Unlocking Creativity: 7 Things you can learn from Playing and Writing Table-Top RPGs

Grab a D20 and join the party; it’s time to talk: Tabletop role-playing games (Table-Top RPGs).

I’m sure you have heard of Table-Top RPGs, as the internet exploded with podcasts, streaming shows, and online communities since the mid-2010s. Mainly focusing on but not limited to DND. All of them offer anything from battling mythical creatures to solving enigmatic puzzles. Table-top RPGs invite players to become the architects of their own adventures, weaving intricate tales and embarking on epic quests.

My first proper dabble in the world of dungeons and dice; was during university thanks to an aptly named module “Writing for Role-Playing Games”. I took this module all three years of my course and it introduced me to a treasure trove of storytelling knowledge and techniques that you might not come across studying more traditional forms of writing. Which, I have applied to my writing and would like to share with you in hopes you either use them yourself or join a group to learn how to play. Either way, everything to gain nothing to lose but a die roll so…

So, without further ado, let’s roll.

1.     Collaborative Story Telling and the importance of a writer’s group.

Let’s be honest, one of the worst things about being a writer is that you have to do most of the work in isolation. You alone are responsible for getting words on the page, all alone.

On a good day, that is exactly what you need. However, on a bad day, it can breed frustration, impostor syndrome and the worst of all things, writer’s block. 

Table-top RPGs, unlike traditional forms of writing, are 100% collaborative narratives, even more so than video games. The GM players, even the dice, are helping in unraveling the ongoing story they are partaking in. There is no block, no mental obstacle that stops them from continuing the story because if the GM doesn’t know how to propel you forward, your bard will probably flirt with something they shouldn’t and there we a story thread to follow. Someone failing a die roll or speaking to the right NPC, any and anything, can affect and move the story forward.

A good group can create fun, memorable and immersive adventures, with great story lines all because there is always someone there to pick what is being put down. Now I understand that this isn’t something that can be translated over to all forms of writing, like writing for fiction, for example. (I’m pretty sure you could make it work in poetry, don’t ask me how. I feel like someone could do it.) But you don’t need a party to write your story.

What you need is a writer’s group.

A group of people who, like a successful DnD party, are interested in the same. You can form a writer’s group with writers and even readers, people who you can share your work and receive beneficial feedback and help from. You can organise writing goals and messages when you are stuck in a particular area. And just like a party, they should come with various skill sets. You don’t want three wizards throwing fireballs when what you need is water. The same thing for writers, if you’re excellent at dialogue, but do not know what world you’re in, you need a world builder.

During uni, I had a group of friends sit together once a week and go through our pieces and write comments and suggestions. Currently, I am writing this very post in a rat race with a friend halfway around the world writing her own peace. Keeping each other accountable for doing the work.

Be it one person or five, a writers’ group makes the experience less scary more fun and a lot easier.

Don’t believe it?

It seemed to work for Mary Shelly just fine.  

2.     Flexible Story Telling: There is your plan and then there're the Characters’ plans

One of my best experiences Gaming a game was during a play test of my own game scenario for my second-year module with a bunch of my classmates. I had it as ready possible. I knew where all the story beats would be. What NPCs (None Playable Character) would lead them were, what traps they could trigger. A list of red hearings and the final boss.

And the party found the big boss immediately.

I still had two hours of play testing left. Now I had options to pick from:

Option 1: Freeze and end the game. Try to figure out if it was a fluke. Where I went wrong and how to fix it.

or

Option 2:

Pick out a new character scribble, down some states, and make a new villain. Improving the player experience and making it more fun for me as a GM, as I also have no clue what could happen next. 

So, I chose option two, and not only was it more fun to play, but it was overall a better story for which I got way better marks. All because I couldn’t predict what my players decide to do.

There is an argument to be maid that you can control your character, in your writing, which is true. It’s also not necessarily what I am talking about, more the fact that things change when you’re writing. Your character becomes a bit more solid. The world may get a tweak or two. You get more confidant. All these little things contribute to unforeseen changes and decisions that can change the plot you so carefully laid out.

