An Intersection of Storytelling

 I've talked a bit about storytelling before, but somehow the fact that I'm a huge tabletop RPG nerd came up at my writing group. It probably has something to do with my propensity for writing sword and sorcery fiction.

Regardless of whatever brought it up, it gave me a great chance to talk about the intersection between two of my favorite hobbies.

Storytelling is an art as old as humanity. We've been refining the process for centuries upon centuries, and all modern media is influenced by that long history. Each medium approaches its storytelling in different ways--novels perhaps being the most traditional, while interactive forms like video games and tabletop RPGs being more revolutionary and interactive.

Now, the real question that went around the table was why I (a prospective fiction writer) would want to write stuff for RPGs. Aren't they two different toolsets?

Well, yes. There are certain stories that are difficult to tell through the lens of an adventure and others that don't really lend themselves to the long (but still episodic!) format of a novel.

But what I'm really interested in is that interaction between the two. To me, a great RPG is like the world's most amazing Choose Your Own Adventure story. All of the pieces are there: a fantastic plot complete with twists and turns and surprises, heroes and villains and rivals and roadblocks, a purpose and drive, and that awesome feeling of story. But, unlike a novel, the story is never set in stone.

There may be some rails to the story (a prospect to which many gamer stick up their noses), but they exist solely to keep the players invested and interested while the story moves on. The author, the GM, and the players all join into a grand exercise of cooperative storytelling. No two games may ever run quite the same, but they all follow the skeleton laid out by the author. NPCs may rise or fall in importance, rails may be entirely overrun, and sometimes the heroes do not emerge victorious.

Each time an adventure is played, a new story is being told. Partly because no two characters are ever quite alike, and partly because the game mechanics ensure variance. Sometimes the mightiest warrior has an off day. Sometimes even the humblest peasant can stand his own against evil.

Each story derives from the author's vision, but each earns a personal investment as the players don't simply follow the close third-person narrative of a hero, but become that hero.

And that is why I find RPG writing so fascinating.