Hello again everyone! I must start things off with a disclaimer, well two disclaimers. First off, EU users should be receiving an automated message at the top of their browsers about cookies and such. Google as informed me that this is required and has automatically applied the required message. I checked via the UK address as suggested but, for caution's sake if anyone doesn't see this message and is using an EU address please let me know. The second disclaimer involves the title of today's article. Being a Better DM is meant to share some ideas on how to improve you DMing skills. Whether you agree with me or disagree outright on a subject, I hope what I have to say gets you thinking because that is all that is needed to make you a better DM. Think about what you do or don't do, why, and what you can change. The disclaimer, though, is reference to this first one. Just so we are all on the same page when I say stealing is good I do NOT mean infringing upon copyrights, plagiarizing, or actual physical theft.
Now that we have that out of the way, let's discuss what I am really talking about. The best way to describe it is through the old saying: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Not only that it is one of the greatest ways be inspired and create twists for your campaign. The reason I have chosen this topic is due to a post on the Wizards forums last week. Someone was looking for help to inspire their DM. Apparently after 5 levels, if I remember correctly, their DM was out of ideas. He was unable to come up with anything new or challenging for their players. Many people had suggested some things to try and gave advice on story building, but no one said what I was thinking. Stop creating and start stealing.
Why? Creation is great and making your own world is one of the greatest things, right? Well, yes. But how does one create? Some insane combination of human ingenuity, emotion, clever ideas, and experience. There it is: EXPERIENCE. We all know that word, don't we. When creating things you can tap your emotions and ingenuity to the max, write down every clever thing you ever thought of, but there's a limit without input. Enter experience. From this I mean exposure and variety. Watch every possible movie you can, read every book, listen to every song, and play every game. Each story, each method of story telling is important. Each one will give you more experience with storytelling. Use it to become a better story teller.
I would love to go on and on about where to steal from and what those sources can get you, but we don't need to do that. There will be plenty of overlap on those specifics in other articles. Instead, let's give some basic examples.
Video games are a great one. A story where you are part of the action. This is what table top RPGs are all about. Quests and storylines are a great template to get from video games. MMOs can teach you how to add in an unrelated side quest and, if you pay attention, teach you to weave it into the big picture later. The good games can also be guides on how much information is enough to get the PCs wondering what is true, what will happen next, and what they can do while at the same time leading them where you want them. The invisible railroad as it were. There is (to some degree at least) one major path, but the possibilities seem much more endless. Not that I suggest railroading your player's, but DMs want to see certain things play out and the invisible railroad can help you get there without eliminating PC freedom.
Another example I have is television. Go and watch Doctor Who, Supernatural, Heroes, or the X-Files. These are all shows where there are overall arcs, with obvious paths. Watch them again. Look for the hints that were dropped early on. Watch for when they pull something from the past that has't mattered for episodes, seasons even. Watch as that one scene from that one episode becomes so important suddenly. In fact, if there is anything that you can read or watch, in which each time reveals something new to you about the story, do it again. Take notes. And do it again.
Finally I want to give you something I "stole" as an example. Kurtis Lowe. Recognize the name? Well he is an NPC I like to use. He's a half-orc because people notice and ignore half-orcs very much at the same time. He's a bit of a bum. A drunkard. Homeless and dirty. But Kurtis Lowe, well he knows a song or two. In fact he's got an old dobro ....errr lute....that he'll play if you get him some wine. He may even have some levels in bard and know some things no one else knows, some things people call myth. But if you listen, you can learn something.
If you listen to music from, to be honest, before my time, then you know we're talking about the character from the lyrics of the ballad of Curtis Lowe. One night I was working an overnight shift and listening to a live-play podcast and I was getting inspired to run a game. At one point I had the headphones off and this song came on the radio. There and then I knew I had to steal this character. This is what I am talking about. I didn't really steal anything. Not the song, not the music, not even the character. Mostly I took the idea of a drunk string player, performing for wine, and I took the name. Was he supposed to be a bard? Know secrets he wasn't supposed to? How bout half-orc? Probably not.
So, go out there. Read a book. Listen to music. Watch a movie. See a play. Listen to a story. And when that line, scene, or chapter gets your blood pumping and you get excited. Embrace it. Do not look at it as a cliche or a trope, copy or imitation. It may be all these, but they exist for the same reason you should steal the idea. They work, they make good stories, they make good tools. Be inspired. Steal, edit, rewrite.
Ideas are never good just once.
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