Game Mechanics Affecting Story | Roundtable

Summary

Podcast Summary: Game Mechanics Affecting Story | Roundtable

Podcast: Critical Role & Sagas of Sundry
Host: geekandsundry
Episode: Game Mechanics Affecting Story | Roundtable
Date: March 23, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this engaging roundtable discussion, veteran RPG designers and storytellers explore the dynamic relationship between game mechanics and storytelling in tabletop role-playing games (RPGs). Topics include how mechanics shape narrative and player agency, the evolving role of game masters, accessibility for new players, memorable “yes, but…” moments, and the joys and pitfalls of table culture. Featuring insights from Matthew Colville (renowned RPG designer and author), Ivan Van Norman (Ten Candles, Foreververse), and Jasmine Bullar (The Outcrowd), the episode provides practical examples and warm anecdotes for both new and seasoned RPG fans.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Interplay of Mechanics and Storytelling

[02:36–04:51]

• The panel discusses whether mechanics are just a means to an end or tools that actively empower collaborative storytelling.
• Jasmine Bullar values player creativity:

  “If you sell it to me, I won’t make you roll for it.” (02:48)

• Games like 7th Sea reward flamboyant storytelling via mechanics (bonus dice, hero points), encouraging players to step beyond the rulebook.
• Matthew Colville shares examples like Torg (West End Games), where player cards allow moments of narrative control:

  “A mechanic like that lets the players know this is possible… it gives them power they didn’t realize they had before.” (03:46–03:53)

• Ivan Van Norman points to Dread, where physical tension (the Jenga tower) becomes a metaphor for narrative tension:

  “The rules are just a tool for tension… the tower is purely a metaphor for the tension in the story.” (05:08–05:27)

Mechanics as Tools for Inclusion and Onboarding New Players

[05:33–07:49]

• The group acknowledges new players often benefit from some structure.
• Jasmine advocates for “gateway drug” experiences, using accessible modules or solo adventures to ease people in:

  “That is essentially a DD campaign… it’s the easiest way to fool people who are like, ‘I’d never play that pen and paper stuff.’” (06:02)

• Mouse Guard and similar games offer charm and simplicity for newcomers.

Tabletop Culture: Positive and Negative Experiences

[07:49–12:56]

• Jasmine shares a negative early experience:

  “I was so excited… I had painted my miniature… and immediately they’re like, ‘You’re chaotic evil, so you can’t really roll with us.’" (08:48)

• The group reflects on how group dynamics and preconceptions can shape (and sometimes sour) the experience more than rules themselves.
• Ivan and Matthew highlight the importance of making newcomers feel welcome regardless of prior knowledge or “bookish” prep.

Impact of Livestream and Actual Play Culture

[12:56–14:49]

• More people discover RPGs via shows like Critical Role, sometimes feeling pressure to “perform” at a high level.
• Matthew reassures:

  “I’ve got a lot of people commenting on my YouTube videos saying, ‘I watched Critical Role and thought I could never do that.’ …We’re just a bunch of bumbling idiots… Absolutely, you can.” (13:25–13:58)

• Ivan discusses showing the “behind the scenes” of GMing, demystifying the prep and improvisation.

“Yes, But…”: Balancing Player Agency and Constructive Challenge

[23:39–24:30]

• Ivan on GM attitude:

  “I am excited when my players are excited… If you don’t feel that way, you really gotta recenter and decide how you’re gonna GM.” (23:32–23:56)

• Hosts discuss the value of always offering possibilities (“yes, but…” mechanics):

  “There’s always a way to do what you want to do. You just have to figure it out, and that figuring it out is part of the fun of playing.” (24:32)

Mechanics Improving Narrative (with Examples)

[25:31–27:33]

• Jasmine praises systems like Vanquished with “plot points” that let players momentarily take control, ensuring their key moments succeed:

  “I’d stitch technology together and control it with my mind… I could spend a plot point and just be like, I’m now the GM, and… I never had to worry about rolling that fail.” (25:34–26:21)

• Matthew discusses Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay:

  “Yes, you succeeded, but something horrible happens… you have successfully jumped… but now you’re hanging by your fingernails.” (26:40–27:16)

• These “yes, but” mechanics improve tension, keep the narrative moving, and provide memorable twists.

