What is Narrating?

In this case, a narrator is in reference to a role in tabletop roleplaying games. A narrator, also known as a game master (GM) or dungeon master (DM) in some games, is the person responsible for running a pen and paper game session for an RPG like Mystica Eterna. The goal of a narrator is two-fold. To tell a story, but also to bring the world to life. There are two parts of a session, the design and the delivery. You have to build a story to be able to tell it. How to tell the story has a great impact on fun and lasting impressions.

Designing a story:

Story design for any medium is no different, and everyone has a story to tell. The key is unlocking it. Start with concepts, use life experiences, books, and movies writing down as many ideas as possible, none of it needs to be related. Concepts to focus on are a few key characters, setting and conflict. With characters, having at least one with a strong or over-the-top personality can make a story more memorable. For the setting, the game core rulebook or related support materials should cover the bulk of the work. For example: Mystica Eterna provides a complete 1920’s setting in an alternate world with governments, organizations, key figures, creatures, and sample NPCs.

Outline key events and avoid writing events just for the sake of the event itself. Think about causation in every interaction; If this happened, then the response would be… It can help to start with the end first, what will be the big built up encounter, or the climactic turn of events, or pinnacle of strife? Next, create the hook by referencing the ending, what catalyst spurs the players into action? Filling in the space between can involve meeting key characters, reaching milestones or goals, or aggressive encounters.

Knowing your audience is important as well. Cater to your player’s tastes, playstyles and interests. This also means keeping the content rating appropriately within the preferences of all the players. If you aren’t sure, check with them regarding themes and what they are comfortable with, and never assume.

Telling a story:

How can you convey a story, especially if you’re not a storyteller at heart? Use a standard narrative perspective, describe the scene and provide the context. When representing non-playable characters (NPCs), the first choice is to speak as the NPC directly to the players.. This is the most immersive option but requires a bit of acting to convey emotion and personality. In this manner the narrator portrays nuanced behavior rather than describes it. This method can birth amazing recurring characters, including villains, allies, and random crazy encounters. Interaction example: "You see the shopkeeper, who already looks nervous seeing you enter. He looks up, (narrator uses a gruff voice) "How may I help you?" (the narrator keeps looking over their shoulder with a worried expression on their face). This mixed perspective approach isn't for everyone, which is why there is a second method.

The second way to narrate is to stay in the narrative perspective. When describing an NPCs actions the descriptions continue into conversations. The previous shopkeeper example encounter is a bit different now. "You see the shopkeeper, who already looks nervous seeing you enter. As he looks up he states in a gruff voice ' how may I help you?'. You see him intermittently looking over his shoulder behind him. You see a worried and nervous expression on his face.

This same sort of option goes for the players as well. Some may not feel comfortable speaking in the first person for their proxy, this is fine, however, the narrator should always address the player directly as if they are the proxy character themselves and reference the proxy name. For example, the player Tracey has the proxy named Nell, and interacting may look something like, "Nell, the shopkeeper walks around the back of the counter and across the room towards you". This is far more immersive than "Tracy, the shopkeeper walks around the back of the counter and across the room towards your proxy. The second one creates a distance between the player and the game, which becomes a silent but constant reminder they are playing a game.

Regardless of narration style there is a good bit of improvising involved in running a tabletop pen and paper game since your players won't always follow your plan, or the story. A good narrator can adjust the story and keep it in front of the player's new choices. In this way, the gameplay feels more organic and the players feel more involved in the story. All odysseys and adventures should expect to be roughly followed if players decide to make decisions that are not presented by the narrator. Do not sternly guide the party, but rather adjust your delivery instead; This does take practice to get right.

Let the players lead, but you set the pace. Keep events and encounters flowing into the next and avoid too many lulls. If event’s change, respond by altering your key scenes and moving them to follow the player’s decisions. Locations, and even characters may change, but the story can still continue. Be sure to take breaks and schedule future sessions to wrap up uncompleted stories.

Freedom in pen and paper games is everything. As mentioned before, it is very important not to guide the players too heavily and never tell a player what actions their character takes (barring mind control or similar actions out of their control). You don’t want to take away autonomy or restrict actions beyond keeping to physics and the limitations of a character’s statistics. If a player asks if they can do something, gently remind them they have to try to find out rather than give an approximate likely outcome.

Bringing the world to life:

Running a gameplay session involves setting the scene and describing the environment. Describe sweeping views, wonderful or odd smells and glances and looks from people. Describe texture and taste, convey weight through interactions with objects when appropriate. Be careful in going into too much detail, you’ll only inadvertently draw the players attention to the environment itself slowing or altering the flow of the story. Find images that match to help convey a scene. The use of props can also draw immersion and can symbolize ownership of important items. Anything to help the players forget they are playing a game, if only for the briefest of moments.

The most powerful way to bring a world to life is through the characters the players encounter, the NPCs. Distinctive mannerisms, colloquial phrasing, odd ticks, unique clothing or equipment, commanding or meek presences can all be described or portrayed directly by the narrator. Quirky and fun-loving types tend to be enjoyed more, but the dark and brooding have their place. Accents and altering your voice is a fantastic way to bring even more to a character’s portrayal. This is something professional book narrators often excel at and is a great talent to cultivate for storytelling.

For further immersion use callback events, and reference the players actions. Create the appropriate amount of preceding reputation based on the player’s actions recalling their deeds and reminding them of the problem they are seeking to restore or overcome. You can use these moments to inject foreshadowing. The same thing can be done with characters, recurring characters add familiarity and continuity to the game while giving more opportunity for character growth from the NPCs. This creates richness and depth to the story and even allows for subplots within the overarching plot. If you are planning on a series of stories, often referred to as a campaign, recalling events and returning characters are imperative for continuity and interweaving narratives.

Next time you find yourself leading a group in an epic adventure, a thrilling murder mystery, or political intrigue I hope you think of all ways to immerse your players and drive more experiences with lasting memories.

For those looking for a new inspired RPG experience, consider exploring Mystica Eterna. A simple, yet powerful tabletop RPG system with a unique but familiar world ready for adventure!

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