I was talking to Emily Care Boss​ about the improv concept of a button, which is the note, beat, or line an improv...

I was talking to Emily Care Boss​ about the improv concept of a button, which is the note, beat, or line an improv troupe decides to end a scene on. It's a great concept with quite a bit of potential for a lot of roleplaying games out there, but Swords in particular has mechanical space specifically set aside for this.

Carefully choosing how and when to end a phase is a powerful tool for crafting your story. Being able to recognize those golden opportunities when they're handed to you is a skill worth discussing.

Ending on particularly high or low moments is a great way to emphasize those highs and lows.

Ending moments before an anticipated event gives the Overtone a chance to change and the Overplayer a chance to reestablish the scene.

Ending on a cliffhanger has obvious merit.

For that matter, ending on a Stymie or a Moral can often propel the story forward in a similar fashion.

Telegraphing when you're about to end a phase, like you do with the Ritual of the Long Spell, can sharply shape the drama of the tale by putting the focus on the roll just before the phase's end.

There's a lot to talk about here and I'm curious to hear about your experiences.
http://wiki.improvresourcecenter.com/index.php/Button

http://frikadillycircus.blogspot.com.es/2015/08/actual-play-swords-without-master-en_31.html

http://frikadillycircus.blogspot.com.es/2015/08/actual-play-swords-without-master-en_31.html

Sunday Morning Swords: 30 August 2015

Sunday Morning Swords: 30 August 2015

#EndOfAugustEdition

Good morning!

Here's our organizational thread. Comment below if you're interested in playing this morning and mention if you're comfortable being an Overplayer and whether or not you have play Swords before.

When we get an Overplayer and three or four Rogue Players, those players will run off and start their hangout. For now, let's focus on getting everyone into a group. We'll probably wait until 9:30 EDT to start the last group. If you can't make that, check back in a few hours. Another one might fire up at 9 AM PDT for those who wake at a more civilized time (I, myself, will not be able to make the PDT one this morning).

Feel free to use the hashtag #SundayAMSwords should you desire to chat about your game on the social medias.

P.S. Got some tips on how to do this and links to useful files here: http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords

Stat away, my friends.

Stat away, my friends.
http://moviepilot.com/posts/2014/12/15/awesome-fan-art-of-a-childhood-classic-gargoyles-by-ryan-lang-2508307

What happens on a moral in the discovery phase?

An eidolon for your Tales of Horror and Savagery.

An eidolon for your Tales of Horror and Savagery.

Warning: it's a tale of horror and savagery.
https://vimeo.com/136119345

Been thinking about Rituals and Tales lately.

Been thinking about Rituals and Tales lately. I don't want to overload the game with them, but there's a lot of room to expand here and it can be done in a reasonable manner by grouping them together in packets or campaigns. We'll play a lot of games featuring Tales of Beauty and Horror and we'll rely on the Ritual of the Unseen and the Long Spell a lot. That sort of thing.

So let me ask you if you've seen patterns in your own games that could be ritualized or patterns in the source fiction you'd like to see supported by rituals, tales or the like.