Working with Scene Action Generator and Verb Fuel

Scene Action Generator

Verb Fuel

After the introductory comparison posted in November 15th of 2019 post, it's time to get into the tool and fuel.

This post began back in November of 2019 but the release was postponed until the main Grammar Fuel series is complete. It continues the comparison of Scene Action Generator to Verb Fuel.

Scene Action Generator
Roll 2xd12 = 7, 2 = visit (setting action type)

This is a setting action type because of two main interpretations of the word visit. One interpretation is that the character will visit someone, something, or someplace–a new setting. A second interpretation is that someone or something will visit the character's current setting. Pick the strongest or first interpretation that comes to mind. I would pick the first because it helps to make the character more active and forward-looking. Also, I know that there is the word arrive on the table for arrival type scenes.

Who, what, or where is the character visiting in the scene? And for what reason? 

Those details can depend on the overall story so far created in the beginning and revealing itself up until the current scene. Something in the story propels the character towards a new setting or location to visit.

Verb Fuel
Roll d100 (aka 3xd10) = 1, 9, 4 = 194 = cough

Cough literally means to suddenly and explosively expel noise from the lungs, which makes a coughing sound.
To cough up figuratively means to hand something over or to confess something.

So, what does cough mean in this scene?

In Verb Fuel, three main uses for these verbs are mentioned (also that the verb list might be usable for other ways not found in the book).
1. The verb states what is happening in the scene.
Literally: Within the scene, someone may begin to cough.
Figuratively: Within the scene, someone may begin to hand something over. Or someone may begin to confess to something.
2. The verb is the main action word of the conflict of the scene.

Literally: Within the scene, someone may begin to cause the character to cough. Maybe the coughing is caused by is a gas, fumes, or smoke. Or maybe the character begins to feel sick.

Figuratively: Within the scene, someone may have a task to get someone to hand something over. Or maybe the character must try to get someone to begin to confess to something.

3. The verb may be used in dialogue to speak about someone or something. 
Literally: within a scene someone may *cough cough*, or hack hack for any reason, biologically meaning that something in the throat or lungs is causing the cough such as a cold, sickness, smoke, irritant, allergy, or something like physical or physiological reason.
Body Language: Coughing may indicate the character needs to say something that a person is holding back.

Comparing Scene Action Generator and Verb Fuel

Scene Action Generator

Verb Fuel

This post will introduce and compare the Scene Action Generator tool and Verb Fuel resource. In the next post I'd like to play around with both the tool and the resource just for fun.

I use the word generator and tool for the Scene Action Generator because, to me, the categorization and groupings brings additional use and function that the alphabetized resource does not. The alphabetized resource is a fuel in the sense that is a just an uncategorized pool of words ready to add further meaning.

Pages

• Scene Action Generator is 2 pages, without any graphical cover, title page, nor table of contents.
• Verb Fuel is 12 pages with a cover, title page, and table of contents.

So, Verb Fuel leaving out the cover to table of contents, content wise, is 8 pages or four times more pages than the two pages of Scene Action Generator.

Content found in the table 

• Scene Action Generator has 6 broad categorized action types and in total has 144 rolled results–some of which have more than one keywords to pick from. An attempt was made to group somewhat similar words, especially for less drama-action–especially if they mean somewhat similar dynamics to scene action flow. Counting up all of the verbs on the table, there is just over 280 verbs categorized and grouped on the table
• Verb Fuel has 1,000 alphabetized rolled results. Each result has one verb or a contraction that contains a verb.

Example from the books

This is the example from Scene Action Generator.

• For example, a 1d12 roll resulting in 5 means a ‘social’ action type. Another 1d12 roll resulting in a 12 would indicate a either an ‘involve’ or ‘engage’ action. This might means that something is happening that involves or is engaged by more than one person. People or something else is joining in on the conflict in the scene.

This is the example from Verb Fuel.

• Example of using the Verb Fuel random verb table: The player rolls for a verb, rolling 0, 7, and 4 or = 074. Looking up 74 on the verb chart is the word “begin”. What does “begin” mean? That depends on what actually is beginning. Or maybe tense is important, maybe the action is not in the present tense. Maybe something began in the past. Or maybe something will begin in the future.

Sources

Scene Action Generator & Verb Fuel have the same origin actually. Verb Fuel radically changed in October to a more inspiring source.

