Main Page

Storygame
The Storygame system is designed for 2+ participants to roleplay together online in a setting of their own creation. A setting is full of characters, locations, ideas and objects either completely unique or based on something published by someone else. Every player contributes to the setting which expands through the writing of scenes, basically episodes within a longer story called a chronicle. Think of a Storygame as playing a tabletop RPG via written rather than spoken word and without a GM or gamemaster. Players still create character sheets for personal characters only they narrate. Sometimes a dice roller is used as a mechanism for fate or luck. Most of game play is about typing from the personal character's own perspectives. Together, the players write a story via IC (in-character) posts to one another.

Unlike other forms on roleplaying, your Storygame session becomes a living document. You can share it with friends or return and read it at your leisure. Discussing the IC storygame in OOC chat is as much a part of Storygaming as world building and the writing of the chronicle story.



World Building
There just needs to be at least one World Builder for the chronicle. In a small chronicle of 2-3 people, everyone might like to collaborate in World Building. Conversely, one person might already have a strong idea for the chronicle setting and everyone else prefers to let them design it and surprise them when it is ready. Whatever is best for your group is best for your group.

As a Worldbuilder, it is a good rule of thumb to give yourself at least one week with a decent amount of free time to start creating a chronicle Setting from scratch for a small private (2-4 player) storygame. You will want to take a month for a large public (20+ player) game because that will require not just a chronicle world, but a chronicle social contract, basically a code of conduct for how players treat other players and the appointment of at least one moderator.

In designing and then presenting both your setting and your social contract, we highly recommend using Google Docs for initial, shareable text files in a chronicle folder as well as a voice/text chat app like Discord. Before launch, make a wiki like this one.

The Storygame System
Chapter One: World Building

Chapter Two: Personal Character Creation & System Mechanics

Chapter Three: Collaborative Roleplay Guide

Chapter Four: Creating A Social Contract & Game Moderation Guide

Chapter Five: Maintaining A Chronicle Wiki & Discord

Chapter Six: The Storyteller's Guild website