Questions tagged [story]
For questions about the sequence of events that take place in the fictional environment within a roleplaying game.
172
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How do I retrain myself to see characters as people and not systems?
Background
Some of my previous questions (see What should I do when other players refuse to engage with my character's flaw? and Excessively clever characters vs. narrativist RP?) have alluded to ...
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5
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4
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How do I help players engage with plot despite giving me no good background hooks?
Two of my players are very excited about the game ("Super-Assassins Take On the Mafia, Ancient Evil") and made backgrounds with lots of good hooks I can use to tie them into the plot. The other two ...
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33
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7
answers
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What to do when a great idea comes too soon?
As a GM, often a fantastic ending to a campaign comes to me before I start it. In the Star Wars universe, I picture the heroes stealing a Star Destroyer from the Empire or, in D&D, I picture the ...
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1
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0
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186
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Do you share your story titles with players? [closed]
I've started to taking to naming my stories, even for no other purpose than record keeping. However I've been thinking about sharing the names of the stories with the players.
If you do it do before ...
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20
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2
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How can a DM brighten the mood?
Sometimes a story can turn away from its original direction and take on a darker tone, what is a good approach to lightening the mood?
As a new DM, I started a Pathfinder campaign a year ago with a ...
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15
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5
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2k
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How can a DM restore an over-scaled, out of control campaign?
My game system is pathfinder but the setting is entirely of my own creation, with a group that is largely interested in the role-playing aspects of the game; when it's more dynamic to wave away strict ...
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-3
votes
1
answer
205
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How do I manage to handle many villian organizations on an already NPC filled game? [closed]
I'm running a super powers (anime style) campaign with friends, we've just begun and we want to keep the anime "vibe" alive for as long as we can, since Japanese Animation shows make use of several ...
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19
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4
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How can I recognise when a Scene should be skipped?
There is a mode of thought that says RPGs should be like a movie or a TV show.
We don't give screen time to the boring stuff.
I had a scene play out where the players had to let a NPC know they were ...
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10
votes
10
answers
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How to deal with a character that does not fit my plot?
I am running a campaign in 4e, in which everyone is very very new, including myself. I have played a bit, but this is my first time DMing.
I have a Warlord PC who does not work with my overarching ...
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3
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2
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744
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How can I prepare unique locations for my sandbox, when I don't know which unique locations my group will travel to? [duplicate]
I'm making a sandbox campaign using 5e to run a post apocalyptic fantasy Tokyo adventure, so each main location is known to the players and I can't just put in random encounters. Those locations need ...
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67
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13
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As a GM, how can I stop killing my games?
Probably the worst issue I have as a Game Master is that I think of a game, I write a campaign plot for it -- End, Beginning and Middle, get hyped, hype my players, and after 2 months I get bored with ...
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11
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5
answers
1k
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How to follow up the adventure if the party split?
In the last session, the party I'm DMing got into a great fight against the spirit of the valley (a big dire wolf). In the heat of the fight the cleric was bitten to the point that he dropped to 0 hp (...
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3
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Can Asmodeus' AD&D and 3.5e backgrounds be merged without losing anything?
I was originally planning to make Asmodeus the ultimate bad guy of an upcoming campaign I am DMing, but when I discovered the background in AD&D's Guide to Hell I was immediately sold on the ...
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5
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3
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391
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How can I optimize storytelling for a Pathfinder game with a party group in flux
The group that I game with has been falling one by one. Life happens I understand this happens. However there is now only 1 character(Myself) and the DM and while we have fun it would be more fun with ...
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9
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3
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When designing a campaign plot, how can I test it for complexity?
I am creating plot threads for my ongoing science fiction campaign. I know my players pretty well and they do like a well interwoven set of plots. I want to make sure that the plot threads I am ...
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1
answer
138
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Recommendations for plots featuring div/daeva conspiracy to destroy civilization [closed]
I'm putting together a plot in a Pathfinder RPG campaign where divs (aka daevas) are orchestrating the downfall of civilization. I'm trying to set it up so that evil is working indirectly, by ...
