Tag Archives: roleplaying

Environmental Storytelling with Maps

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

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During this pandemic, many of us are turning to digital tools to continue telling our stories, and the use of digital maps has exploded! There are many great map-making tools available, but using them can be intimidating for those who lack artistic talent. Well, great news! Map making doesn’t require artistic talent! This episode, Sara and Rob discuss the map making tools that are available, and how ANY storyteller can best use those tools to make amazing looking maps with the power of environmental storytelling.

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

System Spotlight : Epyllion: A Dragon Epic

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

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As Magpie games describe it, “Along with your fellow dragons, you and your clutchmates will protect Dragonia from the Darkness and discover the true value of friendship.” Is it the “my little pony” of RPGs? Perhaps it is…but what is wrong with that? You are playing baby dragons and friendship is the key to making your characters’ magic work, but that doesn’t mean it’s just for little kids. Join Rob and Sara on a “magical” journey into the world of Epyllion.

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

Storyteller Burnout

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

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We all have times when we are not at our best. We finish a session, perhaps even on a good note, but days later just lose the drive to schedule the next. Or we approach the date for our next session and just don’t have the energy or state of mind to pull it together. This week Sara and Rob revisit ways to prepare and move beyond storyteller burnout. 

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

Digital Gaming : What we’ve learned

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

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To celebrate our 100th episode, Sara & Rob take a retrospective look at the last year of COVID lockdown, and what it has taught us about gaming in the digital age using online tools. Gaming online has been around for a while via services like Roll20, but with quarantine forcing everyone to exercise those options, it has certainly placed it more into the spotlight. We discuss what we’ve learned, what the pros and cons are, what our major take-aways are, and how it might affect our in-person gaming in the future!

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

Narrative flow

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:08 — 27.5MB)

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As storytellers we are presented with the task of designing a story that others will be helping write, where randomness and fate will come into play and alter the flow. The question is, how do you carve it up into sessions and episodes that your players can enjoy, and what do you put into each session to make it feel like a story? This week Sara and Rob will examine what it takes to make your game feel like each session fits a greater narrative flow.

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

Hunted by the Plot

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

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Typically, the Player Characters drive the plots of our Tabletop RPGs forward. And they should! The story is ABOUT them and their adventures, after all! The world should react to them and their choices accordingly. However, this isn’t always the case… Sometimes, the “hunters” become the “hunted,” and – for better or worse – the characters are put in a position to react to the plot happening TO them rather than BECAUSE OF them. Perhaps they’ve angered a powerful foe who now hunts them? Perhaps they’ve recovered a powerful item that the villain seeks to keep it from them? Or, perhaps even, our Player Characters are NOT the “good guys” in the story, and are sought by the law for their crimes! This week, Sara and Rob discuss how to handle a Reactive style of storytelling, and how it differs in narrative flow from the typical Proactive style of play.

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

System Spotlight: Legend of the 5 Rings

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:44 — 30.5MB)

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Legend of the 5 Rings by @FFGames has a long and storied past in the #TTRPG world. Starting in 1995 with both RPG and card game, it brings us to the world of Rokugan, a fantasy analogue to feudal Japan. Join Rob & Sara as we explore this complex game in another System Spotlight.

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

Episode Eulogy music:
Long Road Ahead by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/3996-long-road-ahead
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Dark Fantasy

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

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Storytelling is a tool as old as society itself, and has been used to convey all fashions of emotions, ideas, and lessons. For as long as we have been using stories to uplift, though, we have also told darker tales – of caution, of horror, and of triumph over primeval darkness. What is it that draws us to stories of Dark Fantasy? Do we see validation of our darker aspects in the stories? Do we crave a deeper malevolence to triumph over to make that victory more meaningful? Is it just plain fun to tell spoopy stories? This week, Sara & Rob delve into the genre of Dark Fantasy, to see what makes it tick, and to explore the options we have available to us in the TTRPG 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

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

Micromanagement of Resources

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

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Fantasy stories often ignore the small details. Does the archer run out of arrows? Does the fighter have to repair his armor after the 30th fight? And how big is the bag of ammo the twin submachine gun toting Troll is carrying? But the drama can come when the small things matter. Perhaps having one more arrow, or a few less holes, or being forced to use those guns as blunt objects of destruction. Micromanagement has its rewards and drawbacks. This week Sara and Rob discuss the finer details of managing the little things.

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

“Give them a Nuke,” a Discussion on Power and Consequences

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

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A shiny red button of ultimate destruction seems like a terrible idea, but is it? In this episode of StC, Sara and Rob explore what it means to give your players a single use item, something ultimately powerful but only once, and what it can mean for your story.

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