Now I wouldn’t discourage no one from planning before they jump in to writing because personally, I can’t work like that. But if you remain rigid in your choices when things have changed, you will end up with two outcomes: your readers will be left wanting or you will experience writer’s block.

No writers very first plan is what they stick with until the end project. Characters and story beats will change the more that you write. Just look at script writing rarely is the howl script used in the finished project. Scenes are renegade cut and reshot to get the best film possible.

If you struggle with letting go of the rains like I did, I think having a go at a Table-Top RPG might be a good way to learn to be able and flexible. When you can do that, when it’s beyond your control, it makes it easier when it’s sole your decision to make.

3.     World building: being the tour guide with a million facts and little words.

A hallmark of Table-Top RPGs is the immersive 100% interactive world building that they come built in with. From sprawling cities to treasure dungeons, all richly crafted stooped in details all to enrich the player’s immersive experience. Players can interact with everything that occupies that space with them and it’s not just physical things either.

Mythical races, cultures, customs Evan the way physics works in your playable world indirectly interacts with your player.

When you are creating these spaces, you take that all on to account. Things like a city that is based by the sea, is going to have a culture based around sea fair international. The food they eat is more than likely going to be heavily reliant on the sea. Vocabulary and saying are going to be based around they can see in the harbour or the beach. They are more used to seeing people from different walks of life compare that to a village surrounded by forest. Who may be more self-reliant? They know everyone in their village so there for would be hipper aware of your player wandering round and asking questions.

The world in which a story takes place is important in any narrative. It helps build the atmosphere.

The creepy village could be pulling a hot fuzz and getting rid of anyone they see as a threat to the village for the greater good.

Which how are you going to build that tension or make your story? Through the surroundings and actions of the people.

Now in a Table-Top RPG you have as mentioned before no control over the player and how much they understand about where, when and what they are. The GM’s job is to prove this information, in the least clunky and most interesting way, before the players go completely off the rails.

One of my lectures’ favourite examples was how a student wrote a Rom based scenario in which the players first introduction happens at their patrons’ morning salutations. A genuine roman custom where the wealthy patricians (patrons) would receive morning greetings from their plebeians (clients) whom they supported.

It’s a great bit of a story that adds a lot to a story. It tells us who these characters are, their social classes and how they are connected. Additionally, it demonstrates how their patron would perceive them in the eyes of the world.

Granted, the player never needed all that information as they explored sewers for the entire test playing session, for reasons only know to them. But it provided the player with an image and understanding of what was possible for them to do and what wasn’t. It brought them into the story which good world building does, even though they never interacted with the major story.

Readers are very similar to players, but they are relying on you to guide them in this world and for making sense. So that they can immerse them self in their own experience of your story.

So, what I’m trying to say is don’t give me flushing toilets in medieval fantasy, okay? I assumed the toilet situation was grim, but now I have questions I didn’t want to ask but I help to.

You know who you are!

4.     Characterisation, empathy, understanding your characters

Okay, let’s get one thing straight. I am not an actor. This woman will never win an Oscar. So, I would say the thing I dreaded the most when playing these games was the role-playing part. Having to pretend to be another person in public. It’s hard enough to be with me in public. Let’s not bring another person into this.

I still struggle with it more than another part of the game, but it’s probably also for the same reason I struggle to write characters. There is constantly a fear that my written characters all sound the same. Which sounds like a twenty something, awkward saucer. It’s hard to hear their voices at time and distinguish them from each other, particularly at the beginning. They’re strangers.

Which is probably why I find things like character sheets very useful. Table-Top RPG’s character sheets are great. You can write all your character attributes their skill and level to top it off. You need to create a character background to fit with it. If this is this character’s first game, then you’re basically at the beginning of your very own hero’s journey as this character. You’ll be acting as this character their way they think, the decisions they make friendships they form amongst other party members that all help to shape and develop the character. You get to know the character better than when you just read their personality of the page.

For example, I play a very petty character in one of my friends’ campaigns. It’s what I wrote on the character sheet. Don’t say what brand of petty she is. Mini is less malicious complainants more I would hide fish in your bag and leave you to fend off hungry cats petty. It was justified.

