Improv-ing your roleplaying skills
Today I want to talk a little about something that has almost certainly made me a better roleplayer and GM, and that is improvisation, or "Improv". The subject of improv recently cropped up in an after game discussion I had with my online group following a recent session of Liminal, and I've been thinking about it since then.
Now roleplaying in general is part rules, part randomness and part thinking on the spot in response to a player's or GM's actions, which in itself is a form of improvisation. But what I am talking about is the skills more commonly associated with improv comedy or theatre—the stuff you may have encountered in a high school drama lesson (and may have thought pretty weird and silly at the time - I certainly did!). The skills and techniques used in improv can help you build better characters with stronger relationships, react better to situations in game, and overall run and enjoy a better game.
Yes, and...
The core tenet of improv is the phrase "yes, and...". This line of thinking is whereby you accept what someone else has stated, or "offered"—which covers the "yes" part—and then expand and build upon it—which is the "and..." part. This can be done by directly building on the statement, adding more colour to a scene or relationship, or by doing something unexpected, and thus taking a scene or relationship in an unexpected direction.
This concept can be broken down into two basic parts. The first is that, as a player in a game, you should listen to what the others around the table offer up through the course of play, be receptive to those ideas and accept what is offered. This is one of the most difficult aspects of improvisational play, as it requires not immediately judging what is on offer, but instead simply running with it. That can be a scary prospect, as it cedes control to the other player. However, accepting their offer without judgement allows you to build on their statement without limitations. This is the second part and one where you have control of the process by adding new information to the narrative.
This method involves a certain level of trust amongst those taking part. The person making the initial offer or statement trusts that others around the table or in the scene will accept their offer and not judge it. Then, by ceding control of the narrative, they trust that whoever picks up that offer will build on it rather than swaying away from the offer and trying to change it. As the narrative passes back and forth between all those taking part, this level of trust necessarily becomes shared between all the players.
One of the key things to help this approach run smoothly is the ideas of being average and being obvious. A lot of the time, we can find an improvisational approach stressful because it is difficult to think of something cool on the spot. But, you don't need to! Sometimes the most logical way to build on something is to choose the most obvious path. This can vary from game to game depending on what type of game you are playing. The average and obvious will be different for a fantasy setting compared to sci-fi or superpowers. The key is that what pops into your head first is probably a good idea, so run with it!
I would argue that using the "yes, and..." approach allows players to more easily inject their ideas into the game and makes for some interesting play experiences, as scenes can develop in wildly different directions than what you first thought. It also helps overcome one of the issues that can crop up in games, and that is the railroad. Choose to let the train come off the tracks; you might be surprised when you see where it takes you! Finally, it is a great tool for GMs to learn because it both helps to reduce prep, because using an improvisational approach by necessity reduces the need to plan ahead.
Yes/No, but...
The improvisational approach to gaming can successfully shut down what can be one of the most disappointing and frustrating aspects of RPGs—getting your ideas shot down. There is nothing more maddening that thinking you have a cool idea and then having someone tell you that it won't work or can't happen. We can often do this because we want to play safe—after all who wants to put their character in a deadly situation or one in which they look bad. But accepting and building on such ideas and situations can make for interesting play.
Sometimes, though, there will be situations where an idea is put forward and it doesn't wholly mesh with things in game. It can be tempting to shut such ideas down, but there is another variation of "yes, and..." that can help us out, and that is often phrased and "no, but..." or "yes, but...". The key here is to take the essence of what has been offered and twist it to fit with what is going on with the game or what the GM has planned for the adventure. Or even to just make it more interesting!
And example of this might be the players stating that they look for a group of mercenaries that they can hired to help them overcome a goblin horde. It is easy to respond to this and say "Yes, there is a group of mercenaries and hiring them will cost you X gold". That takes the offer and builds on it. But is it as interesting as "No, there are no mercenaries in town, but you hear rumours that some of the local fighters' guild will do odd jobs in return for favours in kind"? This second approach may lead to something more exciting that can be developed on—it introduces a new faction (perhaps one the GM has already prepared that just needed an opening to be introduced) and offers a tasty hook, i.e. what favour might that guild call in at a later date?
The important point with "no, but..." is not to shut down an idea, but instead to offer an alternative that still builds on the original offer—something that fits better with the scene or offers a more interesting approach, but still fits within the remit of what the player originally put forward or asked for.
Want to know more?
What I've discussed above given you an overview into improv in gaming but only really scratches the surface of the techniques that this approach has to offer and the ways in which it can improve your games. However, there are some excellent books out there that focus on improv in gaming that I highly recommend picking up and reading.
The first is Graham Walmsley's Play Unsafe. This is probably the easiest and best introduction into how improvising can change the way that you roleplay. I mean, it says it right there on the cover! Written in simple language and introducing concepts in a manner that is easy to understand, it is a book that I think every gamer should read at least once. You can pick up Play Unsafe from Amazon in print or DriveThruRPG in PDF.
Another book that is worth a look is Unframed: The Art of Improvisation for Games Masters. It's difficult to get hold of in print in the UK, but you can pick up the PDF easily enough over on DrivethruRPG. Filled with essays from some of the top games designers out there, this book is chock filled with interesting advice to help enhance your games. While not approached as directly as Play Unsafe, it allows you to look at individual aspects of improvisational techniques, presenting a smorgasbord of options for you to try at the table.
Finally, and this one is a little out there, there is Improv for Gamers by Karen Twelves and published by Evil Hat. It provides a good outline of improv techniques and why they are good for gaming, but the core of what the book provides is actual improv exercises to use as part of an improv group, which can really help open your eyes to how these techniques can be used and provides fun ways to practice them. Definitely something more original to try, but I would recommend picking up the other two books first. Improv for Gamers can be picked up from your FLGS with relative ease or in PDF from DrivethruRPG.
Improv games to play
If you're interested in trying out some RPGs that thrive on an improvisational approach and actively build it into their system and force you to think on your toes and prep less, there are plenty out there. For starters, I would highly recommend trying Fiasco, which is one of the most improvisational games out there! Nothing is planned in advance and everything in the story is spun out at the table. It is a game where the techniques I have outlined above will be exceptionally useful to having a great experience. You may have seen Fiasco played on Wil Wheaton's Tabletop (video below) which gives a great overview of how a game might play out.
Fiasco has since been updated to a new second edition, which is driven by cards rather than dice. It's still the same high stakes (and often hilarious) experience though!
Other games to look at are many of the Forged in the Dark games, starting with Blades in the Dark, in which you play thieves trying to carve out their fortunes in the gloomy and atmospheric city of Duskwall. Or any of the Powered by the Apocalypse system games, such as Apocalypse World or Dungeon World. All of these games' main focus is on playing to find out what happens. They demand that you come to the game with no preconceived notions of how things are going to turn out and let the story develop through play. An improvisational approach is key to enabling this to happen! If you're interested in a (long) read through a Play by Forum game of Dungeon World that I took part in then check out Tales of the Wild Ones over on RPG Geek (it's easily one of the best games I've ever played!).
I'd highly suggest giving some (if not all!) of these games a try. They are all great fun and have created some amazing play experiences for me personally. Plus they have all helped me develop my skills with improvisation and opened my eyes to new ways to approach the games that I run and play in. I am sure that they can do the same for you too!