what works in fiction but not rpgs or vice versa?

[Kahuna Burger]

So a well run rpg makes a nice story (at least in retrospect if you're a on-narratavist player) but not all stories would make enjoyable rpgs, at least in my opinion. So what recognizable story tropes don't import so well to role playing?

A couple I've noticed - widely disparate power levels in a group. Some groups play with them well, but in my expereince its only fun if you get to be Gandalf. And if Galdalf's an NPC, you know he's a DMPC you'll end up wanting to kill yourself by the third session.

Also, the trick where the audience doesn't know the whole story but the protagonists do. Obviously there's no real way to recreate the bit where the audience isn't sure if Spike has really betrayed Angel (to use the opening of the final season for example) or if this is "all part of the plan". Keeping the audience in suspense after the protagonist has said "ah ha!" is also commonly used in mysteries. A nice writer's trick that doesn't translate at all to the interactive medium of RPGs.

Come to think of it, many theories of time travel or precognition suffer for similar reasons.

On the flip side a "killer DMs" game would probably make a sort of disapointing story to most readers.

 

[Eternalknight]

The standard 'explore the dungeon, kill everything and take their loot' would make a fairly uninteresting fantasy novel

 

[Kid Socrates]

Villain monologues. I have yet to figure out how to keep my villains out of combat so they can finish their awesome monologues! Stupid PCs keep firing thunderbolts at them...

Also, breaks to focus on the villains and their master plan, so the reader KNOWS that Hiro Protagonist is carrying the Holy Relic of Holiness that Evil McBadguy needs to complete the Evil Machine, but Hiro thinks it's just a bauble and plans to sell it. If Hiro's player knew that, even out of character, that bauble would suddenly become no end of fascinating, and would never be sold to a cunning NPC street vendor.

 

[jmucchiello]

"You and Roland go to the palace and stop the king. Dirk and I will see if we can delay the courier. We'll met back here next week."

"Three years later, you...."
"Wait I want to research spells if three years goes by."
"I want to rob the thieves guild so I can live like a king for those 3 years."
"I..."
"I......."

Any attempt to threaten, cajole, or intimidate the protagonists WILL fail.

 

[LostSoul]

Also, the trick where the audience doesn't know the whole story but the protagonists do. Obviously there's no real way to recreate the bit where the audience isn't sure if Spike has really betrayed Angel (to use the opening of the final season for example) or if this is "all part of the plan".

Playing RPGs is like writing a story instead of watching it. Suspense would be created by having two PCs with their own agendas (Spike and Angel) and there's a build-up to whether or not Spike will betray Angel. (To put it another way: Spike has one agenda we all know about. What we don't know is if this agenda is more important to him than his duty to Angel - and Spike's player probably doesn't know, either. Suspense builds through successive events in gameplay until Spike is forced to make his decision.) Nobody really knows what's going to happen until Spike's player makes that choice.

So I think that's possible, but you have to approach it from a slightly different viewpoint.

 

[sniffles]

Cutting back and forth between several characters chapter by chapter wouldn't work too well in a RPG. Look at LOTR. You spend large chunks of The Return of the King following Sam and Frodo through Mordor, then skip over to what Pippin is doing in Gondor. I've seen some GM's do "cut scenes" a la tv or video games, but anything longer than that would require either that you have two groups running simultaneously (one group containing the hobbits in Mordor and the other group adventuring in Gondor, to use my example), or maybe you could manage it if some of your players were unavailable for long periods.

Cliffhangers are pretty hard to do in a game too, IMHO, unless you play every week or have a very reliable group. It sucks to come back for part 2 and have forgotten what happened last time, or have several crucial players absent.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

You are the prophecized ... whatever. PCs hate having that kind of stuff done to them.

 

[LostSoul]

Villain monologues. I have yet to figure out how to keep my villains out of combat so they can finish their awesome monologues! Stupid PCs keep firing thunderbolts at them...

You could use "Action Points" in order to do this. "Spend one action point and grab control of the camera to deliever a monologue. You can't do anything but speak and gesture during this monologue, and time does not pass."

Also, breaks to focus on the villains and their master plan, so the reader KNOWS that Hiro Protagonist is carrying the Holy Relic of Holiness that Evil McBadguy needs to complete the Evil Machine, but Hiro thinks it's just a bauble and plans to sell it. If Hiro's player knew that, even out of character, that bauble would suddenly become no end of fascinating, and would never be sold to a cunning NPC street vendor.

I can see that happening, especially of Evil McBadguy is a PC as well. Hiro's player might think it makes for a cooler story if Evil McBadguy gets his hands on the bauble. Also known as "Screwing your PC for your enjoyment."

 

[Tyler Do'Urden]

You are the prophecized ... whatever. PCs hate having that kind of stuff done to them.

Speak for yourself... I love being "the chosen one", and have been in more than a few campaigns. Of course, they tend to be the sort of campaigns were the other PC's are equally "chosen"- which is the only way that it works.

Just as long as it isn't turned into a liscense to railroad, it can work fine. (And if you're going to railroad, at least make the story interesting and the battles tactically exciting.)

 

[Wormwood]

The Dramatic Exit

Example:

After an unsuccessful seige on the PC's stronghold, the Villain spurrs his horse and rides away from the battlefied vowing to return and crush the upstart heroes.

One of the PCs shakes brandishes his bloody sword says, "And we'll be ready for you!"

Another PC looks at me and asks how far away the Villain is. About 100 yards, I say.

"I cast fireball"

/true story
//Villains's mount was fried, and the badly singed Villain had to resort to running away on foot.
///in full-plate. He got about 60 feet before being slaughtered.