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41
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10
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Is there a plausible explanation for a large number of armed adventurers in a fantasy RPG setting?
I'm working on a Dungeons & Dragons setting. I'm looking for a comprehensive and logical explanation why, in a feudal society similar to Western Europe in the Middle Ages, there might be bands of ...
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11
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9
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4k
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How can I avoid focusing too much on one player character?
Currently in the game I'm running, one of my players is constantly excited about the game. Outside of the game, he writes pages and pages of material about his character, and consistently adds new ...
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14
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7
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How can I encourage my players to give me plot hooks?
Related: How can I help a player craft a backstory that gives me plot hooks?
This question is about generating new plot hooks during play, rather than part of character generation, however.
I prefer ...
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42
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15
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7k
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How can I help a player craft a backstory that gives me plot hooks?
I have a new player joining my game soon who has taken the place of another player. Unfortunately, the character's backstory is lacking.
It doesn't tell me a lot about the character. Because I draw ...
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4
votes
3
answers
2k
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What would it take for Pelor to abandon a paladin?
I am specifically running a D&D 4e game and am tossing around story ideas to incorporate an old character of mine as a guest star. A brief history of the character is that he is a dwarf who ...
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1
vote
3
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Monster suggestion for character backstory (AD&D 2e)
I'm writing up an elf assassin's backstory and I'd like input on what sort of monsters fit the situation I've put the PC in.
He is in the employ of a lord, living in Suzail, capital of Cormyr in ...
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What fantasy adventures with rich descriptions are out there? [closed]
Me and my partner are playing Steve Jackson's Sorcery for the iPad together at the moment. It's her first rp experience of any kind and she's loving it! So I'm thinking I might DM something for her ...
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23
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5
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Sometimes, losing a big conflict is the better plotline. For D&D, how do you encourage this result?
It is practically an old adage that D&D parties will never let a fight end in a loss (short of a TPK.) And that the game mechanics (especially later editions) encourage this thinking.
But ...
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16
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9
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Too many divergent side quests. What do I do?
I'm running a D&D 4e campaign taking place in Forgotten Realms (in 3e timeframe as I'm more familiar with it). My plan for the campaign was for the group of PCs to arrive in Waterdeep, where, as ...
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What is the established story/lore of Infernals and their realm in the IKRPG?
I'm contemplating running a campaign with the new IKRPG that may or may not end up (way down the line) confronting some Infernal creatures, possibly even on their home turf. What information is ...
- 1,101
18
votes
3
answers
4k
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How to run time-limited one shots
I and some friends are determined to try for this winter running only one-shots.
rotating the GM for each one
different characters each time
the adventure must be completed in a single session
one ...
- 4,149
34
votes
7
answers
2k
views
Using a Time-Skip as a Plot Device
In the game that I'm currently running, the PCs have traveled to the Realm of the Fae to gather information on their (im)mortal enemy, a Lich. When they emerge from the Fae Realm, I was planning on ...
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32
votes
10
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5k
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How can I fool my players into being pawns for the villain?
Concept
I want to get a generally benevolent party to unwittingly further the villain's motives. More than parcel delivery - I'd like to tap into their sense of right/wrong, justice, vigilantism, ...
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14
votes
6
answers
1k
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Running a campaign alternating GMs every session
The group with which I usually roleplay has a consistent problem: someone will say "Hey, I want to run a campaign in X system with Y setting." Everyone will make characters (which can take quite a ...
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4
votes
2
answers
441
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Giving the PCs good reasons enter a dungeon camped by a enemy army (Rescue at Rivenroar)
This question is specifically for the module "Rescue at Rivenroar", but it's applicable to any dungeon-crawl with the following premise - the antagonists have just attacked a village/town, and have ...
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54
votes
12
answers
6k
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How can a GM prevent growing disillusioned with their own game?
I recently began a new game in which I gave the players much more free reign in designing their characters than I might have in the past. What I wound up with was a very morally-diverse party, with ...
- 3,474
8
votes
3
answers
1k
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How to develop arcs for player characters
If you've got a vague idea for an overall plot arc, how do you go about developing individual plot arcs for player characters (if that's something you do)?
