open up the #10 can of Whoop Ass on them later...


It teaches your PCs that things go on, even if they don't catch them.  It also shows that the world is moving, and evolving, not just centered on what they do, but others have their own agendas, and actions.  


Another key is to not hinge a plot on one single action.  They don't save the sister of the chief of a local tribe of barbarians, that doesn't spell huge defeat, but it does take the plot in a different direction.  You should be prepared for that eventuality, and have contingencies, either to try to salvage relations with the tribe, or to the logical conclusion of losing the tribe's assistance in their mission.  


Be flexible.  Be prepared.  Take lots of notes. Use those notes.  Collaate and review them.  PCs seem to have an inordinate interest in something, then that's a good place to open up a new plot thread, or move a plot thread from somewhere else.  Maybe that barmaid is a lot more interesting than they thought.  You didn't write her up that way originally, but as ST, you can reassing that, and spin a new plot for her.

 

[Persell]

I keep copious notes.  
PCs do something, I make a note of it.  Who they talked to.  Write down the names of the incidental characters you just riff with, because you may want to use them later.  PCs threaten someone, make a note of it, because you may want to use that later.  PCs are kind to someone, make a note of it, because you may want to use that later.  Small details are often key, and if one person didn't eat the mushroom soup that the Rakasha Lord provided, that can come in handy later.

 
Alternately, you could request that the players write these sorts of notes in a notebook bought specifically for that reason. Give them incentive to do it: my old gaming group used to award an additional experience point each night to the person who took the notes down, rotationally.  If you want to go this route though, discuss this with your players beforehand.  While some of them may do it for the extra XP point, others may not want to do it, and may or may not be fine with losing out on the extra point (and trust me, run a campaign long enough and those points will add up.)

 

[Jakk Bey]

I'd rather make the notations myself--for the same reason that I'd rather do the mapping for the PCs--they'll take notes on what they think is important, not neccessarily you think ought to be important, and as the ST, it's up to you make that judgement call.  Sometimes an empty basement is just an empty basement, and no amount of wishing for easy access to the Lost Haltan Goldmine of Doom is going to make it such...


It also tends to get players focused on book keeping issues that should be transparent for their characters--it also breaks character for them, and I find that it sort of spoils the moment.   Players will make notes of their own, there's no need for an ST, in my mind, to get them bogged down in taking notes for the ST.  


The very act of you jotting off a note on the side of page that you've got your own campaign notes on is a spur for you, not them, and it gives you an additional jolt to the memory of the moment for taking the moment to jot it down.  You read the note, you key back to the moment, you think of what you were thinking at the time, you get your juices flowing back to that moment.  


I like to review my notes after a session, and before a new session, so that I can figure out what I'm going to do with it.  Be that, "Boktor still hasn't actually got to swing his sword yet..." to "Tekk stole a pouch from an Immaculate.  Didn't open it right away..."


Also, when you have players do your note taking for you, they get really into the minutia, and that isn't what they're there for, but to be part of the action.  Your job is to get them into the action, and sometimes in the action, things get forgetten.  That's normal, and it ought to be part of the process for players.


"We were so busy killing Immaculates that we totally forgot about that wagon that we saw leaving...that must be where the payroll went!"


Versus:


"Caravan leaving the temple.  Jumped by Dragon Bloods.  Notes are pretty clear..."


I'd rather keep the players in the moment and more natural in their assumptions, rather than ticking off things by rote.  


Besides, good players already take notes, why add to that?


It just smacks of lazy STing.  You are in the driver's seat, and you wanted the responsibility.  You can hand that over if you want, but the players are looking for a good game, not more bookkeeping...

 

[Silence In Daylight]

One key thing is to be willing to scrap your carefully-planned scenario if your players are completely off on a tangent, instead of excessive deus ex machina to get them back on course. They'll be less likely to feel led by the nose, and appreciate it.

 

[DarkProphet]

I agree with SiD with that last bit.  


I readily admit that I'm far from the greatest ST, I'd say I'm passable at best, although I've never had a player dislike a game I've run and had nothing but whole-hearted compliments, but I digress...


