Episode 14
4 Tips to Help improve Narrative Skills
You and your companions walk slowly through the town. The sky is mottled gray and a slight breeze chills your skin. You see the townsfolk walking by as if nothing had happened. You stop a young lady to ask her what happened. She looks at you with a smile too big for her face. “Nothing happened good sir. We all love living here in Teel’s Hollow.” Her response didn’t feel natural, and her eyes seemed different. You’d all seen this girl before. You let her go. You and your companions stand in the street, discussing, when suddenly, you notice a figure across the way. They stop. Your eyes meet theirs, their cold mechanical eyes. The machine man suddenly bolts.
What would you like to do?
Welcome back to the 14th episode of How to Be a Better DM. This is the show designed to help you tell better stories as you dungeon master a nice session of D&D 5e with your friends.
Let me first start off with a big apology. There wasn’t an episode released last week and I am so sorry for that. I got sick and was totally unprepared for it. In fact, I’m still sick, so hopefully this week's episode doesn’t suck.
Before we get to today’s show, let me tease out something really cool that might happen. If we’re able to get enough listeners to this show, we’ll be able to add a couple team members to the show. That’s all I’ll say for now, so make sure you share the show so we can bring on new guys !
Now, we’ve all tried telling an amazing story. We’ve tried to weave the beginning, introducing important plot points and seamlessly transitioning to breathtaking moments of conflict.
We’ve all been there. Most of us though still struggle with that. Maybe we struggle using our words to effectively paint the scene.
So here are a few tips to better narrate your game.
- Slow down
One of my biggest problems is that I tend to talk really fast. Most people who talk fast do so unconsciously as a way to hide their insecurity. Subconsciously we feel that talking fast masks the fact that we might not have much value to say. Instead, slow down. Breathe. Be very deliberate with what you say. If it takes a long time to get there, that’s ok.
- Narrate with your senses
As you narrate your game, make sure you use words that call forth each of the senses. “The springtime scents of alfalfa assail you as you walk through the fields,” sounds much better than, “You walk through a field”. Immerse yourself and your players by giving them words that evoke their senses.
- Refine your written text
In D&D you’ll definitely ad lib at least once per session, but that doesn’t mean you can’t prepare some sort of text block as well. Whether you’re in a dungeon or about to fight a big boss, you can create a descriptive block of text that perfectly sets the scene. When you do, use this time to really practice your narration. What you say while improvising and what you say when you’ve prepared yourself are both linked. When one improves, the other improves.
- Give seemingly insignificant details
You gotta be careful with this tip, but when describing a foe, add in something that the players will remember. Rather than fighting a banshee, explain that the group sees a young maiden in a shroud of shimmering white garments, and that she holds something in her right hand, something that looks to be a star carved out of wood. Notice how I didn’t describe the whole monster, but it was still interesting.
There you have it, 4 simple tips to help improve your narrative skills. I’d love to hear your thoughts on these tips, or any other tips you may have. Send me a direct message on instagram @geronimolevis and I’ll be happy to start up a conversation.
We’ll see you next week. Until then, let’s go ahead and roll initiative.
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