Category Archives: Storyteller Conclave

Building a Better Villain

October 28, 2021Storyteller Conclave7thsea, dice, dnd5e, dungeonmaster, Dungeonsanddragons, DungeonWorld, gamemaster, MagpieGames, miniatures, PoweredbytheApocalypse, roleplaying, roleplayinggame, rpgs, shadowrun, storyteller, tabletop, tabletopgaming, ttrpg, UrbanShadows, villains, whitewolf, worldofdarknessstoryteller-conclave

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Not all villains are inherently evil for the reason of evil. It’s possible to have them misunderstood, confused, and or caught between loyalty and honor. And the best ones often feel almost heroic about their cause, at least in their own eyes. This week Sara and Rob will discuss how to build a better villain.

Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave.

Find us on Twitter (@st_conclave) – Instagram (st_conclave)
Support the show by joining our Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/StorytellerConclave

Please join us on Discord, to submit questions for the show, chat with Rob, Sara, and other Storytellers, and read over the detailed show-notes for more information and links to stuff we may not have been able to detail during the show! Discord : https://t.co/7H8p1lGYqG

Or find our older episodes at Https://Storytellerconclave.com

“Lawful Stupid” – Playing Alignments Correctly

October 21, 2021Storyteller Conclave7thsea, alignment, dice, dnd5e, dungeonmaster, Dungeonsanddragons, DungeonWorld, gamemaster, MagpieGames, miniatures, PoweredbytheApocalypse, roleplaying, roleplayinggame, rpgs, shadowrun, storyteller, tabletop, tabletopgaming, ttrpg, UrbanShadows, whitewolf, worldofdarknessstoryteller-conclave

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Maybe you have a player asking to play an “evil” character. Maybe your “chaotic neutral” is “chaotic lunatic” or your group’s paladin is the ubiquitous “lawful stupid.” Alignments can be good indicators of a character’s moral compass, but are often terrible guides for HOW to roleplay them. This week, Sara & Rob look at some common misconceptions about alignments, character motivations, and roleplay.

Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave.

Find us on Twitter (@st_conclave) – Instagram (st_conclave)
Support the show by joining our Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/StorytellerConclave

Or find our older episodes at Https://Storytellerconclave.com

System Spotlight : Call of Cthulhu

October 14, 2021Storyteller Conclave7thsea, dice, dnd5e, dungeonmaster, Dungeonsanddragons, DungeonWorld, gamemaster, MagpieGames, miniatures, PoweredbytheApocalypse, randomencounters, roleplaying, roleplayinggame, rpgs, shadowrun, storyteller, tabletop, tabletopgaming, ttrpg, UrbanShadows, whitewolf, worldofdarknessstoryteller-conclave

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Call of Cthulhu is a horror fiction RPG based on H. P. Lovecraft’s story of the same name and the associated Cthulhu Mythos. The game is published by Chaosium; first released in 1981 and is currently in its seventh edition. This month’s system spot light steps into the dark, mysterious and quite horrifying world of Cthulhu!

Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave.

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Support the show by joining our Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/StorytellerConclave

Or find our older episodes at Https://Storytellerconclave.com

The “Hero Contrivance”

October 7, 2021Storyteller Conclave7thsea, dice, dnd5e, dungeonmaster, Dungeonsanddragons, DungeonWorld, gamemaster, MagpieGames, miniatures, PoweredbytheApocalypse, roleplaying, roleplayinggame, rpgs, shadowrun, storyteller, tabletop, tabletopgaming, ttrpg, UrbanShadows, whitewolf, worldofdarknessstoryteller-conclave

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There are always monsters on the loose, princesses taken, and galactic wars coming to a planet near you. And for some reason, it’s always YOUR team’s job to solve it. This week Rob and Sara talk about “Hero Contrivance” and the in’s and outs of how to deal with it as a storyteller.

Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave.

Find us on Twitter (@st_conclave) – Instagram (st_conclave)
Support the show by joining our Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/StorytellerConclave

Or find our older episodes at Https://Storytellerconclave.com

Character Concepts 101

September 30, 2021Storyteller Conclave7thsea, dice, dnd5e, dungeonmaster, Dungeonsanddragons, DungeonWorld, gamemaster, MagpieGames, miniatures, PoweredbytheApocalypse, roleplaying, roleplayinggame, rpgs, shadowrun, storyteller, tabletop, tabletopgaming, ttrpg, UrbanShadows, whitewolf, worldofdarknessstoryteller-conclave

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You’re excited to play in a new game. All your friends are there, the storyteller is good, and it’s a setting you will enjoy, except you just stare into oblivion wondering who or what you could be. Sara and Rob help take some of the stress off of you and give you some methods for finding your Character Concept!

Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave.

