How do you tell the story?

[Allanon]

So what kind of DM are you? How do you descibe the actions, get you're PC's to imagine the situation?

Below are the descriptions for every option.

The Actor: You roleplay every NPC and Monster, miming their actions and making up voices and you're own soundeffects. Gaming with you is like going to a theater performance.

The Storyteller: You tell it from a 3rd person perpective, You describe actions, facial expressions and sounds. You're discriptions are rich, using the english (or other) language to it's fullest. Gaming with you is like reading a good fantasy novel.

The Director: You tell the basics and keep discriptions clean, using handouts, mini's, pictures, soundeffects and gaming music to set the atmosphere. Gaming with you is like being in a Hollywood movie.

Other: You're completely different, you for example use thought projections to really take people into you're fantasy world or you're so bloomin' rich you just buy a Holodeck to really get into character.

 

[hong]

Mostly storyteller, although I'll use actor for interaction with significant NPCs. I try not to be OTT when it comes to florid language, though.


Hong "only florid on UNseboards" Ooi

 

[Mark]

I use some combination of all of the above and it often has as much to do with the particular group as it does the story. I think well-played NPCs especially helps for the immersion of the players into their characters, though.

 

[Henry]

I prefer director, but sometimes lapse to storyteller because I'm not that great of a director.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

About 50% director, 40% Actor and 10% Storyteller (usually when PCs are witness to two NPCs interacting or some such).

 

[Tonguez]

Storytelling Actor - I consider the Major NPCs to be DM PCs and so treat them as such. (and yes to be fair I do allow multiple PCs per player - I even let players describe interactions with minor PCs)

 

[The Cardinal]

Actor/Storyteller

 

[Lars Frehse]

I am "other". All I ever do is this:

1. I say with a dead-pan voice:" X {insert monstername here} attack you. Roll initiative".

2. We roll some dice until the battle is over.

3. Loot gets distributed

4. If necessary the people who died roll new characters.

5. Goto 1.


And we do this until it's 8pm- then we actually do something else. I distribute EPs, my players congratulate me on what a cool DM I am and I tell them that they are fantastic roleplayers in return. Then we say goodbye until we meet again next sunday.

PS: I bet you are all desperate to read my storyhour now! You can even do that by clicking on the link in my signature!

 

[John Crichton]

Half Director. Half Actor. All Geek.

I love putting on a show for the players. I act out all the NPC's (with very minor exceptions), use a ton of music, lots of description of what it going on (smells, sounds, important sights) and when appropriate use handouts. For important conflicts I like to set the stage with as many props as I can but this is rare. Not many players have even gotten to that point (at least in the current group). Okay, maybe a bit more actor than director...

 

[orbitalfreak]

Over-the-top Actor/Director. I use (or plan to use in the next campaign) a lot of handouts, pictures, and such. I draw out my maps on 1" grid paper, having maps that are 3'x4' has a nice effect at the table.

As for the Actor part, I use lots of voices, and love giving a Scottish/Dwarven speech. Monologues are B-Movie over the top performances, usually cut short by an irate archer in the party though.

I do a little bit of storytelling, but it mostly supplements either the Actor or Director part, not really existing as a stand-alone part of my DM'ing style.