I'm running two Savage Worlds campaigns, ...
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3
votes
2
answers
3k
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How should a DM recover from major player plot derailment? [duplicate]
Raj Got Stuck in the Crystal
I’m a relatively new DM, and I ran into an issue with my group recently that I think I could have handled better. For our campaign, I designed a world where the continent ...
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4
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How can I fix the Slaying Stone's premise?
I'd like to know how people have fixed the Slaying Stone premise hole: You have to go find a stone in a town overrun with orcs, goblins and a dragon, but:
It only works near Gorizbadd
It ...
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24
votes
7
answers
2k
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How do I fix this plot hole?
I started my zombie apocalypse campaign in a rather low-budget and low-powered way, mostly to avoid having flame throwers and incendiary grenades be the go-to solution for zombie hordes. When the PCs ...
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1
vote
1
answer
293
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What use is a car, with no infrastructure? [closed]
I've got an idea that's not fully formed yet, kicking around in my head. I'm trying to set up a modern character who ends up stuck in a fantasy setting. Through plot-relevant forces, he was abducted ...
- 833
3
votes
9
answers
1k
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PC in chains, planned myself into a corner
In a game I'm hosted, the PC (there's only one) has just gotten captured by the enemy. This was part of a plan to give his NPC buddy some major characterization by the way she rescues him, but I've ...
- 1,571
8
votes
2
answers
645
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Reward distribution and story continuity with rotating players/GMs
There are some people who like to GM, and maybe even like it more than role playing themselves. If you have one of those rare specimen in your group consider yourself lucky. Others are not averse to ...
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37
votes
5
answers
2k
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How to get players to be curious and ask questions?
I have recently noticed that my players don't really try to find out much about the world and story beyond the direct "what do we see?" I want to have them interact more with their environment and ...
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46
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5
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How does "failure" work in Dungeon World? How does it move the story forward?
I am having trouble understanding the specifics of failure in Dungeon World. According to the rules, a GM should "make a move" against players when they fail, and that's alright, I get that.
What I ...
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2
votes
2
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1k
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What is the relationship between minotaurs and dwarves?
I'm creating a minotaur barbarian and I want him to be wielding a Mordenkrad that slowly increases in magic level (DM permissible) I read in the description that the mordenkrad come from dwarven ...
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6
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What drives the plot for antiheroes?
I've been planning to run an pathfinder campaign of epic proportions spanning about a year in a high-fantasy world made by a friend. My original plan was:
The PCs steal an artifact of value and are ...
- 355
9
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4
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Plot granted special ability standards?
For the campaign in question, I'm running one person through a dungeon inspired by Vagrant Story. Clearly some things from the video game can't be emulated, and many of those are integral to the game: ...
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81
votes
16
answers
85k
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How do I get my players to form a party without just forcing them to?
I believe that it is generally a good thing that all the PCs travel together, as a "party". This way the GM has to manage one environment – not, say, five. The problem is how the GM can ...
- 4,149
13
votes
5
answers
592
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When the rules bog you down, how do you see past them?
Humans have a limited amount of working memory, and each of us has a different set of mental aptitudes and processes. I'm finding, personally, that the rules are so detailed and all-encompassing that ...
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How to determine how much plot guidance is too much? [closed]
I've played in many games that were extremely railroaded. There was basically only one feasible course of action and we, as players, were expected to take that route. (The GM would get very upset if ...
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19
votes
8
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3k
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How to transform a tragic hero into a villain? [closed]
First things first: let there be a tragic hero with some (yet undefined) personal characteristics. Let there also be a grim world, in which the stories take place (no fairies, knights in shining armor ...
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How to handle diverging expectations on "background density"?
After many years (try 15) of not GM'ing a group of my own, I recently made an attempt to return to the head of the table and shake off the rust. I have a gaming world of my own making prepared, which ...
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12
votes
3
answers
856
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What can I have the players do in my surreal horror scenario?
I'm gonna have the vast majority of my campaign take place in a large strange misty forest and I'm not gonna have any friendly human NPCs around too explain things.
Here is the premise:
After a ...
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