Running the Game
Session & Story Preparation
Story Prep
Story Prep is less about writing a rigid plot and more about preparing momentum. Before a session begins, you should generally know:
- What is happening in the world
- What the players are trying to achieve
- What pressures or complications currently exist
- What tone the session should carry
You do not need to know exactly how events will unfold. In fact, you usually should not. Players will almost always surprise you, and the best sessions often come from reacting naturally to their decisions rather than forcing them through predetermined scenes.
What does help immensely is having a strong opening.
One approach that works particularly well in *Stones, Scrolls, Swords & Sorcery* is writing a small prelude before the session begins. Think of it as the establishing shot of a television episode or film. Depending on how much your players trust you, this can be almost entirely descriptive, or it can lean into something almost script-like in presentation.
Importantly, the prelude does not need to stay strictly tied to the player characters.
You are allowed to cut away from the party entirely. Show the villain speaking to their followers. Show guards discovering a body. Show a ritual beginning deep beneath the city. Show a storm approaching the coastline while sailors desperately try to flee the harbour. This gives players dramatic irony and out-of-character context that helps the world feel alive and moving independently of them.
The purpose of the prelude is not to remove player agency — it is to let the session breathe before decisions start being made.
A good prelude can:
- Recap the aftermath of the previous session
- Establish changes in the world
- Introduce important NPCs
- Reinforce stakes or factions
- Reveal dangers or opportunities
- Establish emotional tone
- Give players time to settle into character
For example: The session opens far beneath the city of Port Softrock. Water drips steadily from the cavern ceiling onto ancient stone. Candles flicker weakly against the dark as hooded figures stand in silence around a massive iron door carved with unfamiliar runes. One figure steps forward — Councillor Vale, though the players may not yet know his name. “The final key?” he asks quietly. Another hooded figure nods nervously, placing a wrapped bundle onto the altar between them. “We have confirmation. The mercenaries retrieved it three nights ago.” Vale slowly unwraps the object: a jagged black crown humming faintly with violet light. For a moment, the candles dim. “Excellent,” he says. Then the scene cuts away. Morning rain falls over Port Softrock. The players sit scattered throughout a crowded tavern near the harbour while exhausted dockworkers stumble in from the night shift. A nervous courier pushes through the crowd carrying soaked letters and notices. One of them bears the seal of Lady Briar, the antiquarian who hired the party several sessions ago. The letter reads: *Meet me immediately. Something has gone terribly wrong. * Outside, church bells begin ringing somewhere deeper in the city.
Within a few minutes, the players already understand several things: