Aron Christensen has been role-playing for more than 18 years. He has been a storyteller for dozens of campaigns online, in table-top, and in live action role-playing games. In this special guest column, he advises on the elements that create a dynamic storytelling event players will enjoy and remember. Part One is "Defining Story Arcs."
The World of Warcraft is a wonderful medium for role-playing and Shadow Council has always had a strong community of role-players. Role-playing (RP) events allow players to add their own touch to the shared world and help tie the community together. But running a successful RP event isn’t easy. One of the things you can do to ensure you have a successful event is to define your story arc. I hope to give you some ideas about how to do that, and create enjoyable, exciting, and memorable events.
When you decide to run an event, you’re taking on a big job. You’re now the Game Master, Dungeon Master, Referee, or (my personal favorite) Storyteller. It’s your job to tell the story you’ve created with the help of your guild, friends, or random strangers who happen to be strolling by the location you’ve chosen.
The most common stumbling point I have seen in storylines is that there isn’t a plan. One might come up with a compelling idea for a story, say the death of a loved one, filled with drama and excitement. This loss might be a great catalyst for role-playing, but it’s not a plot. Everyone reacts to the grief and pain, but it doesn’t have anywhere to go.
I played a character who was a survivor from Andorhal and who was infected by the plague yet strangely immune. He was lots of fun to play, always coughing, frequently confused, and terribly afraid of anything reminiscent of the undead (and as that was around Halloween, it was great fun!). But I had no goal for the character. I hadn’t thought out how he might be cured, if I wanted him cured, or anything more than the original idea about being a carrier. It was terribly frustrating for the people I was playing with at the time because though they tried very hard (+5 health enchant on my bracers to bolster my constitution – great idea Arle!), nothing they did affected me. There was no plot to it, merely a situation to react to, which got so tiresome that not only the plot but the characters were abandoned.
When you decide to begin a plot, think about where it is going to begin, where it should end up, and what needs to happen between. Let’s use the example of the death of a loved one. We know where the story begins, but let’s look at where it is going. Maybe the character is intended to fall into despair and desperation, only to triumph over the grief and rise to new heights like an emotional hero’s cycle (which is a whole topic in and of itself, so another time perhaps).
More recently I participated in a plot as another character who had been infected by the plague. However, this time, and due to the efforts of another fantastic player who ran the event for me, we had defined an arc. A mad Forsaken group selected my character as one who was most suitable as a mate for Sylvanus. He was infected, so that he could be presented as a surprise gift (and kudos to Darsha for involving the Banshee Queen without having to god-mod). Undead agents tried to kill the people he loved because his love was keeping the plague from claiming his soul. From captured agents my character and his friends learned of the plot, tracked down its perpetrators and stopped them, climaxing in the seizure of a cure and the power of love to protect his soul. Much more successful, don’t you think?
As Storyteller you control the basic events: the death you inflict on your character, and the end goal of a fall and return, but the middle of this story is the part where others get to interact and add to the plot. Give the people you have included in your plot something to do. Perhaps they must talk the grieving character down from a ledge. Later, they might quest to find some momento from the lost loved one that will bring your character some closure. These middle events are what move the character from the beginning to the end goal. In the story arc I played in, the cause of the plague had to be discovered, my character had to be protected from death (from which he would rise Forsaken), the reason he was infected needed to be uncovered, the cure had to be researched, then the villains had to be stopped and the cure administered, all before reaching the end goal of saving my character's life. These events were the things that moved the plot forward from a plague-infected character to the end of the story arc.
Remember, it’s okay to tell your guild or friends what you want out of a story. If you really want your character to forsake the Light because of the loss, it’s going to frustrate you when everyone continually tries to win you back, no matter what and it’s going to frustrate them when nothing they do can change your mind. If everyone knows what the goal is, everyone can work toward it together, offering their own input and adding their own touch without derailing the plot. It is these events that will help you move your plot to a satisfying conclusion.
Make sure that you have an ending in mind. Long stories without any end in sight are the ones in the most danger of having people loose interest. I have met too many people with characters they never play because they are waiting for some story to finish and they have no idea when or how it will happen.
So, decide where your story will begin and where you would like it to end up, and plan out a few events in the middle to help move the story to a conclusion. Try it out and see what a difference it makes.
Showing posts with label opinion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label opinion. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Monday, August 6, 2007
Blizzcon Blog: Photos
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| Blizzcon 2007 |
Please follow the link above to see a few photos from Blizzcon 2007. All photos courtesy of Michael Georges.
