“Story Gaming” Is Just Fine.

There’s this sort of dogma forming around Linear Storytelling vs Sandbox.

(*This is actually Take 2 on this article. The first one was taken down because I realized I was just ranting at over specific asshat on YouTube, and it wasn’t very productive.)

We live in a time, 50 years into the hobby and going where the term “story gaming” gets thrown around, usually by bitter old Grognards, like we’re bad Game Masters if we regularly employ it in our campaigns. We hear that sandbox; free play roleplaying is somehow superior. Good GMs supposedly don’t railroad their players or have any kind of plot in mind as the campaign progresses.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with “story gaming.”

We teach new Game Masters to plot out their adventures like a theatrical play or a movie script because it’s super easy to organize that way. I’ll outline my process for doing that in a future article. Remember, new GMs need a lot of love in 2024 and 2025 with all of the new and remastered systems coming out.

It’s a fabulous teaching tool. It’s pretty easy to comprehend, too. Linear storytelling literally goes A to B to C, etc. A little later on we start delineating and branching out. Instead of one way into the dungeon and one way out, now we’re Jaquaysing it. In other words there are all kinds of ways in and out of this dungeon or from one level to the next and the players can pick or choose ad nauseum. 

What happens if the players don’t cooperate?

The problem in linear storytelling is what happens if the players go off script so to speak. The group doesn’t know where they are supposed to go or who they are supposed to talk to sometimes. Or maybe they feel like they’re being railroaded and purposefully jump off the plot. (We hear a lot about railroading a lot in the TTRPG community. More on that in a minute.) Whatever the reason is, the GM will have to throw their notes over their shoulder and wing it until the group stumbles back onto the plot or gets into something completely different.

Sometimes the movie takes a twist we weren’t expecting. Sometimes a TV episode goes south of what we expected. Act 2 of some stage productions looks vastly different from Act 1 because of the writers changing or an adaptation. The same can happen with roleplaying games and there’s nothing wrong with that! Players can change their minds. Sometimes character motivations differ from what the GM had in mind.

Choo-Choo! All aboard the plot train!

Railroading in TTRPGs occurs when the GM more or less forces the group to stick to the storyline they had planned by continually redirecting all activity back toward the main plot. Because players are human beings and not just dice rolling apps, they tend to rebel when told what to do too much. This is where linear storytelling gets a really bad reputation.

Game mastery is not about writing a book or a script for the group to follow along. Sure, when we write adventures we might have certain characters in mind for certain scenes. Maybe some NPC is related to someone in the group or is otherwise known to them. No GM in their right mind tries to plan out what’s going to happen verbatim one minute to the next. That’s just the definition of boring to the GM in my opinion.

There are a few times a little bit of railroading is warranted but not completely necessary. Games a conventions or gatherings at a Friendly Local Game Stores where the GM has all of 3 ½ – 4 hours to get through the session is probably better suited to a linear style of play. It does require the players to play along with the plot to a certain extent.  Otherwise it’s just off the rails fun and complete chaos. Sometimes we just need a little of that, too.

The real trick to avoiding a railroad as a GM is much like being a doctor in modern medicine. The doctor (GM) has to give the patients (players) the illusion of choice. You can choose to get the operation (plot) or suffer unknown consequences. Most people trust their doctor (GM) and do what is recommended. It looks like you have a choice when in actuality you really don’t. The doctor never said you absolutely had to get the operation, but the alternative was a bit grim/shady.

Sandboxes can go poorly, too.

If railroading is bad, watching a bunch of Player Characters flop around in town for two or three hours out of a four hour session is just as bad. Unmotivated characters with no real sense of purpose or idea what to do spend hours wandering around town carousing, frolicking, shopping, drinking, and just generally not doing much of anything except maybe a bar fight. They don’t pick up on any rumors, hints, or possible plot hooks. Some players almost literally need Elminster the Mighty to teleport in and hand the characters a quest before they do something.

