Story Time, Part I

So, I’ve been nice enough to point out what many will probably consider obvious – A good story is worth its weight in gold. That fact, however, does not put you any closer to creating one. It’s for that reason that I sit down today. I wanted to explain the three different styles that I’ve come up with over the years to construct a campaign storyline. These three are: Novel, Mechanics, and Piecemeal.

When using the Novel approach a person begins removed from the gaming system completely. You’ll write what could be a stand alone story in its own right. You’ll create the enemies, the locations, and even the main characters that the players will later assume. Obviously there will be alterations to make this game ready, but that will come later on.

Mechanics is essentially the opposite of the Novel approach. In this case you’re creating the puzzles, quests, and gaming requirements first. You’ll layout all the hoops you want the players to jump through, and then find a story that will link them all together.

The last style is Piecemeal, which you can probably guess is a combination of the first two. You’ll have cool story ideas; an image of a secret cave submerged beneath the sea that has a hidden city inside it. As well as a handle full of quests; there is an ancient map the players have to piece together to locate a hidden relic. With all these parts to pull from you’ll create a campaign. This is the one that comes most naturally.

All three of these styles have worked well for me in the passed, and are continuing to do so. One reason for this is the way that I construct the campaign around these styles. There is a universal technique that I use no matter which of those three I’ve chosen, which is purely a brainstorming session. A conversation I have with myself while doing mindless tasks, like driving, the laundry, or sitting through a conference call at the office.

I start by asking the almighty question – “why?” Why are the players here? This should be a very simple, generic answer.

The goblin horde has crossed the mountains, and is attacking… A plague has fallen upon the kingdom and threatens everyone’s lives… Someone has discovered a way to resurrect an ancient evil to unleash on the world….

Whatever this happens to be, it is what you shall always return to.

If there is an enemy, why are they doing this?

Monetary gain… To conquer the world… To rescue his suppressed people… Good old fashioned revenge… Simply because he has the evil alignment…

What is a cool aspect of the campaign?

Everyone gains magical abilities over the course of the story… Dragons (they’re just cool)… Pirates (them too)… The players discover they are secretly the chosen of the gods… By the end each player will rule a kingdom…

What is a plot twist they will never see coming?

One of the players dies (clear this with that particular player secretly first)… A god is killed… The players accidently release the ancient evil themselves… The players play the entire game as resurrected souls; their bodies having been long dead (without them knowing it. Hello 6th Sense)…

How does it start?

A meteor strikes the planet… A volcano erupts… The enemy commander has finally gotten his secret weapon finished… The planets are aligned, and the time of the prophecy has come…

This one can be the trickiest simply because you’ll want to include how the PCs form into their group in the first place. Resist that urge. Focus on what causes the campaign to start. The PCs will enter sometime after this point, and you can mull over how to group them up after you’ve gotten the campaign fleshed out.

How does it end?

The enemy commander is killed, and his forces run in terror… The god of light is rescued from his prison, and returns to save the world… A cure is found from the ingredients the players painstakingly located…

This is the most important bit in my mind. This is the exclamation point on your sentence. They will have played through the entire storyline to come to this point, and will have all their anticipations hinging on it. It’s possible to light a fuse and watch the fireworks if done right. It might seem odd to write an ending when you don’t know what course your players will take, but trust me… It pays off.

The idea with this technique is to keep asking yourself questions, and following them up with answers. Start out with generic, wide-spread ones, and slowly hone in on the more specific details. As you decide each piece always refer back to previous answers; making sure the answer fits, or altering the past because the new one is more interesting. In this way everything will remain cohesive and work with itself.

Soon you’ll have the setting, the enemy, his motivations, the solution, key scenes, and surprise twists. A rough synopsis of the campaign will have been created, along with the beginning and end, and, mostly likely, several key plot points in between.

I’ll cover the three styles in upcoming articles, but, even while using those, it is important to continue doing this brainstorming. Think about it… Daydream… Imagine what you’d want to do if you were playing in the game. If you’re excited about, your players will be too.