The Ultimate Guide to Professional Storytelling Part 3: The Value of Professional Storytelling

Value Comes in All Forms

Everybody's work has value, but what kind of value it has depends on you. Some of us are just bursting with creativity, looking for a willing audience to teach how to roleplay and share the experience. Some of us are part of a huge community of volunteers that donate their time for the good of the community. Then there are the very few of us that have boldly stepped out to craft a career out of storytelling, exchanging our availability and services for money.

Many Storytellers have done their work for free (or for snacks) for a very long time. There's nothing wrong with this arrangement. Most of these arrangements were and continue to be get-togethers between local friends sitting down at a kitchen or basement table to tell stories for pure entertainment and camaraderie. The game is more of a feature of the interaction than the main focal point (though the Dungeon Master might disagree.)

For the hobby of roleplaying, many conflicts will arise:

whether they are conflicts of schedule (I have to work tonight,)

conflicts of interest (Game of Thrones is on!,)

or personality conflicts between players and/or the DM (that rogue stole my coin purse again!!)

Many sessions will fall by the wayside, but to everyone involved (except the brooding Dungeon Master) knows it was "just a game" anyway.

This is precisely how I started Dungeon Mastering myself, and it was the best place to improve my craft. When I started looking for partons as a professional storyteller, I thought really hard about my value proposition. What would people be willing to trade for a service? To do something for payment there are many adjustments that must me made. These may be different for different storytellers, but here is my current negotiation and some non-tangible benefits of becoming a regular patron:

• My patrons have control of the game's content (which module,) the start time, and the number of players.
• Donations are made in advance and are non-refundable. This is because I have done prep work and arranged my schedule to perform for my patron or patrons. It's like buying a ticket for an event. If you can't attend, then you lose the value of that ticket. This is not a hard and fast rule, but it has to do with reasonable consideration on both ends. If there is a real emergency on the patron's side, they would have a credit for a future session. If I had an emergency, I would issue a refund to a non-regular patron, and most of my regular patrons would just take a free session in the near future. In the eight months I've been doing this I've only had to deviate from my schedule once.
• Players who aren't donors can make a minimum donation that gives them a reserved spot in a publicly listed game.
• Donors get advanced notice of my publicly posted games. This gives them a chance to be higher priority on a waiting list.
• For return patrons (and other players) I have a better understanding of their character and them as a player. The more I know a player, the more I can adjust to give them an even more personal experience suited to their play style and interests.

I have found that this all works very well in conjunction with an online community and organized play. Compensation allows me to focus on the experience instead of worrying about my financial situation. It also allows me to be extremely flexible when it comes to scheduling. I do hold down a regular albeit part time position bartending and serving at a local restaurant, but that's during Friday and Saturday nights when most of my current patron base is out with their families and wouldn't be scheduling games to begin with. I think that's the route that most artists of any kind must take unless they have a family that fully supports and provides for them while they pursue their passion.

For my next article I'll be diving a bit deeper into some of the psychology behind putting a value on your own time and energy. I'll talk about how services are much different than products in this industry and strategies on how to approach individual prospective patrons. I'll also give some insight to those that are trying to pursue careers as product writers and designers on how to brand yourself or your team.

The Ultimate Guide to Professional Storytelling Part 2: My Personal Liftoff Moment

Every Person Has a Struggle and a Story

I was working as a manager of a cell phone store, and I had been doing so for about six months. I had weathered the winter, the holiday season, and had turned a rathole of a store into a much more professional place. I felt that I had accomplished a lot, and I did it in only about 40 hours of work a week. My regional manager had helped me a lot to get settled, and things were looking alright.

Then, my local friend John stepped into my store and changed my outlook on what I could do. I have always know that I've wanted to do something in entertainment, but it took a complete stranger to tell me that I shouldn't be afraid to try. He's a recovering cancer patient in his mid-60s, and he has his own ideas of what he want to do with and for people in business. I act as a sounding board for his own ideas, and I help him clerically with his ventures, which are going well. His confidence in himself and my abilities got me through the first few months of uncertainty.