Jakk has some excellant advice (actually everyone has so far), start small and use what the players give you with their characters to build your game.  My usual pattern is to ask my players to write me their character histories.  I use what they give me to build small plots that center around them and then often tie those into a grander, more central plot.  The game I'm running now is much the same, most of the characters have their skeletons or some kind of supernatural entity with a grudge against them... whether it's a Fey Noble who's pissed that a Solar trespassed on his feeding grounds, or an Akuma who had an important mission botched as a result of an interfering Solar... I'll even toss in some twists and connect two of the character plots, like the Akuma being the brother of one of the other Solars in the group, who blinded his sister (the solar) as a child and will definitely try to kill her if he ever sees her again.


anyways... start small and try not to make things overcomplicated.  Like another person said, most of my best games have been flying from the seat of my pants... I have my overarching storyline/plot, and generally try to write up a rough idea of where I'm intending on the story to go during a given session, but I leave it open to the characters to change the story as they see fit.  I tried once to write out the session as a whole, but really that's silly, since I can't know what my players will do, I may have a guess, but I never know for sure.


i've babbled enough... basically keep things short, sweet and simple.  start small and keep things basic.  Keeping cheat sheets is a great idea, since you don't want to be flipping through the book a lot (a problem I have since my memory is attrocious).  You don't have to plan out the entire story, but running completely by the seat of your pants isn't exactly the best idea either... the best that I've found is to keep a rough outline and use that as a guideline, you can make details off the top of your head... and like Jakk said... keep notes, lots of notes.


hope that helps some.

 

[Persell]

Preparation... is *key*?


Thanks for the advice everyone.


I have already tried a few of the things that some of you have recommended.  I do have extensive notes on the game, not necessarily MY game but the game mechanics itself.  I have a little binder of notes that I can flip through very quickly to find anything in the Systems/Drama chapters and really have little need for the core book at my sessions besides the map inside the covers.  I have bought the STer's Guide (Exalted, of course) which comes with a ST screen (pretty neato, I like it) making me feel like a real ST.  The information inside the book didn't help me at all really, since it is for those that want elementals, other Exalted, etc. as common foes.  I'll look into getting the Gamma World Gamemaster's Guide, it sounds really good.


The two regular players of mine both have STed before or are currently STing other campaigns of Exalted (one was my first STer, and the other STs an Abyssal campaign in addition to DMing a few other games -Shadowrun (which I play) and DnD-Eberron (I also play)).  My old STer fights me on rules a bit.  It seems, because I fought him a bit on rules in his campaign due to my memorization of the game systems (a.k.a. I was right every time 8) ).  Also he loves to explain things (all things) to everyone (anyone) all of the time (every time).  I get pretty irritated sometimes by this, his character suffered two levels of unsoakable lethal damage by way of freak, random meteorite shower a few sessions ago. :twisted:


Unfortunately, my old STer is the only one that put in effort to create a character history.  Both of the other remaining players absolutely refuse to come up with anything, leaving me with little starting material to work on.  In fact, they don't write down anything at all. :x   No scrap sheets exist for their characters info, they use dice to keep track of essence etc.  I wrote up an example scrap sheet (pretty well too I think), and they still refuse to make my job easier... it's like they expect me, a brand new STer/player, to do all of the work... :roll:


How much responsibility do the players have in playing the game? :?:


Is this really supposed to coincide with the idea that they are watching a movie and that when they throw their "popcorn" and yell at the "screen", the characters just change actions a little??  Where's the role-playing part?

 

[Jakk Bey]

Retaliation in game is a poor way to go.  Just being honest and open with him, and maybe ask him for some advice--because that's what he's trying to do, in an oblique way, and perhaps to derail your game a bit, out of a sense of competition.  Massage his ego a bit, and get some advice on running, and that might help the Verbosity Mendicating Spirit Application that he's got going.


As for your problem players...they can't remember something...too bad.  They miss clues because they can't remember...too bad.  They'll either learn, or be dependant on others.  


That, and discuss that they are responsible for their characters--keeping track of their Essence, their Willpower, and the other doo dads--that way they can keep you honest, and explain to them, that it's your first game, and you need some help from them to make it first rate.


