The Kernel Of A Game: Concept, Style, and Focus

After a few days off, we return.

By now, you should have read at least the core rulebooks for whatever you're playing, and probably found a few things that seem quite interesting from them. Now, let's start actually putting your chronicle or campaign (I'm just going to use campaign from now on) together.

The written narrative can be separated into five components --- plot, character, setting, mood, and theme. Dividing roleplaying games into those components is difficult by simple virtue of the fact that they're a game. However, the focus --- what the rest of the campaign is hung off of --- of the roleplaying game can be divided into those components neatly. Let's look at each of them.

Plot: A plot-based campaign focuses on one specific plot, follows that plotline, and ends when that plot is completed. A campaign focusing around one specific storyline, like the rebellion against the evil necromancer lord or the rise to power of the Carthians in a specific city, is plot-based.

Characters: A character-based campaign establishes a solid set of characters, and then follows what happens to them for a length of time. As opposed to a plot-based campaign, character-based campaigns finish when a specific character conclusion is reached, such as the end to their personal story arcs. D&D's most common campaign type is the entire adventuring career of one adventurer party --- this is a character-based campaign, as it revolves around the arc of the characters as opposed to an external plotline. World of Darkness character-based campaigns establish the local sociopolitical region and follow the movements of the coterie, cabal, or other player group throughout that area.

Setting: Setting-based campaigns focus on exploring one specific aspect of the setting, such as the demon lords of the Abyss or the dragon nests of the Ordo Dracul. This aspect is sociopolitical, geographical, historical, temporal, or anything else that isn't character-based --- exploring the secrets of the Bone Lords of Thrun is a setting-based concept, while the campaign against a specific Bone Lord is either plot-based or character-based. One other type of possible-setting based campaign relates to a specific geographical region, such as the story of a specific period in a country's history. However, if this sort of campaign focuses on one specific event, as opposed to the area that event takes place in, or multiple events in that area, it's better classified as a plot-based campaign.

Mood: Mood-based campaigns focus on a specific mood and possibly genre above all others. A "swashbuckling on the high seas" campaign filled with derring-do and romance is a mood-based campaign. Exploring the moods common to American or British mystery or horror would also be a mood-based campaign.

Theme: Theme-based campaigns focus on a specific theme and exemplifying that theme throughout the rest of the campaign. Theme campaigns are very close to plot-based campaigns, except that their main idea is not temporal but thematic. A campaign based around the fall of angels to hell and their subsequent redemption would be plot-based if it sells itself as "the story of angels falling and then redeeming themselves", and would be theme-based if it sells itself as "good outlasts evil" and uses the plotline to illustrate that theme.

The next thing to consider is your narrative level, which is essentially the aim of your campaign. Luckily for us, narrative level can separated into three discreet categories for roleplaying games.

Play An Entertaining Game: This level's pretty comparable to an action movie. The interest is in having fun and just enjoying yourself. Characters are designed to be interesting challenges instead of narrative building blocks. This level is the closest to just a game out of any of the three. D&D natively lends itself to this. It's a level some are happy with, but there's much more possibility (and greater possibilities, at that) for roleplaying games.

Tell An Entertaining Story: This level is where things really start to get interesting. Here, you're looking at creating a great narrative, of whatever your campaign focuses on. Characters matter narratively, and theme and mood really begin to make their presence felt. Compare to science-fiction --- the emphasis is on providing a good story, and possibly using it as a platform to explore issues and ideas. The World of Darkness lends itself to at least this level.

Explore An Issue, Make A Statement: This level is where you're starting to aspire to greater things. You're not just looking at a good story, but you're looking at how you can explore issues and make meaningful statements. At this level, theme drives everything. Characters are thematic symbols and ciphers as opposed to narrative tools --- everything revolves around the lesson or other theme. Think of fables or great literary works. The World of Darkness works towards this type of play.

The Gaming Garden recommends the two higher levels for play in general, and suggests beginner GMs aspire to the second level. As such, the vast majority of the rest of the Kernel Of A Game advice is aimed at that level.

Finally, the next two things you want to consider at this stage are theme and mood. At least for most campaigns (see above), theme and mood are crucial tools. Mood offers a consistent palette to visualize the campaign within, connecting separate aspects and plotlines. Theme, on the other hand, offers a consistent thematic basis. Working off your theme can give you an idea as to how a specific aspect should be portrayed or changed to work in your campaign.

Each game line or specific campaign setting suggests default moods, such as the gothic horror of Vampire: The Requiem or the pulp action of Eberron. Think of a mood that you like and that matches the game line you're working with --- you should be able to summarize it in one statement.

Most game lines also suggest default themes. Mage: The Awakening looks at the corrupting effect power has upon humanity, for example. You may want to leave theme until you complete the next step, that of the campaign concept.

The next thing you want to do is figure out your campaign concept, a one-sentence overview of the campaign as a whole. This campaign concept should be like a movie pitch or a synopsis that you'd tell someone to get them to watch or read something, like "A group of FBI agents investigates mysterious disappearances in a small town." Your campaign concept should also give you an idea of which one of the five narrative components the campaign is based around. Here are five example campaign concepts for D&D and the World of Darkness, one of for each of the narrative elements.

Dungeons & Dragons:

1. The PCs lead a rebellion against the evil giant tyrants of their native land. (Plot)
2. A group of adventurers, gathered under the auspice of the great wizard Argatha, journey across the Fallen Lands in search of fame and fortune. (Character)
3. An operative team from the Covenant of Illuminated Learning investigate the Blood Wave that laid waste to the land of Kheldren some thousand years ago. (Setting)
4. Courtly intrigue is the name of the day for the Dragon Courts of Eltam. (Mood)
5. Humanity will adapt to any challenge, as the Riverlands show when they unite to face invaders from horrific dimensions inimical to human existence. (Theme)

The World of Darkness:

1. The Lancea Sanctum takes back St. Louis from the Circle of Crone. (Plot)
2. A group of tightly-knit friends Awaken one night on their way home from the bar. (Character)
3. One night a local historian comes across a journal of forbidden secrets in the local library, secrets she is driven to verify --- with horrific consequences for her and the friends she enlists to help her. (Setting)
4. The Atlantean mages of Ottawa labour bleakly under the iron fist of an authoritarian Guardian Hierarch. (Mood)
5. Everyone has skeletons in their closet, a statement all too true for the Primogen of Miami when they are confronted with enemies from their past seeking their overthrow. (Theme)

Finally, you may wish to re-examine your theme and mood in the context of your campaign concept, discarding or changing ideas to fit your concept better.

By now, you should have a campaign concept, theme, mood, and narrative level chosen --- the glue and core that holds the campaign together. Next, we'll start doing something with them.

---Arivia