Do you have photos of Blizzcon to share? Show us!
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Blizzcon Blog: Music to the Ears
Editor's Note: Reporter Michael Georges has been blogging from Blizzcon 2007 in Anaheim, Calif. This is the final part of his blog series!
ANAHEIM, Calif.--On Saturday evening, Blizzard hosted a comedy show by Jay Mohr, and a concert of Blizz game music that was just awesome! Jay was quite funny, and handled the sometimes surly crowd with style and grace and a little "Christopher Walken." Gotta be hard on a comic to try to entertain 6,000+ rabid fans hyped up on two days of extreme gaming and Red Bull.
The event was held in the Arena stage next to the convention center. Colored lights, fog, and huge screens, a 60+ piece orchestra and 40+ person choir...plus, Lady Sylvanus herself, Miss Vangie Gunn singing the Lament of the Highborn, Peter Gabriel's drummer, two of Paul McCartney's guitar men, and legendary new age performer David Arkenstone and his band who performed all of the tavern music and the music for Goldshire. The makings of an incredible evening were in place, and we were not disappointed!
The music kicked off with "Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftan," Blizzard's own death metal band that includes Mike Morhaime, Blizzard's President and co-founder on bass. They did four songs that had the crowd screaming and on their feet. What makes this cool, is not only are these people great game developers, they are also a pretty damn sweet metal band! Folks, if you turn the sound down when you play these games, you are missing a LOT! The music for Warcraft, Diablo and Starcraft games are performed by an orchestra and choir from Video Games Live. All of these talented folks did not disappoint as we were swept through music from all of the games plus new music from Starcraft II. Vangie Gunn was stellar performing "Lament of the Highborn," and David Arkenstone and his band did six songs from tavern settings around Azeroth and Outlands.
Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!
That's a Wrap!
After two days at BlizzCon I have to admit, I am still completely geeked out. There are a lot of very tired looking Blizz employees walking around on day two an it is little wonder. The convention was pulled off with Blizzard's amazing "attention to detail" that we love in all their games and these people worked really hard. The final concert really brought it all home for me. This sort of care for a live concert of only 6,000 out of 9 million fans is indicative of how Blizzard operates and why we love their games so much. I admit, I am a fan and not inclined to be "objective or impartial." What I experienced these last two days is nothing short of amazing and I am geeked out all over again and ready for more!
ANAHEIM, Calif.--On Saturday evening, Blizzard hosted a comedy show by Jay Mohr, and a concert of Blizz game music that was just awesome! Jay was quite funny, and handled the sometimes surly crowd with style and grace and a little "Christopher Walken." Gotta be hard on a comic to try to entertain 6,000+ rabid fans hyped up on two days of extreme gaming and Red Bull.
The event was held in the Arena stage next to the convention center. Colored lights, fog, and huge screens, a 60+ piece orchestra and 40+ person choir...plus, Lady Sylvanus herself, Miss Vangie Gunn singing the Lament of the Highborn, Peter Gabriel's drummer, two of Paul McCartney's guitar men, and legendary new age performer David Arkenstone and his band who performed all of the tavern music and the music for Goldshire. The makings of an incredible evening were in place, and we were not disappointed!
The music kicked off with "Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftan," Blizzard's own death metal band that includes Mike Morhaime, Blizzard's President and co-founder on bass. They did four songs that had the crowd screaming and on their feet. What makes this cool, is not only are these people great game developers, they are also a pretty damn sweet metal band! Folks, if you turn the sound down when you play these games, you are missing a LOT! The music for Warcraft, Diablo and Starcraft games are performed by an orchestra and choir from Video Games Live. All of these talented folks did not disappoint as we were swept through music from all of the games plus new music from Starcraft II. Vangie Gunn was stellar performing "Lament of the Highborn," and David Arkenstone and his band did six songs from tavern settings around Azeroth and Outlands.
Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!
That's a Wrap!
After two days at BlizzCon I have to admit, I am still completely geeked out. There are a lot of very tired looking Blizz employees walking around on day two an it is little wonder. The convention was pulled off with Blizzard's amazing "attention to detail" that we love in all their games and these people worked really hard. The final concert really brought it all home for me. This sort of care for a live concert of only 6,000 out of 9 million fans is indicative of how Blizzard operates and why we love their games so much. I admit, I am a fan and not inclined to be "objective or impartial." What I experienced these last two days is nothing short of amazing and I am geeked out all over again and ready for more!