That, or when you keep track of their Essence, maybe they run shy a wee bit early...that might learn them a bit when they come for their Uber Combo of Doom and it goes pfft...

 

[DarkProphet]

Re: Preparation... is *key*?

Unfortunately, my old STer is the only one that put in effort to create a character history.  Both of the other remaining players absolutely refuse to come up with anything, leaving me with little starting material to work on.  In fact, they don't write down anything at all. :x   No scrap sheets exist for their characters info, they use dice to keep track of essence etc.  I wrote up an example scrap sheet (pretty well too I think), and they still refuse to make my job easier... it's like they expect me, a brand new STer/player, to do all of the work... :roll:


How much responsibility do the players have in playing the game? :?:

Meh, I don't *require* my players to write up a history, I do, however, suggest strongly that they do so.  After they write it up (if they do) I'll approve it and we'll do a short 1-on-1 session that's basically role playing their history.  After that session (aka prelude) I grant them 5 bonus points (rarely more and never less) to put towards character creation.  I do this in the hope that it'll give them more incentive to write the history.  It also goes on the idea that doing this will help them flesh out the character, make them more than just dots or a general idea, if they give their character a history, it makes them more real to everyone involved.  The prelude also helps them get into character as well as get into the mechanics and feel of the game.  The bonus points is my reward for doing this work and helping me out.


If they don't do a write up, then they not only don't get the bonus bonus points, but I have complete control over their character's history and if my players acted like yours seem to, then I would not make it very pretty for them... if they're that uninterested in what has happened to their characters up to the point the campaign starts, then they'll have no say in what happens.  I wont make it *that* bad, but they'll probably be fairly sorry that they didn't write it up.


It's my opinion that it's not *just* the ST's responsibility to make the game run smoothly, everyone has to chip in, afterall, the point is for everyone to have fun, not for the ST to do everything and all the work.  IF the players want the game to be as fun as possible, then they'll have to help the ST out.  Writing a history of their characters is a *very simple* way of doing that.  It's not like it's difficult... your players seem to be a bit selfish if they're dropping all the responsibilities on you.  The players have just as much responsibility to the game as the ST... you're there to run the game, make it smooth and tie everything together... but ultimately it's the players who drive the story... if they leave everything up to you, then it's not much of a game.


They obviously don't have to write anything down, I don't require that of my players... if they want to, then more power to them, if they don't remember something.. too bad... they should write stuff down.  I don't even require they keep track of essence with dicd or beads (although I suggest they do... and they do).  


*shrugs* The two players of yours that refuse to write anything or whatnot seem a bit... well, I'm not sure what word I'd use for that kind of behavior, but it wouldn't be complimentary.  If they're dumping all the responsibility on you and refusing to do much of anything to help the game along... there's not much you can do, really, but talk to them and try to make them understand that this is your first dance and you're going to need some help from them to ease the load... and that writing a history for their characters might help you out... that leaving most everything on your shoulders isn't helping and they need to hold up their responsibilities as players.  If they still refuse... then, well, whatever you make up to compensate for their lack of aid is fine and if they bitch... too damn bad, they had their chance and left it up to you, so they gave up their right to have their say.


Seriously... if they aren't willing to help you out, which will only help the game, then it's mostly, if not completely, their fault if the game is lacking.  They should be more understanding of your situation.

 

[Persell]

Specialties


I extend my question to include: What glorifications do you use?


Maps of areas they have gone or are going to go through?


Drawings of characters/items?


Props? e.g. "parchment"


Little figurines with some terrain to help visualize? (Mage Knight might work good)


Music? (I see that HUGE thread about this, just want a simple yes/no)


Video? e.g. Anime, Matrix, or Kung-Fu


Decorations?


Costumes?


et cetera??


Tell me! I will assimilate all knowledge. Resistance is futile. :idea:


P.S. if I do get "emotional" while STing, I don't really punish them.  It's more of a heads-up.  They don't actually take damage... usually.

 

[Gustav]

Re: Specialties

I extend my question to include: What glorifications do you use?
Maps of areas they have gone or are going to go through?


Drawings of characters/items?


