Some Tips for New Storytellers

Adam’s riding solo on this one, and he’s pulling a bundle of helpful tricks and tips out of his Storyteller’s saddlebag—especially for folks just starting out running Mage games. If you’re a veteran, you might hear some familiar ground, but if you’re new to the Storyteller’s seat, this one’s a gold mine.

Show Notes

• 🔍 Mysteries in Mage
  How to prep, run, and avoid dead-ends in investigative stories using the Three Clue Rule, leads vs. evidence, and flexible scene design.
• 📉 Failing Forward
  Why a botched roll doesn’t have to mean failure. Let the players move forward with consequences instead of slamming the brakes.
• 🎲 Let It Ride
  One roll covers an entire scene—less stress, more fun. A simple rule to keep the tension without constant dice-checking.
• 🏙️ Portraying Cities with Flavor
  Bring your setting to life! Split the city into districts, add landmarks and “scenic encounter” tables to make your urban Mage game sing.
• ⏰ Faction Clocks
  A slick little tool to track what NPC factions are up to, using clocks to show progress and raise stakes in the background.
• 😈 Villain Advice
  Three time-tested tips:
  • Let worthy foes emerge from play
  • Keep villains offscreen and safe until the big showdown
  • Don’t be afraid to let bad guys run away when things go south
• 📚 Source of Inspiration
  Much of this wisdom comes from Justin Alexander’s book So You Want To Be A Game Master and his legendary blog The Alexandrian, with Mage-friendly tweaks and examples sprinkled in.
• 🎧 Related Episode
  Missions, Mysteries, and Magick: Paranormal Investigation in Mage - Using weird ⁠artifacts⁠, team dynamics and investigations that make sense in the World of Darkness.