For many, it can be a little confusing to understand what a StoryForge game actually looks like. Below is a quick example of a situation which could unfold during play:
It’s the middle of the night. Our two players, Kara and Rylee, are playing their fictional player characters LUNA and FINN in a StoryForge game.
In the story, LUNA and FINN creep up towards a BANDITS' FORT where they believe the STOLEN MAP is located.
The FACILITATOR (the narrator of the game) starts by describing the situation: " It is the dead of night as the pair of you make your way through the woods, the wind lightly whistles through the trees. Up ahead, the bandits' makeshift fort comes into view. It’s made up of rickety stone walls and a shoddy-looking gate. You can make out a flickering light from a would-be campfire located in the central compound."
The Facilitator then asks the players: "What would you like to do?"
Kara (who is playing Luna) asks a question: "Can I see any signs of life around the fort?"
Facilitator: "It’s pretty dark except for the campfire, I assume you extinguished your torches before sneaking up?"
Kara (Luna) "Yeah, we certainly did".
The Facilitator: "You can make out a couple of shadows moving around inside the fort. You also spot a silhouette of a man standing guard outside—a solid, imposing figure."
Rylee wants to get his player character (FINN) involved and so he says to the Facilitator: "Wait, I’ve got an idea. You said the fort is ‘makeshift’, right? Does that mean it might be possible to climb the walls if they’ve been somewhat thrown together? "
Facilitator: "That might be possible, but let’s do a LUCK ROLL to CHECK what condition the fort is in. We’ll make it a straight 50/50".
Facilitator rolls a six-sided die (d6) and gets a 4, meaning luck is on the characters’ side.
Facilitator"Yep, it’s possible!"
Rylee is excited and so he commits Finn to an action: "Let’s go for it. Should I roll an ATHLETICS CHECK to see how well I scale the wall?"
Facilitator: "Go ahead."
Rylee rolls a 16 - meaning a SUCCESS!
The Facilitator then describes the new situation based on the outcome of the dice roll: "It’s dark so you can sneak right up to the base of one of the walls without detection. The fort has shoddy building work with plenty of foot holes and things to grab onto - as such you scale it with ease, leaping over the top, you land in the compound below and manage to hide behind some crates."
Rylee (Finn): "Ok great, so I’m looking for the stolen map, right?… Where might it be? "
Facilitator: "From this position, it's hard to say exactly, what you can see is a couple of bandits warming themselves by the fire, there are some weapon racks, a table with dirty dishes and a small wooden building nearby. "
Rylee (Finn): "Ok, cool, I guess I’ll go take a look inside the building?"
Facilitator: “Not without a STEALTH ROLL you won’t. We need to check if those guards catch sight of you…”
Rylee (Finn):: "Ah, of course. Ok, that’s fair…"
Rylee rolls a 5 - meaning a FAIL!
Rylee (Finn): "Shoot! Do they see me!?"
Facilitator: "They haven’t seen you straight away, but as you make it to the door of the structure, in your haste, you bump into a set of stacked crates, knocking one of them to the ground with a crash. The bandits turn to face the director from which the noise came, one of them starts heading over to investigate…"
Rylee (Finn): "Err, ok... what are my options!? Can I still try and get inside the building!?"
Facilitator: "You make it to the door and try the handle but it's locked".
Rylee (Finn): "I'm a thief! Can I pick the lock?"
Facilitator: "You can certainly attempt to. Of course, if you FAIL the guards are likely going to spot you... is that what you'd like to try?"
Rylee (Finn) nods trepidatiously...
Facilitator: "Ok, give me a LOCK PICKING check and let's see what happens next................"