Blizzcon Blog: Expansion to introduce 'brutal ancient races of Azeroth'
Editor's Note: Reporter Michael Georges is blogging on the scene at Blizzcon in Anaheim, Calif. He sent this live update Saturday. Stay tuned Sunday for the final part of the Blizzcon Bog 2007!
ANAHEIM, Calif.--Today was a climactic crescendo of amazing sights, beautiful sounds, and exciting information! Without further ado, let me get into it:
More information on the upcoming WoW expansion Wrath of the Lich King - In a panel discussion today, Chris Metzen, vice president of Creative Development for Blizzard, revealed some really juice tidbits of info about the upcoming expansion, and general plans for events in WoW in the future. The expansion was described as revealing and further detailing some of the "brutal ancient cultures of Azeroth."
Players should expect not only to meet up with Arthas--who it is said will interact with players almost from the moment they arrive in Northrend--but players should also expect to see more of the essential conflict between orcs and humans, Horde and Alliance. As both factions decide to send expeditions after Arthas, their own propensity to come into conflict with each other will apparently play itself out large in the game. Garosh Hellscream, son of Grom Hellscream will likely make an appearance as leader of the Horde expedition, as will Sylvanus Windrunner, appearently eager to try out the strain of scourge plague on Arthas and his minions, and we will see more of Bolvar Forddragon, legendary dwarfish explorer Brann Bronzebeard, and Tirion Fordring of the Silverhand.
In addition, several new races or offshoots of races will be either introduced, or re-introduced. The coolest by far have to be the Taunka, an ancient offshoot of the Taurens. The Taunka are based on the buffalo and are described as being anti-rangers who force nature to bend to their will. The Vrykul, a race of giant vampire barbarians are native to Northrend and will strongly resist the expeditionary forces from both factions. Also mentioned were Iron Dwarves, the Tuskarr, a walrus people, and the Nerubians, cool spider dudes that may be keeping something hidden under the ice...an old god maybe?
The panel revealed some additional tidbits, though where they will play in was not exactly defined. Malygos, an ancient insane blue dragon, will declare war on magic and users of magic... And, we will likely see the magical bubble city of Dalaran rip itself out of the ground and teleport into the skies over Northrend courtesy of the Kirin Tor...Whoa!
There's gonna be a movie...yep...a movie...and we'd love to tell you about it...yep... Blizzard and Legendary Pictures are teaming up to produce a live action World of Warcraft movie. Details were really sketchy as they are clearly in early stages. What was revealed was that they will use a compressed timeline to produce a storyline that blends some recent events into a cohesive, kickass, really cool movie. There was much love and cooperation expressed by all parties, and the desire to make a movie that raises the bar even from Lord of the Rings while stretching the genre to be unique to WoW. It was clear that the folks at Legendary Pictures "get" World of Warcraft and hopes are high that they will make a movie that will make us all proud to play this game.
Next: We attended a wonderful live concert of Blizz game music...and "turned our flippers to the sky!"
ANAHEIM, Calif.--Today was a climactic crescendo of amazing sights, beautiful sounds, and exciting information! Without further ado, let me get into it:
More information on the upcoming WoW expansion Wrath of the Lich King - In a panel discussion today, Chris Metzen, vice president of Creative Development for Blizzard, revealed some really juice tidbits of info about the upcoming expansion, and general plans for events in WoW in the future. The expansion was described as revealing and further detailing some of the "brutal ancient cultures of Azeroth."
Players should expect not only to meet up with Arthas--who it is said will interact with players almost from the moment they arrive in Northrend--but players should also expect to see more of the essential conflict between orcs and humans, Horde and Alliance. As both factions decide to send expeditions after Arthas, their own propensity to come into conflict with each other will apparently play itself out large in the game. Garosh Hellscream, son of Grom Hellscream will likely make an appearance as leader of the Horde expedition, as will Sylvanus Windrunner, appearently eager to try out the strain of scourge plague on Arthas and his minions, and we will see more of Bolvar Forddragon, legendary dwarfish explorer Brann Bronzebeard, and Tirion Fordring of the Silverhand.
In addition, several new races or offshoots of races will be either introduced, or re-introduced. The coolest by far have to be the Taunka, an ancient offshoot of the Taurens. The Taunka are based on the buffalo and are described as being anti-rangers who force nature to bend to their will. The Vrykul, a race of giant vampire barbarians are native to Northrend and will strongly resist the expeditionary forces from both factions. Also mentioned were Iron Dwarves, the Tuskarr, a walrus people, and the Nerubians, cool spider dudes that may be keeping something hidden under the ice...an old god maybe?