Find us on Twitter (@st_conclave) – Instagram (st_conclave)
Support the show by joining our Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/StorytellerConclave

Or find our older episodes at Https://Storytellerconclave.com

Death and Consequences

September 23, 2021Storyteller Conclave7thsea, Death and Consquences, dice, dnd5e, dungeonmaster, Dungeonsanddragons, DungeonWorld, gamemaster, MagpieGames, miniatures, PoweredbytheApocalypse, roleplaying, roleplayinggame, rpgs, shadowrun, storyteller, tabletop, tabletopgaming, ttrpg, UrbanShadows, whitewolf, worldofdarknessstoryteller-conclave

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Death is the end of a story, in most cases. Unless it’s a direct mechanic in a story it can feel like “the end” for players as well. When you present a different option, other than death, to a critical or dramatic moment it gives the player the option to keep the story going. But is this a trick or does it cheapen the experience or make the challenges feel less threatening? Tonight, Rob and Sara will be discussing what “consequences” can do to change the threat of death and bring about more exciting and dramatic shifts in stories and why it might make the game better.

Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave.

Find us on Twitter (@st_conclave) – Instagram (st_conclave)
Support the show by joining our Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/StorytellerConclave

Or find our older episodes at Https://Storytellerconclave.com

Why Tone Matters

September 16, 2021Storyteller Conclave7thsea, dice, dnd5e, dungeonmaster, Dungeonsanddragons, DungeonWorld, gamemaster, MagpieGames, miniatures, PoweredbytheApocalypse, roleplaying, roleplayinggame, rpgs, savage worldD, shadowrun, storyteller, SWAE, tabletop, tabletopgaming, ttrpg, UrbanShadows, whitewolf, worldofdarknessstoryteller-conclave

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Most TTRPG’s come with a setting and framework like fantasy, sci fi or pulp. But tend to be lighter on how the game should feel when it comes to the players and their interactions to that world. Those are often an unwritten contract between players and the storyteller, all too often undecided till well into the game. This can be confusing and upsetting if people don’t mix on how the game should go. We use terms like “Murder hobo’s” and “magical friendships” as ways to describe the feel of the party and its interaction with the world. Tonight, Rob and Sara shift away from the systems, mechanics, and storytelling elements and get to the heart of the story experience as they discuss the Feel in RPGs.

Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave.

Find us on Twitter (@st_conclave) – Instagram (st_conclave)
Support the show by joining our Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/StorytellerConclave

Or find our older episodes at Https://Storytellerconclave.com

System Spotlight : SCP

September 9, 2021Storyteller Conclave7thsea, dice, dnd5e, dungeonmaster, Dungeonsanddragons, DungeonWorld, gamemaster, MagpieGames, miniatures, PoweredbytheApocalypse, roleplaying, roleplayinggame, rpgs, SCP, Secure Contain and Protect, shadowrun, storyteller, tabletop, tabletopgaming, ttrpg, UrbanShadows, whitewolf, worldofdarknessstoryteller-conclave

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Ever heard an odd story about something fantastical and thought it might be true? Did you see an unexplainable occurrence and when you went back no one remembered it happening and all traces of it are gone? Well you might have just not had the clearance to know the truth. This week Sara and Rob are requesting access and examining the SCP (Secure, Contain, and Protect) Tabletop RPG.

Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave.

Find us on Twitter (@st_conclave) – Instagram (st_conclave)
Support the show by joining our Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/StorytellerConclave

Or find our older episodes at Https://Storytellerconclave.com

Location Centric or Character Centric?

September 2, 2021Storyteller Conclave7thsea, Character Centric, dice, dnd5e, dungeonmaster, Dungeonsanddragons, DungeonWorld, gamemaster, Location Centric, MagpieGames, miniatures, PoweredbytheApocalypse, roleplaying, roleplayinggame, rpgs, shadowrun, storyteller, tabletop, tabletopgaming, ttrpg, UrbanShadows, whitewolf, worldofdarknessstoryteller-conclave

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When telling an RPG story there are many places to start, and the ending doesn’t have to be far, but the focus is important. Do the characters exist in a preexisting world and they are just watching and helping events unfold? Or is the world wrapped around your characters every move, do they move the world. This episode, Sara and Rob work through the differences between location or character centric games.

Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave.

Find us on Twitter (@st_conclave) – Instagram (st_conclave)
Support the show by joining our Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/StorytellerConclave

Or find our older episodes at Https://Storytellerconclave.com

Player-Assisted World Building

August 26, 2021Storyteller Conclave7thsea, dice, dnd5e, dungeonmaster, Dungeonsanddragons, DungeonWorld, gamemaster, MagpieGames, miniatures, PoweredbytheApocalypse, roleplaying, roleplayinggame, rpgs, shadowrun, storyteller, tabletop, tabletopgaming, ttrpg, UrbanShadows, whitewolf, World Building, worldofdarknessstoryteller-conclave

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:41 — 27.8MB)

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Players often come to the table with ideas of where their characters came from. But not all systems have good ways to include this for the Storyteller, or even how much they should accept. Sara and Rob will carve out some of the tools that various systems use as well as some guidelines you may wish to include yourself when allowing players to help craft the world.

Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave.

Find us on Twitter (@st_conclave) – Instagram (st_conclave)
Support the show by joining our Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/StorytellerConclave

Or find our older episodes at Https://Storytellerconclave.com