The Alexandrian

Most published adventures are designed around a structure that looks like this:

You start at the beginning (Blue), proceed through a series of linear scenes (Yellow), and eventually reach the end (Red).

Occasionally you may see someone get fancy and throw a pseudo-option into things:

But you’re still looking at an essentially linear path. Although the exact form of this linear path may vary depending on the adventure in question, ultimately this form of design is the plotted approach: A happens, then B happens, and then C happens.

The primary advantage of the plotted approach is its simplicity. It’s both easy to understand and easy to control. On the one hand, when you’re preparing the adventure it’s like putting together a scheduled to-do list or laying out the plot for a short story. While you’re running the adventure, on the other hand, you always know exactly where you are and exactly where you’re supposed to be going.

But the plotted approach has two major flaws:

First, it lacks flexibility. Every arrow on the plotted flow-chart is a chokepoint: If the players don’t follow that arrow (because they don’t want to or because they don’t realize they’re supposed to), then the adventure is going to grind to a painful halt.

The risk of this painful train wreck (or the necessity of railroading your players) can be mitigated by means of the Three Clue Rule. But when the Three Clue Rule is applied in a plotted structure, you run the risk of over-kill: Every yellow dot will contain three clues all pointing towards the next dot. If the players miss or misinterpret a couple of the clues, that’s fine. But if they find all of the clues in a smaller scene, they may feel as if you’re trying to spoon-feed them. (Which, ironically, may cause them to rebel against your best laid plans.)

Second, because it lacks flexibility, the plotted approach is inimical to meaningful player choice. In order for the plotted adventure to work, the PCs must follow the arrows. Choices which don’t follow the arrows will break the game.

This is why I say Don’t Prep Plots, Prep Situations.

31 Responses to “Node-Based Scenario Design – Part 1: The Plotted Approach”

  1. Jadoa says:

    You say spoonfeed, but I say railroad. As a player, nothing is more frustrating than my character’s decisions being meaningless. While I appreciate the necessity of having a story to have an enjoyable game, I do not appreciate attempts to dictate what my character does. I enjoyed reading this immensely.

  2. Jordan says:

    Hi,

    You probably already saw that, but I thought you might be interested. MWP have a brand new Leverage supplement : Node-Based Capers. http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/111583/Leverage-Companion-08%3A-Node-Based-Capers

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  18. Kaique says:

    Hi Justin. I’ve been reading this series and your post about prepping situations instead of plots. How can I distinguish a node and a situation when prepping my game? I understand the concepts and have the feeling that they can really improve my game, but I’m still struggling to work with them combined. In my prep notes, should I think about the story in terms of nodes, and them prep every node with situations, is that it? Or the opposite?

  19. Justin Alexander says:

    Nodes are a way of thinking about how the PCs can conceptually navigate a scenario. The simplest example is the clue pointing to a location: Knowing X lets them go to Y.

    “Prepping a situation” is about rejecting the idea that an RPG scenario is about a predetermined sequence of events (a “story” or “plot”), and instead embracing the idea that an RPG scenario is a collection of tools or toys that the GM actively plays during the session (the same way that the players are actively playing their characters).

    The two techniques can overlap: The nodes you prep can OFTEN double as the toys/tools you’re actively playing (proactive nodes are a really clear-cut example of this); or they may usefully group them together (all of Mafia Joe’s goons are in Node 3: Mafia Joe’s Den of Goons, or whatever).

    Similarly, although the mentality of “story” can influence the design of a node map, my first step in design a node-based scenario is generally to just look at the SITUATION in the game world: Who knows each other? Who’s working for who? What are people trying to do? Where are they doing it?

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  21. Nate says:

    I have been struggling to prepare adventures with locations and details that worked with each other. I was able to run a homebrew murder mystery at a Sun Monk monastery thanks to your help outlining the node system and three clue rule. I had all the tools I needed to move on the characters’ actions and it was really memorable for them.

    Thank you. Because of these essays, I can take steps to facilitate games my players look back on fondly.

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