Hopes for the Future and Closing Thoughts

[27:40–30:30]

• Jasmine hopes to explore mythology outside Europe (Mahabharata, East Asian pantheons), noting underrepresented story spaces.
• Matthew imagines running interconnected personal narratives, Guy Ritchie-style, culminating in dramatic reveals.
• Ivan wants to run Ten Candles, where extinguishing real candles physically marks the group’s dwindling hope and narrative climax.
• “The journey is the destination”: All agree the path, not just the fate, matters most in RPG storytelling.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Matthew Colville:

  “The players see, the thing a mechanic like that does is it lets the players know this is possible. They didn’t know it was possible before until they saw the mechanic.” (03:52)

• Jasmine Bullar:

  “I had painted my miniature and I figured out the game immediately… and immediately they’re like, ‘You’re chaotic evil, so you can’t really roll with us.’” (08:48) “If a little brown girl walked into my basement, like, I’m excited to play D&D, I would never be like, ‘We’re gonna kill you.’” (09:26)

• Ivan Van Norman:

  “I am excited when my players are excited… If you don’t feel that way, you really gotta recenter and decide how you’re gonna GM…” (23:32–23:56)

• Host 1:

  “It’s not the no, but it’s not the yes, and it’s the yes, but.” (03:39, 27:16)

• Host 3:

  “There’s always a way to do what you want to do. You just have to figure it out. And that figuring it out is part of the fun...” (24:32)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:36] – Are mechanics a means to an end or a process for storytelling?
• [04:51] – Story-driven vs. mechanics-driven games: Baron Munchausen, Dread, Puppetland
• [05:33] – Onboarding new players, structure vs. freedom
• [07:49] – Personal stories of RPG group dynamics, exclusion, and welcoming tables
• [12:56] – Actual play influence, Critical Role effect, pressures and demystification
• [23:32] – The importance of GM enthusiasm and positive table energy
• [25:31] – Mechanics that enhanced storytelling: plot points, dice mechanics, “yes, but”
• [27:40] – Future games the panelists want to run and explore

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Conclusion

This episode deftly blends inspiring anecdotes, practical game design wisdom, and heartfelt encouragement for newcomers. The panel demonstrates that while rules are important, it’s the people, the narrative collaboration, and the willingness to experiment—“yes, but!”—that make tabletop roleplaying games powerful and unique storytelling experiences. Listeners are reminded that every table is different, and with the right mechanics and mindset, anyone can shape and enjoy a great story.

Transcript

[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Guest/Panelist]

tonight on the roundtable.

[Host 3]

There's always a way to do what you want to do. You just have to figure it out. And that figuring it out is part of the fun of playing.

[Guest/Panelist]

Matthew Colville, who has decades of experience in writing both video and tabletop games.

[Host 1]

I stare at you, Nutcracker, and I say, fie upon your soul as I slap you across the face.

[Guest/Panelist]

Ivan Van Norman, a tabletop and RPG game designer who wrestles with the sprawling narrative of foreververse. I am excited when my players are excited.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Guest/Panelist]

When they do something, I'm sitting there and I'm just like, oh yeah. And Jasmine Bullar, host of the innovative RPG show the Outcrowd.

[Host 1]

Perfect. Because it's not the no, but it's not the yes. And it's the yes. But.

[Guest/Panelist]

I have a composition notebook with Lisa Frank stickers all over it.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

That's nice.

[Guest/Panelist]

And it says GM's rule on it.

[Host 1]

I have a in Sharpie.

[Host 3]

That's beautiful.

[Host 1]

That's high tech index cards.

[Guest/Panelist]

Always professional.

[Host 1]

I love my index cards. One, for passing notes and two, just because I basically make myself. You are amazing.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Thank you.

[Host 1]

I make all my notes and kind of like stack them up so that when I after the show's done, I just take in them. I just absorb them all.

[Host 3]

What were we? What was our subject? It was about game mechanics and how they shape the story and vice versa.

[Host 1]

Are they a means to an end or are they a process that allows you to, like, I don't know, further the storytelling. Do you have opinions on that, either of you?

[Guest/Panelist]

My favorite parts about role play and role playing games is the stories and the interactions. And I'm one of those GMs that if you sell it to me, I won't make you roll for it, right?

[Host 3]

Oh, sure, yeah.

[Host 1]

Yeah. We did that with Seventh Sea recently. And that's one of the reasons I love 7th sea is it rewards flamboyant storytelling and it does it in the mechanics. It gives you bonus dice. Sometimes you'll even earn what they call their kind of bennies or their hero points. Like, if you sell it, then go for it.

