Story Elements in RPGs...

[Umbran]

A good way to go, but what if you want to do an over arching idea?

Over-arching idea, or theme, does not imply over-arching focus on one person.

Your typical, "BBEG trying to take over and/or destroy the world" is a clear over-arching idea, but it need not focus on a single particular protagonist. Whatever your theme, each character can be the "main" character in their own story about that theme.

As an example, I just joined a Star Wars game. It's overarching theme is explicitly stated - it is the story of a bunch of neophytes who are the Galaxy's best bet for rebuilding the Jedi after a war. While in the original movies, this theme was investigated focusing on one person (Luke), in ours, the theme is being explored equally among five viewpoints.

Are they readers, or writers, or some combo, of reading while writing?

By your set of analogies, it'd be both. I prefer to think more in terms of improv theatre, though, where "authorship" is a different beast.

Disagree. A character doesn't have to have sole focus in every episode to be the main character- ultimately I'd say TNG was in fact about Picard.

We'll have to agree to disagree on that one, then. I think TNG (like all Trek) was about humanity, not the person of a particular human.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Picard got a lot of face time, but a lot of the core crew- Ryker, Data, Troi, LaForge- had as much if not more development as characters.

 

[Scribble]

Over-arching idea, or theme, does not imply over-arching focus on one person.

Your typical, "BBEG trying to take over and/or destroy the world" is a clear over-arching idea, but it need not focus on a single particular protagonist. Whatever your theme, each character can be the "main" character in their own story about that theme.

Sure, each character can have a story line, but I still see that one character ultimately embodies the main theme of the story, or carries the "heart" if you will.

As an example, I just joined a Star Wars game. It's overarching theme is explicitly stated - it is the story of a bunch of neophytes who are the Galaxy's best bet for rebuilding the Jedi after a war. While in the original movies, this theme was investigated focusing on one person (Luke), in ours, the theme is being explored equally among five viewpoints.

And I guess my question is, in the end, if you look back at your campaign will you find that it was truly about all of you equally or will you end up with a "main character."

If not, could the story have been better told with one?

We'll have to agree to disagree on that one, then. I think TNG (like all Trek) was about humanity, not the person of a particular human.

Sure- but personified through Picard. (But we can just disagree. )

 

[Crazy Jerome]

I think the "main character" idea of novels doesn't work all that well in an RPG--at least not as a deliberate choice. In written works, it can work well because it helps the author focus on the story. In an RPG, you may end up with a "main character" from time to time--or even over the course of the whole story that was told, but to make it work out that way, you are asking everyone else to be "supporting actors".

Now, I happen to like being supporting actor at times, but I've found that less than half of the gamers I have been around care to ever do that--and it is a rare bird that wants to do it a lot. Nevermind the literary issues--as a player enjoyment/division of focus issue, a "main character" causes more harm than good.

I guess if you really want a story told that demands a main character, it might be worth the hassle. Me, I decided a long time ago to make a virtue out of necessity and use RPGs to tell stories that worked with the strengths of the medium. So it has been all ensemble, multiple "authors" for me for ages. If that leads to something a bit off the beaten track, I say feature, not bug.

 

[Crazy Jerome]

BTW, with ST:NG, it was originally intended that Picard was the main character, and everyone else was supporting. This is one of the reasons that they got away with casting mainly unknowns (and in some cases, not much experience) for all the other parts. Now, whether it was meant to stay that way over the whole run, or was I expected to evolve, I don't know. I'm sure some of the casting was budget reasons, too. But then, they didn't really have the expectation that it would run 7 years when they started.

You can see a huge change starting around the middle of season two and accelerating from there. By season four, we are in full ensemble mode. Tasha is gone. Worf and Data and Geordi and Riker have received increasing attention due to skill and fan interest. (Worf was originally conceived as a minor character, and Data was comic relief.) They quickly get Troi out of that silly costume and into a real uniform so that she and Dr. Crusher can stay with the others.

It is almost as if, will ye or will ye not, the story has evolved to reflect the players...

 

[Scribble]

Thinking about it more, I might be better asking if a campaign should have a "theme?" Does this help role playing?

Whatever your feelings on main character or not, should the players decide on a theme for the campaign and the DM tailor the adventures, world to that theme?

And I don't mean to imply a railroad thing when I say "tailor" just that in some way the events of the adventure should comment on the theme in some way.

Should the theme come about organically? Is this even possible?

 

[Crazy Jerome]

...Whatever your feelings on main character or not, should the players decide on a theme for the campaign and the DM tailor the adventures, world to that theme?

...

Should the theme come about organically? Is this even possible?

I think the them can come about organically, especially with a group that has been playing together awhile, and are doing something similar to what they did in the past.

Still, with a theme, I'd rather make it explicit upfront, and have all the players involved in the decision. It just works better for me that way.

Now, I never like to do that thing where the players make up characters, and then I'm expected to make up a world and DM a fun game where each character tells their story. It never works out to be fun fo me. And since I'm not having fun, it makes it harder for each player to do what they want, too. (With a DM not totally involved, they get less opportunities.)

If we all get together before the campaign starts and collectively decide what the campaign theme is--then I get something that sounds good to me that they are willing to play, and they get something that sounds good to them that I'm willing to run. We'll have 5 or 6 ideas. At least one of them will meet that criteria. Then I do a little background work and they make characters that fits that theme.

So from a practical perspective, even if we through the theme out after play started (for some reason), I want an upfront theme to aid in kicking things off and having a party that works well together.

 

[The Shaman]

before somebody sends the "I don't want my game to be a story" post, which if you feel that way, please just don't post...

Maybe you should try re-reading the original post a little more closely. Here, let me help you out with that.

What are your thoughts overall on the idea of story in gaming?

If [MENTION=23977]Scribble[/MENTION] is soliciting a range of opinions, then I don't think telling others to shut their yaps is really constructive.

 

[The Shaman]

Thinking about it more, I might be better asking if a campaign should have a "theme?"

It would help me to understand if you could give an example of what you mean by a theme.

 

[Janx]

Thinking about it more, I might be better asking if a campaign should have a "theme?" Does this help role playing?

Whatever your feelings on main character or not, should the players decide on a theme for the campaign and the DM tailor the adventures, world to that theme?

And I don't mean to imply a railroad thing when I say "tailor" just that in some way the events of the adventure should comment on the theme in some way.

Should the theme come about organically? Is this even possible?

I expect the DM to set the theme:
a military naval campaign, build PCs that all serve on the same ship
a thieves guild, build PCs that all belong to the same guild

As such, if the PCs buy into the theme I set and build appropriate PCs, then the events of the adventure tend to fit that theme.

shaman runs a Flashing Blades game. I expect all his PCs to fit into that setting's theme, and as such everything they do fits that theme. Swashbuckly, intriguey, romancy stuff. I suspect thereis very little killing of monsters and taking their stuff.