What do you enjoy about STing?
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I was sitting here reflecting on how much fun I'm having STing on SGM and it brought to mind... for those that ST, why do you do it? What keeps bringing up back? It can't be just the desire to tell a story: there's got to be more (else you'd just tell it for yourself; write a short story; save it for a TT).
Some of the things off the top of my head that 'make it' for me:
- Seeing people get into their characters and enjoy themselves.
- Watching someone figure out what you've been dropping hints for.
- On the other hand? Seeing someone get it utterly wrong and knowing what a fun ride it'll be when they figure that out.
- The times when someone discovers something new about their character.
- ...or even gets to just dive deeper into an aspect of their PC.
These are just some of the things I love. What about you? What has brought you joy in STing?
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I find that for whatever reason, players tend to reveal more of their PCs and be more open and giving when i'm running a scene for them in ways that they typically are not in acquaintance RP.
Since that kind of thing is kind of what really keeps me going MUSH wise, I can often sustain that desire to RP/create stories through STing alone, and have. STing is something I really really really miss.
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I love how excited people can get. The knowledge that they are having a blast and that I've been able to pull them into the moment is really validating. Seeing them guessing what is going to happen, or planning ahead is great. One of the nicest things anyone ever said to me, what that I make these really realistic NPCs that people fall in love with only to destroy the players when something bad happens to them. That made me beyond happy.
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I think I need a nap. I thought you were asking what we enjoy about TSing. I had a lengthy answer until I was about to submit and saw it actually read STing…
Sooo the real answer is, I love using the environment and making it as immersive as possible. I've discovered I enjoyed playing NPCs more than my own characters. They allow me to go ham and as crazy as I want in a temp setting.
I think I'll probably just do that from now own instead of creating characters. NPC scenes for folks. Just chance encounters. What if type shit.
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@Doozer said in What do you enjoy about STing?:
I thought you were asking what we enjoy about TSing. I had a lengthy answer until I was about to submit
sounds like you need to start a thread.
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I enjoy playing throw-away NPCs.
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@silverfox said in What do you enjoy about STing?:
I enjoy playing throw-away NPCs.
OMG, me too!
One of my favorite parts of STing is making up NPCs. Though, admittedly, mine tend to be more like "recurring extras" than "one and done."
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@Doozer said in What do you enjoy about STing?:
I think I need a nap. I thought you were asking what we enjoy about TSing. I had a lengthy answer until I was about to submit and saw it actually read STing…
It's because of this that I'm waiting for someone to not-accidentally typo and say TSing, then fail to catch it before it's noticed.
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@dvoraen I think every instance of "STing" in this thread should be replaced with "TSing"...
Just cause.
@Auspice Would folks contribute though?
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I love showing the world reacting to the players, and seeing the players reacting to what the world does to them. Granted, this is the same thing I love about playing a PC, but you can do it on a grander scale as a ST than you can as a player (usually).
I love seeing characters talk about NPCs or situations I've created for days or weeks afterwards. I love creating those characters and playing them as real people, and seeing them live on after the scene is awesome.
I love seeing how excited and pleased people get during the plot, hanging on every roll or pose (GM and player poses).
I love it when players do something I wasn't expecting, and I have to think on my feet, only to realize that it fits perfectly into one of the ideas I had for the plot, and I can just run with it.
I love giving players the opportunity to learn more about their PCs, or to show off hidden aspects of the characters that they already know.
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I love watching players make hard choices or dig into some deeper aspect of their character.
I love high-emotion moments.
I love love LOVE watching the fallout from something. Even if the ST'd scene itself was kind of meh (we killed 10 giant bugs!), watching the characters COPE with the injuries or surprises or aftermath of action is the best reward for me. -
When I'm sitting there going 'oh god I wish I could tell someone about this but I can't spoil it for the players...'
I know it's good and I know I'm invested.
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@Doozer said in What do you enjoy about STing?:
@Auspice Would folks contribute though?
Just saw this.
I mean, there was a thread once on 'tips for TS' so I imagine people absolutely would.
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I liked him in Dune, and I really like that "It's Probably Me" song.
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I don't ST often. I can't really organize a whole plot or a whole story of mystical elements. I could run combat on the basis and agreement that I'm not gonna nitpick and I do run a less than mechanically tight scene. There was a time when I would do template changes but I can't quite retain all of the template fluff (I'm speaking of WOD here) that I used to.
Either way, I really, really prefer more intimate, character driven sort of scenes. I've offered for this corner of STing that I think is not served. And it's character fluff type stuff. People pick up merits like Mentor or just have certain people in their background or as NPCs and as much as I like plot, characters feed my soul.
In addition, I had the idea at one game I was at to run scenes like "Let's roll your obscure dice." or "Wanna show off? Wanna flex your powers without flexing at a fellow a PC?"
They would be small. You want an NPC for a dying mother? Tell me about her. We'll talk and I'll make it happen for you, as best I can. PC can stop me at anytime and be like, naw, not my mom. We adjust, etc.
I always want to rustle around BGs and do backscenes and meet the special people who matter in a character's life. I like deep dive into my character and I end up writing vignettes and sometimes I post them. Most of the time, I feel isolated because so much is in my head for any given character
So if anyone other there who cares about you character development and think it made be super awesome to get into your backstory and connections or chat with a sage mentor or whatever. I got that on lock.
Am I the baddie?
Yes. Always yes. -
I am endlessly jealous at people to whom STing is possible.
You people need all the accolades appropriate to coming up with reasonable and engaging ideas.
“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.”
― Carl Sagan, Cosmos -
@Goldfish That is where I live and die. I love big epic combats, but I also love the small lived in moments. The love and anguish of loss. I try to make what I do personal when I can.
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@Thenomain said in What do you enjoy about STing?:
You people need all the accolades appropriate to coming up with reasonable and engaging ideas.
If you like STing, it's kind of its own reward? For me, anyway. If I have an idea, and I'm able to execute it, that's all I need.
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The stories and narratives that I often want are hard if not impossible to create on the grid for a multitude of reasons. I like spinning them off in a more (hopefully) cohesive fashion and letting others play them out.
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I'm almost exactly the opposite in my ST skills. I love world-building and thinking through all the crazy interactions between factions, ethics, magics, ecosystems, etc, but my characters usually tend to be ad-hoc one-offs that more often than not fail to gain any real depth before either the players run away to a new area or murder-hobo the villains. I always get a rush whenever something causes the game to suddenly come alive and scenes logically follow one after another in a burst of creativity.
