Hi everyone!

Wow, I’m still here and writing!  I decided to try out an approach where I would ask a question in social media to see what kind of content my readers would like to see in this newsletter.  There’s a review video, my biggest happy surprise of 2021, my thoughts on story twists as a GM, haul of the week, and weekly gaming report. Enjoy and leave a comment if you have any feedback or input on any content.  

DICE STEW VIDEO

Click on the link above to watch my video review on Ember and Ash’s excellent Trophy Dark adventure called “The Huntsman’s Feast” and let me know what you think!

BIGGEST HAPPY SURPRISE OF 2021

Someone asked me what was the biggest happy surprise of 2021… which is a great question and hard to answer!  The first one to pop in my head before I start overthinking would be Jay Dragon’s Sleepaway.  I ran that game over the summer and the players had a blast every time.  It’s an incredible storytelling game about group of camp counselors dealing with the brats… and a strange monster lurking.  No biggie right?  The most fascinating thing about the monster is that no one will roleplay it and must refer to it as if it’s somewhere out of sight.  The monster’s behavior will be interpreted by the players using a deck of playing cards.  Just a really unique mechanic.  The only thing against this game is that the book is a little challenging to read and understand exactly how to play the game.  It’s definitely not for people new to running storytelling RPGs  in my opinion.  However, it is still an amazing game due to unique mechanics and tools for collaborative storytelling.  This game will be in my regular summer games rotation.

GAMEMASTER PREP: STORY TWISTS

Everyone love a good story twist right?  Story twists are pretty challenging to pull off in RPG with right timing and good plot flow.  Some GMs might feel pressured to throw in a twist here and there in every campaign and/or one-shots.  Personally, I’ve learned over the years to not expect to put in a twist in every game I ran.  During my prep time I always reviewed the important factions and NPCs involved in the story and see where the players are plot wise.  If I noticed a good opportunity to introduce a story twist that will push the plot forward, then I’ll include it as an option in my session notes.  Session notes are the stuff I might use during the session such as potential NPCs to introduce, new locations, etc.

Good story twists are the ones that will push the plot forward and provide the players a new challenge to overcome.  What make a  good story twist is pretty much subjective, so what would work for one group might not work for another group.  I think a GM’s style play a role here.  For example, my style is to use the twists to push a certain faction’s plan forth and introduce a new problem for my group.  I never put in a twist for shock value alone.  Some people do love shock value and nothing is wrong with that.  I enjoy shock value sometimes but it’s never my main motivation.

Basically, take advantage of the NPCs, factions, and the players’ motivations to see where a story twist can be formed to be a device to push the plot forward.  That’s my approach as a GM.

HAUL OF THE WEEK

:: City of Mist starter box
:: Necronautilius
:: Abyss of Hallucinations (Mörk Borg adventure)
:: Exalted Funeral order: Eat the Rich, Mouth Brood, Glittering Hoard, and Crush Depth

WEEKLY GAMING

(note: all livestreamed sessions are in ASL)
Monday: Inverse World- I ran session 2 of IW and the party entered a weird “haunted” manor where they triggered a trap, convinced a dogfolk duo to guide them.

Inverse World Session 2

Tuesday: Oligarchy- Ran this Trophy Dark incursion for two players and they basically created a stars worshiping cult that grew so large that they got a TV deal but got killed on the set due to a betrayal by a co-founder’s sibling.  That was quite a ride!

Thursday: Spire Blood and Dust- Normally we play on biweekly Saturdays but last session was canceled due to a windstorm, so we played on Thursday night instead.  This session was INSANE!  Full of looting, fighting, threatening, and explosions!
Blood and Dust Episode 5

Cheers,

Jenna | Root