[Guest/Panelist]

Y. And with our system that we used over at Hyper, you could also get plot points and you could literally spend them like plot point and become the GM for a moment.

[Host 3]

I remember this is going to be an obscure reference. There was a game called Torg from West End Games. And Torg, it's a crazy game. It's not important what it's about, but it got a lot of juice when it came out because there were cards and players could get a card that allowed them to tell the gm, no, that's not what happens.

[Host 1]

Right.

[Host 3]

But having a game mechanic that gives the players. But the players see, the thing a mechanic like that does is it lets the players know this is possible.

[Host 1]

Right.

[Host 3]

They didn't know it was possible before until they saw the mechanic. And as a good dm, you always want to be able to say no. You don't even roll. That's amazing. But knowing that the players go, wait, I can take over. That gives them power that they didn't realize they had before.

[Host 1]

And not only just take over, but like, stop asking and start telling.

[Host 3]

Yeah, yeah, can I do this? Can I do this?

[Host 1]

Yes. Why are you asking me? Why are you asking me?

[Host 3]

Go.

[Host 1]

Exactly. You tell me what the glory that you're going to provide to this story is in the game.

[Host 3]

They made a game in the 90s called the Baron Munchausen RPG. Baron Munchausen, which is very likely.

[Guest/Panelist]

That was a great movie.

[Host 3]

Yeah. And they. An rpg. I mean, Baron Munchausen is a German folk character. Is it even really an rpg? I don't know. It's more like those one type thing. Yeah. It's a storytelling game where somebody will say to you, baron, how did you get out? When the Queen of the Moon had you captured and was gonna cut your head out, how did you get out of that? And this is the first time you've ever Heard of that. And now you have to explain to us how Baron Munchausen made it out

[Host 1]

of Benchausen is amazing. Cause it's a pubtail. It's a pubtail that you all tell each other.

[Guest/Panelist]

That sounds awesome.

[Host 1]

And you just carry the story with you. That's where mechanics in a weird way. Because there's basically no mechanics.

[Host 3]

Correct.

[Host 1]

And it is a Dread's like that. It's a glorified ghost story. The rules are just a tool for tension. And that tower have you know about dread? You're basically telling a ghost story.

[Host 3]

Okay.

[Host 1]

You take a Jenga tower, which they call the Tower of Doom. And as each player does things, instead of rolling the dice, they pull from the tower, right? And if at any time the player is pulling from the tower and the tower falls, that character either goes insane, they're dead, they're just out of the game. And then you stack the tower back up, you pull blocks. And then.

[Host 3]

So the tower is purely a metaphor for the tension in the story. Yeah. That's awesome. That's amazing.

[Host 1]

That's beautiful.

[Guest/Panelist]

Have you ever felt like more structure is sometimes good for newer rp'? Ers? Cause sometimes you throw them in this playground and they sit there and they'll stare at you like, how do you. Cause they don't know what to do. They're like, well, I don't know what my tools are in my brain. I'm like, everything here is your tool. And you can use anything in this beautiful playground.

[Host 1]

I guess that kind of gets into the more you prep and the more you. I hate using that term railroad, because it's such a dirty word in the world.

[Guest/Panelist]

I think that there are some negative connotations with railroading, but I think that is the best way to get people into Dungeons and Dragons, in my opinion, into pen and paper. I've gotten people playing it, and it's like, I call it my gateway drug with my semistics. That is essentially a DD campaign, Right? You're reading from a book, except there is no gm. And it's the easiest way to fool people who are like, oh, I'd never play that pen and paper stuff into playing it. Because of their Gmail from my simistics, because they're like, I love this. This is great. There's more to this. It's like, there's this game called Mouse Guard. You may or may not be able to play a mouse with, like an acorn shield. How adorable is that?

[Host 3]

I ended up being. I found myself in a position of being like a 4th edition D& D Evangelist, because I'm one of the few people that liked it, and so that surprises people. But one of the things I noticed was that when you make a character in 4th edition, the first thing that happens is you get a bunch of powers. I've introduced dozens of people to D and D, hundreds, probably now. And it was a huge difference between normal, everyday, any RPG where, like, I don't really know what I can do, what are my options? And fourth Edition's like, here are your options. And it empowered the players early on. But then the other thing I noticed going forward was it also ended up with many situations where the players felt like, if this doesn't solve the problem, then they got frustrated.