The panel revealed some additional tidbits, though where they will play in was not exactly defined. Malygos, an ancient insane blue dragon, will declare war on magic and users of magic... And, we will likely see the magical bubble city of Dalaran rip itself out of the ground and teleport into the skies over Northrend courtesy of the Kirin Tor...Whoa!
There's gonna be a movie...yep...a movie...and we'd love to tell you about it...yep... Blizzard and Legendary Pictures are teaming up to produce a live action World of Warcraft movie. Details were really sketchy as they are clearly in early stages. What was revealed was that they will use a compressed timeline to produce a storyline that blends some recent events into a cohesive, kickass, really cool movie. There was much love and cooperation expressed by all parties, and the desire to make a movie that raises the bar even from Lord of the Rings while stretching the genre to be unique to WoW. It was clear that the folks at Legendary Pictures "get" World of Warcraft and hopes are high that they will make a movie that will make us all proud to play this game.
Next: We attended a wonderful live concert of Blizz game music...and "turned our flippers to the sky!"
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Blizzcon Blog: 'Arthas has got it comin'...'
Editor's Note: Reporter Michael Georges is blogging on the scene at Blizzcon in Anaheim, Calif. He sent this live update Friday. Stay tuned Saturday for more updates from the floor as Blizzcon progresses!
ANAHEIM, Calif.-- ZOMG! I am so geekin' out! It is 11:39 p.m. and we just returned from an amazing day at the convention. Without doubt, the focus was all on the two big announcements and previews of the convention - Starcraft II, and WoW Wrath of the Lich King. Let's look at each of them shall we?
Starcraft...Re-imagined...
I am not gonna cover the techs and specs here. You can and will get overloaded with those everywhere else. What I found amazing about the Starcraft II previews and demos I saw today was the quality and OMG factor of the storytelling and lore. Remember, this is the game that so many of us nearly wet our pants over back in 1998...the game we just cannot seem to retire, pulling it out again and again to re-play. Our love of the original Starcraft came from its originality, and the quality of the story, characters, and gameplay.
What Blizzard revealed today was how they have re-imagined the Starcraft universe nearly ten years on. The game brings back Jim Raynor, now a bit down on his luck and still smarting over how the Mengsk boys mistreated him in the past. The OMG factor here is the new interactive interface previewed for the human campaign. Players will learn and progress through the storyline by talking to the people and interacting with the objects on the bridge, engineering bay, and cantina of Raynor's ship. And there are subplots that unfold and reveal themselves along with the overarching story. We can look to not only seeing Raynor, but Kerrigan, the lovely and dangerous "Queen of Blades" also appears, though her exact role is not specified. You can bet she ain't gonna' show up alone...
Developers described mission play as football-shaped. This means that players start and end at specified points, but how they get from start to finish on each mission will vary a lot based on actual player decisions. The game play is improved with a much more robust game engine, new graphics and gee-whiz units with snazzy new animations. Overall, a very thrilling preview of what promises to be a blockbuster game... Luckily, I went potty before I saw all the awesomeness unfold.
Arthas has got it comin'...
The new Wrath of the Lich King expansion for World of Warcraft will move some of the action and storyline focus back to Azeroth from Outland. The expansion will take us to Northrend, home of the badness that is Arthas now merged with Ner'zhul into the fearsome Lich King. Arthas has been hiding out in Northrend, and it is time to make him pay!
This new expansion has a lot of fun features - level cap goes to 80, new Death Knight "Hero Class" which looks very cool, inscribing skill to permanently improve and personalize spells, and you can redo your "do" with new changeable hairstyles, new dances, and a whole new area to explore and conquer. A few other tidbits of info about future development paths were also mentioned - guild banks, more hero classes, and a new Ghostlands instance. No word on when the new expansion would ship, but when it does, set your sights on Northrend, cause "Arthas has got it comin'!"
Tomorrow - Lore and book panels, the WoW Movie, the showfloor and Blizzard Store!
ANAHEIM, Calif.-- ZOMG! I am so geekin' out! It is 11:39 p.m. and we just returned from an amazing day at the convention. Without doubt, the focus was all on the two big announcements and previews of the convention - Starcraft II, and WoW Wrath of the Lich King. Let's look at each of them shall we?
Starcraft...Re-imagined...
I am not gonna cover the techs and specs here. You can and will get overloaded with those everywhere else. What I found amazing about the Starcraft II previews and demos I saw today was the quality and OMG factor of the storytelling and lore. Remember, this is the game that so many of us nearly wet our pants over back in 1998...the game we just cannot seem to retire, pulling it out again and again to re-play. Our love of the original Starcraft came from its originality, and the quality of the story, characters, and gameplay.
