Articles by Eric Maziade
Chatty's Guests: Sharing Narrative Control
Chatty DM: I’m currently on blogging Hiatus until the Week of December 20th. In the meantime, I post old articles of mine or bring you guest posts from my readers. Today, prepare for a treat from my friend Eric Maziade.
Hi there! Don’t be fooled by the familiar decor: I’m not ChattyDM – most people aren’t. I’m Eric Maziade, subbing in for said ChattyDM. If you want to know more about me, you can visit my various Web sites, which are all linked from my “main” web site: eric.maziade.com.
Enough with the plugging…
I’ve been raking by brains for a topic to try and entertain you and I ended up choosing sharing narrative control.
According to some online dictionary, a narrative is the telling of some true or fictitious event or connected sequence of events, recounted by a narrator to a narratee (although there may be more than one of each).
In Dungeons and Dragons, the tradition (a.k.a. common assumption) is that the DM (or GM, or whatever you kids call’em these days) are the ones holding narrative control. They are the ones who tell the story in which the players participate.
And what is there to debate? As a DM, you create the story, you – with help from Dr. Polyhedral Randomzier – determine the outcome of the player’s action.
You are like a god onto your make-belief world – you have the absolute control.
Or do you? Even better – should you?
All the most memorable role playing sessions and memories I have and had the chance to read on the Internet seem to share one constant: something wonderful and exciting happened in which the player’s action had some unexpected effect (small or large) on the world.
My understanding is that sharing narrative control – allowing your players to decide what happens in the story – is the key to such memories.
(Or is it beer? Can’t remember)
To me, sharing narrative control goes beyond the choices that the players make as players – its not a direct cause-to-effect relationship. It truly is about allowing the players (as PCs) to willingly or not affect what happens in the story.
You’re not convinced? You don’t want to let go of your godly DM powers?
Fear not, for here’s a piece of good news: sharing narrative control is not the same as surrendering narrative control.
I’m no expert on that kind of sharing, but that won’t stop me from trying to start a good discussion on the topic 
What we’re aiming for is not necessarily to have your players tell you exactly what is going to happen next. That’s quite an interesting concept on its own, but I’m thinking more about allowing your players’ thoughts and actions to alter the outcome of what you might have planned.
The way I see it is quite simple:
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Engage Players Into Open Speculations
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Stimulate Creativity By Creating Limits
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Be ready to let go of the ‘default outcome’ that is already planned. (This is so hard for me!!)
Open Speculations
Engaging players into open speculations usually happens by itself. All the players I ever had always discuss their next moves when something happens. I listen to their thoughts about what is happening and allow their ideas to affect what’s coming next – trying hard not to be formulaic.
If I want to provoke speculations, I might trigger an unexpected event. The cleric might have a cryptic, prophetic dream that the players will try to interpret. They might also discuss it with an NPC… or choose to ignore it.
Whatever they turn out expecting I won’t necessarily give them what they want. After all, chances are each player will expect something else.
One thing for sure is that I’ll allow myself to be inspired by their expectations. If you’re playing with youngsters, just giving them what they want seems to works best. Most adults I play with, however, like to be surprised.
Here are a few examples:
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The rogue tried to convince the others that the dagger (planned loot) was cursed and should be discarded – in the hopes of getting it for himself. He succeeds and palms it instead of disposing of it. After a few game sessions, it turns out that the dagger actually was cursed!
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After having ignored all the hints about tracking some creatures, the players decided that the only way they could have escaped the village was through the well. Why not! The original story had kobolds capture kids that were wondering outside of town. Now? A kobold team stealthily invaded the town through a tunnel under the well. This no longer was an opportunistic kidnapping – the kobolds had a plan… they needed something or someone specific… for some specific needs. Triggering more speculations, altering the story more and making it much more personal.
Creating Limits
People are often incredulous when I say that creativity is stimulated by adding limits.
Do you think MacGuyver would’ve been as fascinating if he had access to everything ever made by man?
No – his creativity was fueled by the limited resources at his disposal.
Think about it: it is the limits that force you to be creative.
One of my favorite creativity exercise when I’m stumped for an idea is to open a dictionary, picking up a word at random and figuring what is the word’s relation to the situation.
The word itself is irrelevant, but just trying to create links will most often than not create new, better ideas.
Same goes for players.
Give them things to explore through your descriptions and they’ll create the path between them and their goal for you.
In my previous example, the well in the village was part of the description and was originally a red herring. (Kids disappearing? A well? Pfah! Way too easy!)
If a player is suspicious about an item, explore the idea by giving him obscure reasons to believe the object is not what it seems…. and give other players reasons to believe otherwise. Watch them make sense of it all.
Sometimes, you can also be blessed with players with whom you can truly share narrative control. Maybe you can share a campaign with a fellow DM/player, or maybe one of the players can flat out say : “wouldn’t it be cool if the evil sorcerer we’re after turned out to be the baron’s sister, which became mad after having been polymorphed into a man?”. (Wouldn’t it?).
Let Go of the ‘Default Outcome’
Sharing narrative control just cannot happen if you can’t let go of your original ideas… Your player’s ideas can only help stimulate your own creativity.
Your campaigns’ original storyline might end up taking you to wonderful, unexpected places if you allow your players to have an impact on it.
After all, that’s what role playing really is, isn’t it? A bunch of friends sitting together and telling themselves wonderful stories?
