Storyteller Conclave

White Wolf’s “World of Darkness” shattered the face of gaming forever when it began in 1991 with Vampire : The Masquerade. This week, Sara & Rob discuss this historic system, the MANY games that comprise it, and what makes it special in a new System Spotlight. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Find us on Twitter (@st_conclave) –...

Encumbrance. Food. Water. Supplies. 50 feet of rope. Chalk. A tin pot. A tankard. 3 candles. Ink and Pen. 10 sheets of parchment. 20 arrows… are all these things REALLY necessary to keep track of? This week, Sara & Rob delve into the pros and cons of micromanagement in TTRPGs. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Find us on Twitter...

A Year ago…Rob and Sara discuss the fundamentals of creating a story for tabletop roleplay, and how the game system you choose influences how that story will be told. In this show they revisit their first show and discuss how much has changed in a year. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave . Find us on Twitter (@st_conclave) – Inst...

Plots in RPG can be all encompassing, but leave the characters to feel like they are on a ride. For this show, Sara and Rob dive into the delicate weave of crafting personal plots and stories that follow one character’s journey We also take some time to answer a few listener questions from our Discord server! Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyt...

In another installment of our System Spotlights, Sara & Rob take a good look at Evil Hat’s FATE Core system! FATE is a heavily narrative, low-numbers system that’s setting agnostic, and great for telling all sorts of stories! Find them at evilhat.com We also take some time to answer a few listener questions from our Discord server! Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http:/...

Tabletop Roleplaying Games are interactive stories we can tell with our friends. But what if your players aren’t interacting – with the story, or with each other? This week, Sara and Rob examine different reasons why players may not engage with your game, and now to encourage them to do so, both as players and as characters. We also take some time to answer a few listener questions from our...

The term “min-maxing” in games means to minimize flaws while maximizing power. On one hand, it can be fun to master a game to wring every ounce of benefit from it, but on the other hand, it may lead to some headaches for players and storytellers alike. This week, Sara & Rob delve into the pros and cons of Min-Maxing! Please join us on Discord, to submit questions for the show, chat with Rob, S...

Tabletop RPGs allow us to create elaborate worlds from our imaginations, and tell beautiful stories with our friends. Sometimes, however, our worlds and stories lean on lazy stereotypes that can be boring at best, and hurtful at worst. Tonight, Sara & Rob discuss racism and classism in RPGs. Please join us on Discord, to submit questions for the show, chat with Rob, Sara, and other Storyteller...

When bandits, thieves, and other nerdowells are near, where is the law? Should heroes be accountable to the laws of the land? This week Sara and Rob search the RPG universe to find where the law fits in and how order and justice can and should occur.

Palladium Books, founded in 1981, is best known for their flagship game, Rifts. They also produced many other iconic source books, such as TMNT, Heroes Unlimited, and RoboTech. Tonight, Rob & Sara discuss this complex but flexible system in our newest System Spotlight : Palladium!

Sara and Rob have had a year of shows branching topics, genres, and systems. Tonight they put it aside to take questions and enjoy some questions from listeners. Also, for those who were present, some giveaways! Listen in as Sara and Rob celebrate their first year of Storyteller Conclave!

Many gamers today have tons of books, dice, mats, minis, music files, apps and sites they utilize. But what happens when some of this is inaccessible to your players? This week, thanks to a contributor, Sara and Rob dive into how to assist, adapt and play in a world with players and characters with disabilities.  Links: The Mary Sue: The Surprising Ways Blind Players Have Made Games Like Dungeons...

Throughout gaming we have fought our fair share of monsters, but is it necessary? We find that most rules are geared toward combat as a “means to an end”, but how does that make us heroic? This week Sara and Rob discuss murder and mayhem in storytelling. And what makes a good, or bad, reputation.

No matter the story, there exists a narrative flow that follows the protagonists. But, the protagonists are not always in control of that flow, and do not always dictate events. Sara & Rob discuss the ebb and flow of the narrative, and the best ways to handle the protagonists being at the mercy of the plot. We also take some time to answer a few listener questions from our Discord server! List...

One of the most memorable plot devices in our arsenals as Storytellers is the plot twist! Nothing gobsmacks your players more than when the big reveal is entirely unexpected! In the spirit of April Fools, Sara & Rob talk about Plot Twists and Red Herrings. We also take some time to answer a few listener questions from our Discord server! Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at...

D&D is certainly the most popular Tabletop RPG out there, but it’s far from the only setting for storytelling! Contemporary games set in the modern era can be just as exciting as their fantasy counterparts, though offer some unique challenges and considerations to run effectively. This week, Sara and Rob discuss the peaks and pitfalls of contemporary game settings.

Because we’re cursed to live in interesting times, many of us are self-quarantined due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But, just because you shouldn’t gather in person right now, doesn’t mean you have to stop gaming! This week, we discuss tools for gaming remotely over the web. We also take some time to answer a few listener questions from our Discord server! We record every Wednesday, at 7pm Eastern. L...

Giant monsters demolishing whole cities! Fleets of ships firing barrages of cannons! Giant armies littering battlefields with broken bodies! Sara & Rob discuss the hows and whys of massive combat encounters, and how to make them move your story instead of hindering it! We also take some time to answer a few listener questions from our Discord server! We record every Wednesday, at 7pm Eastern. List...

Tabletop roleplaying games allow us limitless potential to tell stories, with only our imaginations to set boundaries. This can make telling those stories daunting, though, trying to account for everything! This week, Sara & Rob discuss ways and reasons to limit the scope of your game to make things more fun and manageable for everyone at the table. We also take some time to answer a few listener...

In the first of our series of system spotlights - a series aimed at introducing our listeners to different RPG systems - we will be talking about the high-seas, swashbuckling adventures of 7th Sea! Set sail with Rob and Sara as we discuss the history, style, and game mechanics of Rob’s favorite game. We also take some time to answer a few listener questions from our Discord server! We record every...

Who built this dungeon!? A psychopath?? It’s an endless maze of corridors that lead nowhere, rooms that seem to have no purpose but to house elaborate puzzles with statues and tiles, there are traps EVERYWHERE, and it’s filled with monsters too big to fit down here! Rob & Sara have some advice on turning your dungeons from madhouses into realistic environments that fit in your setting, but still c...

Tabletop role-playing games tell all types of stories, from action, to adventure, to horror and revenge! But what about romance? In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, Sara & Rob will discuss the best way to involve romance plots in your games, and make them fulfilling and comfortable for everyone at the table! We also take some time to answer a few listener questions from our Discord server! We record...

Games use “random encounters” all the time, but what are they? How can we best use them, and avoid them feeling TOO random? This week, Rob & Sara dissect the Random Encounter, and try to take the “random” out of it! We also take some time to answer a few listener questions from our Discord server! We record every Wednesday, at 7pm Eastern. Listen live at podcastdetroit.com, Studio 4! Find us on Tw...

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with the prospect of coming up with a “new story”? Don’t know if you can do it? Sara and Rob are going to give it a try, in an hour! Join us this week as we see if you can create a story in just an hour (well, 40mins). We also take some time to answer a few listener questions from our Discord server! We record every Wednesday, at 7pm Eastern. Listen live at podcastde...

This week’s show comes from our Patreon supporter Nox-in-a-Box, who asks, “How do you make player choices matter to your story? Please speak a bit about dynamic storytelling!” Making player choices feel meaningful, and being able to adapt your story to those choices is very important to a good experience, and Sara & Rob are happy to share their thoughts! We also take some time to answer a few list...