Interactive Storytelling Games
An Interactive Storytelling Game (ISG) is a game with a heavy emphasis on the story. Similar to both a Role-playing game (RPG) and a Storytelling game, an ISG will use a system of scripted scenes created by the Storyteller.
While a role-playing game (RPG) will be a collaborative narrative, and while a storytelling game will be a spontaneous story, an Interactive Storytelling Game (ISG) will have a scripted plot with a series of events that rise towards a final climax.
The Storyteller is the person in charge of creating the plot and running the game, while the rest of the players create characters that interact with each other and with the rest of the characters that are played by the Storyteller.
An Interactive Storytelling Game will use advanced Storytelling techniques to create an entire story, often to be told in a single gaming session.
The Storyteller will create the outer story, also referred to as the "spine" of the story, and the players will create the inner story, also referred to as the "heart" of the story.
The Storyteller will write an outline of the story he is telling, consisting of a main story goal, the main villain or antagonist, a list of scenes that will rise towards the final goal, and a climactic scene where the resolution to the story will occur.
The players will each run a single character that will interact with each other and the Storyteller's characters and the events and places described. Each character will have an inner need that will be blocked by a character flaw. Character needs and flaws are determined by the player and can be most anything desired. For instance, if a character's need is to fall in love, his flaw could be a distrust of the opposite sex.
The flaw will prevent the character from satisfying his need. Through the events of the outer story created by the Storyteller, the characters will learn to overcome their flaws and will finally realize their inner needs.
In this way, both the Storyteller and the players will tell a simultaneous story, both running parallel to the other.
A story will typically take from one to four gaming sessions to complete. In a RPG, the Gamemaster will create a campaign for the players to operate in. In an ISG, the Storyteller will only need the elements that he is using for the story. An ISG is similar to a person reading a short story or a novel, while a RPG will be an ongoing narrative tale.
Interactive Storytelling Games (ISG) are difficult to handle for game systems that have slow combat mechanics. This is because lengthy combat scenes will take too much time and the story will not advance very quickly. In a typical RPG, only a single plot point (if any) will occur in a session, while in an ISG, several plot points (each occurring in a separate scene) will occur in a session.
When using the outline format for creating stories, the Storyteller will be able to create an entire story quickly, often within 30 minutes (as opposed to several hours to create adventures for RPGs).
The theory of an ISG is that when the essential elements of a story are put in, it will provide a structure for the game and the session will go faster instead of slower.
Another difficulty when dealing with ISGs is the problem of railroading players. "Railroading" is a term used to describe a Gamemaster that forces the players to take a certain path, regardless of what they want to do.
In an ISG, the Storyteller must learn how to motivate the players, based on his knowledge of their characters. The conflict between the plot (what the Storyteller wants to do) and the character (what the player wants to do) can be resolved through the use of motivation. It has been said that a story is not what happens, but a story is who it happens to. A story is about how characters react to and are affected by the events in the story.
When the events of the story (plot) are not integrated with the desires of the players (motivation), then railroading will occur. The way this is avoided is by getting the player emotionally involved in the story so they do not feel railroaded because they are doing what they want (pursuing the goal, which is provided by the Storyteller that understands how to motivate them).
A properly structured story with a plot of scripted scenes will work without the players feeling railroaded because they are emotionally invested in the story.
Story Elements
The five parts of a story include:
1. Introduction.
2. Rising Action.
3. Complications.
4. Climax & Resolution.
5. Denouement.
Typically the first gaming session of an ISG will go like this:
1. Introduction of the heroes.
2. Inciting Incident (an event that creates the goal and introduces the villain). For example, the princess is kidnapped by the evil sorcerer, etc.
3. Scene 1:
Scene goal (acquire x or discover y).
Scene opposition (monster, etc.)
4-6. Scene 2, Scene 3, etc. ......
7. Climax. The big battle between the heroes and the main villain.
An entire plotline is written on one page, in the form of an outline.
Scene Format
1. Scene 1
Title of Scene
Scene Goal
Scene Opposition (monster, villain, etc.)
Scene Location (pick a place like a castle, village, roadway, etc).
Tie In to Next Scene
2. Scene 2 -5
Same as above.
A single line is used to describe each scene element (not several pages of text). For instance, a scene could look like this:
Scene 3: The Shadows Attack
Scene Goal: Escape from the haunted tower!
Scene Opposition: A dozen wraiths.
Scene Location: The Black Tower
Tie In: Inscription on tower that leads to the lost city (scene 4).
Additional Elements In addition to the single page used for the plot, a single page will be used to describe the main villain. Maps of the locations where the scenes take place are also usually prepared.
- Shadowstar Games, Inc. publishes the ISG, Fantasy Imperium, which is one of the first Interactive Storytelling Games.