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Yes, another of my rants. Feel free to ignore.
"I'm telling my character's story!"
Sorry, sweetheart. If you were telling your character's story, you ought to go write a novel. What you are doing is placing your character into an interactive environment with other people, some of whom will have goals that have nothing to do with yours, or will actively oppose yours. These people are not your sidekicks, they are not the supporting characters, and they are not NPCs. An RPG is not a novel.
People tend to talk about being upset that certain things happen in a game because it 'upsets the character's story', or 'it's not a narratively appropriate ending to the character's story'. These people often use comparisons to literature or television shows, saying, "Indiana Jones doesn't die in the temple! Wolverine doesn't /lose/ the big fight! What kind of story would that be?" These people and their arguments make me want to commit violence upon them.
Do RPGs have narrative and dramatic conventions? Yes. However! These are not the same as literary or theatrical conventions. No comparisons should be made. Your character is not the main character, there is not a single plot with neatly planned subplots, twists, and a final climax where the main issue is resolved. STOP TRYING TO MAKE RPGS INTO NOVELS. Write fanfiction. Write original fiction. Do something else. Please.
The dramatic tension in RPGs comes from the interaction with an environment that is NOT limited to a prearranged plot. Drama comes from not knowing how your fellow characters will respond to things, from having a nearly unlimited series of options to use when trying to resolve problems, and from seeing how /your/ character adapts to an ever-changing world that may not always be what he expects.
The narrative elements of an RPG come largely from extemporaneous pattern making. Instead of having a pre-determined theme that you try to bring out in various places throughout the novel, an RPG gives you events and interactions that your character finds its own meaning and truth in. The /search/ for meaning is the narrative heart of the RPG, not knowing what meaning is. Some GMs are good enough that they can put a more conventional theme into the world, but each character still has the option to accept or reject that theme for themselves.
And that is the strength of RPGs. Flexible environments and interactions for a character to adapt to. An RPG is not collaborative writing. It is not novel writing. It is not script writing. It is its own, odd, little genre of creativity. Bad things will happen to your characters.
They will not always be convenient or just an excuse for letting your beautiful character have a bit of angst and comfort sex. ADAPT, don't whine.
"I'm telling my character's story!"
Sorry, sweetheart. If you were telling your character's story, you ought to go write a novel. What you are doing is placing your character into an interactive environment with other people, some of whom will have goals that have nothing to do with yours, or will actively oppose yours. These people are not your sidekicks, they are not the supporting characters, and they are not NPCs. An RPG is not a novel.
People tend to talk about being upset that certain things happen in a game because it 'upsets the character's story', or 'it's not a narratively appropriate ending to the character's story'. These people often use comparisons to literature or television shows, saying, "Indiana Jones doesn't die in the temple! Wolverine doesn't /lose/ the big fight! What kind of story would that be?" These people and their arguments make me want to commit violence upon them.
Do RPGs have narrative and dramatic conventions? Yes. However! These are not the same as literary or theatrical conventions. No comparisons should be made. Your character is not the main character, there is not a single plot with neatly planned subplots, twists, and a final climax where the main issue is resolved. STOP TRYING TO MAKE RPGS INTO NOVELS. Write fanfiction. Write original fiction. Do something else. Please.
The dramatic tension in RPGs comes from the interaction with an environment that is NOT limited to a prearranged plot. Drama comes from not knowing how your fellow characters will respond to things, from having a nearly unlimited series of options to use when trying to resolve problems, and from seeing how /your/ character adapts to an ever-changing world that may not always be what he expects.
The narrative elements of an RPG come largely from extemporaneous pattern making. Instead of having a pre-determined theme that you try to bring out in various places throughout the novel, an RPG gives you events and interactions that your character finds its own meaning and truth in. The /search/ for meaning is the narrative heart of the RPG, not knowing what meaning is. Some GMs are good enough that they can put a more conventional theme into the world, but each character still has the option to accept or reject that theme for themselves.
And that is the strength of RPGs. Flexible environments and interactions for a character to adapt to. An RPG is not collaborative writing. It is not novel writing. It is not script writing. It is its own, odd, little genre of creativity. Bad things will happen to your characters.
They will not always be convenient or just an excuse for letting your beautiful character have a bit of angst and comfort sex. ADAPT, don't whine.