Narration in role-playing games (Part 1)

This is the first post of a guide oriented to generic literary techniques used by authors to enrich stories. In general terms, a story is composed of: actors (characters), a plot (events that happen to the characters) and a setting (place, time, other characters, adversities, etc. where the plot occurs). The plot can be further divided into several subplots. On the other hand, to write or create a good story, there are tricks that make up the structure: Mcguffin, Chegov's Weapons, Red Hearing, tropes, cliffhanger, Foreshadowing (or anticipations) and the famous Deux Es Machina. In this first post we are going to talk about narration, its importance and differences with other ways of telling a story.

Narration in role-playing games such as D&D  

A role-playing game is an interpretative-narrative game where players assume the "role" of imaginary characters throughout a story or plot. In it they interpret their dialogues and describe their actions. Imagination, oral narration, originality and wit are paramount in this form of dramaturgy. 

Scenes that are important to the story should be dramatized with the presentation, but sometimes what happens between scenes can be told so that the story can progress. According to Orson Scott Card "show/ tell" takes so long that it is used only for dramatic scenes. The goal is to find the right balance of telling and showing, summary and action. 

The goal of the game director is to make the players feel immersed in the world he has created for them, sometimes Narrating (Showing) and sometimes Telling being essential. The difference between the two is:

Telling: The troubadour played sadly.
Narrating: The melody of the lute and the poet's sorrowful voice brought tears to the eyes of the audience.

To tell something is to tell the players exactly what is happening, there is no debate. It should be used in moments of fast action or when you want to refer to a real event of some importance; especially when the players ask specific questions. When something is narrated, the players feel the situation and are part of it, they get involved in the environment and give rise to the interpretation.

Telling: "The day was sunny", "The castle was evil", "The sword was magic".
Narrating:  "The warm sunlight and fresh air caressed her skin", "The majesty of the castle provoked a silence that corrupted the natural state of things", "The edge of the blade flashed fleetingly as she brushed it with her fingers" .