What Blizzard revealed today was how they have re-imagined the Starcraft universe nearly ten years on. The game brings back Jim Raynor, now a bit down on his luck and still smarting over how the Mengsk boys mistreated him in the past. The OMG factor here is the new interactive interface previewed for the human campaign. Players will learn and progress through the storyline by talking to the people and interacting with the objects on the bridge, engineering bay, and cantina of Raynor's ship. And there are subplots that unfold and reveal themselves along with the overarching story. We can look to not only seeing Raynor, but Kerrigan, the lovely and dangerous "Queen of Blades" also appears, though her exact role is not specified. You can bet she ain't gonna' show up alone...
Developers described mission play as football-shaped. This means that players start and end at specified points, but how they get from start to finish on each mission will vary a lot based on actual player decisions. The game play is improved with a much more robust game engine, new graphics and gee-whiz units with snazzy new animations. Overall, a very thrilling preview of what promises to be a blockbuster game... Luckily, I went potty before I saw all the awesomeness unfold.
Arthas has got it comin'...
The new Wrath of the Lich King expansion for World of Warcraft will move some of the action and storyline focus back to Azeroth from Outland. The expansion will take us to Northrend, home of the badness that is Arthas now merged with Ner'zhul into the fearsome Lich King. Arthas has been hiding out in Northrend, and it is time to make him pay!
This new expansion has a lot of fun features - level cap goes to 80, new Death Knight "Hero Class" which looks very cool, inscribing skill to permanently improve and personalize spells, and you can redo your "do" with new changeable hairstyles, new dances, and a whole new area to explore and conquer. A few other tidbits of info about future development paths were also mentioned - guild banks, more hero classes, and a new Ghostlands instance. No word on when the new expansion would ship, but when it does, set your sights on Northrend, cause "Arthas has got it comin'!"
Tomorrow - Lore and book panels, the WoW Movie, the showfloor and Blizzard Store!
Friday, August 3, 2007
Blizzcon Blog: Looking Ahead
Editor's Note: Reporter Michael Georges is on the scene at Blizzcon in Anaheim, Calif. He sent this live update Thursday. Stay tuned Friday night and Saturday for more updates from the floor as Blizzcon progresses!
ANAHEIM, Calif.--The opportunity to come to BlizzCon 2007 is not to be missed and this reporter is EXCITED! Arriving in the Anaheim area, it is immediately obvious who controls this zone of the greater Los Angeles area...the Mouse. With convention center and Disneyland within 1/2 mile of each other, the area is humming with an ebb and flow of activity and the opportunity for extreme fun abounds.
As one approaches the convention center, you immediately see Blizzard's giant banners proclaiming BlizzCon and inside, even more massive banners with Illidan, scenes from Starcraft and Warcraft with corporate sponsors such as AT&T, NVidia, and Cicso readily appearant. Even the night before the doors open, there are several hundred people in the atrium and an army of Blizzard employees. Registration was quick and easy, the grab bag filled with WoW and Starcraft goodies - from buttons to coasters, magnets and bookmarks, offers from sponsors, the WoW Trading Card Game and a WoW t-shirt from Jinx clothing. And last of all, the coveted Murloc Suit card allowing your WoW character to don a murloc costume, and beta test a future Blizz release.../dance.
Coming Friday - Starcraft II, the showfloor, panels and more!
ANAHEIM, Calif.--The opportunity to come to BlizzCon 2007 is not to be missed and this reporter is EXCITED! Arriving in the Anaheim area, it is immediately obvious who controls this zone of the greater Los Angeles area...the Mouse. With convention center and Disneyland within 1/2 mile of each other, the area is humming with an ebb and flow of activity and the opportunity for extreme fun abounds.
As one approaches the convention center, you immediately see Blizzard's giant banners proclaiming BlizzCon and inside, even more massive banners with Illidan, scenes from Starcraft and Warcraft with corporate sponsors such as AT&T, NVidia, and Cicso readily appearant. Even the night before the doors open, there are several hundred people in the atrium and an army of Blizzard employees. Registration was quick and easy, the grab bag filled with WoW and Starcraft goodies - from buttons to coasters, magnets and bookmarks, offers from sponsors, the WoW Trading Card Game and a WoW t-shirt from Jinx clothing. And last of all, the coveted Murloc Suit card allowing your WoW character to don a murloc costume, and beta test a future Blizz release.../dance.
Coming Friday - Starcraft II, the showfloor, panels and more!
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