Getting the Most Out of Your Writing

(2 Part Series)




One of the big questions I used to hear allot: How do you make your games so entertaining? The answer is really simple... Depth.


A game is only going to be as exciting and entertaining as the imagination of the GM. Now that's not to say a boring person can't be a good GM, but if they do not have an active imagination they should probably stick mostly to published campaigns and adventures. However, imagination is only going to get a GM so far. An Idea is great, but unless you are able to proficiently translate it into a playable game, nobody is going to notice.


So how does a person transpose an idea into an game ready adventure? How does a GM make the story as exciting for the characters as it was in their head when they thought about the idea in the first place? You may be surprised but very little of the transposition has anything to do with the rules of the game you are playing. In fact, your greatest asset will be your ability to utilize writing structure. Of course no GM writes out their games or game notes in the same exact way. Others don't even write their games down and still manage to have spectacular games even while playing “off the cuff.” However, while these styles are all different, in the big picture they are all using the same basic method (although, the best GM's are able to do it mentally on the fly.)


The Very First Outline
This article is assuming that you already have a group set in a particular game. If not, this article can still help you out, just adapt it to what you are doing with your group. As with everything I write, it is only an opinion. Take from it what you want and ignore the rest. I also welcome any feedback or alternate methods that you might use.


So you have this great idea for a game. Maybe it's a few games. You will either want it to stay that way or expand it out into an entire campaign. This part you can decide later, but you may want to keep an idea in the back of your head how long you would “like” your game to be. This all happens before you even pick up a pencil.


Example 1 “ Game A”: Your group is playing a sci-fi space exploration RPG. After watching a zombie movie one night you decide to add in an element of horror by planning an zombie outbreak on their smuggling ship. You think that because of the cramped conditions of the ship, isolation of space, and the lack of anywhere to run it could make for a really tense game.


Example 2 “Game B”: Your group is playing a fantasy type RPG. After reading a really cool book, you decide that it would be cool to play a character questing after the fountain of eternal life. You also think that even if the characters have no desire to live forever, their enemies do. The characters will either be tempted by it's power, or want to destroy it before it falls into evil hands.


To start the process, begin by making your first (broad) outline in a linear format. Only touch on the key elements of the story that have to happen to make the story go forward to the end.


Game A: For the zombie scenario you decide that it actually make more sense with the sci-fi genre that the “zombies” are actually “infected” with a virus. For the most part the plot remains the same. The characters are trapped on a ship full of “infected” and must somehow survive without getting infected themselves. You decide that you only want the scenario to last for one game, maybe two if things run slowly for some reason.


Broad Outline:
1) Group encounters a derelict space ship.
2) Characters are trapped on ship when "infected" break out and attack.
3) Characters finally escape to their own ship to get away.
4) One of the crew is starting to feel sick. (Cliffhanger open ending)


Game B: After thinking a little bit about the scenario you decide that it will fit into your currently existing campaign well over the course of a few games. With a little behind the scenes tinkering, you decide that the plot of this adventure fits in really well with your groups arch enemy Lord Voradin, and evil cleric bent on ruling the realms. Note that even though you decided that this adventure would last over the course of a few games, the broad outline isn't any longer than the one-shot adventure. This is because you are only touching on the key elements of the game that have to happen in order for the story to take place. In fact each step of this outline may take place in a different game, while each step of the other plot may happen within a few rounds.


Broad Outline:
1) Characters overhear a rumor that Voradin has started excavating to the East in the forbidden zone. A rumor is circulating that he is looking for a powerful artifact that will make his army invincible.
2) Characters follow clues and spy on Voradin to figure out the truth behind what he is looking for.
3) Characters find the fountain before Voradin's army can. Must decide what to do.
4) Voradin finds the characters (and the fountain if they haven't destroyed it.) Huge final battle.


Giving the Idea "Depth"

Okay, so now you have a decent idea of what you want your group to do. Now it's time to transpose your “idea” into a playable format. To add depth to a game, the players need to feel like they have options. Your game may only really have one ending, but your players need to feel like they helped create it by the actions that they took. A really good GM will adapt as the game progresses to add in extra options that they did not previously write in and sometimes even multiple endings based on what the characters did. Players will always find a way to do something the GM did not expect so think of your game plan as more of a guide line that your plot will stick to, not your players.


The following are examples of how I write out my main plot line for games.
Example Game A: http://www.rpgx.org/Acid_Burn/infected.pdf
Example Game B: http://www.rpgx.org/Acid_Burn/voradin.pdf


While not all GM's may choose to use this format, all will agree that they are doing some form of it either mentally or in just another format. These examples show how multiple options can derive the same results. Notice that the main plot points are marked as “Scenes” and the different paths they take are “sub-scenes.” You may decide to write in more or less options, but you should never limit what the player can try because of your lack of imagination. Always try to adapt a players actions to fit in with your plot without forcing the player to take different actions. By letting your players try different things and failing or succeeding, they will feel that the world is reacting to their presence in it. This will make the world they are playing in have depth and seem more real.

Also note that example "B" is actually a tighter and shorter outline. That's because each element of it is only a part of a large scale picture. While in example "A" the entire outline will happen over the course of one game, in example "B" the characters may only move one or two progressions in each line per game (most likely while questing for something else.)


Stay tuned for part II, on detailing your scenes. Part II will teach you to expand on your plot points, plan for unexpected player choices, and add even more detail to the world you are creating. I will also explain how to integrate your long term plot (example B) into a pre existing adventure.