As always, I believe in the story-first approach. By focusing on the story when writing and running D&D, we create the best game and have the most fun. However, there’s a problem with this: my players don’t know the story, and they don’t always do what I need them to. In this article, I’ll talk about some techniques and tools needed to effectively run our tables and tell our stories.
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Whenever I talk to people about this, I hear the phrase “…collaborative storytelling”; that the GM and the players are both driving the story. I agree with this in principle, but the devil is in the details. Or, in this case, it’s the number of chefs in the kitchen.
A story is a narrative arc with a beginning, a middle, and an end. “Collaborative storytelling” implies that the players and the GM have nearly the same level of input into the story. But the players don’t know the whole story, so they can’t collaborate on the story’s arc. If we rely too heavily on player collaboration, we lose the ability to plan that arc. And if we don’t plan the story’s arc, we won’t have a story on which to collaborate.
Clearly the GM is not the sole owner of the story. I don’t own the entire story because it couldn’t happen without the players. After all, I’m not writing a book. But they aren’t “collaborators” because if they have equal control of the story, they can drive it places I’m not prepared to go.
Players are indispensable to stories, but the GM is responsible for making sure the story happens. To do that, a GM needs to be assertive and take control when needed.
Be Assertive.
If I had to give GMs a single piece of advice, it would be this: be assertive.
As the GM, you are the referee of the rules, the director of the action, and the guardian of the narrative. These are your responsibilities, and nothing happens without your approval. This is the unspoken agreement when a group plays; you should use it to improve the story.
The most important way to do this to say, “No.” Many GMs fall into the trap of always acceding to their players, to the detriment of their games. The game needs boundaries, and the GM must enforce them. Don’t be afraid to deny your players something if it is unreasonable or will break the story.
The easiest and most effective way is to flat-out tell them, “No.”
For example, if the party is speaking with a monarch, the Bard may try a quick seduction roll to score what they want. You know this is impossible because the monarch doesn’t know the Bard and is strictly faithful. You also know you want the party to negotiate so you can deliver some information. As GM, you should tell the Bard, “No, that’s not going to work. And if you try it, you might get arrested or even killed.”
This also works if your players decide to explore parts of the world that aren’t developed. If the party wants to go South, but everything you’ve prepared for the story is to the north, you need to tell them, “No.” I usually say, “Sorry, that’s outside the scope of this adventure,” and we drive on.
Your NPCs are another way to be assertive. They should also be characters, with motivations, desires, and goals of their own, and these may run counter to those of your players. Your NPCs should act reasonably in their own self interests. Don’t let the players abuse your NPCs while the players do whatever they want.
The example I see most often happens when the players are taking a job from an NPC. “Alright,” the NPC says, “I’ll give you fifty gold each for the work.” Inevitably, a player will demand a higher wage. It might be reasonable for the NPC to raise the bid if the NPC low-balled the first offer. It’s also likely the NPC will rescind the offer and tell the party to go away. Don’t be afraid to do things like that.
One quick thing about being assertive: don’t be passive-aggressive. Don’t waste everyone’s time when the difficulty check is impossibly high and say, “Yeah, you can try that. Go ahead and roll,”. Just tell the player “No” and move on.
Bring it up to the meta-level.
When there isn’t a good in-game reason that a character can’t do something, you talk to the player. If a character goes in a direction the story wasn’t built to handle, you need to be comfortable saying, “sorry, but that’s outside the scope of this adventure.” This acknowledges that the characters could go that way, but not tonight.
Or, “oh, okay. If you want to go that way, no problem, but I’m not prepared for it tonight. I’ll get a session together for it next time.” Now you can work in the player’s idea, but on your terms. You have time to adapt your story, plan a completely new story, or do nothing with it at all. But, you have time to give the story precedence over the in-the-moment whims of the player.
Another time to use a meta-level approach is if your players are not engaging with the story. If the players refuse to bite on the hooks, rather than allowing them to flounder, break the game and talk to them. I usually say, “If you don’t follow up on this lead, we’re out of adventure for the night. I can prep something different for next time, but this is what I have tonight.”
It’s possible the players didn’t recognize the hooks. But, if they’re just ignoring them, it’s likely they just don’t want to play tonight. No big deal; it happens. Pack up your GM gear and bust out the boardgames.
Everyone prefers an immersive experience. But if there’s a problem, you sometimes need to break into the meta-level. Ultimately, we’re a group of people playing a game; you need to be comfortable talking to directly to your players as players.
Be clear.
The last topic in this article is clarity. While players do not have the all the information you do, they must have all the information they need. This information is in two broad categories: informed decisions and clear guidance.
When your players are making an important decision, they need have and understand all the available information. That is your job. If they seem to have missed or misunderstood something crucial, talk to them directly and get them back on track. There’s no need to trick them by keeping something to yourself. We’re telling a story together; it’s not the GM vs. the players.
It’s very unlikely that you will wreck the story if the players understand the consequences of a big decision. A well-built decision point gives the players two more-or-less equal options, even if the details differ. You might as well be up front and clear, and tell them what’s at stake.
Does the party risk death getting a horde of treasure from a dragon, or do they seek help to kill the dragon knowing they’ll have to split the reward? Should the party allow a trusted NPC to die so that they can catch the antagonist, or should the party save the NPC and let the antagonist escape and perhaps kill more people? In these examples, there’s no good reason to hide the consequences from the players, tell them the likely results. This will give them the information they need to make an informed decision.
Clear GM guidance is a key to running a successful table. The players don’t know as much as you know, so make their situation and immediate goals clear. If your players are uncertain or confused, clarify for them and get them back on track. An aimless session feels long and boring. We have a story to tell; we can’t waste that kind of time
Sometimes players are too timid or over analyze decisions. If the party is concerned with the dangers of a choice, remind them that adventuring is dangerous and ask for a decision. If their discussion points are being revisited, stop them and force a decision. I might say, “Okay, everyone stop. It sounds like there are three options on the table: the fighter’s approach, the wizard’s idea, or what the NPC suggested. Pick one and let’s keep moving.” Often, this is all the players need to break the cycle and make a decision.
The ability to keep a table moving is key to making sessions fast and fun, keeping your players engaged, and your stories progressing. This comes down to your ability to be assertive and apply a few skills. Now you have them, go be better.
As always, I encourage you to send your questions, comments, and hate mail to our GMW Academy mail box: academy@legendarypants.net
