Objectively Moving the Story Forward
what is the objective measure of pushing a story forward in an enjoyable way? Pulling back the veil I realize in storytelling I realize the traditional scene is the GM…
Read more →Category: GMing
Emotional Labor in Games – High Will and Resolve Characters.
It was my wife and women in my life who had to explain to me the importance of just being Present and being able to listen. While most of my…
Read more →Reflection on Arcane and Notes on Storytelling
After getting out the Arcane Haze, how do I make a scene as emotionally involved without violence or a fight? scene: Kessler Syndrom – a cascading debris field in Low…
Read more →
2021-09-06
GMing
Today I Learned: Stars and Wishes.
8/22/2018 Stars and Wishes Today I learned about Stars and Wishes technique used to get feedback about the game so that there is an opportunity to develop and grow in…
Read more →GMing and Writing – Identify Stakeholder and Collect Requirements
Everyday I review my PMBOK with ANKI. I realize that Players are the Stakeholders – End Users of the TRPG. Applying PMBOK – thus we identify the players and what…
Read more →The paradox of Failure and Importance – some prethought strategies
In a TRPG there is a strange paradox where the higher the stakes, I expect a harder and harder roll. If I’m the GM, doesn’t that make players fail more…
Read more →World Building as we Play
There is more World Building Tools and Settings than the market can explore, learn, use, and share. That at this point everyone is making worlds and making tools to allow…
Read more →Methodology Upgrade: Formula, Definitions, Example, and Anki Deck
I updated the Gaming List document to be more actionable. Basically i now added a methodology section as to state how it go about it. My methodology improvement is inspired by…
Read more →80% Storytelling Techniques, and 20% system mechanics
Its easy to progress in Game mechanics since there are so many to learn, but the Collaborative Storytelling, Preparation, and Session Running seems to have a greater weight per Scene…
Read more →Session, Act, Scene, and Player Scene.
I’ve come to a better understanding of Pacing, Acts, Scenes and Player Scene after analysing my problem solving techniques, Odyssey – the Complete Guide to Campaign Management, Never Unprepared and having…
Read more →Collaborative Gamer’s Solo Campaign is a GMing Practice Session
I would recommend following +Collaborative Gamer‘s Solo Campaign as your GMing practice Session. Why and Ideas in relation to GMing Practice. With a Timer and Audio or Video recording device his Solo…
Read more →Running GURPS more Narratively
If you want to have less rolls, or probably no rolls as a GM in GURPS here are my notes. One roll per Player Scene. This is the design principle…
Read more →Updated the Game Mastering Technique Gdoc List
The Game Mastering Technique gdoc list is an Open List of Techniques drawing mostly from Storytelling, Rationality, and Productivity studies and strategies. Edit. This link should be automatically viewable. The Success…
Read more →Rationality Tools for Gaming: Thinking Fast and Slow Ch 21-23
Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman has been a strong influence in game design of late. Especially since I want to design the game to allow GMs and Player…
Read more →How Google’s research in Team Dynamics relates to your Game
Let me try to break this 5,000 word article to something easier. Note that I’m summarizing and simplifying its still worth checking out. As Game in the Brain – I…
Read more →It’s all about the agency
In historical settings, where status matters more, it just highlights the adaptability and agency of the character by how they work limitations and challenges. It also informs on their identity,…
Read more →Hangouts Updated 2016
Google System Requirements for Hangouts JUST VOICE 300kbps (kilobit) (35KBps or KiloByte/s) uploading just voice and downloading just 1 other participant for a total of 600kbps (70KBps) For every additional…
Read more →How I would have Done it – Some of my story telling rules
Some of the Story telling Rules I try to follow (with limits of my attention) that is applicable to games and writing I use for my games. As a logistics…
Read more →
2016-01-22
GMing
In Medias Res – Why can’t we just have all Action?
The Anime Hai to Gensou no Grimgar triggered this post. It was an experience which had promise at first but then failed right after (only 2 episodes ). The story…
Read more →GMing Technique: Minor Problems for Any Game System
The Minor Problem Technique is basically the GM thinking up of problems that the player overcomes without having to roll, but with having to make trade offs or detailing what…
Read more →GM Tools: The Pareto Principle
The Pareto Principle is the 80:20 Rule. What it means is that there are patterns in our everyday surroundings that occur with the 80:20 ratio. These patterns can be noticed…
Read more →Workload Rule-of-Thumb
A continuation from the Narrative Mass Combat notes on rules of thumb. This is Workload. a useful rule of thumb. In my studies its been very usable in many things…
Read more →Game Mastering and Playing: Framing in Opportunities part 1
I realized that identifying my own opportunities is the freedom and burden I look for in a game. The freedom to look for other paths, strategies, and to ask different…
Read more →Narrative Mass Combat Notes: Part 4 – Anthropometrics, Force Capacity, Land & Resources, and Mounts and Remounts
When i was playing airsoft I ended up using anthropometry more and more because that was the easiest to think about instead of recalling precise measures. In a combat where…
Read more →Narrative Mass Combat: Part 3 – Narrating a Scene
Narrative Combat. Natural Language and Playing out a Scene. Step 1: Pick a Style. The first place to get a style is to absorb the style of my favorite author.…
Read more →Back to basics : exploring the fears to enhance immersion
Fear in war should be better explored. There is Fear of the enemy, fear of… … the minor tyrants who use violence and coercion for men to fight a battle…
Read more →hypothesis: I game in the same manner I solve problems
In a discussion on different ways to run Mass Combat with a friend I realized that I cannot imagine how else to run Mass Combat because I can only run it…
Read more →Back to Basics: Listing GMing Techniques
I have a coping mechanism where I break down the mental routes I use and try to hack and analyze them. I can somewhat modify them and get them going…
Read more →Back to Basics Narrative Tool of Scaling; Definition – World Building Game Style?
Scope and Scale: Individual vs Individuals with organizations. If I were to look at the Novels and Stories I’m currently into, they are different from the stories that focus on…
Read more →Back to Basics – Each Session is a Unique Dialogue
Realizing Each Session as a Unique Dialogue is a new mnemonic/coping mechanism and tool for me. A session is not just a Game, but a Conversation where we deep dive…
Read more →