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The Reduction of Uncertainty
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<blockquote data-quote="kennew142" data-source="post: 4037144" data-attributes="member: 18490"><p>Wow! I can't even begin to express how much I disagree with this statement. IMO, a campaign without a storyline is nothing but a series of encounters. The earliest published modules all contained a storyline (even if it were thin and two-dimensional).</p><p></p><p>In every session I run, I weave a minimum a three storylines together. The Alpha storyline is the story of the particular scenario (stopping the cultists from summoning the entelechy of entropy, or rescuing the kidnapped prince, etc...). The Beta storylines (usually multiples) advance the storylines of the individual PCs, playing on their character hooks, backgrounds, goals and past actions. The Gamma storylines do not actually involve the characters directly (two distant nations have gone to war, a new shadow eruption has occured in the Ombra mountains, someone has assassinated the Hurg of Luagsh, etc...). By braiding all of these elements together, the GM can make the campaign more than random events; he can breath life into it and make it relevant to the PCs. Sometimes, things in Beta or Gamma storylines move up to the Alpha line for a while. Many future events are foreshadowed in my campaigns in this manner.</p><p></p><p>However, this approach can be carried too far. No storyline should be written in a such a way that it impedes the actions of the PCs. Nor should a good GM use narrative power to undo the actions of the PCs. I played in a campaign once where the GM would create set-pieces in which our characters were destined to fail, or in which NPCs came in at the last minute to steal the scene. This way too lies madness.</p><p></p><p>All of the above is JMO, of course. Oh yeah, this is a 4e forum. Let me add:</p><p></p><p>I believe (with no real justification) that the advent of 4e will help/hinder my gaming in this respect. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="kennew142, post: 4037144, member: 18490"] Wow! I can't even begin to express how much I disagree with this statement. IMO, a campaign without a storyline is nothing but a series of encounters. The earliest published modules all contained a storyline (even if it were thin and two-dimensional). In every session I run, I weave a minimum a three storylines together. The Alpha storyline is the story of the particular scenario (stopping the cultists from summoning the entelechy of entropy, or rescuing the kidnapped prince, etc...). The Beta storylines (usually multiples) advance the storylines of the individual PCs, playing on their character hooks, backgrounds, goals and past actions. The Gamma storylines do not actually involve the characters directly (two distant nations have gone to war, a new shadow eruption has occured in the Ombra mountains, someone has assassinated the Hurg of Luagsh, etc...). By braiding all of these elements together, the GM can make the campaign more than random events; he can breath life into it and make it relevant to the PCs. Sometimes, things in Beta or Gamma storylines move up to the Alpha line for a while. Many future events are foreshadowed in my campaigns in this manner. However, this approach can be carried too far. No storyline should be written in a such a way that it impedes the actions of the PCs. Nor should a good GM use narrative power to undo the actions of the PCs. I played in a campaign once where the GM would create set-pieces in which our characters were destined to fail, or in which NPCs came in at the last minute to steal the scene. This way too lies madness. All of the above is JMO, of course. Oh yeah, this is a 4e forum. Let me add: I believe (with no real justification) that the advent of 4e will help/hinder my gaming in this respect. ;) [/QUOTE]
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