Plot Templates

[GMMichael]

I'm facing starting another campaign, so the usual question has come up:

"What's my plot going to look like?"

I want something more complex than what they teach in middle school: every story has a beginning, climax, and denouement. I'm tempted to use the three-act structure, which I know like this:

Act 1: Protagonist/audience meets all characters and general conflict.
Act 2: General conflict becomes more complicated, and protagonist gets all-but-defeated.
Act 3: Protagonist solves conflict, against all odds.

But there's so much more out there. (Well, outside Hollywood). Any suggestions?

 

[Hand of Evil]

There are always plots afoot. You just do not have one big bad, you have a big bad, henchmen, politics, and other people, all of them have plots. A lot of these plats may meet up, some will not, the happening of one may impact another.

You have a big bad, every one knows he want to rule the world, how does that impact the powers that be with their plots? The church wants more power and the throne, the thieves guild want money, slavers sell slaves, arms dealers want to sell weapons. What would happen if the big bad lost?

Think of you plot as just a single event over a time period, then add other plots into the time period. Your players then pick up the plots as the see fit and just keep coming back to the prime plot.

 

[doghead]

But there's so much more out there. (Well, outside Hollywood). Any suggestions?

Take a look at Vogler's Story Structure, which is a simplification of Campbell's Hero's Journey momomyth. You can find links to both of them, and others, here. While they can be a little too structured for a use as is with a RPG campaign, they do provide some interesting ideas and help with inspiration.

thotd

 

[GMMichael]

There are always plots afoot. You just do not have one big bad, you have a big bad, henchmen, politics, and other people, all of them have plots. A lot of these plats may meet up, some will not, the happening of one may impact another.

Think of you plot as just a single event over a time period, then add other plots into the time period. Your players then pick up the plots as the see fit and just keep coming back to the prime plot.

This is very much how I like to run my games. There's not just one bad guy in the world. Bad guys could be anywhere. The hard part of this that one GM can't possibly write out a plot for every BBEG in the world.

I think of the main plot as the main quest, and then add seeds to side quests as I go. But if this is too simple, it starts to feel like Elder Scrolls: Arena: each side quest amounts to "go get this, and come back for a reward." Which is why I'm looking for fiction novel plots, not just game plots.

Take a look at Vogler's Story Structure, which is a simplification of Campbell's Hero's Journey momomyth. You can find links to both of them, and others, here. While they can be a little too structured for a use as is with a RPG campaign, they do provide some interesting ideas and help with inspiration.

I'll definitely be using these for reference. Really, I'd hope all GMs would use these ideas. A little story goes a long way. As long as a GM takes time between game sessions to touch up his plot, there's no reason why these plots can't be used for campaigns. Granted, some railroading may be necessary at points, but if it's in pursuit of a good story, the PCs will forgive, no?

 

[Hand of Evil]

Don't write out a plot for every bad guy, just setup a campaign timeline. List out a few plots that can be used as backstory in your campaign, then carry them out over the life of the campaign. The players get involved with one or two but the others keep aging and become gossip and news in the world.

Example:

Start of Campaign
Plot 1 - To Kill a King - plotters gather
Plot 2 - Door to a Dark God - cult is formed
Plot 3 - A New Drug - just coming into the area
Plot 4 - Weapons for Orcs - some one is selling and arming orcs

Three Months Later
Plot 1 - A Prince Must Die - the plotters have to clear the way for their man to take the throne
Plot 2 - Knife is a Key - all doors need a key, this one is a knife that has to be found
Plot 3 - Drug Hits the Streets - drug moves to being common
Plot 4 - Raids on the Border - orcs are raiding
Plot 5 - Dark Elves in the forest - reports are coming in...

Six Months Later
Plot 1 - Deals within Shadows - plotters need help and are making deals link to plot 3 or 5
Plot 2 - Location, Location, Location - now, where is that door
Plot 3 - Death Comes in the Smoke - people are dying from the new drug
Plot 4 - Slave Taking - orcs are taking slaves link to plot 5
Plot 5 - Building a Beach Head - building it all up
Plot 6 - A New Thug in Town - new gang enters the area link to plot 3

Nine Months Later
Plot 1 - Death of a King - now the king has to go
Plot 2 - The Door is Open - demons oh my!
Plot 3 - Side Effects - undead?
Plot 4 - Kill all Orcs - war is declared on the orcs
Plot 5 - Opening to the Underworld -
Plot 6 - Size Matters - gang is taking over the streets

 

[delericho]

I'm facing starting another campaign, so the usual question has come up:

"What's my plot going to look like?"

