I'll second that, I'd like to see an example, please...
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What is the #1 most important thing to remember about DMing?
- Thread starter Oryan77
- Start date
Scotley
Hero
Here's a nice summary of game design styles from a video game designer that I picked up on his website Ben Bastian
String of Pearls is #2. Some of the others are interesting and new to me. I'm curious as to how #6 State based might work in a D&D game. Anyway, these might spark some ideas for others, so I'm posting it. It is way over the OP's one line limit, so if I'm thread jacking too much let me know and I'll remove it.
[sblock]
GAME PROGRESSION STRUCTURES
‘Game Progression’ is the idea of how a game progresses from the start to the (sometimes indefinable) end. The most common game progression is linear progression, where the game progresses as if it were “on rails”. An example of this type of game is the recent Return to Castle Wolfenstein, where the player is given a set number of missions to complete in linear order, however there are countless other varieties of game progression.
This article is a catalogue of some of the game progression structures that I have run across in games. There are obviously more - they are probably as limitless as imagination. Additionally some of the games listed can fit into several categories – for instance A Mind Forever Voyaging uses a combination of different progression structures.
1. Linear
The linear structure means that the player plays each mission or level in a consecutive order, from start to end.
Advantages:
• Simple and effective.
• Allows for a manageable and traditional storyline.
• Allows for level/mission designers to have a good idea of the abilities/attributes of the player at any one time.
Disadvantages:
• A player cannot make any high level decisions that will effect the outcome of the game, which works against the enjoyability of the game.
Game Examples:
Half-Life, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Hostile Waters, Giants – Citizen Kabuto
1a. Linear with some optional missions
Here the missions are still essentially linear, but some “hidden” levels exist, that can be accessed by some means, and that will then be slotted into the linear progression.
Advantages:
• Much as the advantages of linear progression
• “Hidden” Levels allow a player to have a greater sense of discovery when they find them, and complete them.
Disadvantages:
• Extra levels, that players will not necessarily play, have to be built.
• The game is still essentially linear in nature.
Game Examples:
Doom, Doom II, Dungeon Keeper, Freespace II
2. String of Pearls
‘String of pearls’ is described by Roberta Williams in Game Design: Secrets of the Sages. In this progression structure the game is broken up into various Acts, much like a play. A player has a great deal of freedom during each Act but at the end is some sort of challenge that will take the player into the next Act. By organizing a game in this way, a designer can give the player a perception of freedom of choice without compromising the advantages of the linear game structure: A structured storyline, and design simplification.
This structure can easily be applied to other games: Quake III arena uses a similar structure to this: A player may chose which order they chose to take on the arenas of any one tier, but they must complete them all, before they can take on the boss, and they must take on the boss before progressing to the next tier.
Advantages:
• Allows the player to make some decisions about “what happens next”
• Reduces the number of entity relationships that the game has to deal with.
• Allows the game to have a storyline.
Disadvantages:
• Game is still linear to an extent.
Game Examples:
• Kings Quest, I have no mouth but I must scream, Quake III Arena (Single player)
3. Map Based
Here the player has to explore different areas on a map. This may be completely available, or different sections of the map may be opened up as the player gains abilities, find keys etc.
Advantages:
• Non linear
• Exploring can be part of the fun of a game
• Player can always backtrack
• Game areas can be reused – good game resource allocation
Disadvantages:
• Will not suit all games
• Can make story exposition difficult.
• Can make balancing difficult, as some parts of the map will be easy, and some difficult.
Game Examples:
• Castlevania: Shadow of the moon
• (The Old) Pool of Radiance
• Diablo II
• System Shock 2.
4. Exclusive Branching
Exclusive branching is the type of game where a player can make high-level decisions that affect the outcome of the game. The game consists of many “paths” that can be followed through to completely different endings. Once a path is chosen it is followed exclusively.
This is a type of progression that is not used much: A branching storyline increases exponentially in content as the player can make more decisions: For instance if you want a single game to be 4 hours of play time, and there is a single yes/no decision early in the game, then you have to create 8 hours of content, 2 decisions = 16 hours, 3 decisions = 32 hours.
This is a worst-case scenario however. Most books that use this type of progression do not have many stories of equal length, but rather two main stories, with small branches that end quickly.
Advantages:
• Different unique stories driven by the player
Disadvantages:
• A huge content creation burden.
Game Examples:
Multipath Movies, Choose your own adventure books
5. Pyramid
This is where a game moves along separate branches, but the player may move between different branches at will. A good example is Warioland 4, which is divided into 4 different wings of a pyramid. Each wing contains 4 levels that have to be played consecutively, but the player can move between each wing at will, so for instance they can complete 3 of the levels in the blue wing, then go and do a couple of levels of the red wing, or one or two in the green wing. At the end of each wing, if all of the levels have been completed satisfactorily then Wario faces a boss creature. Once all of these creatures have been defeated then Wario can take on the big boss.
Advantages:
• The player has a lot of choice about which missions to undertake and when they want to undertake them.
Disadvantges:
• Minimal possible story
• May not be able to be fit to any game type
• The missions do not change regardless of the order selected.
Game Examples: Warioland 4
6. State Based
In some games the game progression is based on the character’s state, for instance new missions may become available when the player has enough money, or has enough XP, or gains a particular skill.
An example of this game is A Mind Forever voyaging, where new areas of the game were opened as the player sees various sights. Apparently Carmen Sandiago is also based on a similar idea.
A lot of sporting games also run on this idea: In Gran Turismo for instance
Advantages:
• The game progression is a lot less explicit and more in the background. Player decisions can have some effect on the way that the game progressed, and the player feels a sense of freedom.
• If the state is based on the character’s experience then the designers can have a very good idea of what is going on.
Disadvantages:
• Difficult to create a defined storyline.
Game Examples:
• A Mind Forever Voyaging, Carmen Sandiago, Gran Turismo II
7. Playground
Here a player is given free scope given a particular world and set of rules. Works best for games where creation is the main mechanic, or where you want people to be able to set their own goals, for instance a MMORPG
Advantages:
• Absolute freedom for the player within the bounds of the playground.
Disadvantages:
• The player defines the story. There is no way to know what the player will do at any one time, making certain game designs unworkable.
Game Examples:
Dark age of Camelot, Everquest, Simcity, The Sims, The Incredible Machine
8. Procedural
The game universe is created procedurally around the player, allowing the game to have no boundries.
Advantages:
• Absolute player freedom within the rules of the universe
Disadvantages:
• Current procedural games and demos seem to suffer from the problem of sameness: yes you can go anywhere in the universe. But everywhere is the same.
Game Examples:
Elite
9. Character interaction based
The game proceeds by interacting and getting emotional responses from NPC’s. Doing this absolutely convincingly is a very hard problem, but there are some games that have had some success, especially in games where realism isn’t the prime concern. A design that will allow some suspension of disbelief could help.
Advantages:
• Character interaction could open up vast new markets for anyone who has the courage and the money to exploit it.
Disadvantages:
• Suffers from the fact that to be done convincingly games would have to pass a Turing test, which is pretty much impossible.
Game Examples:
Generic New York Apartment, The Erasmatron
10. Composite
Some games use different structures at different times in the game: for instance in A Mind Forever Voyaging the player explores different maps (Map based progression) until enough of it is explored (state based progression), for most of the first two acts of the game, while in the third the game is a map based puzzle.
Advantages:
• Allows a game to progress in a way that suits a particular part of it.
Disadvantages:
• Disobeys the kiss principal
• Can confuse the player if not done correctly
• Extra work that might be better spent actually making the game.
Game Examples:
A Mind Forever Voyaging
[/sblock]
String of Pearls is #2. Some of the others are interesting and new to me. I'm curious as to how #6 State based might work in a D&D game. Anyway, these might spark some ideas for others, so I'm posting it. It is way over the OP's one line limit, so if I'm thread jacking too much let me know and I'll remove it.