Props? e.g. "parchment"


Little figurines with some terrain to help visualize? (Mage Knight might work good)


Music? (I see that HUGE thread about this, just want a simple yes/no)


Video? e.g. Anime, Matrix, or Kung-Fu


Decorations?


Costumes?


et cetera??


Tell me! I will assimilate all knowledge. Resistance is futile. :idea:


P.S. if I do get "emotional" while STing, I don't really punish them.  It's more of a heads-up.  They don't actually take damage... usually.

Maps are best for your own personal usage as a ST.  Hanat only shows us maps when we're in a large scale combat, or he wants to make sure to show some strange geological formation.  Alternately, he uses it to show travel distances.  The only critique I have of his methods is that he doesn't draw them to scale; it's okay, he's not an artist.  But, when I see things as canon as a player, it's hard to seperate "well, in this fact the ST's wrong, but EVERYTHING else he says is right."


Drawings are totally at the situation's discresion.  Some people are great artists, and you should encourage their talents as they apply to the game.  Get some drawings of their characters.  If you're a good artist (and not a "I won first prize in the art show in 4th grade, but can actually draw fairly well), draw out your NPCs and if players ASK, draw their character for them.  Hanat rewards us for drawings of our characters and the occasional NPC with small (like 2) amounts of experience.  It helps me as a player to draw Gustav so when he's in combat, worried, or rallying his troops, I have a much more vivid picture of him in my mind.


Props should be carefully handled.  Only something AWESOME should be used as a prop.  I got a badass wax-sealed papery note from the Silver Prince's moonshadow sometime last year and I still hang onto it and read over it, even though it was only used in one session.


Figurines rule.  Especially for a newer ST, it'll help you keep track of large amounts of NPCs...  ("Okay, the dwarf who is the earth aspect DB hasn't gone yet this turn, but the orc who is a lunar npc already has.")


Music?  Yes.  Read the music thread.  Read my posts in the music thread.  Ignore most others.  =P   j/k


Video?  No.  Unless you have something original or something you know your players haven't seen.  Seeing the Matrix and saying, "The Immaculate does something like Neo does right here!" is HORRIBLY boring.  We've seen the Matrix; we've seen Sin City.  They're awesome, but you can get some good ideas too.  However, maybe not everyone has seen Ichi the Killer or something like that...  Then...  sparingly.


Decorations?  This can go down the dangerous and creepy road of LARPing.  Play at evening, dim the lights a little bit, candles can be appropriate...  if they're in a secluded monastery, bust out the incense...  anything more can feel really really forced unless you're willing to spend HOURS before the game getting an awesome and authentic setup.


Costumes...  definitely not.  No.  Nein.  Niet.  Never.


If I get mad at my players, I go either of two paths...  


On one side, I'll confront them 1 on 1 and talk to them.  If we can't reach a mutual understanding, I kick them out of the game.  STing takes up too much time for me to waste trying to make some jacktard happy.


The other side, I'll take the whole game with a grain of salt.  I'll run about three or four more sessions, have some overblown battles, give the characters some toys, then I'll end the storyline and next time I'll not invite the troublemakers back.  


There are always more stories.

 

[Obsidian Soul]

It's my game, thank you for playing, and I'm going to do my best to make it fun and exciting.


That's what I tell everyone.


What I don't tell them is that karma works in my games.  If a PC does something evil, evil comes looking for them.  It a PC does something good, they will get rewarded.  I take their character's nature in account, after all a Caregiver is supposed to be a better person than a Bravo, but I am fair and just.  


In my games, I am what God wishes that he was, just and fair and effective.

 

[Persell]

More, more, MORE!


How about house rules?  I am finding a lot of weird/stupid things in the game mechanics likes initiative with weapons.


What do you guys change about the game? 1st-Edition wise, of course.

 

[Flagg]

Re: More, more, MORE!

What do you guys change about the game? 1st-Edition wise, of course.

I have a couple of Articles in Lore5 about my changes to the Abilities. The rest of my house rules are pretty much small tweaks, not particularly worth mentioning.