Even with quest in hand, the same players might flop around some more asking every and any NPC they can think-of for more information. Meanwhile, more shopping, acquiring travel arrangements, and carousing goes down. Where are they going? Do they know?

Oops. That session is over. Guess we’ll pick up on the edge of town in two weeks when we get back together. Then GMs wonder why people stopped showing up. I’ve seen it from both sides. Sometimes players just need some direction or there’s no action.

“You’re just a ‘bad’ GM. That never happens in my game.”

I’ve heard that big, smelly pile of fertilizer coming from both sides of the aisle. And for the record- no. I’m just fine as a GM. Maybe our playstyles just don’t match up.

I’m more than happy to recommend another GM if I know of one who might be better suited to what you appear to want. Worse comes to worse, I’ve been around long enough to adapt to just about any style you can ask for. (*I WILL NOT EVER RUN PvP. Not gonna happen.) Other GMs might not be very adaptable and that’s when conversations need to be had all around.

Yup. What happens at your table might not be how I do things. We might have completely different approaches to Game Mastering. I don’t think you’re wrong and I’m right or vice versa. If you know me, and my blog, you know I’m never going to deal in those absolutes. Whatever works best with your group your table is the way for you to go.

I know a certain YouTube GM is just doing his best to chase people out of the hobby nowadays. He’s gone from trying to improve the game to just driving people out of the hobby. I’ll cover this more in an upcoming article, but I want you all in this audience to know- I’ll never call you a “Bad Game Master” and tell you to leave the hobby or never start playing.

Story gaming is not the GM reading a story to the players.

I don’t know where or how that particular puddle of hogwash got started but let me end it right here. It’s the GM’s job to run the game. Note there’s no “properly” attached to that. I’m not trying to write a novel. This isn’t just voice actors reading from my script and rolling dice. We’re here to have fun together.

Please don’t ever, and I mean EVER let someone tell you, “You’re doing it all wrong. Quit GMing”

Because chances are, you’re fine and they have an issue that they need to go inward and explore. If you feel you’re struggling as a GM, do I ever have great news for you. There are countless resources, including me, out there in the world and on the Internet. If you want to up your TTRPG experience, we’re here for you. There are hundreds of blogs, forums, YouTube videos, books, podcasts, and old magazine articles on being a better GM.

I probably can’t overemphasize this enough: The GM can build a storyline (or not,) create villains, monsters, dungeons, NPCs and set the stage, but that’s where it stops. The group is going to have to take the story hooks and run or flop around town for a few hours until they choose something. Sometimes you’re going to do everything right and the players are still going to do something completely unexpected.

Choice really is the greatest gift we have as humans on this planet. Now we’re beyond the illusion of choice. Clear back at Session Zero, we all have to agree on what kind of game we want to create. I can tell everyone what I prefer to do, but I’ll also listen to what the players say they want to do. I’ll find a compromise, but they still have to play through it one way or another.

Being a GM can be the toughest job you’ll ever love.

That’s not to scare anyone off. Please understand that even on the worst day, it’s never all that bad. Sometimes it can be tough trying to decide what you think is best for the players and the game.

I can’t please all of the players all of the time. Stuff happens. Dice rolls go awry, players make silly decisions that put their characters in unnecessary peril, or some quacky random event occurs on a GM encounter table that throws everything off kilter. Not everyone is going to be overjoyed when bad stuff happens to their character. True heroes aren’t forged under ideal conditions, but rather under adverse ones.

Sometimes people need to be reminded that no GM is perfect. We’re people too. We have good sessions and bad sessions. We still come back as long as we have players. It’s the synergy and symbiosis that keeps the game afloat. (That’s a little bit of deep GM philosophy for ya.)

What I will almost always say is: as long as you and your group are having fun- keep going! Tell your story and let the players tell theirs. We’re all in this together regardless of how we go about it. Do what works best for you and your group.

Thank you for being here today. I hope this shed some light on the whole “story gaming” nonsensical non-controversy. Please run your game with your players your way and don’t let anyone tell you different. Keep up the good work! Please embrace the GM style that brings you the most joy every time.