What Is It?
The Storyteller System is designed around the concept of “roleplay first.” Created by White Wolf, Inc, a group that is now a part of Paradox Entertainment, in 1991, the system design showcases a focus on narrative development and simple task resolution. When creating a character using the system, you design a merit, something the character strives towards and can provide boons, and a flaw, something that the character struggles against and can provide banes. By making roleplay choices aligned with these, the character will gain boons or banes depending on how they act.
As of today, the engine itself has been retired, replaced with a new iteration called the “Storytelling System.” While the Storyteller system was active, many games were created that used it as their base. Some notable examples are early editions of Vampire: the Masquerade and Street Fighter: The Storytelling Game (1993).
The system uses D10s as the pool of dice to resolve actions and provides a different approach to rolling for success than games such as Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. To accomplish anything the Storyteller system, a player will roll a number of D10s based on the trait being used to accomplish the action. The goal of the roll is to meet or beat a “Difficulty” or “Target Number.” While Game Masters can decide to make different difficulties for different actions, the system benefits from establishing a consistent baseline difficulty for all tasks. For example, in the World of Darkness games, the baseline difficulty is normally set to 7.
Another interesting mechanic is that in some cases, rolling a 1 would actually subtract from a player’s total roll, making it more difficult to succeed. This leads to more interesting results from rolls and an overall higher chance of success, in contrast to a critical failure from rolling a natural 1 that can occur in D20 based systems, such as Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. For example, if you are trying to climb a wall and roll 2d10, rolling a 1 and a 10, the total would be a 9 instead of an 11. You may also need to roll multiple successes in order to accomplish an action. Each die rolled that meets or beats the difficulty will count as a success, and different actions may require more or less successes to accomplish, depending on the difficulty. Any roll that is lower than the Target Number will count as a failure.
Another core mechanic of this system is the expenditure of temporary points associated with stats, such as Willpower. The number of usable points is based on the associated stat. These points can be used to accomplish various actions such as casting magic, healing wounds, or even augmenting regular actions. Some games that use this system may have supernatural creatures, such as vampires, that have points to signify their supernatural powers. In this case, points would typically be associated with a unique trait that represents their supernatural abilities, like a Blood Pool for vampires. Points associated with regular traits can be recovered through rest and time, while points associated with supernatural traits are recovered through specific means, detailed in the supernatural trait’s description.
The system uses a health level method, with characters losing health levels based on the type of damage they receive. The first few levels signify minor injuries, while the later ones indicate heavy damage, which can lead to debilitation, incapacitation, or even death. By creating effects into the health system that lead to permanent effects, roleplaying injuries and debilitations becomes much easier. There are also different types of damage, which impacts how quickly a character would heal their health levels.
Is It Worth Playing?
The Storyteller System stands out with its easy method of determining successes in action checks, its heavy focus on roleplay, and its minimal need for math. The system provides great momentum and easily facilitates a more engaging experience for the players. Something the Storyteller System offers that other tabletop systems fail to is enjoyable dice rolling. Having a strong attribute is impactful, as it grants additional dice to roll, and rolling a 1 doesn't mean you automatically fail. These features encourage players to feel excited, empowered, and successful.
The final question: "Is the Storyteller System worth playing?"While this system may not be best for players who prefer more tactical combats that use grids and significant resource tracking, it is perfect for someone looking for a game that heavily emphasizes roleplay. With a focus on providing roleplay opportunities at every chance, even in combat, the Storyteller System is a phenomenal chance for players to embrace their inner Storyteller.
Looking for a great example of The Storyteller System? Try the ever-popular RPG "Vampire: the Masquerade," a game that utilizes the Storyteller System and does a fantastic job of heavily wrapping roleplay into every element. Most modern Vampire: The Masquerade games will use the updated iteration (The Storytelling System), but all of the great benefits of The Storyteller System stand in its updated version. Whether you're looking to find a game to play in that uses this system, or any other tabletop system, look no further than StartPlaying Games!
The Tavern Teller is an avid enjoyer of TTRPGs and a professional GM on StartPlaying with 5+ years of experience in running TTRPGs to the enjoyment of his players. Feel free to join the Tavern and check out his Discord server:
