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Message: <blockquote data-quote="GMMichael" data-source="post: 6263212" data-attributes="member: 6685730">Factions, and even just villains, who act on their own are great problem creators.  GM needs a problem?  Just let your antagonists run loose and see what they come up with.  But this thread is about "plot". . . Let's look to Call of Duty here.  The developers of this game know how to program enemies, create their backstories, equip them, put them in factions, and give them nefarious plans.  And the game's engine has all the physics (and non-physics) models that it needs to calculate every bullet fired, every jump attempted, and every heavy-rolling tank.  Put it all together, and you have a good game.But the CoD designers want more.  They want a good story.  They recognize that this doesn't always happen organically, so they write in some plot, and narrow the player's choices a bit.  Prime example: you're the main character, and you're on a battlefield.  You see a path that would allow you to flank the enemy to the left, and destroy him from behind.  You'd succeed, but then you'd miss the epic helicopter shootout and comrade-death scene.  So they force you to flank to the right.  If you try to go left, you automatically get shot.They're not plotting out the whole story; they're adding a level of plot that increases the drama of the game.  You can still choose to throw grenades or pick up enemy weapons, but it must be down the right flank.  This is what I mean by adding plot to my campaign.  The PCs still have agency, but to avoid the mechanical use of the rules to succeed, they're encouraged to take the dramatic route to the goal - and have a more memorable experience in the process.</blockquote>

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