[sblock]
GAME PROGRESSION STRUCTURES
‘Game Progression’ is the idea of how a game progresses from the start to the (sometimes indefinable) end. The most common game progression is linear progression, where the game progresses as if it were “on rails”. An example of this type of game is the recent Return to Castle Wolfenstein, where the player is given a set number of missions to complete in linear order, however there are countless other varieties of game progression.
This article is a catalogue of some of the game progression structures that I have run across in games. There are obviously more - they are probably as limitless as imagination. Additionally some of the games listed can fit into several categories – for instance A Mind Forever Voyaging uses a combination of different progression structures.
1. Linear
The linear structure means that the player plays each mission or level in a consecutive order, from start to end.
Advantages:
• Simple and effective.
• Allows for a manageable and traditional storyline.
• Allows for level/mission designers to have a good idea of the abilities/attributes of the player at any one time.
Disadvantages:
• A player cannot make any high level decisions that will effect the outcome of the game, which works against the enjoyability of the game.
Game Examples:
Half-Life, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Hostile Waters, Giants – Citizen Kabuto
1a. Linear with some optional missions
Here the missions are still essentially linear, but some “hidden” levels exist, that can be accessed by some means, and that will then be slotted into the linear progression.
Advantages:
• Much as the advantages of linear progression
• “Hidden” Levels allow a player to have a greater sense of discovery when they find them, and complete them.
Disadvantages:
• Extra levels, that players will not necessarily play, have to be built.
• The game is still essentially linear in nature.
Game Examples:
Doom, Doom II, Dungeon Keeper, Freespace II
2. String of Pearls
‘String of pearls’ is described by Roberta Williams in Game Design: Secrets of the Sages. In this progression structure the game is broken up into various Acts, much like a play. A player has a great deal of freedom during each Act but at the end is some sort of challenge that will take the player into the next Act. By organizing a game in this way, a designer can give the player a perception of freedom of choice without compromising the advantages of the linear game structure: A structured storyline, and design simplification.
This structure can easily be applied to other games: Quake III arena uses a similar structure to this: A player may chose which order they chose to take on the arenas of any one tier, but they must complete them all, before they can take on the boss, and they must take on the boss before progressing to the next tier.
Advantages:
• Allows the player to make some decisions about “what happens next”
• Reduces the number of entity relationships that the game has to deal with.
• Allows the game to have a storyline.
Disadvantages:
• Game is still linear to an extent.
Game Examples:
• Kings Quest, I have no mouth but I must scream, Quake III Arena (Single player)
3. Map Based
Here the player has to explore different areas on a map. This may be completely available, or different sections of the map may be opened up as the player gains abilities, find keys etc.
Advantages:
• Non linear
• Exploring can be part of the fun of a game
• Player can always backtrack
• Game areas can be reused – good game resource allocation
Disadvantages:
• Will not suit all games
• Can make story exposition difficult.
• Can make balancing difficult, as some parts of the map will be easy, and some difficult.
Game Examples:
• Castlevania: Shadow of the moon
• (The Old) Pool of Radiance
• Diablo II
• System Shock 2.
4. Exclusive Branching
Exclusive branching is the type of game where a player can make high-level decisions that affect the outcome of the game. The game consists of many “paths” that can be followed through to completely different endings. Once a path is chosen it is followed exclusively.
This is a type of progression that is not used much: A branching storyline increases exponentially in content as the player can make more decisions: For instance if you want a single game to be 4 hours of play time, and there is a single yes/no decision early in the game, then you have to create 8 hours of content, 2 decisions = 16 hours, 3 decisions = 32 hours.
This is a worst-case scenario however. Most books that use this type of progression do not have many stories of equal length, but rather two main stories, with small branches that end quickly.
Advantages:
• Different unique stories driven by the player
Disadvantages:
• A huge content creation burden.