...

Any suggestions?

Blimey, that's a big question!

I want something more complex than what they teach in middle school: every story has a beginning, climax, and denouement. I'm tempted to use the three-act structure, which I know like this:

Act 1: Protagonist/audience meets all characters and general conflict.
Act 2: General conflict becomes more complicated, and protagonist gets all-but-defeated.
Act 3: Protagonist solves conflict, against all odds.

In fairness, that three-act structure isn't far removed from your middle-school version - the beginning is Act 1, the climax happens at the end of Act 2/start of Act 3, and the denouement is the scene tacked on after the last commercial break where the stars all go for shawarma or whatever. There's also a reason that that structure gets used over and over again by Hollywood - it works very, very well.

If I recall correctly, there's also an older five-act structure. We don't see it very often these days, but it was used in "Babylon 5":

Act One: Introductions. (We are introduced to the station, the characters, and their inter-relations.)
Act Two: Rising action. (We meet the Shadows, learn the secret of the Vorlons. Note that this act actually ends mid-way through season three, just before they break away from Earth.)
Act Three: Climax. (The Shadow War and the redemption of Earth is completed. Note that this act actually ends at the end of season four.)
Act Four: Falling action. (The telepath crisis and the Centauri War in season five)
Act Five: Denouement. (The final four episodes, where we see the surviving characters say their goodbyes and leave the station in the hands of their successors.)

However, "Babylon 5" itself shows the big weakness of this structure, especially in the fifth season that just doesn't live up to the excitement of the previous two. That's why most Hollywood movies have a very short "falling action" (where the movie villain comes back for one last, surprise attack!) and "denouement" - you have to have them to wrap up the story, but the audience is already reaching for their coats so make it quick.

For an RPG campaign, the structure I've found most useful is the one from "Buffy: the Vampire Slayer" (or, really, pretty much any Joss Whedon show) - you have a number of episodes, each with their own beginning/middle/end, but also a season-long arc (generally coupled with a "big bad") that also has a beginning/middle/end. Which, coincidentally, matches the RPG campaign where each session is an 'episode' while the campaign as a whole is the 'season'.

(I also found a lot of the advice in the "Vampire: the Masquerade" books extremely useful. It's a bit pretentious at times, but it genuinely does a good job of breaking down storytelling into acts, scenes, and 'chronicles', and also touches on things like theme, mood, and so forth.)

 

[Quickleaf]

[MENTION=6685730]DMMike[/MENTION] The idea of Fronts from Dungeon World might be worth checking out.

Here is how I have structured my current campaign, to give you ideas. Notice thant only the first adventure is set, and after that the PCs have branching choices. I think of it as a bounded sandbox; technically, sure the PCs could go anywhere, but the story is so compelling and interwoven that really there are boundaries to how far afield they'll venture.

1. Starting Adventure - A Dragon Attacks the Castle!

1a. Hunt down the dragon to its lair, or go loot the lair if it was killed.
1b. Investigate the Dragon Cult responsible for sending it to attack.
1c. Visit the Wizard's tower that the dragon demolished en route to attack the castle.

Now I had other ideas besides this to begin with, of course, but they weren't designed as a linear thing, but as a matrix of nodes. Ah shoot, you'll need to do more reading to understand what I mean: Node-Based Adventure Design.

What my players ended up doing, after they killed the dragon was pursuing (1a) the dragon lair which led to a megadungeon filled with kobolds and the discovery of the dragon's mate...

After that they faced a choice about several threats that were emerging - (2) a magocracy gearing up for war, (3) a potential drow threat, and (4) the wild hunt - and surprisingly decided to pursue (1c) the Wizard's Tower (which I thought they'd decided wasn't worth investigating) for an entirely unexpected reason - to try and raise the deceased wizard. So that's the adventure they're currently pursuing. They've also decided that (1b) the Dragon Cult is a less pressing issue than (2) which is their main concern after finishing the Wizard's Tower.

