The reason I think game narratives are unconventional is rooted in two levels.
On one level, the narratives events are experienced first-hand by the player. Even though its largely the same story, playing as Harry Potter is very different from reading the books, despite them mostly being from his perspective.
But on another level, there is a dynamic thats produced due to that first hand experience that can be readily compelling in of itself. The metanarrative of a game thats a function of what happens within it and how the player(s) react to it.
That metanarrative can actually go several layers deep; sports games for example have extraordinarily complex metanarratives, despite the fact that their biggest consumers are often denigrated as slackjawed idiots.
And ultimately, this is why when game genres were decided upon, you don't see many overlaps with what you'd see in books or TV; games are laid out in genres that describe their experiences, not the thematics of a plot.
That, in turn, also reveals the overall appeal of the sandbox. To be able to go into a game and have the full freedom to expression, through the games systems, to make your own experience.
That was the big appeal of RPGs for me, as they can be sandboxes with virtually unlimited systems on a practical level. This is why I find it disappointing how many refuse to or scoff at the idea of running their games as true sandboxes.
Which isn't necessarily not understandable. Much as I think its over wrought, there is still that desire for a story to result from play, and many do want such stories to resemble conventional plots.
And my thinking is that we're never going to see games that can support sandboxes and will fully form a conventional plot; it just won't happen because its a game, so unless, like we see in video games, the plot is prescribed and forced, it ain't gonna happen.
HOWEVER. There are quite a lot of things that occur in conventional plots that are worth exploring to see if they can be produced organically through play.
The Shadow of Mordor/War games for example have pretty well codified the means of organically producing and paying off Revenge and Betrayal as game experiences, among others. While the system is genuinely amazing, the fact that it exists within a relatively fixed and forced plotline is a big shortcoming, and limits its potential.
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As Ive linked before, building a more elaborate, systemic sandbox that can organically produce these interesting plot elements as experiences has been my goal, with the added difficulty of making it practical to run on Tabletop. (Which I'm finding some success at actually)
Ultimately, I want to build a game where you can experience all the dramatic upheaval of many kinds of stories, whilst relying on conventional storytelling to only
enhance whats produced, rather than to be the source in of itself.
That is, what storytelling will exist will be within the Content of this system, while its mechanics are all about storymaking. That delineation is important, as Content is what a game uses to give context and meaning to its mechanics.
Ergo, if we have a game system thats systemically producing a Revenge experience, then that games Content needs to contextualize it and give it meaning.
This is why in the Shadow games that the various Orcs all end up with procedurally generated personality characteristics that mostly relate to how the player as Talion interacted with them, though IIRC many had some to begin with.
These characteristics are a form of storytelling. While they were generated as a result of play, their post-play inclusion as Content is a story being told.
If an orc shows up who now bears the nickname One-Eye and he has a huge eye patch, one might recognize and remember that this Orc is probably the same one you stabbed in the face.
But you don't need to know or remember that to understand how this Orc got these characteristics;
his features tell that story. And thats before he opens his mouth and curses you for taking his eye.
The Content is where my system is really going to shine, because unlike a video game, I don't need to preprogram a complex procgen system and thousands of lines of VA or figure out how to make AI VA viable.
I can instead rely on improv, supported by the games systems, to handle the load and broaden what can be experienced, and thus what kinds of stories can be made.
While my system doesn't work like the Nemesis system does, it can produce the same results. An NPC Orc could be elevated to the status of a KPC (by fiat easily enough, but Im theorizing on systems for it), and this then grants them the ability to take on Motivations and Passions, which are what will systemically define them as a Character.
An Orc that goes through this is, lets assumed, doing so on the basis of seeking Revenge on the player. They will gain the Take Revenge Motivation, and will have a Passion relating to their hatred for the Player.
As part of the specific Motivation and his elevation to KPC, more characteristics will result so as to contextualize it, and drive the story being made.
Who is the Orc? Lets say this Orc is from OrcTown, and is an Archer. Lets say as part of his ascension to KPC, he gains another Motivation relating to becoming a more skilled Hunter.
Why is the Orc seeking revenge? He lost an eye to the players blade. In the context of my game, he would have been left alive with the Blinded Wound.
How will he take revenge? This Orc was an Archer, so he'd be inclined to ambush the Player; perhaps even assassinate them from afar if given the opportunity. If the Orc is able to satisfy his Hunting Motivation in the meantime, he will prefer the latter.
When will he do it? In the context of my game system, this Orc was probably left alive with a Blinded Wound. It'd take a few weeks at the standard rate for him to recover, on the assumption he could stabilize his wound, and then he'd be out for the Player.
And finally we'd have the Quantum Quest; stat blocks for generic questlines that break down the general "plot" of the quest and detail how long they can take on automation. These form the basis for Acts and streamline setting up and paying off these experienced on the fly.
For sake of example, lets say the Revenge Quest is a simple matter of going from a Recovery Period to a Seeking Opportunity Period, and then to the act of Revenge.
Ergo, this is what will be set up (note the die sizes for time are arbitrary for the sake of example):
The Orcs recovery will be tracked first; within 1d4 Days, roll to stabilize the Wound. If unsuccessful, the Orc simply dies.
Otherwise, roll 1d6 Weeks to Recover, and roll 1d8 Weeks to update the Hunting Motivation.
If the Hunting Motivation is satisfied first, the Orcs Stealth skill will increase by 1d8.
At the end of the Recover period, a new Complication arises through the Seeking Opportunity step; roll 1d4, if a Complication or Encounter Roll rolls 3 of that number, the Orc will ambush the Player as part of that Complication or Encounter, or separately if it doesn't make sense together. Whether or not this is done with stealth will depend on the other Motivation; a Stealth Attack has a much higher chance of being successful.
As far as running it, the Time triggers would be tracked on a Calendar and on the Orcs new KPC sheet which would hold the details.
Meanwhile, Improv and mild procgen handles the context. I as Keeper decide to just roll randomly for the Orcs Passions and Motivations. Lets say he ended up with a Greedy Passion, in addition to the others already mentioned. Greedy <-> Generous is one of the Personal Reputation scales, so this Passion reflects a basic personality for the KPC.
So when I introduce this Orc in the Ambush, I'd then of course make mention of why hes doing it, but then perhaps throw in a comment about hes gonna get that trinket the player carries, and how hes gonna fetch some nice coin for it. Heck, if the Players manage it, that Passion could even be exploited to avoid the encounter.
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While a little rough still, its proving quite potent, if only because I can easily do what Nemesis does all on tabletop, in a system that, in time, will support a far wider range of experiences.