[Host 1]

Right.

[Guest/Panelist]

I always loved 3 5.

[Host 1]

3 5. Well, in a weird way, that one was the opposite of how 4th did it. It was a sandbox. It gave you so many different choices, and it just. The ability to kind of get into it, which is why one people loved it, because all the mechanics of D and D and I mean, mechanics, like people who like to go into the engine and play with everything in engineering, break it. That was what they loved.

[Host 3]

When I was running 3.5, I took this stuff super seriously. And I would spend like an hour and a half with a chart figuring out, okay, you weren't there for this adventure and you don't get that XP later. This is divided by five.

[Host 1]

You're like an accountant.

[Host 3]

And didn't even think about it. Didn't even. At the time, that just seemed like that was perfectly reasonable. And it was an incredibly intense mathematical

[Guest/Panelist]

experience that actually soured my first experience ever with pen and paper.

[Host 1]

Was it hard? Oh, really?

[Guest/Panelist]

I had an Axuplane, obviously. Now he's an ex. And I'll tell you why.

[Host 1]

I.

[Guest/Panelist]

Cause he was a hardcore. I'm gonna play Dungeons and Dragons. And at the time, I'd been playing World of Warcraft, and I was like, this is it. And I purchased the books. It was the Book of Vile Darkness.

[Host 3]

Oh, yeah.

[Guest/Panelist]

And this is my edgy phase. So I was like, cancer mage. That is me. I'm gonna be a cancer mage. And I go, and this is like your stereotypical. They meet once a month, and they play for, like 10 hours.

[Host 3]

Oh, wow.

[Guest/Panelist]

Yeah, yeah. Like, this is one of those games, marathon gaming.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Guest/Panelist]

And I get in. I'm so excited. I've painted my miniature and I figured out the game immediately. They're like, well, you're chaotic evil, so you can't really roll with us. And I'm like, really? And they're like, yeah, you can't play with us. I'm like a bunch of greasy nerds. I immediately turned it into a sex thing. I'm like, it's cause I'm a girl and this is your little boy's club. And I got really upset about it. I may have flipped a table, but

[Host 3]

the funny thing is they hadn't. They weren't. They weren't coming at you on a gender issue. They were coming at you because you were a cancer mage. They were like, well, you must be evil. You must be evil.

[Host 1]

You should have taken all that hate as like a cancer mage and like turned it into like the characters that you were.

[Guest/Panelist]

Well, they were higher level than me and everything had to be by the rules. And as a gm, now I'm just gonna say this. If a little brown girl walked into my basement, like, I'm excited to play dd, I would never be like, we're gonna kill you. Cause you're only level one and you're evil.

[Host 3]

Because what you want is you want more people to play.

[Host 1]

Yes.

[Host 3]

Right. If someone's interested in playing, like back I came up when I started, this is like 1985, there was not yet this stigma of everyone I knew was playing in high school. Like cool people were playing because it was still a relatively new thing. And if someone said, what is that you're doing? You wouldn't try to explain it to them. You would just say, here's a character sheet, sit down and play.

[Host 1]

Right, right. I would have just explored why you wanted to play the cancer mage, explored the concept of. Of who you wanted to do into it and try to incorporate that. And if the character needed to be like four levels higher for you to be able to play in the group, even if it's just for that one session, well then fuck it. Just make it four levels higher.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Guest/Panelist]

In hinders.

[Host 1]

Who cares?

[Guest/Panelist]

It wasn't a great character. I was basically like a bootleg Catwoman who had been resuscitated by plague rats.

[Host 3]

I'm curious, so you get the Book of Vile Darkness. Were you thinking this is what D and D is? Was there a culture clash when you discovered, oh wait, this is just this one kind of like offshoot over here.

[Guest/Panelist]

I was really disappointed.

[Host 3]

Right. Because if you're like, this is awesome, and then you find out, really, it's like knights and Gandalf and stuff like that.

[Guest/Panelist]

The session I went to, I was really disappointed. I'm not gonna lie. If you guys wanna hear about this train wreck, let me tell Ya. So I decided I'm gonna play dd and I went to the store and I got like. I don't even think I picked up a player's handbook. I'm pretty sure I just googled how to play. So I grab the Book of Vile Darkness, make my character head over, and there's like a dude wearing a barbarian hat with horns. And they're all like, you know, bartor. And I'm like, oh, God. Like, what is this crap? I was so upset.

