Post by Triple 7 on Jan 26, 2023 21:42:47 GMT -8
Nothing upsets me more than table talk.
What do I mean by table talk? I mean the out of Character conversations that take place while a scene is happening.
A lot of what I do as a Storyteller is build suspense and work up to something I like to call the reveal. The reveal could be anything from who the real villain is to the carefully crafted ambush I laid out. Maybe its something as simple as the decision an non-Playable Character (NPC) makes when deciding your Character's fate. Regardless, it takes time to craft a written post or to build the suspense where I want it. While that is happening in one channel, I get a lot of commentary on possible directions the scene is taking. While I don't have true evidence that I have taken the time to notice, I do suspect that it causes Player who are in that scene to change their minds on actions or decisions they previously had based on what the Peanut Gallery have suggested or speculated. I consider it a form of metagaming that is tolerated. Players are going to talk, they overshare all the time. They want to make suggestions on how they would react to whatever situation is in play. They're going to help one another over solidarity against an NPC I wrote into the scene. Ultimately it is you against me, and that is just fine. It builds a community at times.
It annoys me, and there is nothing I can (or would) do about it.
I don't have control over people and I have always said I am not an authority figure as a Storyteller. Does it bother me? Yes. But, people have free will and they're allowed to discuss whatever they want in the Player's Corner. It really does irk me when I am crafting a story and then the Peanut Gallery out of left field guess my reveal or come up with a better story then I originally wrote. I mean, that's just my jealousy talking, but I like it best when I can spring the reveal on someone and they're shocked or impressed by the scene. Nothing makes me more happy than when a Player see's me typing in a channel they didn't expect me to enter and get afraid behind the scene. That's a compliment to a Storyteller who runs a game of personal horror.
Down with table talk!
What do I mean by table talk? I mean the out of Character conversations that take place while a scene is happening.
A lot of what I do as a Storyteller is build suspense and work up to something I like to call the reveal. The reveal could be anything from who the real villain is to the carefully crafted ambush I laid out. Maybe its something as simple as the decision an non-Playable Character (NPC) makes when deciding your Character's fate. Regardless, it takes time to craft a written post or to build the suspense where I want it. While that is happening in one channel, I get a lot of commentary on possible directions the scene is taking. While I don't have true evidence that I have taken the time to notice, I do suspect that it causes Player who are in that scene to change their minds on actions or decisions they previously had based on what the Peanut Gallery have suggested or speculated. I consider it a form of metagaming that is tolerated. Players are going to talk, they overshare all the time. They want to make suggestions on how they would react to whatever situation is in play. They're going to help one another over solidarity against an NPC I wrote into the scene. Ultimately it is you against me, and that is just fine. It builds a community at times.
It annoys me, and there is nothing I can (or would) do about it.
I don't have control over people and I have always said I am not an authority figure as a Storyteller. Does it bother me? Yes. But, people have free will and they're allowed to discuss whatever they want in the Player's Corner. It really does irk me when I am crafting a story and then the Peanut Gallery out of left field guess my reveal or come up with a better story then I originally wrote. I mean, that's just my jealousy talking, but I like it best when I can spring the reveal on someone and they're shocked or impressed by the scene. Nothing makes me more happy than when a Player see's me typing in a channel they didn't expect me to enter and get afraid behind the scene. That's a compliment to a Storyteller who runs a game of personal horror.
Down with table talk!