BLUE-BOOKING
Blue-booking brings a list of benefits to the Guide:
- Engage Adventurers or small teams in parallel side-missions
- Handle difficult scenes more objectively
- Prepare Faction and NPC stories “in-character” before they debut at the table
- Time to carefully consider all the ramifications of an action
- Increased ability to plant rumors, clues, leads, and trails for Adventurers to choose among
- A deep pool of potential additional story “leads” for crafting future encounters and adventures
Blue-Booking: How To Facilitate?
Help Adventurers explore their history and background more deeply if asked.
Help Adventurers plan privately if asked.
Engage with the Adventurers stories as a fan if possible.
Help Adventurers keep a timeline of the Blue-Booking events separate from the campaign timeline.
Occasionally encourage “camp fire story” scenes within sessions to grant Adventurers spotlight time to share their background stories.
Blue-Booking: Cautions
Keep Guide knowledge of Adventurers' stories separate from NPC knowledge.
Avoid “spoilers” by allowing Adventurers to choose if, how, and when blue book story mixes into the active table sessions.
Allow NPCs to learn about blue book stories only if they overhear or encounter the Adventurer during or recounting those deeds.
Blue-Booking may interfere with active tabletop sessions if:
- One or more Adventurers start Blue-Booking rather than following the action at the table.
- One Adventurer requests a Blue-Booking scene with the Guide during an active table session.
Clues and Rumors
Certain genres, such as mystery and spy thrillers rely on information as currency.
Keeping a list of “who was there?” or “who heard?” for rumors and clues can prevent errors which undermine the flow of the campaign and its stories.
When building a rumor or knowledge table, track and consider details which:
- Only an Adventurer or two know.
- The entire Adventuring group know through shared “camp fire” stories.
- Details only certain Adventurers and NPCs know.
- Details which only the NPCs know waiting for the Adventurers to learn.
Additional Resources
Roleplaying Tips Campaign Tracker Workbook
Roleplaying Tips NPC Tracker Workbook
Roleplaying Tips #0017 - Great Campaign Journals - 6 Tips
Roleplaying Tips #0284 - Blogging Your Game Sessions
Roleplaying Tips #0378 - Tech Tools - Using Todays Technology To Enhance Your Games
Roleplaying Tips #0517 - For Awesome Campaigns Build A Player Campaign Book