Why Structure in Your RPG Can Make or Break Your Game
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- Опубліковано 18 вер 2024
- Structure! What is a story and an adventure without structure, even if it is loosely made and very open. We take a look at why you need it, some pitfalls and mostly how you can use it in your game.
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Act 1: Establishes
Characters: Who is involved? NPCs, Villains, Monsters, PCs
Situation: What is happening now, how are the PCs involved?
Act 2 part 1: Develops and Expands
Subplot: The goals of the NPCs, seeds, additional forces
Lovers/friends: Investing in the characters, building story, creating a living setting
Act 2 part 2: The Traditional Adventure
Failure: The PCs fail or lose sight of target
Direction: Through hard work the PCs form a plan
Act 3: The Rewards
False Ending/ Ending: The monster/threat/enemy is defeated or corrected
Rewards: Change is affected to the PCs, the NPCs, and the world
I really needed this as I am working on my first ever campaign.Thanks!
Dito
Tri-to
Great video! This was something I had in my brain earlier as well. Many of the D&D campaigns I've been in, and disliked, are ones that have a beginning, but fall off without a middle. Leaving the end to be sort of like "Why are we here? Who is this? Whats going on?" I feel the most important "act" is the start where you establish player goals, characters, and setting. Stories I've had the least fun playing are ones where the DM doesn't have any motivation other than "You're getting paid" or "This will level you up." These aren't really stories rather than just side quests in an MMO, there's no rhythm or reason for killing this monster, and also killing the monster has no effect on the world around us. Some people like the idea of everyone just sitting in a tavern waiting for the next monster kill quest, but for me I'd much rather play in a story where there is an active enemy to outsmart and defeat. I'll leave off asking a question. Do you think this is a type of storytelling you can do in a "sandbox" campaign, or is this three part act structure only for a more railroad adventure?
You had me until 'Let's move on to part two of act 2 part 2' and then I had a stroke.
Great.. i just used this to line out a one shot game and it was extremely useful for a short and fast adventure!
Guy, I am so happy you are making this. There used to be content like this all the time from you guys. It seemed for a few months that this informative video series had gone away. But man am I happy it is back!
I love the essay style of outline, it's like a lecture on how to use this stuff. I know that work "lecture" has such a negative connotation, but it is a very good way to get information across. Keep it up!
if you're going to use a 101/201/301 course structure, can you rename your videos to append the course ranking numerals onto those videos for the sake of navigation? It'd be massively helpful in picking through your library, looking for specific levels of material
Your voice acting is awesome.
THAT BIRD!
Finally have some time to watch this! Excited and loving the series so far
I had just done a 3-act story for a new campaign before this video came out. Thank you for the insight, it brought up some points I need to keep in mind for the future. Happy gaming!
As for the bit about player perspective, someone once said that the GM sees the stage fully lit while the players are searching with a flashlight. Definitely worth keeping in mind!
Always a firm believer is create rules structure plan to deviate from . But have the structure in the first place
I cannot operate without it.
Your Germanish Accent sounds like Peter Sellers in Dr Strangelove sometimes and it's great.
I still love these old videos
Can we not please just give poor Bjorn a do-over?
And then you can put all his original screw-ups in a bloopers video for the DVD extras!
Act 2, part 1 also contains "Trails & Tribulations" from the Hero's Journey story structure. If you have an adventure with traveling in it, this will be the time to add in environmental encounters & side quests that may pop up. Also a good time for local guides to pop in as well (if they're lost), like Aragorn.
If the wolves come out of the woods and the players want to explore the city, let them. Make encounters (likely social encounters) in the city. I think that's a perfectly good example for sandbox (open world) gameplay.
Too much structure or too much planning can pressure a GM to inadvertently railroad the players. If you have a jungle campaign planned and the players want to voyage by sea, let them. That example comes from personal experience and my players had a blast. The planned BBEG changed from an ancient cult to an aboleth.
Legend!
awesome content
Man I really wish I hadnt been drinking so much cuz like Guy is SO GOOD at explaining things but I just cant absorb information right now.
nice content
Great great great
Ya boi
Has less to do with the chaos of TRPG storytelling, but since comments always help, I may as well comment. =w=
I can't begin to complain about the western 3-Act structure in television, books, and other such things. No offense to using it in GM'ing, but the western 3-Act structure is way, way too predictable in non-roleplay media. I don't like being able to guess something is gonna happen because some guy tripped a little on a rug in the first act. Probably why I prefer the East Asian 4-Act structure and the Jo-Ha-Kyu 3-Act structure.
My players don't listen, and will charge off anyway. Any suggestions for THAT?
Dont plan what your players will do, or could do. Plan what the rest of the world is doing without their intervening. But place reasonable hints, that this is happening. If your players stray off too far, let the NPCs reach their goals.
E.g.: In my campaign the players know that there is the cult of dragons. And their plan is to convince dragons to undergo a ritual to become dracolichs. The players know this and are ignoring it ever since. The cult of the dragon now has 6 dracolichs and counting.
In the same campaign frost giants search an artefact in the north. They send an agent to lure the PCs to the south. The players hooked on to this, killed the agent and read her mind. Thereby learning, that something is going on in the north and they had to be lured away from north. Players now decided to go north rather then south.
Ismir Dochegal I feel so awful that Great GM hearted your comment because I literally don’t plan what my players will do.
What I’m saying is that my players ignore hints, NPCs, clues, plot points, reasons why bad things are happening...it’s like a videogame for them.
Then when I let bad things happen due to them not intervening, they pout!
@@FromAgonyToLight Hm...well. There is no easy answer to that. You could either stay hard and say "I told you so!", or bent to let the game flow completly in their direction. No group is like the other. I think, the best way is to discuss that matter with them together at the table.
Option 1: during a pre-session talk these issues with your players like you're all adults. (slightly harder if you arent)
Option 2: Get a second group running with different people and have better confirmation if its you or them (also hard depending on where you Live)
Option 3: Go through with consequences. If one tpk is what takes for them to take you seriously, so be it. Its better to suffer a new game than to suffer during your entire gaming career.
Possibly all options
Hi Guy.
We Just launched 'A Complete Guide to Nautical Campaigns' - Everything you need to run a nautical campaign! Find out more here: www.greatgamemaster.com/dm/a-complete-guide-to-nautical-campaigns-launch/ - Once again, thank you to everyone who helped Kickstart it, we hope you are enjoying the book! (If you haven't received your link please contact us)
Deus Vult
Why you talking like that all the video?