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Everyone loves characters, so you should be able to simply add more and more of them with no consequences, right? Turns out that’s not quite true, and we talk about why today. We discuss how an overabundance of characters can clog down a narrative, when … read more »
Before a game can even start, there must be a seed of inspiration, something that gets a GM’s creative energy flowing. Inspiration is just as important once the game has started, because something must motivate the GM to spend hours crafting a story for the … read more »
Running a game is hard work, and GMs can burn out if they aren’t careful. When burnout sets in, it gets harder and harder to enjoy the game – if GMs can motivate themselves to run one at all. This week guest host Ari joins … read more »
Guest host Ari joins us once again for the second half of our talk on long series. With such a big topic, even fitting it into a two parter was hard. This week we discuss that bogeyman of long narratives: series bloat. What is it? … read more »
Speculative fiction readers gobble up books like they’re going out of style, so this week we set our sights on what we’ve learned from these extra long sagas. Joining us is guest host Ari, who’s read these books about a million times. Listen as we … read more »
Throw back your head and howl at the moon, for this week we’re discussing werewolves. What is a werewolf, exactly? Where do they come from, and why are they always fighting vampires? We discuss the modern portrayal of werewolves, their pop culture roots, and why … read more »
Speculative fiction presents authors with a truly dazzling array of environments for their settings. This week, we talk about some of those wonderlands and what value they add to the story. From the spooky forests of New England to the cratered surface of the moon, we … read more »
A throughline is the story’s core, the problem that opens in the beginning and concludes in the climax. Throughlines are essential for compelling stories, but many authors still struggle with them, so that’s what we’re talking about this week. We discuss why stories should open … read more »
It’s one thing to master the rules of combat, but how should you describe it? Sarah joins us for a third time to discuss the delicate business of depicting combat in words. We talk about the disconnect between a badass description and a failed roll, … read more »
How do you know when someone gets to do something? Should there be complex systems for tracking whose turn it is, or should the GM just decide? What about combat? Once the dice start rolling, what’s the best way to give everyone a fair chance to … read more »