Storyteller Conclave

We talk about plots, campaigns, and story beats but when it comes right down to it you sit down to have an adventure. What is an adventure, how does it fit into the story, and how do you design one? This week Rob and Sara will break down designing an adventures framework Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Listen to us on your favorit...

Rob’s games tend to be wrapped in mystery, filled with political intrigue, and deep fried in cinematic feel. Ever wanted to know how it gets built? What makes their doom clock tick? Well this week is your lucky chance. Rob will be breaking down his games and giving you a glimpse behind the screen.   Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-concl...

Murder to lost children, political truths and campy old people scaring kids off their property as monsters, mysteries have been part of stories. But in TTRPG storytelling your players have to figure it out on their own. This week Rob and Sara review the Do’s and Don’ts when writing and telling TTRPG mystery stories. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/story...

Your family has been in this community for three generations. Serving the community food and hospitality. All the while managing a business and racism…oh and protecting people from the jiangshi! This week Sara and Rob are spotlighting a narrative heavy system where “combat is limited, but horror, drama and sometimes comedy” may be your best weapons. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm...

PLOT – A short word with big meaning, in TTRPGs! Writing plots can be the hardest part for any new Storyteller. How do you strike the balance between railroading and sandbox? Writing a hook vs writing a book? This week, Sara & Rob examine Writing Plots in our Storytelling 101! Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Find us on T...

Players are crafty and can pretty much make anything you give them into an “ultimate weapon”. We have all heard the tales of something simple becoming game changing. But is that the fault of the item? Or a fault at all? This week, Sara and Rob will be discussing the pro’s and con’s of magic items and how they can “destroy games”   Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http:/...

Tabletop gaming has always been a social event. Bringing friends together, telling stories, laughing and finding the right level of tension. But somewhere along the way we added other things, maybe it was just Crown Royal bags being good for starter dice bags. Have we gone too far? Is there a place for it? Or should we just avoid it all together because it impacts the story. This week Rob and Sara...

This month’s System Spotlight will take you into Tolkien’s world of Eriador in the Third Age. The One Ring (second edition) is a RPG based on The Hobbit™ and The Lord of the Rings™, Free League Publishing. Join Rob & Sara as they uncover its secrets, truths, and delve into the darkness of Mordor. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-con...

So, you are heading into session zero, but what guidelines and rules do you set forth to your players? Do you limit what books, resources, or classes they can choose? Is it ok to say “no”? This week Sara & Rob will discuss the player’s role in this Storytelling 101 episode. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Find us on Twit...

As a Storyteller, it’s your job to create challenges for players, give them opportunities to succeed. But when the character fails a check, flubs a roll, or takes an approach that (although successful) shouldn’t feel like a win, we are often at a loss to handle it without disappointment. This week, Sara and Rob talk about the hidden gem of consequences and the fine art of failing forward. Li...

What goes on behind the screen? Where does she get her ideas? What issues has she struggled to resolve? This week, Sara talks in-depth about her own campaign, to “pop the hood” and give a glimpse inside. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Find us on Twitter (@st_conclave) – Instagram (st_conclave) Support the show by join...

Take care of your players, don’t write too much, have lots of NPC names at the ready, and take good notes! With all we have to do as Storytellers it can be hard to remember it all. This week Rob and Sara help by breaking down what steps you can take to make good Storytelling habits feel routine. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Fin...

Continuing the “Child Adventure” genre of systems, this month’s system spotlight is on Kids On Bikes by Renegade Games. In the spirit of Goonies and Stranger Things, your characters are everyday people grappling with strange, terrifying, and very, very powerful forces that they cannot defeat, control, or even fully understand. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixl...

There are hundreds of good TTRPG systems out there. Is the story more tactical, or narrative, and what degrees of verisimilitude to have? So how do you narrow down the list of what to use for YOUR new campaign? This week Sara and Rob break down what to consider, how to weigh it, and make sure your players’ needs are kept in the decision making process when you pick the right system. Listen t...

Popularized by movies in the 80s, the “Child Adventure” genre is all about bringing youthful and childlike exploration to strange circumstances: Goonies, Stranger Things, even Scooby-Doo! This week, Sara & Rob examine the Child Adventure genre, and what TTRPGs exist to help. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Find us...

TTRPGs can feature violent themes, as most involve combat in some form. Some stories can focus on the violence as a topic or theme, telling stories of murder and horror! This week, Sara & Rob discuss how to handle violent and gritty themes with everyone’s comfort in mind. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Find us on Twitte...

The year is 3200 and mankind’s empire lies in ashes. The Jump Gates fell six hundred years ago, severing the links between the myriad worlds of the human diaspora. This week our System Spotlight shines on Stars Without Number, an old-school-inspired game of sci-fi adventure. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Find us on Twitter...

The game system you tell your story with can be a harder choice than you’d think! How do you choose a system that gives you the tools to tell your story to the fullest, but is also accessible to your players? The game system also greatly informs how your players interact with the story you’re telling. This week, Rob & Sara discuss choosing the right system for your game. Listen to us liv...

Have you ever played Monopoly and made someone pay rent while maniacally laughing? Or explained how your town was invading the lands of another in Catan? Is this “Roleplaying”? Rob & Sara spend this week’s episode talking about the line between playing a game and playing a role. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Find us on...

Running a game is a lot like hosting a party. It’s your job as the storyteller to set the room, serve up tasty treats, and make sure the party is lively, but also to ensure the comfort of your guests. This week Sara and Rob dive into what it means to take care of your players. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Find us on Twitt...

Mouse Guard is a pseudo-medieval setting about an order of anthropomorphic mouse rangers. Powered by the Burning Wheel system, it gets players right into action and narrative at the same time. Rob and Sara have been active in a Mouseguard campaign and are bringing into the System Spotlight this week Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave ....

Movies, books, stories and songs give inspiration for games. Whether it is a whole new world or a new spin on an existing story, there is that moment where we ask “what if”? Sara and Rob start the monthly “Storytelling 101” series on campaign creation with their own ideas, shelved campaigns, and stories they are hoping to tell. 101 is designed to help brand new storytellers get started...

2021… what a year… is it really over already? Enjoy a casual evening with Sara and Rob as they close out 2021. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Find us on Twitter (@st_conclave) – Instagram (st_conclave) Support the show by joining our Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/StorytellerConclave Please join us on Discord, to submit questi...

As this Wednesday (December 29th) is our last recording of 2021, we are inviting ALL of our listeners to join us in the live chat. To participate you need to join our Discord server before Wednesday night at 5pm EST. We will then be broadcasting on MixLR live at 7pm EST.

Laser swords & magic on the bridge of a starship. A daring battle between two sailing ships 4k feet above a rocky canyon. Shifty characters in a dim bar, betting their ships on a distant planet. This week Rob & Sara crack into multigenre settings & interesting themes. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Find us on Twitter...