[Host 3]

Well, it's interesting if we're talking about how game mechanics influence storytelling, that is 100% that. Like, you had this one example, magic items from the Book of Isle Darkness and all these crazy prestige classes, and that 100% colored your notion of who not only your character was. In other words, these weren't options. This was it. Also what the game could be. I mean, you walk in and you're like, okay, well, this is actually a lot less interesting.

[Guest/Panelist]

They were boring.

[Host 3]

Sure. Yeah.

[Host 1]

And that's awesome.

[Guest/Panelist]

And that's why they tried to kill me, because they're boring people. Screw those guys.

[Host 1]

Yeah, I can feel all the shade.

[Guest/Panelist]

Yeah. Look, I get to hang out with these awesome people now, and they're probably still eating Cheetos.

[Host 1]

It is always often about the people that you play with now. To be fair, they have their own process. And we were just talking about safe spaces too. Like, a table's always a safe space, even if they were not kind to you. Okay.

[Guest/Panelist]

Ivan, you're so much of a better person than I am.

[Host 1]

I don't know. I've just seen a lot of people who've been burnt in a similar way to what you put up with and probably what you've encountered a whole lot.

[Host 3]

No, I mean, look, we're lucky that we're in a position now where I think this is. I feel like this is the beginning of the turning of the tide where for the past 40 years, more people were bouncing off of D and D and playing it exactly because of the experiences. But now I think more people understand if they end up at a table like that. They're like, well, this is stupid. I know there are better tables out there than this.

[Host 1]

I know there are better tables out there. And that's the joy of the fact that we're now in a place where there's more options. Is that if you don't like what's here, there is someone out there, no matter what you want to do, who is totally in with your jam and is going to celebrate you for what you bring to the table and wants to incorporate you. Even if it's not right in front of you, it is out there. You just need to be patient and go and find it.

[Host 3]

Yeah. Don't make the mistake of thinking these people are the game.

[Guest/Panelist]

Do you think that because of the advent and all of these RPG shows that people feel pressured that their first campaign has to be perfect? Cause they're watching these shows that are so great.

[Host 1]

You know, no one watches Titanic and then grabs a video camera and is like, I'm gonna make Titanic, you know, and kind of go crazy. Or nobody goes to like the Louvre and sees a sculpture and then picks up a marble and is like, I'm gonna do David. But anyone can play a role playing game.

[Host 3]

Sure. I've got a lot of people commenting on my YouTube videos saying, I watched Critical Role and thought I could never do that. Of course you would. Of course you would think that. If you watch Critical Role, you're gonna think, holy crap, dd. Is this thing unobtainable? Right? Yeah, exactly. And eventually, and I told people in the videos, I said, eventually, I will stream one of my games and you will see that I am just like you. We're just a bunch of bumbling idiots. We're just a bunch of nerds are gonna play. Just talk through it. Yeah. And we streamed and people were like, holy crap. You and your friends are just like, me and my friends. I can do this. And like, absolutely you can.

[Host 1]

One of my favorite experiences is when we were running the Pugmire game and it was still in beta. The roles weren't even done. Dude, my game's not even finished. But we did a stream of generating NPCs and it was just a spreadsheet and it was just like a crowd sourcing medium in which I felt like everybody got to feel like they had a hand in the creative process and they got to make something.

[Host 3]

And mine is more about showing you what's going on behind the scenes. And it really started to frustrate me when people in show, at first they would see my notes and they would watch and you could see them talking about, did you see what he just did? This person said this and he completely flipped it around. He has notes written this way and he threw all that out and made something up. And then when it got to people, yeah. I was like, oh, this is great. I'm glad we're doing this. But then it got to the point where people were watching for the story. They weren't seeing the behind the scenes anymore. And that's one of the reasons we stopped. But that notion of like seeing what the DM is doing behind the screens.

[Host 1]

There's so many other role playing opportunities out there. And every week there's something like, in a couple weeks we're playing a game called Puppet Land. It's a craft make world in which everybody is puppets in a puppet land. And there was a human who was the maker. And it's funny cause that game is very much. It gives you a story in which to kind of work with. But tying it back to our topic, the mechanics are very much centered around. You have to tell it like you're telling a story. You know, Sir Francis with the elaborate bow tie walked into the room and saw the nutcracker sitting upon the table. And that's what the DM would say. But then the nutcracker character would go, I stare at you, nutcracker. And I say, fie upon your soul as I slap you across the face. And instead of doing the I statement, it is the third person statement. So everyone's telling it like it's like it's a single narrative. So it's a little bit like that pass the ball narrative. And it's wonderful because you're essentially all telling a story together.

