My personal goal is to generally try and hit the notes you'd see in a good fast paced novel.
I think my approach - especially for party play like 4e D&D - is heavily influenced by Claremont X-Men.I think RPG play has rather alot in common with how television progresses. Obvioulsy with the same caveats as regards books, but the focus of television on scenes and shorter story arcs is meaningful.

