Ep 55 - Storybuilding Vs Storytelling

This week we talk about the ancient and honored tradition of human storytelling, its base components, what defines a great storyteller, and how all of this applies to the TTRPG experience. We discuss how examining this discipline can improve our games, and how the idea of collaborative storytelling (i.e., story building) has evolved to accommodate the modern gaming paradigm. We try to cut through the haze of  semantic arguments and getting stuck on specific language, and hope to unify some of our perspectives on this contentious topic.

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Twitter: @passive_podcast
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Show Breakdown:

• 0:00: Intro
• 3:57: TTRPG News
• 4:57: GMs ARE storytellers... but so are players.
• 15:25: Base definition of storytelling and how it applies to TTRPGs.
• 19:09: The 5 tenets a good storyteller, and how these apply to the GMs role at the table.
• 28:54: Who at the table shoulders the most story responsibility is a spectrum.
• 33:33: Thought experiment #1 (actors & playwrights).
• 39:17: Thought experiment #2 (AI copywriters).
• 42:22: Improve your game by re-framing the table experience as one of collaborative story building.
• 45:17: The foundation of gaming is mutual respect. Apply this to your table roles.
• 46:19: Outro.