The Pillars of Story



by R P Davis

Excerpted from You Can Try - Tips On Becoming A Better DM

When you start as a DM, the first thing you have to figure out is that you’re making a story. You’re engaged in the creation of speculative fiction. It’s just that it’s not only you writing the story – it’s you and a table full of co-authors collaborating.

Like other story collaborations, each participant brings different things to the work. You provide the skeleton of a plot and the antagonist(s). Your collaborators – the players – provide the protagonists, their conflicts, and their drives.

It makes sense to treat your work with the same story-construction techniques used by fiction writers. There’s a very basic formula to creating a satisfying story. Larry Brooks talks about it on his website; there are countless versions of the basic formula, and I found his easiest to digest. Going into further detail is beyond the scope of this work. Go to his website, buy his e-book (or print book), read it, and take it to heart.

Here’s the basic formula. You must have these things in order to create a merely satisfying, that is not to say good, story.

1. Part 1 – Setup

1.1. Opening Scene

1.2. Hook

1.3. First Plot Point

2. Part 2 – Response

2.1. First Pinch Point

2.2. Midpoint

3. Part 3 – The Attack

3.1. Second Pinch Point

3.2. All Is Lost Lull

3.3. Second Plot Point

4. Part 4 – Resolution

Brooks's focus is on novels, so in terms of specifics he goes in a different direction than is perfectly applicable to the purposes of RPG adventure design. But this basic outline is what makes good stories, whether novels, plays, films, or D&D adventures. I’ll expand on parts of it to align it to adventure design. (If you're familiar with Brooks and his Story Engineering, you'll see I'm simplifying it. That's deliberate.)

We all know what 1.1 and 1.2 look like. There's no need to expand those.

1.3 is often missing from D&D adventures. That’s the Point of No Return for the heroes; that’s the point where they discover they couldn’t just quit the quest even if they wanted to. Many adventures lack this quality, probably from a desire to avoid the smell of “railroad.” But it’s crucial.

Part 2 is entirely the heroes’ initial response to the quest. They don’t need to be heroic yet; in fact, it builds dramatic tension if they get their asses handed to them in Part 2. This reminds everyone that the antagonist(s) are also at work. Their defeats should also make the heroes combat their inner demons. 2.1 should be a plot twist; for example, a trusted ally is killed by the villain's minions, or is discovered as being one of the villain's minions.

The Midpoint (2.2) is where the heroes receive new information that changes them. It’s a catalyst activating new decisions and actions.

In Part 3 the heroes transition from flailing at the problem/quest – being hunted – to attacking with purpose - becoming the hunter. They’re not merely reacting anymore, they’re empowered with enough information to proceed by making their own plans. They also begin to cope with or overcome their inner demons.

3.1 is another twist, perhaps an inner demon causing a hero to fail in some way, or the death of a core member of the gang. Think of Wash's death in Joss Whedon's film Serenity.

3.2 is a failure where the outlook for success is bleak. More Serenity, this time toward the end - the Reavers have cornered the crew, Mal is getting his butt whooped by the Operative, and there's not a whole lot of hope to go around. Then Mal puts the Macguffin in the Thing, River goes batshit, and the quest succeeds.

Part 4 is basically the wrap-up, where loose ends are tied up. Again, most DMs are pretty good at that. One failing I often see is in setting up the next adventure(s). Many designers don't do that. Do that. That can happen any number of ways, from a mysterious map to a magic item which doesn't respond to the rules about attunement to a fleeing minion who dashes off to tell the uber-arch-super-villain what happened.