• If I remember correctly, Scene Action Generator began as a concept by looking over lists of verbs for my fantasy languages. I wished for a very large list of verbs to helped build scenes randomly. Then after releasing the Plot Generator keywords, the list expanded and changed a bit until it went dormant for months. After resurrecting the project in October of 2018, I tried to think up the most popular adventure tasks. Categories of the verbs gradually emerged–which meant moving around words. And finally, story tasks verbs were collected until 144 results were filled.
• Verb Fuel actually began with the same initial idea to build a very large list of verbs to help build scenes randomly. Further than Scene Action Generator, the first hope was to build a list to 500 verbs. I can't remember when, but I came across a community content licensed source of words. Experimenting with that source, I began to figure out that what I wanted was more ownership of the resulting list. In October 15th of 2019, sick of community content source possibly limiting what I could do with the end result of the list, I came across a 1000 word public domain source of American English words. It was however unclassified and lacked parts of speech. However, fueled knowing that I could own the rights to the final product, unlike the community content source, I started from the beginning. I put parts of speech selectively onto this 900 words gleaned from the public domain source document using three dictionaries.
  
  When finished, about 400 verbs emerged. This initial list is too abstract academic, business, religious, and US government related. It lacked common everyday verbs that is more useful for stories. I started to add more common verbs. The 400 verb list quickly became 617. I did a quick draft to see if I could make a product late in October. The final list wasn't fully satisfying to me. I let it set for a week and then tried again, finding a few more sources of great verbs. After reaching 1000, I let it set a few days. Going back through the list, I replaced some verbs with better verbs.

RPG vs Story Scene: Scene resolution

RPG and Story Scene Series

RPG and Story Scenes: The foundation of action within a story.

RPG and Story Scenes: RPG scenes

RPG and Story Scenes: Writing and RPG methods
RPG vs Story Sequel: Reaction 
RPG vs Story Scene: Scene resolution

Stories have different endings for the entire storyline. And each scene also has its own an ending in much the same way. Less likely will scenes in the middle of a story end well like many story endings. There is something about bad endings, despair, and struggle that keeps our attention..

One common advice given is that every ending must have a cause, and every cause must have ending. A scene must end with an answer. Even if the answer is 'not yet'. Scene answers are lived out by the characters, not vocalized.

Another piece of common advice is to move forward in a story, a character moves backwards from attaining their goal, until the final main scene.

Types of Endings
Boring ending Explicit endings
a. Yes. 
Caution: Too many of these will be boring
View point character gains their objective = happy ending
For scenes, one good method is to make it appear everything is going great. And then in the next related scene everything falls apart.

More interesting endings
b. No.
View point character loses their objective = unhappy ending. This is caused by a direct obstruction of the goal.
c. Sort of.
View point character gains partially their objective however is missing a large portion of the objective.
d. Yes, unfortunately.
View point character gains their objective but loses something more valuable = tragedy or setback.
e. Yes, at all cost.
View point character sacrifices their objective for the greater good.

e. No, however. View point character losses track of objective. The character can be sidetracked by an indirect obstruction.
f. An unexpected twist can help or hinder the scene, depending on how jarring and cheating the author employs the twist. A cliffhanging scene can also serve a similar function. She pulled off the mask of the killer that had fallen after her blow of a chair. Underneath she saw the taped face of her father, who looked terrified.

Implicit endings
g. Metaphoric, sign, or image. 
Thematic ending that has meaning mixed up into imagery, description, and events. Where what happens means more than what is described.
h. I don't know.
View point character has a unresolved or confusing muddled finish. The scene is left up to interpretations of the reader. This may leave more questions to be answered.

RPG setting Endings
Some RPGs have mimicked many of these results for skills, action, and scenes.
Mythic led the groundbreaking work with the solo GM emulator. Other popular system that use similar structures are FU, CRGE, Tiny Soldiers, Fate Solo RPG, and including my evolving ABS12 system.

In it, the emulate those types of endings by offering answers to questions. Normally the structure used is for example the FU system by Nathan Russell. This system divides the even answers and meaning types of 'Yes' and odd answers, 'No'

6 Yes, and
4 Yes
2 Yes, but
5 No, but
3 No
1 No, and

Other RPGs don't explicitly state these types of answers. Some use degrees of success and failure such as Fate. Some use critical rolls and target numbers. Some rely on the GM to interpret the story more heavily.

Scene ending focuses
Also endings can be described in terms of their focus.
i. Two non-fiction forms of scene endings

• Add a final piece of information
• Hint that future events will be forthcoming.

Two focuses of scene endings
Plot - focuses on change of plot direction
Character - focuses on the change of an understanding of the character

Other types of endings Impending doom - doom is right in front of the character. She felt a knife blade held up across her throat.
Something is about to happen - something signals the beginning of something else. In the midst of deep sleep a crash of broken glass awoke her ...

Scene Obstacle Types
Obstacle types can direct the scene towards a scene ending.

