The Story Game System

What Is The Story Game System?

The Story Game System is the 5e Compatible RPG for writers. SGS contains an extended set of rules for capturing the tales of the adventures played in your RPG game in a multi author chronicle which can be published for all to read. The point of the game is the story.

How do you use The Story Game System?

The SGS Core Rule Book provides the basic framework for creating characters and conducting adventures using the SRD 5.2 to create a 5e Compatible role-playing experience. However, the specifics of things like classes, races, equipment and feats are left to the Campaign Environments, explained in the next section.

Writing the Story

At the end of each game session, the GM will give writing assignments to members of the party. Once completed, these writing assignments are turned in to the GM for editing and assembly into the adventure narrative, aka The Story.

Story Templates

These writing assignments are delivered in the form of Story Templates, which are made up of specific writing prompts for the player to complete. Story Templates prompt the player to write about a specific event from a specific perspective or with a specific theme in mind.

GM as Editor & Publisher

SGS looks at the GM as both game moderator and primary editor of the adventure narrative. Prompts are assigned based on a larger design of dramatically assembling a written story from many character’s perspectives. What exactly was the rogue doing when they disappeared for a few moments? What is it like for the wizard to always have to hang back from the big combats? Artfully curating these writing assignments into a chronicle is an added dimension to the GMs role in SGS.

What else do you need to play?

Campaign Environments

The Story needs a home. These stories exist within the framework of the Campaign Environment. Campaign Environments lay out the specific World or Universe in which the story is told. In practical terms, the Races, Classes, Monsters, Feats, Equipment and Powers available to the players to develop their characters are defined in the Campaign Environment. A GM can purchase a premade Campaign Environment or design their own.

Adventure Plots

Adventure Plots are the specific narrative of the game sessions. These adventure modules use the context of a Campaign Environment to define a specific plot line of a game session.

Highlights

• Story templates that prompt each player with an event, a perspective or a theme
• A GM who acts as both game moderator and editor of the group’s chronicle
• Multi-author chronicles, written by the players, that can be published
• Campaign Environments for the world, and adventure plots for each session
• Core Rules are at version 0.2.3, and a companion StoryGS Foundry VTT platform.

Who it’s for

Writers who like to play, players who like to write, and GMs who want their campaigns to become readable stories.

Includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2 (“SRD 5.2”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at dndbeyond.com/srd and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.