So their next adventure will be (2a) Beast of Bechaeux from what they've been telling me.

2. The Magocracy of Suleistarn is preparing to invade!

2a. Convince the Duke of the borderlands freehold Bechaeux to swear fealty to the king by handling the Duke's monster problem - the Beast of Bechaeux.
2b. Infiltrate the Mage's Cabal in Suleistarn to learn their war plans and sabotage them.
2c. Extract a captive Suleistarni emissary with critical intelligence being held captive for ransom in a neighboring kingdom.

Each of these plots ("Fronts" as Dungeon World would say) has an associated timeline, so that if OCs pursue one, then it's probable the others advance. (2c) The Emissary, for example, will eventually get his ransom paid by his masters in Suleistarn and be returned, thus closing that as an option the PCs can pursue.

Anyhow, I hope all that shines some light on how to run a non-linear game

 

[TarionzCousin]

This thread is full of great advice so far.

I would suggest customizing your plots for your players somewhat.

As an example, let's [-]steal[/-] borrow Hand of Evil's starting point.

Start of Campaign
Plot 1 - To Kill a King - plotters gather
Plot 2 - Door to a Dark God - cult is formed
Plot 3 - A New Drug - just coming into the area
Plot 4 - Weapons for Orcs - some one is selling and arming orcs

To customize this, look for ways to directly impact PC's, either through their backgrounds or in-game events.

Examples:
Plot 1 - a PC could be related to one of the plotters, maybe his/her father, mother, or sibling. Alternate, the PC could be related to the king (see Henry IV by Shakespeare).
Plot 2 - a PC's parent was mysteriously kidnapped and killed. They learn that the new cultists were behind it.
Plot 3 - a PC's friend succumbs to addiction, quickly becoming unable to keep his/her job, ending up begging on the streets.
Plot 4 - a PC with a background in blacksmithing knows that one of the weaponsmiths in town has suddenly become wealthy. Suspicious, hmmm...?

 

[GMMichael]

@DMMike The idea of Fronts from Dungeon World might be worth checking out.

Dungeon World never fails to make me say, "wait, what?"

Anyhow, I hope all that shines some light on how to run a non-linear game

I like your ideas. But it's funny you should mention non-linear. I was just reading through 2nd ed's Villains Handbook, and according to them, a linear plot is basically any one in which the PCs follow a series of events, even if those events are choices. So by their definition, your ideas from above are still linear.

The space matrix (non-linear) plot allows PCs free rein of the map. Each encounter that you put on the map has the potential to advance the plot in some way, but it's up to the PCs when, or if, they encounter them.

The time matrix (non-linear) plot does what you'd think: raise encounters at different times. These encounters don't wait for the players, and blend with the space matrix to form the ultimate: SPACE TIME MATRIX!

For an RPG campaign, the structure I've found most useful is the one from "Buffy: the Vampire Slayer" (or, really, pretty much any Joss Whedon show) - you have a number of episodes, each with their own beginning/middle/end, but also a season-long arc (generally coupled with a "big bad") that also has a beginning/middle/end. Which, coincidentally, matches the RPG campaign where each session is an 'episode' while the campaign as a whole is the 'season'.

(I also found a lot of the advice in the "Vampire: the Masquerade" books extremely useful. It's a bit pretentious at times, but it genuinely does a good job of breaking down storytelling into acts, scenes, and 'chronicles', and also touches on things like theme, mood, and so forth.)

This is more like what I'm looking for. RPG plotting step 1 is to have a problem that needs fixing. Step 2 is to tie your characters into it. Step 3, make the problem a little bigger, or complex. Step 4 is the one I'm most interested in: add some drama. Add a story. Make it gripping.

Granted, what I'm looking for is actually a system for writing fiction, but I want to apply it to my RPG as best I can.

 

[Derren]

You could also do something even better and provide no plot at all and instead provide them with a big, fleshed out world with several events in the making and let them decide if and how they want to get involved.