Common obstacles
Danger
drama

death
injury
health

Change epiphany
complication
mistake
decision

Unknown suspense
threat
danger
doom

Final Thoughts on Series
This is my fifth and final series post, unless I think of stuff or gather some other scene ideas for a later future post. I hope I have covered a blended view of scenes both for gaming and stories.

RPG and Story Scenes: Writing and RPG methods

RPG and Story Scene Series

RPG and Story Scenes: The foundation of action within a story.

RPG and Story Scenes: RPG scenes

RPG and Story Scenes: Writing and RPG methods
RPG vs Story Sequel: Reaction

The RPG and Story Writing Methods of managing Time Modes

In the last section concerning time modes, I introduced several techniques used in both fiction writing and in RPG gaming. In this section, I will delve a little more deeper into those techniques. I will also reference an important free book called RPG Design Patterns by. Whitson John Kirk III.

I'll follow a similar timeless and time focused grouping for first RPG gaming and then story writing.

After discussing this section, the bridge from one media to the other should begin to become more crossable.


RPG gaming

Timeless modes.

Time vague skill comparison
For this type of action, the controlling player has some indicator to compare to something that represents difficulty. Many games use as an indicator a roll or draw of a card plus or minus any modifiers due to skill, condition, attributes, powers, environment, or position. What actually happens might be interpreted by taking into account the degree of the success or failure

In the book RPG Design Patterns, they are called Generalized Contests.

Series of sequence rolls vs target or each other
For this type of contest a player does repeated tasks. Each task adds progression on to proceeding progression. The final result is compared to either a target or a competing result in order to find out the success of the series of actions. The purpose is to create a sense of tension building up do competition. It works best when the two or more parties are nearly equally matched. What success or failure means should be establish before the series is begun.

In the book RPG Design Patterns, they are called Contest Trees or sometimes Last Man Standing.

Story element rolls
For this type of series of action, entire sections of a story can be resolved with as little as one roll. This type of technique is good to get past more boring material - almost trivial - but important to be in the game or story. It can be used when those involved are obviously outmatched. Important is discussing ahead of time what the actual successes or failures mean.

In the book RPG Design Patterns, they are called Negotiated Contests.


Time focused moments
The time focused material is normally governed by some time keeping system such as rounds or cycles. Some like Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) use triggered moves, which are sort of like scripts.

Simultaneous rolls
This type of action can either help decided action and reaction at the same time. Some systems use only one indicator which is either a roll, card, or pool of points. An upper value results to mean that the actor succeeds and the target fails. The middle value might mean ties or both act. The lower value might mean the target succeeds and the actor fails.

Some simultaneous roll systems use one roll of each party both as the active base and the reactive base - just apply two sets of modifiers to the same roll, however deriving two different numbers for comparison. One is offensive and the other is defensive.

Either technique might be best when medium importance is attached to the actions.

Alternating rolls
This is the most time consuming and detailed of the techniques. Sometimes the rounds are subdivided into different phases, steps, or stages such as surprise, initiative, declaration, resolution, and reaction sections. Normally the purpose is to have on person or one team remain in the end - which are the winners or successful side.

In the book RPG Design Patters, both types Simultaneous and alternating are normally called Last Man Standing

Time specific skill rolls
Time specific skills are rolled and based in action round time such as during combat. It uses the similar mechanism as timeless moments except a duration of time will probably be attached to the skill action. Most of the time it will be whatever the standard action is. Sometimes, more difficult or time consuming actions might expand into several time units. A few times, they may be rapid or hurried actions skills.

In the book RPG Design Patterns, they are called Generalized Contests.

Dialogue
Dialogue isn't something really emphasized in RPG core rules nor expansion material. It only seems to become important when characters need to interact with the NPCs or each other. Some GMs seem to get into character easier when trying to mimic NPC voices. I think that it makes the game more fun and interesting, as long as the conversations stay somewhat near towards the plot of the game story. Certainly, much like writing, character dialogue can create unwanted tangents leading to nowhere. One thing that it does noticeably do is it helps to connect the players to their characters more directly. It has very similar use in story writing to help connect readers with the characters directly.

Time based narration

Time based narration all happen within a time frame of rounds, moves, cycles, or other time-unit based system. The time units keep track of time more closely and accurately. Narrative however summarizes what is going on and around the characters. It can describe what the other NPCs are doing and reacting.

Story writing

Timeless moments

Narrative summary
This is 'telling' what happened, 'not showing' what happened. It is static description and sometimes called exposition that normally has explanatory information interwoven. It can summarize a set of facts for actions, dialogue, feelings, thoughts, and descriptions. For static description techniques it might describe a thing, the scene, or a person.

