Improvisation in RPGs - games and activities (in person, Cafe Mox Ballard)

(Note that all attendees will be waitlisted to start, with 8 attendees to be vetted and accepted. I will do my best to communicate with waitlisted people to get a sense of space. This is my first rodeo so be nice! Please communicate and I promise to do the same. This is an in-person event at Cafe Mox in Ballard.)

We play games together for a reason.
You notice a player hesitate before stepping into a fight.
They flinch at a compliment, or are overeager to jump into chaos.
Is this the player or the character?
Either way they’re telling you something.
What you do with that moment defines who you are at the table,
not just as a character—but as a collaborator.
The best players are listeners, responders, space-makers.
They give shape to the story not by taking the spotlight, but by focusing and aiming it at the most powerful position.
They turn a party of individuals into an ensemble.
The magic happens when the gifts start flowing both ways—
a shared glance, a daring suggestion, a beautifully timed silence.
Your strongest choices will come from the ones others make with you.
This is a space to practice that. To train your awareness.
To make each other shine.
To play better, together.

This is the first of what I hope will be a series of session that will include exercises and games aimed at having fun first and foremost, but also at learning to work together to build stories.

Full disclosure - I have no idea what I'm doing! I have taken many improv classes and I have GMed for many years but I've never had the presumption that I could lead a class about this topic. So let's not say that I'm teaching this subject, please let's say that I'm making a space where we can all develop our skill in this area together!