With a good amount of savings but no real plan for the future, I resigned from my position after a "come to God" kind of conversation with my regional manager. 

"Are these other projects and your friends more important than your job?" he asked.

"You know, I really think they are" I responded.

"Well, can you at least give me two weeks so I can replace you?" I did, and it was the least I could do for a guy that pushed the wrong underling. I worked there because it was challenging, and I liked cleaning up the mess. I wasn't chasing commission checks, and I wasn't spending more time there than I needed to in a market of 3,000 people where 500 of them owe my store/company money.

After the holiday season, every new "promotion" was lipstick on a pig that just kept getting uglier. It was exhilarating to tell The Man to get lost after cleaning up years of neglect and misrepresentation from the last manager, and then being informed that my higher-ups wanted me to work "60 to 70 hours a week like the other managers do." I guess most people are just desperate to be employed. I'll tell you that being your own boss is challenging, but every moment you get do blame you for what happens and not anyone else.

Houston, We Have Liftoff

I experimented around with streaming games on Twitch for a couple of months. I had some success, but nothing that was even close to being able to pay the few bills that I had. I was doing some odd jobs for my new friend John, but I really did need more if I was going to make this life choice work. Then, I heard about Fantasy Grounds from Dragon+ on my phone, and it seemed to be everything I was looking for in a virtual tabletop. I had been a Dungeon Master since I was a Sophomore in high school off and on through D&D 3rd and 4th editions, and I was starting to pick up the core books and first few adventures for D&D 5th Edition. 

I loved D&D 5th more than any other edition or RPG I'd played, so I invested in the core modules on Fantasy Grounds and started running games for D&D Adventurer's League. I streamed them on Twitch, and after about a month I got the most important email of my life:

"I'll pay you $50 to run..."

I almost died of excitement. 

I had honed my Dungeon Master craft for over a decade, and now I was being given a shot to run a game professionally. 

My patron has always wished to remain anonymous, and was obviously impressed because the same day after our first session together:

"I'll pay you $100 a session, and here are the dates and times:"

Since September 2015 I've been running two to three sessions to week on average. Many of the games that my patron has set up as publicly listed on alonlinetools.net are not attended by said patron, but are ran for the public in stride out of my patron's generosity. Most people don't know that, but enjoy the benefits nonetheless.

The First Customer is the Most Important

I can't highlight enough how my first patron has changed my life. Without my patron, I would still be a lone nut out here on the Internet looking to create a whole new profession. Now I have three regular patrons, with occasional support by a handful of other brave adventurers. I'm hoping the trend continues and I can expand this into multiple storytellers and systems. Before you know it we'll be making a movement towards tons of memorable and awe-inspiring "you had to be there" moments.

Now it's official, but even if people still laugh when I tell them "I run Dungeons & Dragons games professionally," I'll be sharpening all of my creative and business skills every day on a sword of fantasy and improvisation. I'm more than happy to share my story with the world to tell you that if you're out there looking for a way to be a professional storyteller, you are no longer crazy. 

You can do this, and you should do this. 

A Word of Warning and Disclaimer

Results not typical. It takes a village to raise a storyteller. Make sure you have the experience and the support you need to journey down a road that could be a little intimidating and barren when you first embark. 

In my next blog I'll be discussing why professional storytelling is valuable and the negotiation points to consider when it comes to putting together an agreement for a storytelling gig.

The Ultimate Guide to Professional Storytelling Part 1: Getting Started Storytelling

A Triumphant Return to Blogging

This is my first post in a very long time, but for good reason. Since September of last year, I have been working diligently in the field of Storytelling. My ability to pursue it full time is due to the generosity of my current patrons, and for that I am grateful beyond words. At this point, I will be writing a series of How To blogs, from getting started as a Storyteller to more advanced topics such as how to market yourself to your community of choice.