You also learn how to empathise with other types of character and get to know them through your character eyes. How certain character has what kind of dynamic. Who trusts who and what and who doesn’t why do one character make a snap decision not to trust the goblin? When everyone else already adopted him into the group.  

Characterisation is a very hard task within writing, and it really only comes easier with practice. Role playing helps you think of the character uniquely, mainly because you don’t know the outcomes of your actions, unlike in your own work where you know where the story is going to go.

Now if this is maybe a step too far for you and you’re really not down with role playing, completely understandable. But maybe try something small and silly like to answer the questions of a buzz feed quiz the way your MC would. Something so little and silly could help you if you’re struggling to find your characters’ voices.

5.     Kernal, Satellites and Table: Story Structures and Techniques

Now from the creative to the technical, here are something’s I learnt from writing the games over playing them. Patricianly in the planning stages. Games Writers use various techniques to write their scenarios. Some of which makes it to the final draft of the game.

For example, if you get a copy of “Shadows Over Scotland” at the end of each playable scenario, you will find a table. With all the listed areas, what character and clues are to be found there. It’s a useful guide for GM, but I also know from my lecture, who wrote for this collection, that it was a planning tool as well.

I have used this in my own scenarios and a current cosy mystery project.   

Another technique which might work for people who enjoy a good mix of pants-ing and planning would be the Kernal and Satellite technique.

Now Kernels and Satellites, is a technique used a lot in games writing. The kernel aka. story kernels are the essential parts of the story. Things that must happen for the game to progress. Ware as the satellites is the potential of shoots from each kernel to another.

For example, your players need to get into the castle to meet the queen. The meeting is a kernel. How they get into the castle are the satellites. Do they break in, get a job? Climb the walls or enter through the sewers? That up to them.   

There are millions of techniques in there already out there on the page and verbally. Everyone has their own technics look in to the millions of scenario collections, or watch people playing. There is an unending amount out there you might not even think of using for fiction or scripts.

6.     Technical Writing: Short Precise and to format.

Even though Table-Top RPGs are one of the most creative and imaginative story telling options, writing a scenario is a lot stricter. Flavour text, which is the descriptive that you will find in your guidebook, is short and precises. Any NPC’s monsters, weapons and objects need to be stated out and stay coherent with the rest of the games’ rules. You can’t run wild with an idea without thinking of the playability.

At the end of the day, you are writing a manual, not a novel. Use your imagination, but don’t go too far, as the players will fill in those details. Besides, Tabletop companies will have their own requirements regarding:

Fonts, spacing, text sizes and many, many more.  

This can be useful stuff to learn, especially if whilst writing your debut novel or collection of poetry, you want a career in writing. You may not have thought of the various writing jobs where you can use this skill. Technical writer may not be the most creative job but it’s a good way to keep your skill set.

Beyond that, precises writing can help in creative work just as much. Being clear is always important in a format that you can’t see the action.  

7.     Fun is Fundamental: letting loose to focus later.

The most important thing you can get from playing Table-Top RPGs is fun. Something I have recently been dealing with is the loss of fun when writing. Pushing and pushing to get anything published outside of this blog and each rejection makes it harder. Making me wonder why I’m still doing it.

Playing theses games gives me an opportunity to tell a story with the only goal to have fun. To let the giddiness of story telling come back into it with no pressure.

I’m sure a lot of you have heard of the concept of the inner child and the idea of play.

It’s very important to play. Kids learn through playing and a lot of adults seem to forget that. When you are a creative person, learning through play is essential to feed the imagination.

So even if this isn’t your thing. Find something, anything, silly and fun to do.

Go jump on a trampoline or play cake, custard and ruled roulette and fill the page when your done.

Tabl-Top RPG’s offer more than entertainment- they are a dungeon filled with lessons that unlock creativity. From fostering imagination, encouraging collaboration, and fining joy in processes that used to be hard.

So, roll the dice, embark on your own epic quest with your friends and note the lessons you can learn. Because there are way more than the seven I just listed.

The Overly Anxious Writer