[Host 3]

Were you your first dm? I was my first. Had someone run for you?

[Host 1]

No.

[Host 3]

No. You were like, I need to.

[Host 1]

No one's going to Chris dm. I left such a bad impression on my first players in my first game that, like, I think about that game so often.

[Host 3]

You feel bad. You still feel bad, still feel bad.

[Guest/Panelist]

Wake up in a cold sweat. Like, no, those children probably hate D and D now.

[Host 1]

I did. I just, you know, it didn't completely ruin it for some. Thank God.

[Guest/Panelist]

I feel like when I first started playing D and D, there was this feeling of it's the DM versus the players.

[Host 3]

Oh, sure, sure. That's a classic style. That's a classic adversary.

[Guest/Panelist]

All of my, I think my first six games, it felt like he was trying to kill us or he was trying. He was moving against us or he wanted to tell his story. Kind of like what you were saying. And we were trying to tell our stories. And one thing that I feel like Open Legend Tackles right in its GM Guide is like, don't freaking kill your players.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

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[Host 2]

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[Guest/Panelist]

try to work with your players. Have a childlike they're on your side excitement. I am excited when my players are excited.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

Oh sure, yeah.

[Guest/Panelist]

When they do something, I'm sitting there, I'm just like oh yeah. And I am just as excited as they are. And I always tell my audience I'm like if you don't feel that way, you really gotta recenter and decide how you're gonna GM what's important to you. You should be excited just like they

[Host 1]

are yeah, it's like going back to that old improv style of thinking. It's not a no, it's a yes, and it's not a no, but it's a yes. And. And you know, there's always limits, and you should always put limits because without conflict, there's no reward. Right. And I think that's another beautiful thing that good DMs do, is they balance that, like, conflict versus just like, giving the players anything they want. Like, there's a difference between doing that because you can go too far. If you give the players everything they want, then they don't feel challenged. It's kind of like they're just walking through the.

[Guest/Panelist]

Sometimes you have to be mean.

[Host 3]

There's always a way to do what you want to do. You just have to figure it out. And that figuring it out is part of the fun of playing. So if your players have ambition, if they're trying to get things done, you don't just say no because that's not how your character works, or no, because there's no rule that supports that. It's like, no, there's a way to do it, but it may require you having to jump through some other.

[Host 1]

Yeah, sacrifice sacrificing is the big one,

[Host 3]

because for me, you wanted to run

[Host 1]

a game on that table.

[Host 3]

Well, I realized that the juice for me was when my players would take this magic item that they had randomly gotten and they're like, well, I guess I'll take that thing. It's not what I wanted. And I was like, look, that's what the table said you get. And then later on when they take it and come up with some incredibly inventive use for this that gets them out of a jam, and I'm like, I guarantee you, no one who has ever played D and D has ever used that item to do that thing. You're unique. This is a unique experience. And that, to me, had a big impact on the kind of game I wrote. Just trying to emulate that.

[Host 1]

So we talked a lot about story light kind of systems. Have you ever had a gameplay experience in which the mechanics or the rules actually made the game better for you?

[Guest/Panelist]

Yes. 100%.

[Host 1]

Great.

[Guest/Panelist]

And one of them was vanquished. Having the queue system and the plot point system, there was never a moment where if I had a plot point, I had to worry about failing a skill check on something I thought I should pass.

[Host 1]

Got it.

[Guest/Panelist]

I played a technomancer so she could manipulate technology. And you know how, like, necromancers like Stitch Dead Bodies together and create golems. I would stitch technology together and crazy things. Yeah. And control it with my mind. And what was great about that system is if there was a moment where I'm gonna pull, like, a Hank Pym or a Tony Stark moment, I could, like, spend a plot point and just be like, I'm now the gm. And so this is what's gonna happen. I'm gonna do a backflip off the table, and he's just gonna cut through

[Host 1]

the bullshit and get straight to the point.

[Guest/Panelist]

And I never had to worry about rolling that fail. And there's times as a GM where you'll see somebody, they'll, like, describe something really cool, and then they'll roll for it and they'll roll a three, and

[Host 3]

you're like, yeah, that was an amazing idea. I wish it had worked.