Every Journey Starts With a First Step

The first thing to do as a Storyteller is learn a game system. This requires investment in some literature and time to read and understand its mechanics. Once you have done this through a time or two, move on to practical experience.

Storytellers will never really "know the rules" until they are applied. 

Don't get bogged down with the idea of rules knowledge perfection. Storytelling is a performance art, and improvisation and creativity are just, if not more important, than system knowledge. If there are players that have invested energy into being a wealth of rules knowledge, allow them to assist you when necessary. This validates their own efforts and helps you to make more consistent and satisfying rulings.

Remember the Golden Rule

A Storyteller provides a service with value. That value is derived from the level of entertainment that is received from their players. As an example, part of the D&D Adventurer's League mission is to "foster a welcoming atmosphere focused on fun."

When people have fun, they'll seek you out to run games for them in the future.

This isn't to say that all players will have the same goals, and you will have to adjudicate conflicts of personality between characters and players alike. In the future, I will be sharing some of my personal strategies for resolution, and when all else fails, a compromise.

An Army Marches on its Stomach

Next, Storytellers must be prepared. This comes in a couple of different forms since there are both in-person and online games.

In most cases, you need to be ready to provide everything.

If you are just starting out and really want people to give you a shot, you'll have to make sure there are zero barriers to entry. Run pre-published material to get yourself comfortable with performance. World building and writing are exciting ideas, but they are really a whole other skill that must be learned alongside the performance aspect of storytelling. Reading a module will give you an idea of how professional publishers structure their adventure material. This will give anything you do publish in the future a better chance of meeting the expectations of seasoned roleplayers.

Ask for Feedback, Don't Expect it

After you have done your best to facilitate fun and adventure, be sure to thank all of your players and persuade them to share their thoughts about the game. They may have insights into how you can improve as a Storyteller, and they also may be able to bring to light conflicts between players. Most of these conflicts should be mediated and resolved to really enhance the value of your services. This is the point I feel is most important for the growth and improvement of the skills of a Storyteller, and I will be writing multiple articles on aspects involving feedback and iteration/improvement of one's storytelling style.

Nobody Walks Alone

The very best way to expand your audience and improve your performance craft is getting involved with a large roleplaying community. My personal favorite is the G+ Tabletop Roleplaying Games Community. Its moderation is superb, and its discussions are kept constructive. It also hosts Giant Dragons Gamer Chat on most Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoons which is a semi-open forum for talking about gaming events going on, gaming products new and old, and gaming philosophy discussions. If you are interested in this type of interaction, please contact +Jonathan Henry and let him know! He'll add you to his list of invitees, which already numbers in the hundreds.

UPDATE (02/16/2019): Tenkar's Tavern Discord is really a great place to be! Check it out here: https://discord.gg/f2YQEr3
With Google+ going away, the G+ community is using MeWe as a lifeboat, and possibly a new home: https://mewe.com/group/5bbbea4c9b97560bb8288389

Thank you for taking the time to peruse this article. You have plucked my words out of an endless sea of data, and I am honored to host your attention, if just for a few moments. Go forth and game with passion! 

Stronghold joins ArcheAge with Epic Podcast and 50 Rush

Good morning Internet!

I’m excited to tell you about The Flagship Alliance’s events and activity for this weekend’s Beta and beyond. Through the work and dedication of key members of <Stronghold> and <SPQR> we will bring you both engaging and informative content through Shot’s 50 Rush and The Flagship Podcast.

The Shot 50 Rush

Starting at Beta opening and continuing until our goal is met, Shot will be rushing to level 50 on his Twitch stream at http://www.twitch.tv/kin_tsuna. Kael, one of the guild leads of <Stronghold>, will be main s

upport and both guilds will be backing up the speed runners. Come check us out!