-S

 

[Kremlin KOA]

houseruled XP to a linear system 2xp=one freebie point


Other than that I get my players high on stimulants, put them in a dim room and turn on the camera


Oh wait, we're talking about STing Exalted


I get my players hyped on caffiene and sugar. Then create a scenario of what will happen if the PCs do nothing, then watch as my players wreck a bunch of NPC planning and everyone has fun

 

[Silence In Daylight]

I reduce ping damage to ([Attacker's Essence] - [Defender's Essence]) + 1, minimum 1.

 

[Thorn Darkblade]

To answer your list of questions...


What glorifications do you use? As many as possible without bogging down the game. Extra stuff may be cool, but sometimes it's better to cut down to what you actually need.


Maps of areas they have gone or are going to go through? Always helpful if you're having a hard time putting the scenery into words


Drawings of characters/items? Also helpful, for the same reason above. It also helps in the fact you don't have to verbalize every small detail, and in an anime style world, costuming can have far more than can ever be described without getting boring


Props? e.g. "parchment" Only used a prop once so far...kinda hard as I tend to run my games online...I suppose once I get my scanner working, I might use more


Little figurines with some terrain to help visualize? (Mage Knight might work good) When I actually ST in person, yes, but only for combat. I use a combination of mage knight figures and a couple HeroScape sets, because a flat battleground just doesn't have much potential for stunts, and I looooove seeing stunts.


Music? (I see that HUGE thread about this, just want a simple yes/no) Yes. Thinking of getting a webstream up just for my games


Video? e.g. Anime, Matrix, or Kung-Fu. Yes. Before my in-person games, I've shown Ninja Scroll, and I also did Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust before an Abyssal game. Pick one that really hits the style of game you're looking for.


Decorations? Other than an ST screen, not really.


Costumes? Once again, kinda hard online, but in person, maybe...


et cetera?? Working on a small website where I'm going to store copies of everyone's characters, and a plot synopsis after they've finished an adventure.


I also offer a single bonus experience point every session for either an in-character journal/diary entry or other piece of in-character work given form, or a sketch of something that happened in game. I'm also debating having a questionaire at the ends of my sessions where my players get to critique me and say what way they want the game to go, and things they didn't like.


My advice is STAY ORGANIZED!! Not knowing where stuff is can cause serious delays. Online games have the advantage of being able to save the chat and review it later, but for tabletop games, take constant notes!!! Set up a binder with blank sheets (constant changes to character sheets means you might need to rewrite them), sheets for major NPC's, and any other resources you might need. Mine's got several maps, the High and Low Realm alphabets, the imperial calender, a combat tick sheet (put it in a page protector...dry erase markers mean you can reuse it!), and a page of quick reference notes to fall back on. Don't be afraid to ask your players for a moment to gather your thoughts either.


And finally, White Wolf's golden rule: If you don't like it, change it.


However, make sure you write down house rules! My previous ST seemed to change them every other session. Make sure your players know them!

 

[Silence In Daylight]

And finally, White Wolf's golden rule: If you don't like it, change it.
However, make sure you write down house rules! My previous ST seemed to change them every other session. Make sure your players know them!

 Running your houserules by your players is not a bad thing.


 If everyone else hates a certain pet rule of yours with a passion, playing with it may not be the best idea, no matter how much you like it.

 

[wordman]

If you have some dough set aside' date=' you might want to think about purchasing the [b']Gamma World Gamemaster's Guide[/b] which is perhaps one of the best books put out on building plots, and giving good advice on the different methods that you can use.  It is a fantastic resource for any game, especially for the Noob ST/GM.

On Jakk's recommendation, I tracked this down (having really liked certain aspects of the Gamma World Player's Handbook). He's right. This may be the best intro to running games in general that I've ever seen.

 

[wordman]

Re: More, more, MORE!

How about house rules?

I try to avoid extensive house rules, unless something is really broken. There is a difference between a "weird/funky/stupid" mechanic and a "broken" mechanic.


For Exalted, I use these house rules. The list is a bit longer than house rules for other games because we cherry picked some charm changes from Power Combat, which we do not otherwise use. This is a First Edition game, obviously.


In Second Edition, the only house rule I'd use so far is a switch from Appearance vs. Appearance modifiers in social combat to Appearance vs. Temperance.