This type of summary is good before and after an intensely detailed scene. Before a scene, it helps to explain the important and needed information for the conflicts that will be shortly faced. When used after a scene it gives the reader or player a chance to recover without getting those involved bogged down in unnecessary details..

Transitional scenes
When quickly moving from one important moment to the next - when details don't matter as much, transition sentences can transcend time, space, and even characters. In very brief summaries, you can take a character or group from once action and important scene to another one, thus bypassing travel, trivial scenes, and unimportant content that's not really related to the plot.

Time focused moments

Action
Action within a scene normally means that someone is trying to go somewhere, get something, solve an issue, or move forward progressing the plot. There is a scene goal from the point of view character and a series of obstacles or challenges that may represent the antagonist, which when the two interact in conflict they create outcomes.

Descriptions of supporting character actions
Emotions can't normally described the same way with non-POV characters as POV. With non-POV, a writer can describe external behavior that gives clues to the psychological state of the character. Instead of saying that another character is 'happy', describe how the characters smiles, sighs, or laughs joyously. Maybe they hum a happy tune. Although you can't see inside the head of those characters, external clues let the reader guess what is going on in their heads.

Dialogue
Dialogue is one of the fastest methods to improve fiction. As long as the dialogue is related to the plot and not too wordy. Dialogue can reveal character, advance the plot, and discus the theme. It is one of the ways we can understand how the characters think and act about what's going on in the story plot. It can reveal and show conflict. Dialogue should be written from the character's perspective, not the author's perspective. It should include personality and relationship subtext.

Story writing has better and more established advice, techniques, and methods for helping to write better character dialogue.

Interior monologue
Interior monologue is a tool to reveal what a POV character really thinks. It is the most direct method to understanding the character's internal workings. Using internal monologue that differs from external dialogue can create conflict within a character where they say something different than they actually think or believe.

Inner emotions 
Inner emotions and instinctual reactions can reveal things that not even the POV character knows or understands about themself. Whereas monologue is a direct connection to the POV mind, emotions are a direct connection to the POV unconscious mind, emotions, and heart.

Interior monologue and emotions are something that a RPG lacks because it uses the player's as proxy to feel for the characters.

Summary
RPG gaming techniques do physical action better than story writing. Story writing has better dialogue, interior monologue & emotions techniques. Both RPGs and story writing deal with time using similar methods though they are called different things.

ABS12 Experience System Changes

All the changes from this page will be added to the complete master game page at A Basic System 12 (ABS12).

When I set the first version of exp points, kills and skills were the focus of my initial framework. I haven't used that system yet in my test plays. And I don't think that I want to.

I will change the experience point system to something else. Something based on scenes, acts, and story rewards. Rather than worrying about kills and skills, I will focus more on scene goals, staying true to the character, and facing conflict. In addition, points for completing each part of the story will be given.

This system focuses on the overall story, rather than actual specific results. It doesn't judge success over failure. It only judges if the story is being done

Experience
EP per Scene Goal reached
Characters receive 1 experience point if the purpose of a scene is completed. Does the scene add anything to the plot of the story? If so, award 1EP. If not, next time try to create scenes that add to the story. They can be beginnings, middle, or end type scenes that introduce, present, or finish conflict or the plot.

Experience

Per Scene
EP per Scene Goal reached
Characters receive 1 experience point if the purpose of a scene is completed. Does the scene add anything to the plot of the story? If so, award 1EP. If not, next time try to create scenes that adds to the story. The scenes can be beginnings, middle, or end type scenes that introduce, present, or finish conflict or the plot.

Character true to it's concept
If the character stayed consistently within the concept of the character within the scene then award 1EP. The character should have it's own voice. Playing a character well means playing it according to it's own rules and logic. Know your character and do stuff that makes sense to that character.

Conflict with opposition
If the character faced opposition with some hindering force within the scene then award 1EP to the character, despite the resolution of the conflict - either success, draw, or fail. Conflict is important to the story. Failing and coming to a draw are just as important to the story as success - maybe even are more important.

New Awareness about something important
Did the character learn something new that is important for the story. If so, award 1EP. Even if the character doesn't face conflict, if they learn something important about them, someone else, or something important in the story then award 1EP. This helps to award character knowledge, rather than materials gained in the story.

Per Act
Act completion
If an entire act is completed then award 1 additional EP. Finishing an act means progression within the story.

Per Story
Story completion
Award 2EP if the story had come to a climax and been resolved. Completing a story is a significant event.

PL Progression
Every 10 EP award a Power Level (PL). Every two PL, the DL will increase by one.