The Flagship Podcast

On Saturday, July 17th at 7PM EST (2300 GMT) The Flagship Podcast’s first episode will be live on Twitch at <insert stream>. The podcast will be hosted by Kael of <Stronghold> and Shot of <SPQR>. We will focus on topics that are relevant to the people that need it most: the average ArcheAge player who hasn’t been out scouring forums and prepping hard for Beta. We hope to shed some light on the game’s complex economy and essential quests that can be easily overlooked by the new player. For our more hardcore viewers we also have an exclusive interview with Pohx, a popular AA Twitch streamer who popularized the Daggerspell class. Come be part of the start of the best ArcheAge podcast on the Net!

Gamers United!

Basic D&D Next: First Impressions

Hold on to Your Dice!

After skimming the new Basic D&D PDF, I have to say that I'm filled with a sense of optimism and excitement. Even in this first offering of the new system my mind and spirit are drawn in to the new way characters are composed, as well as new core systems like Advantage and Inspiration. In this article I'll talk briefly about the top level mechanics and my thoughts. This series will continue with a deeper discussion about races, classes, equipment, and spells to give some opportunity for discussion and debate. On with the show!

Advantage Play

From the beginning of the playtest I've been a staunch proponent of the Advantage system. Mathematically the system changes the deviation of rolls without having to give some kind of real bonus. With a mechanic as simple as "roll two d20 and take the highest/lowest result," it is an elegant and general solution for tackling all kinds of archetypal and mechanical instances where players and DMs alike would have the feeling of "this should succeed/fail a lot." This also lends well to flattening out all of the numerical values for Difficulty Classes and Armor Classes, allowing even the lowest level of characters to make some progress against overwhelming odds instead of it being a completely futile exercise. Giving players more choice instead of shutting things off mechanically is a great way to foster the fantastic and vast openness of possibilities in a role-playing game.

Find Your Inspiration

Inspiration further builds on the Advantage system, allowing Dungeon Masters to reward players that are true to the character they have created. Also, since a character can only be Inspired or not, it encourages players to use that Advantage roll liberally instead of constantly saving them for the most challenging moments. It also seems to give DMs the opportunity to describe how things are resolved during those rolls, making the Inspired player a focal point and encouraging other players to earn Inspiration status themselves.

A Touch of Character

One of the complementary systems for Inspiration is the addition of Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws to characters. I find that many players would be much more engaged in the acting and improvisation of an RPG experience if they just had a little direction. Players are, in fact, actors, and these tidbits can give even the creator of a character a place to start from when it comes to portraying themselves as their adventurer. Like a good director, DMs and the system itself should give their players the tools to succeed. I believe that emphasizing these attributes in conjunction with the Inspiration system will incentivize players enough to do just that.

I Cast Burning Hands... FOR SCIENCE!

I think this was one of the more subtle changes in this edition, but the description of the areas of area of effect spells is fantastic. Now it is a geometric description of the area instead of "this is what a 30ft cone looks like in squares" as it was in previous editions. The math nerd in me giggles in delight since I now have good, solid rules to back up a decision of where AoE should reach.

Keeping Up With the Jhessails

For the first time by my observation, the idea of having Lifestyle Expenses in a concrete way is not something I have had in my own games. I really like the idea of characters having a home instead of being vagabonds, both for role-playing opportunity and to give players a sense of belonging to the world. A little drip of gold out of the character's pockets, along with descriptions of where it goes, seems to add even more life to them at the table.

You Are What You Eat (or Don't Eat)

I'm also glad that they have added meaningful and balanced penalties for lack of food, water, and rest to the Basic game. These needs seem to be overlooked in a lot of sessions in which I've played. However, they are a vital part of anyone's life, and the quality of your food, drink, and rest can really have an impact on your health and sharpness in important, even life-threatening, situations.