Game Examples:
Multipath Movies, Choose your own adventure books
5. Pyramid
This is where a game moves along separate branches, but the player may move between different branches at will. A good example is Warioland 4, which is divided into 4 different wings of a pyramid. Each wing contains 4 levels that have to be played consecutively, but the player can move between each wing at will, so for instance they can complete 3 of the levels in the blue wing, then go and do a couple of levels of the red wing, or one or two in the green wing. At the end of each wing, if all of the levels have been completed satisfactorily then Wario faces a boss creature. Once all of these creatures have been defeated then Wario can take on the big boss.
Advantages:
• The player has a lot of choice about which missions to undertake and when they want to undertake them.
Disadvantges:
• Minimal possible story
• May not be able to be fit to any game type
• The missions do not change regardless of the order selected.
Game Examples: Warioland 4
6. State Based
In some games the game progression is based on the character’s state, for instance new missions may become available when the player has enough money, or has enough XP, or gains a particular skill.
An example of this game is A Mind Forever voyaging, where new areas of the game were opened as the player sees various sights. Apparently Carmen Sandiago is also based on a similar idea.
A lot of sporting games also run on this idea: In Gran Turismo for instance
Advantages:
• The game progression is a lot less explicit and more in the background. Player decisions can have some effect on the way that the game progressed, and the player feels a sense of freedom.
• If the state is based on the character’s experience then the designers can have a very good idea of what is going on.
Disadvantages:
• Difficult to create a defined storyline.
Game Examples:
• A Mind Forever Voyaging, Carmen Sandiago, Gran Turismo II
7. Playground
Here a player is given free scope given a particular world and set of rules. Works best for games where creation is the main mechanic, or where you want people to be able to set their own goals, for instance a MMORPG
Advantages:
• Absolute freedom for the player within the bounds of the playground.
Disadvantages:
• The player defines the story. There is no way to know what the player will do at any one time, making certain game designs unworkable.
Game Examples:
Dark age of Camelot, Everquest, Simcity, The Sims, The Incredible Machine
8. Procedural
The game universe is created procedurally around the player, allowing the game to have no boundries.
Advantages:
• Absolute player freedom within the rules of the universe
Disadvantages:
• Current procedural games and demos seem to suffer from the problem of sameness: yes you can go anywhere in the universe. But everywhere is the same.
Game Examples:
Elite
9. Character interaction based
The game proceeds by interacting and getting emotional responses from NPC’s. Doing this absolutely convincingly is a very hard problem, but there are some games that have had some success, especially in games where realism isn’t the prime concern. A design that will allow some suspension of disbelief could help.
Advantages:
• Character interaction could open up vast new markets for anyone who has the courage and the money to exploit it.
Disadvantages:
• Suffers from the fact that to be done convincingly games would have to pass a Turing test, which is pretty much impossible.
Game Examples:
Generic New York Apartment, The Erasmatron
10. Composite
Some games use different structures at different times in the game: for instance in A Mind Forever Voyaging the player explores different maps (Map based progression) until enough of it is explored (state based progression), for most of the first two acts of the game, while in the third the game is a map based puzzle.
Advantages:
• Allows a game to progress in a way that suits a particular part of it.
Disadvantages:
• Disobeys the kiss principal
• Can confuse the player if not done correctly
• Extra work that might be better spent actually making the game.
Game Examples:
A Mind Forever Voyaging
[/sblock]
Crazy Jerome
First Post
Note that there are many hybrid variants to this approach, and it is part of what I have in mind when playing to your strengths. For example, my usual hybrid approach is to do a brief outline of a string of pearls, or even a pure railroad. I just don't put a lot of work into it, or get too wedded to it. Because I know this is all just background, for me to run mostly sandbox.
It's a hybrid over a more pure "fronts" method, because I have a few things that I do want prepared ahead of time. I'm terrible at coming up with good NPC names on the fly--simply awful. And if I do the standard "improv" bit of having a list of names by category, and checking them off, the name doesn't stick in my head. But if in my notes I've got, "Boric, 9th level warrior, leader of the East Hills nomads, suspicious of outsiders, loyal," then I'm good. If the players show definite interest in going there, I can expand upon that. If they surprise me, I can rapidly expand on it in a way that will be reasonably consistent with what I would have done with warning. I can do this because "Boric" sticks in my mind, and carries a whole lot with it, including some things that aren't in that one line note.
