Story in RPGs

[Celebrim]

I have been reading on various blogs and forums about how the GM of a game having a story of sorts planned out for the game is bad.

Yes, that's true.

However, you should also remember that if the GM of a game doesn't have a story of sorts planned out for the game it is bad.

There are too pitfalls to avoid:

1) Everything the players do is meaningless, because nothing ever comes of it.
2) Everything the players do is meaningless, because the DM has already decided what the outcome of their actions are ahead of time.

I myself am kind of fond of the idea of a story emerging from play. I guess I am sort of in the middle between those who like to have a complete story mapped out and those who believe that there should not even be a real story. I like for their to be some sort of grand plot, but it should arise out of both GM planning and PC actions. The GM should have a story planned, but he or she should adjust it as the PCs act upon their world.

That sounds right to me.

 

[Hussar]

Just remember that in a developing campaign world there is no "grand" plot.
Individuals, and groups of NPC's may have plots of thier own but the world itself will generally not (unless the world is a sentient being- a rather interesting concept )

As the PC's interact with the various plots they will change. Some may be destroyed, some altered, and others aided. If the actions of the PC's have no impact on these plots then there really isn't a need for a game system at all.

Now this is something I disagree with. When developing a campaign, world or not, there should be a "grand" plot. I'm a big believer in focused campaigns obviously. I am not a big fan of sandbox campaigns where the players choose their own path.

I like adventure paths for example.

I think when you develop your campaign, your first question should be "what is this game about?" Everything you decide from that point forward should flow out of that question. If your campaign is about "survival horror" for example, then every adventure, every campaign element, should be focused on that.

The trick is, of course, balance. I want to have a fairly clear theme and reason for the campaign, but, I don't want to lock the players into a single narrow path. Many options, but, the options are limited by the framework of the theme of the campaign.

Note, this is all my personal preference and should not be taken as any sort of objective truth. I know that others prefer a wide open sandbox and feel that any limitations are railroading. I disagree, but, it's up to you, the reader to determine what's right for you and yours.

 

[JoeGKushner]

There can be no story without the GM.

I'm certainly not saying that the GM shouldn't be using any plot threads that the players provide nor ignoring plot elements that the players may bring into their own background. Indeed, some game systems even encourage the players to create bits of the world about them that they play in for the GM to react to.

However, a GM, which often requires a good GM with quick mental wit, has to take all of these various elements and weave them into something other than random threads.

Mind you, D&D doesn't have to have a story. No rpg does. Many are happy doing dungeon bash and crawls. Nothing wrong with those types of games. However, if the players are willing to add NPC's to their background without prompting, if they're willing to use the elements already existing in the campaign setting without goading, it's a damn shame to not utilize those gifts.

 

[pawsplay]

A planned story isn't bad, it's just ephemeral. The story in an RPG is what happens, not what was intended to happen. The DM's story, then, is just a plan. An rpg has no "plot" as such, and so stories predicated on plotting are easily broken and therefore bad. Stories predicated, however, on reasonable outcomes for events, taking into account the PCs actions as well as the GM's artistic and moral sense, are robust, and hence good.

Now, there are all kinds of stories, and RPGs tolerate rambling more than a short story does. So a "good story" is not going to be liked by everyone, but a "bad story" can ruin an evening for just about anyone.