All of these aspects of D&D Next and more give my team's pursuit of writing a fantasy campaign setting an even better foothold. These rules are innovative and really seem to emphasize the openness of the RPG platform beyond its recent tactical focus. As we saw with 4th edition, over-engineering can be a bad thing. Instead of constantly bloating out the rules, the D&D guys can put more energy towards telling compelling and engaging stories while enriching their own campaign setting with wonder instead of concrete abilities and status modifiers. I'm sure there is much more complexity to come, but for a younger and more general audience, the Basic D&D rules are plenty to chew on as the rest of the books are released.

What do you think? I'm all ears when it comes to your own observations and takeaways.

Gamers United!

Cavin "Pox" DeJordy

D&D Next Basic PDF http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/basicrules

Gamers for Good: Giant Dragons and Their Critical Hit Against Leukemia

During all of my work and adventures in game and systems design, I stumbled upon one of my favorite places to go to exchange ideas and beta test some of my work: Giant Dragons Gamer Chat. Here, +Jonathan Henry, +Cameron Corniuk, and friends have been hosting a get-together of game players and designers alike, networking its participants for RPGs via Google Hangouts or to just talk about what's going on in the world today and how we might adapt things in to our own gaming sessions or settings. One of their newest and most excellent initiatives is centered around helping our little Dragon, Siberius Corniuk, in his battle with cancer.

We all hope that the Critical Hit Against Leukemia will help to bring a little relief to the Corniuk family through sponsoring them via the Children's Organ Transplant Association for everything from drugs, to special dietary needs, to all the little things that pile up through the many hospital visits required by the family. WIth your help, we hope to give Si a +5 Shield of the Gaming Community. We need to reach the goal of 42 orders for any help to reach him, so tell your whole social network about Si's story and be a hero, just like the ones we all love to write about and play in our gaming sessions.

Gamers United!

Pox

Critical Hit Against Leukemia http://teespring.com/giantdragons42#pid=214&cid=360

G+ Tabletop Roleplaying Games Community https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/107422815813208456454

Stronghold and the Sandbox

Hello Internet. I know it’s been a while since my last blog, but in the interim I graduated college, moved across the US, got a part time job, and prepared to launch a ton of communication channels for The Pox Box. Through all this I was also trying to find some focus on which project I would begin pursuing once the dust settled. As always, it won’t be just one project. However, the focus that has come to the surface is the sandbox.

For a long time I have focused on studying games, game communities, and the economics of these platforms, both in their design and their operation. In all of my travels through the world, the Internet, and my own imagination, I am always pulled back to games which allow for immersive and emergent elements. Because of this, my company looks to become a developer and supporter of these platforms, namely:

- EVE Online through Infernal Creations, a US/EU PvP corp dedicated to good fights and good profit through any and all means available in the game (Industry, Incursions, Trading, Mining, Ratting, and Missions.) We’re aiming currently to provide a consistent schedule of alliance (DNS Alliance) and open events where people can count on a good time, as well as opportunities to learn and grow in their EVE experience.

- Minecraft through The Carver Club, a server moderated by my good friend Rak. It’s a tough place to live, with a focus on a challenging PvE environment and open PvP. The Rak server follows a safe creation policy in which structures and other things created by players are strictly off limits to the creator’s rivals. Just remember, breaking a block doesn’t mean you constructed the blocks around it! Miners beware…

- D&D Next through the creation of a campaign setting code named “Stronghold.” The campaign setting itself is going to be free to the public through a wiki, while associated works such as adventure modules, stories, novels, and other supplemental materials will be available through your favorite online retailers. We’ll be giving fans of our setting an opportunity to submit their own modules, stories, and other materials. Approved works will become part of our stores, and the creators will receive the majority of the profits!

Stay tuned for more updates, more tips, and more sandbox fun with The Pox Box!

Infernal Creations on EVEGate: https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=323921&p=1

Infernal Creations Forums: http://infernalcreations.prophpbb.com/

Infernal Creations Killboard: http://zkillboard.com/corporation/98292949/

The Carver Club Server Info: http://www.reddit.com/r/mcservers/comments/2664vl/the_carver_club_smp_semivanilla/