Other DMs would take a generic stat block, yank it out when the party went to the East Hills, and rip off a name. Because that is what would make it stick--then they might make a note of the name. Other DMs would have a movie actor in mind for the part. Other DMs wouldn't even know there were nomads in the East Hills until it came up--but might know there was a particular treasure buried there.
Take notes for the things you need notes for, and don't for the other stuff. Taking unneeded notes tends to make you less flexible to player changes in direction.
rogueattorney
Adventurer
I know the OP said he didn't want to hear it, but I think it bears repeating with one additional caveat... Make sure everyone is having fun, and that includes, you, the DM. If the players are having a blast but you're not, you're doing it just as wrong as if the the players aren't having any fun.
My second point might seem to be too dumb to be mentioned except that the great majority of problems in play that people bring up seem to come down to this precise issue: Communicate with your players. Talk to them about what they like, what they don't like, get their input on where they'd like the campaign to go, what they find interesting, what they think their characters should do, what they think your npcs should do, etc., etc. And then give them feedback on their play, what they did that was great, what they did that wasn't great, what you think they should do, what possible things you might prepare for future sessions, make suggestions as to how they might prepare for future sessions.
Get the feedback loop going, get your players involved and invested in the campaign, and make it a shared endeavor. When putting together a session schedule, I always assume about 20 minutes at the end of each session to simply talk about this session and the next session. Game prep is made so much easier by asking the simple question: "What do guys want to do next time?"
Finally, as to game prep, understand what from your world building will actually be used and become relevant in play. The location of a great dragon hoard is probably relevant. The clothes worn by the natives of Far Far Away Land is probably irrelevant. If world building is your thing, that's great, but don't ever expect your players to do much to discover those things that aren't directly related to their characters or care much if they do find out about those details. Use your prep time accordingly.
My second point might seem to be too dumb to be mentioned except that the great majority of problems in play that people bring up seem to come down to this precise issue: Communicate with your players. Talk to them about what they like, what they don't like, get their input on where they'd like the campaign to go, what they find interesting, what they think their characters should do, what they think your npcs should do, etc., etc. And then give them feedback on their play, what they did that was great, what they did that wasn't great, what you think they should do, what possible things you might prepare for future sessions, make suggestions as to how they might prepare for future sessions.
Get the feedback loop going, get your players involved and invested in the campaign, and make it a shared endeavor. When putting together a session schedule, I always assume about 20 minutes at the end of each session to simply talk about this session and the next session. Game prep is made so much easier by asking the simple question: "What do guys want to do next time?"
Finally, as to game prep, understand what from your world building will actually be used and become relevant in play. The location of a great dragon hoard is probably relevant. The clothes worn by the natives of Far Far Away Land is probably irrelevant. If world building is your thing, that's great, but don't ever expect your players to do much to discover those things that aren't directly related to their characters or care much if they do find out about those details. Use your prep time accordingly.
Macbeth
First Post
Apocalypse World actually has you do just that! Part of making a Front is taking down a few quick notes on important people in or related to it.
As far as "how to GM" I can't recommend Apocalypse World enough. It's so great, I've been rewriting it as a D&D-style fantasy game, Dungeon World.
Of course, AW mentions the bit of advice I had up thread: how you run one game is not how you run another. While AW does have some great specific GMing things, including some great candidates for "#1 most important thing to remember," it's best because it makes you think about how other games might be run differently.
Hussar
Legend
Heh, I really can't add any more than has already been said here.
I generally start with a large, overarching concept and then break that concept down into bite sized chunks. I'm not going to spend a huge amount of time on anything other than the next bite sized chunk, so, the end result might actually vary considerably from my original concept.
