Be warned that this page is not meant for the player's eyes. If you aren't going to be a Narrator, hit the above link, and begone! You are not meant to know this!
If you aren't sure you want to do this, know this: you know how they say, you can't please all the people all the time? Well, as a Narrator, you're not only expected to fulfill this monumental task, you're nigh-required. You have one of the hardest job in OPKRPG: you create the world that the other players adventure in. While this is the ultimate power, it comes with a big responsibility: It's also your job to make sure everyone (Yes, this includes you) is entertained, and leaves the gaming table looking forward to the next game. You must take a world from your own imagination and edit it so that it's congruent yet flexible, believable yet fantastic, detailed yet requires little or no textual information. If you have more than a few jitters, please take some time to reconsider your choice.
If you're unfazed, welcome!
Keep the action going! Whether a vast battle, chase scene, even just a talk between characters, the players should never lose interest in what's happening. If you even begin to detect boredom in your players, spice things up a bit. It doesn't need to be a threat to them--a joke, the mention of their character, or a well placed J-Effect (where none was earned, if need be--but don't add them too often) can be enough "action" to get your player's interest back to the game.
A constant (or at least recurring) sense of discovery should form the basis of your storyline. The players will feel priviliged when they feel that they've witnessed some grand happening, or think they've stumbled upon some great secret. Not to copy Star Trek, but IDIC--there is more out there, both to see and to do, than anyone can ever comprehend or undergo. As hard as the players look, there should be a harder challenge, a tighter conspiracy, a stronger enemy, a greater glory, a better ending--that is, as long as you can handle their ambition. That's not easy, but hey, was lack of difficulty mentioned when you signed up for this job?
Make sure your adventures are diverse. If your games become too centered on one thing, whether fighting, exploration, or anything else, your players, I guarantee, will not have fun. And, if they're not having fun, what reason do they have to keep playing? Even if they're enjoying themselves, it's still acceptable to have an occasional shake-up.
"Be prepared" is the Boy Scout motto, and you should subscribe to it too. While a Narrator's skill of improvision is one of his biggest assets, it shouldn't be needed to come into play very often. Things that should go in this folder include the storyline (you ALWAYS have this preplanned--if you don't know where you're going, why the heck are you narrating?), character sheets, maps, encounter tables, and most of the important data handy. Some Narrators make a folder that holds everything they're going to use, and keep right there where they can be easilly accessed.
These books and magazines came up repeatedly when advice for roleplaying was mentioned. If you own them or have access to them, there's advice in them that goes beyond what can be told here. You don't need them, obviously, but they do deserve credit.
Well, that's it for now. But more is coming, rest assured. Hit this link to go back to the index.