tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post1831905461779596716..comments2023-10-14T03:58:59.333-06:00Comments on The Tao of D&D: PlotlinesAlexis Smolenskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-53893931702536448902008-09-18T16:23:00.000-06:002008-09-18T16:23:00.000-06:00Spot-on post. Plot - what a prof once defined to ...Spot-on post. Plot - what a prof once defined to me as "someone trying to do something," about as perfect a definition as I can think of - is all you need for an impetus to the campaign.<BR/><BR/>I think what a lot of people don't understand is that stories don't happen as we live our lives and go about doing what we need or want to do. Life is messy, non-linear, full of sidetracks and distractions, even if we're seemingly proceeding toward a clear goal. So approaching a campaign as a "story" from the outset is wrong-headed.<BR/><BR/>Stories come after the fact, when we look back and try to make sense of the mess we've just gotten ourselves through. To make that story interesting to others, we might re-arrange events to add tension, add or subtract details for emphasis, etc. Life is not so tidy as a novel.<BR/><BR/>Which is why the best stories coming from RPG campaigns are those told by people just BSing about an episode or encounter in last night's or last week's or last year's game. Tales are in the telling, not the living.KenHRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11613789646908929989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-64403753911876511482008-09-18T15:49:00.000-06:002008-09-18T15:49:00.000-06:00I've used certain characters or events from my...I've used certain characters or events from my games in my writing, but I've never tried to replicate a given campaign or adventure in fictive form. You're absolutely right--fiction and gaming are two completely separate ways of telling of story, and trying to force one into the other is just a recipe for disaster.<BR/><BR/>I've had the misfortune to read game-inspired fiction where you can almost see the author recreating the original system's combat sequence--"Oh, this guy must have the initiative now. He just rolled to hit...and missed."<BR/><BR/>BTW, I love the historical D&D setting you've got going here.David Larkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04133630988557116729noreply@blogger.com