Here's a very quick and dirty example ((Mostly done thinking aloud here, very, very rough)):
Adventure 1 - Intro - Keep on the Borderlands. Get through the first couple of character levels, get them built into a bit more durable form, develop personalities and campaign connections for the characters. When they are pretty much done with the Keep, start dropping hooks that lead to:
Adventure 2 - The major plotline has been somewhat revealed, whatever it happens to be. We'll say major invasion by Far Realms beasties. The Evil Priest in KotB was a worshipper of the Far Realms and was attempting to open a portal before the PC's stopped him. Adventure 2 builds off this and leads to the Far Realms Cult that is based some distance from the Keep. Adventure 2 starts with the PC's investigating the Cult. Adventure 2 ends with the destruction/defeat of the cult and has links and foreshadowing to Adventure 3.
Adventure 3 - Adventure 2 reveals that there is a Grand Conjunction coming and the cultists want to use the star power to open a great portal to the Far Realms. Incursions by Far Realms nastiness begins popping up all over the place. Adventure starts with PC's faced with a town in the middle of being absorbed by a Far Realms cyst. Adventure ends with saving the village/town.
So on and so forth. I set out the initial parameters and goals of the adventure. The players determine how they achieve those goals and of course pursue their own goals as well. Those goals would likely be largely determined in the initial adventure or during chargen and incorporated into each "pearl".
And, there's more than enough room for flex between the adventures if the players want to pursue this or that end as well.
Maldin
First Post
You are not a slave to the rules.
The rules are slave to you.
Denis, aka "Maldin"
Maldin's Greyhawk http://melkot.com
Loads of edition-independent Greyhawk goodness... maps, mysteries, magic, mechanics, and more!
And the new home of Mortellan's World of Greyhawk Comic!
The rules are slave to you.
Denis, aka "Maldin"
Maldin's Greyhawk http://melkot.com
Loads of edition-independent Greyhawk goodness... maps, mysteries, magic, mechanics, and more!
And the new home of Mortellan's World of Greyhawk Comic!
Last edited:
TheAuldGrump
First Post
Cultivate your smiles. 
![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
and most of all 
and 
.
A well chosen smile can make the players pee their pants.
It tells them that you are... up to something, even if you have no idea what to do next.
The Auld Grump
and most of all and .A well chosen smile can make the players pee their pants.
It tells them that you are... up to something, even if you have no idea what to do next.The Auld Grump
If the PCs don't care about the events around them, they may go and solve the problems they're presented with, but they're not going to really get why.
In my game, I first made them really care about the world by having them do most of my world-building. I handed them an 8.5x11" piece of a paper with a rough outline of part of the coast. Before I knew it, I had a 3x4' map made of lots of these. Everyone put something on the map, even if it was just a little dot with a town name. (incidentally, this also makes things just SO much easier for you as a GM)
This way, when you go to a town, it's not just "Hodunk" or "Townsville" it's: "Twin River City, Center of the arcane magical learnings in the former Girai Empire." The players know about it already. They care about this place. They feel like its their's, not just the GMs.
So when you say... start a war between Twin River and its neighbor Gimoshent, they'll want to do something about it. And not just because someone is telling them to, but because it matters.
Of course, this isn't for all players or all games, but its worked wonders for mine. Your players are incredibly imaginative, and giving them an excuse to really get invested is a good thing.
In my game, I first made them really care about the world by having them do most of my world-building. I handed them an 8.5x11" piece of a paper with a rough outline of part of the coast. Before I knew it, I had a 3x4' map made of lots of these. Everyone put something on the map, even if it was just a little dot with a town name. (incidentally, this also makes things just SO much easier for you as a GM)
This way, when you go to a town, it's not just "Hodunk" or "Townsville" it's: "Twin River City, Center of the arcane magical learnings in the former Girai Empire." The players know about it already. They care about this place. They feel like its their's, not just the GMs.
So when you say... start a war between Twin River and its neighbor Gimoshent, they'll want to do something about it. And not just because someone is telling them to, but because it matters.
Of course, this isn't for all players or all games, but its worked wonders for mine. Your players are incredibly imaginative, and giving them an excuse to really get invested is a good thing.
