# 7 Advantages to Retelling your Adventures



## DMZ2112 (Sep 23, 2013)

I once read an interview with Gary Gygax in which he expressed confusion and disappointment with the amount of "acting" that was going on at roleplaying tables.  I don't remember his exact words, but it was clear that he saw a clear delineation between games like Dungeons & Dragons and games like the World of Darkness (and in classic Gygax fashion was not circumspect about his value judgement between them).

I was somewhat dismayed at this initially, being first a storytelling dungeon master, but as the interview went on it was clear that he simply had a different perspective on the way the narrative should play out: the table was for rolling dice and resolving encounters.  The pub after the game was for tale embellishment and character development.

The more I have thought about this approach, the more it appeals to me.  I find that most players' attempts at being "in character" on the fly are stymied by either too much or too little self-consciousness.  Given time to think about the events of the game, everyone gains some perspective and some distance, and the story is only improved as a result.


----------



## howandwhy99 (Sep 25, 2013)

Games aren't narratives like life isn't a narrative, but we can create a story about life just as we can create them about games. Reporting on games accurately is just as important as embellishing for enjoyable reading. If you watch any game as a viewer, a sport, card games, board games, you will find that they are not built for entertainment of the audience. In many cases they aren't even designed for the enjoyment of the actual participants. There are blow outs, agonizingly long waiting periods, and other elements not suited for a viewing audience and not fun to play through either. However, games can and do present challenges for the players. Their actions affect the game, while the audiences responses might affect the players. 

As DMZ2112 mentions, Gygax didn't design D&D for character portrayals, but rather for role playing, which is uniquely tied to game play rather than storytelling. 

I think D&D players for decades have bragged on and on about their characters and their games just like any sports athlete might brag about their field and their games. Those stories entice others to join their group, to want to play in their games, and test themselves too. In D&D each player's story is single perspective, the story is a journal rather than a narrated account. She tells others about what she and others did, not what the others did that she doesn't know about. She might pass on rumors of what happened, but that's still her perspective.


----------



## Challenger RPG (Sep 30, 2013)

@_*DMZ2112*_ : I couldn't agree with you more. I never read that particular interview with Gary Gygax (sounds really interesting) but it's something he would say. Also, it makes a lot of sense.

I'm also, first and foremost, a storytelling GM. I really enjoy writing, creating adventures, and the retelling of tales of adventure. I think the embellishment of the game after the fact is just as important as the role-playing going on during the game. In fact, I'm sure many times the game was just played as the players themselves would act naturally, but many things developed afterwards in the retelling.

It's interesting you should mention it because I recall one game I ran at a convention where a few people were really 'forcing' themselves to act as their characters and the whole effect was a little bit odd. You almost get better game-play when people don't quite worry so much about properly portraying their characters and let the characters develop naturally as part fictions and part reflections of their own play-style.

  @_*howandwhy99*_ : I can see what you're saying, but I'm not sure I totally agree. I think one of the best things about D&D was that it was what you wanted to make out of it. You could run it strictly as a game of challenges (like an athletic competition) or you could add in more story-telling elements and fluid narrative (as the players play a key part).

I tend to a more story-telling approach and I know one extremely competent GM who used to run games so full of story that everyone forgot they were playing a game and had an absolute blast. Some of these adventures were so good that I recall them vividly to this day (years later).

I'm not saying one way is better than another. Also, I definitely agree with you about the long agonizing waits, the challenges, the bragging, and the fact sometimes it's not fun to watch or play through. I'd like to think that most of the games I've run have been enjoyable at the time as well as after the fact.

I also agree about the single perspective. It's kind of human nature to do that. However, I do recall sometimes when people just started winging it and making up things not to brag, but to create a good story for the entertainment of all. I know some people who just like to brag about everything: cars, athletics, hunting, etc. On the other hand, I also know some people who focus more on the entertainment of others and just enjoying a good conversation with friends.

I think one of the great things about D&D is that it's part story and part game. Some people play it solely as a game, others solely as a story. Most of us, I think, do something in-between.


----------

