Storyteller Conclave

Tonight is our Listener Appreciation show. We hear all of our listener question on our Discord live chat and give away some fine gifts as a thank you for all of your support and community in this challenging 2020 year. 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 j...

One of the most iconic traditions in tabletop RPGs is getting treasure! But is “treasure” the only reward out there? What other forms of rewards can players & characters earn, and what can you do as a Storyteller if you give too much? This week, Rob & Sara discuss loot & rewards! Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Find us...

Not all role playing takes place at the table, with dice and paper. Some games are played in live-action, where the players act out the roles of their characters, and elaborate props and costumes are used. Live Action Role Playing (LARP) may differ significantly from TTRPGs, but at the core, we’re still telling compelling stories. Rob & Sara not only discuss the hoby, but share their own exper...

Savage Worlds is a heroic game system wrapped in simple but unique rules. Dice, cards, and tokens are all mixed together to create a fun, exciting, and quick to action system. This week Rob & Sara walk you through the in’s and out’s of Pinnacle Entertainment’s Savage Worlds. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave. Find us on Twitter (@...

As we close our mini-series on Encounter Design, Rob & Sara discuss… the rest. Out of scope Encounters! Perhaps your players made a bet and gambling is on the table. Or what seems like a simple stop becomes a battle of the bards. Sometimes you have the beginning and end of a plot but no middle, perhaps some encounters? This episode wraps the discussion and helps “fill the gaps&#822...

From Storyteller Conclave to all our listeners, we wish you a very happy (and safe!) Thanksgiving! We are very thankful for every one of you! This week, Sara & Rob discuss holidays in our games – From worldbuilding and history, to how they might be celebrated and why, to having festivals and games and treats for your characters to experience in-game. Listen to us live, every Wednesday ni...

Continuing our mini-series on Encounter Design, Rob & Sara delve this week into Puzzle Encounters! Do you need to walk on specific places to cross the trapped dungeon floor? Does the evil noble have an elaborate lock on his vault? Will the sphinx only answer your question after you’ve solved it’s riddles three? Using puzzles can add a dimension of fun to your game that simple combat and intrig...

“Powered by the Apocalypse” is a TTRPG system created in 2010 for the game Apocalypse World, but later adapted to other games such as Dungeon World, Monsterhearts, and Urban Shadows. It features narrative gameplay with heavy player collaboration. This week, Rob & Sara delve into what makes PbtA unique with another of their System Spotlights. If you are interested in Urban Shadows, check out th...

Continuing our mini-series on Encounter Design, Rob & Sara delve this week into Random Encounters! Are you grossly underprepared for the current story and need “filler”? Did you forget to give them an important plot item and now you need someone to drop it conveniently? Is there a bit of drama between the players and it needs to bubble to the surface? All of these can seem random, but are they...

We often associate Tabletop RPGs with dice, paper, and pencils. Some of us also include miniatures, terrain, and other visual aids. But how much further can you take the immersion of physical objects in your storytelling? This week, Sara & Rob discuss the utility of using props in your storytelling, as well as some of the do’s and don’ts. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at...

Continuing our mini-series on Encounter Design, Rob & Sara delve this week into Extended and Environmental Encounters! Winter winds whip up a snow storm on the way to Vardburg, the sun beats down on the makeshift raft as you slowly drift at sea, or perhaps you need to scale the Dragons Peak to find the lost temple of the eye! Pre-show tracks by Arcane Anthems : All These Dice (All My Life Paro...

Beginning as a miniatures combat game, and expanding into one of the most recognizable franchises in gaming, BattleTech has certainly made its mark! This week, Sara & Rob present another System Spotlight, this time on the futuristic world of giant robot warfare, BattleTech, by Catalyst Games. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Fi...

Continuing our mini-series on Encounter Design, Rob & Sara delve this week into Social Encounters! From the bard seducing the tavern wench, to coaxing military secrets from a general at a high society mixer, to intimidating the local thieve’s guild, social encounters cover these all! Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Find us on...

Encounters are the building blocks of every good TTRPG. Combat, chases, social challenges, and even the lowly “random encounter,” are what make up the challenges we set before the players. This week, Rob & Sara begin the first of a series of episodes about Encounter Design, beginning with COMBAT. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave...

In Tabletop RPGs, there is great variation in settings, themes, and game systems. But what do WE, as Storytellers, bring to the table? Not all Storytellers are cut from the same cloth, and our unique styles can turn the same system into wildly different games! This week, Sara & Rob discuss what makes a storyteller’s style unique to them! Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at...

“Dice” and “Role Playing” are like peanut butter and jelly – where one goes, the other always follows … or do they? Not every game uses dice to resolve tests! Cards, tokens, “special” dice, and even Jenga towers and Rock/Paper/Scissors can be used! This week, Sara & Rob look at alternatives to dice, as well as when and why you would use them. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7...

Arguably the best-known Cyberpunk TTRPG, Shadowrun melds dystopian future with fantasy and magic! The PCs are the eponymous “shadowrunners,” criminals for hire in a bizarre world of futuristic tech, evil corporations, and otherworldly magic. In another of our System Spotlights, Sara & Rob discuss this dystopian classic! Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.c...

Do your players want to delve into the mines of Moria for secret treasure? Or have you always wanted to tell a story of Ice and Fire? Or perhaps be a second string unit for SHIELD? Sara and Rob this week will review the in’s and out’s adapting an existing IP to a tabletop RPG. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Find us on Twitter (@s...

Stories often take us to fantastic worlds unlike our own. From space travel to magic, we often include elements that are beyond our own reality. But, how much should we focus on HOW these things work? Do we meticulously detail the science and physics behind them, or do we simply accept that they work, and move on? This is the difference between “Hard” and “Soft” storytelling, which Sara & Rob...

Most gaming groups gather around one or two familiar games. It’s not uncommon to hear people refer to their “D&D group.” But what if you want to change things up? How do you bring a new, unfamiliar game system to the table? This week, Rob & Sara discuss the best ways to introduce new games to your established group. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.c...

Do you crave action? Do you crave adventure? Then we have the game just for you! This week, Sara & Rob spotlight Adventure! Tales of the Æon Society, by White Wolf Games. Part of the “Æonverse,” Adventure! is a game of pulp action storytelling set in the 1920s! Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Find us on Twitter (@st_conclave)...

Valar Morghulis! TTRPGs typically center around the player characters engaging in dangerous adventures against deadly foes, delving into dungeons riddled with sadistic traps! But what happens if the character actually dies? This week, Sara & Rob discuss the implications of character deaths. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Find...

Sometimes, finding enough players to start a game is tough. Maybe you have a single friend who wants to give TTRPGs a try. Maybe you’ve got a plot that has a “main character,” and want to tell that story of a single individual’s journey. Sara & Rob discuss the pros, cons, fortes, and foibles of running games for one person. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mix...

Sometimes, finding enough players to start a game is tough. Maybe you have a single friend who wants to give TTRPGs a try. Maybe you’ve got a plot that has a “main character,” and want to tell that story of a single individual’s journey. Sara & Rob discuss the pros, cons, fortes, and foibles of running games for one person. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mix...

There’s plenty of talk about how to successfully start and run a tabletop RPG – and there should be! But what about ENDING one? Whether it’s the ending of a single session, or wrapping up your big campaign, Sara and Rob discuss how to wrap up your game in a way that’s dramatic and makes sense. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave ....