Topic: Games that enforce story structure?
Started by: Michael S. Miller
Started on: 11/27/2002
Board: RPG Theory
On 11/27/2002 at 11:45am, Michael S. Miller wrote:
Games that enforce story structure?
When working on a game, I like to see what's been done before in the same vein. Can anyone point me to games that support a certain structure for the stories (imaginary sequences of events) they create? As examples of what I'm looking for:
InSpectres has its Getting the Call, Suiting Up, Research, Fieldwork, Vacation structure
Donjon has Town, Adventure Level 1, Level 2, etc., Back to Town
Pendragon and Orkworld have their Winter Season mechanics
Theatrix has a great section on three-act structure, although it's written more as GM advice than linked into the mechanics of the game.
What games have I overlooked?
On 11/27/2002 at 1:18pm, RobMuadib wrote:
More Story Structure Games
Michael
Ars Magica has a built in story structure as well, with it's "seasons" of Covenants, as well as it's season mechanics. I'd call this more about "saga" than story really. The idea being that it encourages play focused on longer timelines and building a sense of history. An interesting idea, Aria: Canticle Of The Monomyth has a lot of saga mechanic ideas as well. It is probably one of the games focused on "saga" creation, with long term history creation via Perpetual Genealogies, Eternal Presences, and it's playing of cultures/nations over Historic intervals. Both of these are focused on longer term Narratives.
As for games, You got SLA Industries, which has a rather formalized mission structure with it's BPN's and mission setup. Shadowrun often falls into a similar "mission" structure. Chill worked similar with it's agents of SAVE I believe it was. But that is mostly limited to how the character's are introduced into the story, without so much definition of the middle, but some of the end formalized as well.
[added in a few that I thought of a bit ago.]
HTH
On 11/27/2002 at 2:37pm, James Holloway wrote:
Re: Games that enforce story structure?
Michael S. Miller wrote:
What games have I overlooked?
Paranoia, though it didn't mechanically enforce it, was very clear that most scenarios would go briefing-PLC-R&D-whatever-debriefing.
- James
On 11/27/2002 at 2:52pm, Jared A. Sorensen wrote:
RE: Games that enforce story structure?
Whispering Vault has a clearly defined structure that all game sessions follow. It's what inspired the play structure of InSpectres.