Why Stories Rock!

[Catavarie]

Yeah, I know what to say, but not how. Its really bugging, when you have a good idea, you know it's a good idea, anybody you could explain it to would say it was a good idea, but you find yourself saying "So, um, well, uh, yeah..."

Use Word association to help get you thoughts out on paper, or if the idea revolves around an object try drawing the object to get teh creative juices flowing, and if you do have a friends that doesn't play in your group use them as a sounding board to bounce ideas off of and the help you figure out how to explain the ideas better.

 

[derbacher]

Well, I think the story that "develops" out of the game is great. I don't write stories for my players. I give them a framework, tell them what the situations are, and let them go from there. The story just sort of takes care of itself.

Fer instance:
Three plot hooks out there. 1. rescue the kidnapped son of the local cleric. 2. Explore the ancient ruin at the southern end of the country. 3. Spy mission for the local Baron who's trying to overthrow the king.

The story goes whichever way the PCs take it, and the rest continues to happen without them. If they rescue the kid, not much happens with the ruin, and the Baron sends another (inept) party to complete his mission. If they work for the Baron, the kid dies. (Yes it's cruel, but them's the breaks.) If they search the ruin for treasure, both other events happen, and maybe more depending on how long they are gone. The Baron may be brought before the king on charges of treason, the cleric may have gone mad with grief, who knows?

These were simplistic examples I know, but still applicable. That's the beauty of letting the story develop. It surprises me as much as the players sometimes.

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Mission continues.