Motif Index for Folktales

[Thierry Michel]

I recently heard about the http://www.folklore.bc.ca/Motifindex.htm">Thompson motif index for folktales. I'm not a folklorist, so I don't know how it's used in practice, but upon reading the desc., it seems to me that it might  perhaps be straightforward to apply it to RPGs settings (or scenarios) - given the pretty formal nature of these and the recurring themes or situations.

So, anyone familiar with it (or anything similar) ?

PS: I originally posted this to RPGnet, but somehow feels it's more appropriate here, so please reply here if you find it there.

[Mark Johnson]

A motif list could be used in several different ways.  In a more traditional game it could be rolled against by the GM like the Random Dungeon Generator/Random Monster/Terrain Charts of the 1st Edition AD&D books for random "encounters" or even adventure design.

Second, any game that formally uses motifs as a base unit of story control or player power is ideal for this.  Whether rolled or picked, defending and perpetrating motifs can create some very powerful stories.

[Jonathan Walton]

The definitive work on this subject has historically been Vladimir Propp's "Morphology of the Folktale," one of the first real primers for the field of narratology.  I know I consulted it extensively when I was beginning to work on Ever-After/Facedance.