[Guest/Panelist]

I feel like that should have worked. That really should have worked. But you only rolled a three.

[Host 3]

There was a game called Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. There are many different editions of it, but it's basically, I think, the same system they use for Star wars now.

[Host 1]

It's similar. And also Dark Heresy.

[Host 3]

I loved the die mechanic because it encouraged me to run the kind of game I would not have run otherwise, which was a much more Pulp Fiction, Indiana Jones out of the frying pan into the fire. Because it's like you roll the dice, it's like, yes, you succeeded, but something horrible happens. Yes, you have successfully jumped from one of these two coaches to the other one while they're barreling down the street, but now you're hanging by your fingernails.

[Host 1]

That's why.

[Host 3]

And that reversal of, like, yes, that happened, but now you're in a worse place.

[Host 1]

Yes, but it's perfect because it's not the no, but it's not the yes, and it's the yes, but yeah, exactly.

[Host 3]

I like that die mechanic of the good news, bad news thing, and that always made the players feel like they were making progress. And it also made me feel like I was creating tension. And I was like, I would not have done this if it wasn't for these dice and this dice Mechanic.

[Guest/Panelist]

I agree 100%. Edge of the Empire, some sometimes feel can be a little crunchy, but then you have these great moments come out of it, and it's worth it.

[Host 3]

So what games are you folks intending to run next?

[Guest/Panelist]

I would love to do a campaign set in, like, the Mahabharata, because I feel like Indian mythology isn't explored a lot. I feel like anything outside of European mythology isn't explored a Lot. There's a lot of cool, like, Chinese and Japanese mythologies out there with huge pantheon of gods that are, like, crazy out of this world. Right.

[Host 1]

Very great stories. Yeah, Great stories.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Guest/Panelist]

Great sagas. Just, like, awesome stuff.

[Host 1]

That's cool. How about you?

[Host 3]

I want to do a game where I pick three players, where I get together with that player individually, and we're going to play from first to third or fifth level. Just you and me. And you are some kind of regent. You are somebody who is a duke or a king or a wizard that controls this. And then on another night of the week, you and I play, and the three players are in the same world, and they're dealing with other NPCs, and you don't realize that the wizard that you're talking to is her. Right.

[Host 1]

And then you want to build backstories that are.

[Host 3]

By the time we all get together, there'll be two or three or four players who aren't part of that. They're just normal players in a D and D game. But these other players have not only played through my backstory, but I have a position in this world. I have responsibilities.

[Host 1]

You've done several sessions with each one of these players that link them, and they didn't even know, because then you're basically building up to one beautiful giant moment where it's like, I love that

[Guest/Panelist]

Guy Ritchie style of like, oh, thank you. Yeah, I live for stuff like that.

[Host 1]

So, actually, I want to run 10 candles. 10 candles is essentially a system that has a physical representation of the story in the form of ten candles.

[Host 3]

Right.

[Host 1]

And what you do is the scenario is always you are the last person of a blank. And the idea is that during each plot point, you snuff out a candle. The idea being that the very last candle is snuffed out, and the idea being that you're basically going through. And maybe you have people with you and they're getting snuffed out as you're through, but you're going through this terrible alien situation. Did you ever play Prey?

[Host 3]

Oh, the video game Prey.

[Guest/Panelist]

I've heard of the video game.

[Host 1]

Yeah, the video game Prey. So the odds are all around them. They're basically just escaping capture and moving through. And then that final one. And it's like, there's still hope. I would love to end on hope.

[Guest/Panelist]

Some of the best stories are told that way, like Rogue One or even Halo Reach. You know how Halo Reach is gonna end? Because you know where Halo 1 starts?

[Host 3]

I mean, Titanic. You know how Titanic's gonna end?

[Guest/Panelist]

You know how it's gonna end.

[Host 3]

They still wanna enjoy the story. And if you're if it's going well, you know it's going well because the players have forgotten. Oh, that's right. Everything ends.

[Guest/Panelist]

And that's our jobs as a GM to make sure that we make the journey interesting. Because does the end result ever really matter? It's the journey.

[Host 3]

Yeah, sure.

[Host 1]

The journey is the destination and I love that. It's like fighting fate versus ending on a smidgen of hope versus the death of a civilization.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

Three totally different approaches that are all wonderful stories that I would subscribe to at any time.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Guest/Panelist]

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[Host 3]

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[Host 1]

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[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Host 1]

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[Host 2]

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[Host 1]

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