The Line

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In Stonetop and games like it, there's a line between what the players are responsible for and what you as the GM are responsible for. The players are in charge of their characters: what they do and say; what they feel and think; how they live; their past experiences. As the GM, you're in charge of the world: the environment, the NPCs, the dangers and the discoveries.

Some of the questions described here blur the Line. When you ask Vahid what the missing children all have in common, you're really asking Vahid's player to do something that's generally the responsibility of the GM: make up details about the world.

The trick is to address the characters, not the players. Don't ask the player to make up what they find in the next room or how an NPC reacts or how the trap hurts them. Ask the character about something they know, something they have heard, something they have experienced. This puts the request back on their side of the Line. It's a sleight of mind, but it's an effective one.

Even so, blurring the Line can be uncomfortable or off-putting for some players. Some players are totally fine with making up details about the world, but others will find that it takes away from their sense of immersion or makes the world feel hollow and made up. Adjust the questions you ask, and how you ask them, to fit your and your players' preferences.

The Line

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