The Old World: Grim and Perilous

Collaborative Storytelling
Genesys emphasizes collaborative storytelling
between the players and the game master.
Its gameplay diverges in a few key aspects
from the traditional approach to role-playing
games. Here are some pivotal points to understand
this unique narrative style:
1. Collaboration
A Genesys session should be a shared storytelling
experience centered around the characters.
In this framework, the Game Master
acts as both the narrator and the mediator,
not as a strict judge or antagonist to the players.
Even with the Game Master's influential
position, they shouldn't impose their own vision
on players, for instance, by offering illusory
choices or fudging dice results. Instead,
they should create space to be surprised by
the turn of events, focus on managing each
character's "spotlight", and encourage players
to introduce their own plot solutions,
rather than strictly adhering to narrative
consistency. This approach can be enhanced
by making rolls transparently and collaboratively
interpreting their results.
. Narrative First
In Genesys, the story takes precedence.
The game is designed to promote collective
storytelling through character-world
interactions. This open interpretation
doesn't mean the rest of the mechanics
and rules are negligible – they just have a
lesser impact on the game than in a traditional
RPG. Players should be encouraged
to declare their intentions before rolling
the dice. Emphasis is placed on what characters
aim to achieve and how they plan to
do it; only afterward do we proceed to the
mechanical solutions.
. Dice Rolls Enhance the Story
Traditional role-playing games typically
use dice to determine the success or failure
of players' declared actions. In Genesys, the
dice primarily serve to enrich the narrative.
The outcomes should almost always be interpreted
in a narrative context. This means
we should first clarify in-game events, like a
character throwing their opponent off-balance,
and then transition to the respective
mechanical effect, such as receiving a j for
the next roll.
. Consequences, Risk, and Dice Rolls
Dice rolls are meaningful when associated
with clear stakes. They should be utilized
only when players' declarations come with
evident risks or significant outcomes. It's
important to highlight situations where
a failure not only doesn't push the narrative
forward but completely halts it. For
instance, it's redundant for a team's thief
to roll for lockpicking if they have hours
to open a lock and the adventure awaits
behind the door. In the best scenario, the
team just moves on; in the worst, they get
completely stuck. The dynamics change entirely
if the rest of the party is fending off
city guards, and opening that door is their
only escape route!
Chapter 11: Grim World of Perilous Adventure 205