[freeroleplay] Is role-playing about telling a story?

[Scot Newbury]

On 6/5/06, Samuel Penn <sam at glendale.org.uk> wrote:
>
>
>
> On Mon, June 5, 2006 10:22, Ricardo Gladwell wrote:
> > http://www.hoboes.com/html/RPG/Gods/?ART=13
> >
> > Its a good question and I agree with the general points that Jerry
> > makes. I think a lot of confusion arises out of the fact that, by
> > playing a RPG, you do end up with a narrative at the end of a game.
> >
> > Thoughts?
>
> I try not to run a 'story' as such, but have a series of events
> which the PCs may get involved with. Creating a story around
> the characters is something I don't like, though obviously a
> story will come out of the game.
>
> Some people do run the game as a story (such games tend to get
> labelled as rail roading when its done badly) however, and
> what they mean by story can be quite different to the story
> that comes out of my games.
>
>
In my opinion role-playing is all about the story.

I'm not saying that you plot out every detail, cast the PCs and hand out
ready made characters - that would fall into the category of 'rail roading'
- but I do have an overlaying story arc.

Case in point my current campaign, 3.5D&D currently on hiatus, has the
overlaying story of a keystone that was broken into four separate pieces
after being used to seal away a fabled city.  The original four party
members started off in the employ of someone who wanted those pieces - it
wasn't their quest, it didn't matter how they went about it and if fact I
simply role-played the cast of NPCs to put this offer in front of them.  It
was the group's decision to "go for it."

Since that time things have changed in the group, PCs have come and gone and
the party is about to add a member; the focus has changed.  What does that
mean?  For all but one member of the party it means defining their own goals
and it means that my main story arc becomes the backdrop for everything else
going on - a story that's touched upon and interacted with but continues to
march on until it climaxes in a different manner that I had originally
intended.

Is that bad?  Not at all, the story is still being used but in a different
capacity - it's the backdrop now instead of the primary story.

I look at it this way, the campaign is all about the story and my players
play an active role in determining what is and isn't included.  If they give
me lots of information and ideas great!  If not, then we have to pick and
choose our way along with my backdrop being the catalyst for some of the
adventures.

-- 
Scot Newbury
http://newburyonline.com


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