An essay for new Storytellers — by BryanW

The Online Storyteller Primer

Welcome new volunteer Storytellers! On behalf of the rest of the online community, allow me to be the first to thank you for deciding to donate your time to help make the game enjoyable, fair, and fun for all involved.

In hopes of speeding up the process of becoming acclimated to assisting in a large online game, as well as help raise the standard of Storytellers everywhere, by request of several veteran Storytellers and Admins I have edited my original "Online Storyteller Primer" to go over some generic ground rules, as well as to explain what exactly is expected of you. In addition, I will be periodically posting essays on some general guidelines to consider, in particular for the newer people who have limited experience in this venue. My original primer had additional material (not found in this edited copy) which was specific to my own team and game when I was in charge of White Wolf's Official Moderated WOD Chat, so make certain to check with your superior for any changes or additions.

This primer is meant to be a guideline only and is not affiliated with any particular game. If you are an Admin who would like a copy of this primer, you are free to link to this page. If you use this as a basis for your own primer, or if you use it in total for your own site I would appreciate acknowledgement for writing it.

As some of you have never been Storytellers in a capacity other than tabletop games, becoming a Storyteller in an online setting can be a great challenge as you become accustomed to a style oftentimes foreign to your own, in addition to having to keep up with the activities of a large number of players and teammates. For those of you already experienced as prior Assistants and STs, much of this may be old hat, but a refresher is always a good thing. As a note, just because I might have left something off doesn't mean common sense can be thrown out the window. In general, please be as polite, ethical, and as much of a team player as you possibly can.

Do remember that Storytelling can be an involved process. As a former HST, I would caution my own team about Storytelling multiple venues or chats simply because the increased workload can lead to faster burnout, neglected players, and bad blood, despite good intentions.

Confidentiality

Whatever happens in the ST egroup, forum, or mailing list should stay there. This is not a joke, and is not something that is negotiable. If you break confidentiality intentionally, you may be released from the team at the minimum due to a lack of trust. The ST forums and notes are restricted from the players for all sorts of reasons, but most importantly so that Storytellers can speak relatively freely about any issues they feel they need to bring up. This confidentiality also extends to Storyteller notes on sheets as well as private discussions regarding the game. I don't care how trustworthy you think the person you might break confidentiality to is. I don't care if its your fiancée or your best friend, a former Storyteller or someone not even in the game anymore. The Storytellers and I take this very seriously.

Communication

I will likely go into depth on this at some point in the future, but remember communication is incredibly important. Not only will your fellow Storytellers want to know what you are planning on running beforehand to prevent conflicting storylines, but many issues with players can be resolved simply by talking with them and understanding where they are coming from.

Politeness

Please retain a level of professionalism when logging on with your ST login. Refrain from inflammatory comments, starting arguments or anything that breaks the chat rules. Even if a player is abusive, please remember to keep your cool at all times. I'll say it again. PLEASE REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR COOL. Players can get upset for all sorts of reasons, just like we can. If a player is abusive, please remember to be polite and, if necessary, direct them to issue a complaint with your "superior" if need be. You need to be the example for others and a leader, not the problem.

ST Status

You have a status of sorts when you log in under your ST login. Please do not abuse this. We're all here to have fun, but there is no reason to use it as a mini-power trip. Please don't use it as a soapbox either, unless it's relevant to the game.

ST Knowledge

As a Storyteller you have access to knowledge that the regular players do not have, for example story line information, access to the character sheets of others, and sometimes Storyteller notes. It is imperative that you do not use this information to benefit your own characters, or those of your friends.

As a side note, do realize when your own PC is involved you are a player, not a Storyteller. As such, you are not allowed to use knowledge you may possess out of character to benefit yourself in any way; be it looking at an opponent's sheet, using knowledge of what is going on in a storyline, or even looking at the Storyteller notes on your own sheet.

Remember, people: this is a game. Don't take yourselves too seriously and simply pretend that you're having fun. When the people at the top are actually having fun, the people at the bottom are more likely to be having fun as well. We're here to provide a fun gaming environment, within the rules and flavor, for the players. Keep that in mind. You are here for the players. Don't be so aloof that you can't share a good chuckle with them, but don't sacrifice your professionalism for it. It's a hard balance to find, but if you do, you will be extremely successful.