Roll For Loot: Procedural Story Generation in Tabletop Games
Introduction: What Is Procedural Story Generation? Hi! Today I want to talk about something I've rarely seen discussed in the TTRPG space. I want to cover what it is, what it does, and why its important. Procedural Story Generation (which I'm going to refer to as PSG going forward) is a system or series of systems which allows for a Game Master to create or inspire a game's story with little to no input. The simplest example is a random table with multiple prompts (to create questions) or answers (to resolve questions). The table, without much context, can create the beginnings of a story for the GM to use. A set of random tables from Chris McDowall's upcoming game Intergalactic Bastionland What's So Cool About Randomness? The thing that makes PSG so compelling to me is actually not the mechanics themselves, although novel ways to do PSG are always entertaining. What really interests and inspires me about this approach to writing games and stories is the way it all...