For the PL list, for now I remove the EP since I'm making it a flat 10 per PL.

PL - Description Level
0 - no Description
1 - 1
2 -
3 - 2
4 -
5 - 3
6 -
7 - 4
8 -
9 - 5
10 -
11 - 6
12 -

A Basic System 12 (ABS12)
Index of my blog

RPG and Story Scenes: RPG scenes

For the last series on  Character & Society see those posts.

RPG and Story Scene Series

RPG and Story Scenes: The foundation of action within a story.

RPG and Story Scenes: RPG scenes

RPG and Story Scenes: Writing and RPG methods
RPG vs Story Sequel: Reaction

The last part was primarily from a story writing perspective. In this part, I wanted to look into a RPG perspective of scenes.

In most games time comes in two major forms. They may not even name these two forms, but they become more evident when looked at more closely. These two time forms have corresponding story writing forms of time.

The purpose of both forms is to focus on the exciting stuff and quickly pass by the boring stuff. And stuff that is trivial to character development can be brushed aside.

A. Timeless

The first form is when major action is not occurring. In this time mode, time itself is less relevant. Things occur in a very vague sense of time using broad terms. Because action is not being focused on, thus accurate game time is not important. Time can easily slip from minutes to hours to days all in a few moments of gaming time.

In gaming, this might be while at a town or village not at any specific location, travelling to a location, or some introductory overview.

The party enters the village of Shattered Teeth. You make your way towards the citadel located on a medium sized hill.

An interesting mechanic that uses this form is a series of two or more competing characters rolling in succession which represents several events or actions over a long period of time to try reaching a target or goal. Many skill rolls use this time mode. The two main edition of Fudge even have a combat option called Story Element, where vague story units use one or taking-the-median-of-three rolls can sum up an entire combat, skill, or social interaction sequence. HeroQuest has a similar summary mechanism. In this time mode, time isn't really kept accurately.

[You roll some great success result] 
Not only do you destroy all of the foes around you, you even kill the ones trying to escape.

In writing all of these mechanics represent this type of time is called narrative summary and transitional scenes.

If timelessness is one form of time, then time focused is the other form.

B. Time Focused - Rounds

The second form is when major action is occurring. During these types of time mode, time itself becomes very important.

Many games use specific increments called rounds, which divide time into set increments. Another form is to use moves where actions are triggered by descriptions of actions within the discussion of the game. Some mechanisms are simultaneously resolved such as some Fudge and Dungeon World conflicts. Most use alternating resolution where some sort of turn-taking method is employed. Indicators of this type of time in gaming is dialogue between the characters, rolling for specific action and results, and time based skill rolls such as combat.

[Roll to see if your surprised]
[Roll for initiative]
Q: What do you do?
A: Since I have first action, I ....
Etc...

In writing, this is the main content to proactive action scenes and reactive reaction sequels - writing the scenes that describe action, reaction, emotions, thoughts, dialogue, and real-time conflict.

What is similar between the two media types?

Similarities between RPGs and Story Writing Time Modes

Both RPGs use two major types of time modes. They use vague timeless scenes and sequels where time and action are less important. They also uses more exact time for those scenes where time and action are very important. How they do so is by using various methods.

The RPG and Story Writing Methods of managing Time Modes

RPG gaming uses time vague skill rolls, a series of sequence rolls vs target or each other, and story element rolls for timeless modes. For time focused moments they use simultaneous rolls, alternating rolls, dialogue, time specific skill rolls, and time based narration all within a time frame of rounds, moves, or other time-unit based system. The time units keep track of time more closely and accurately.

Story writing uses narrative summary and transitional scenes for timeless moments when quickly moving from one important moment to the next - when details don't matter as much. For those time focused moments, they use dialogue, action, vivid descriptions of supporting character actions, interior monologue, and inner thoughts from the POV character.

RPG and Story Scenes: The foundation of action within a story.

For the last series on  Character & Society see those posts.

RPG and Story Scene Series

RPG and Story Scenes: The foundation of action within a story.

RPG and Story Scenes: RPG scenes

RPG and Story Scenes: Writing and RPG methods
RPG vs Story Sequel: Reaction

I want to start the beginning of another possible topic for another possible series. I don't know how far I will go into this one at this time. I have at least ideas for five posts, but my last series about character and society went up to 12 or so posts. This is the topic of the 'scene'. Whether for stories or role playing games (RPGs), all of the real action happens in the scenes.

Scenes in Stories and RPGs

Foundation of a Scene

But like all of my posts, I must begin with a foundation laying stuff. Putting down some basics of what I know so that I can then build off of this common language and common body of ideas and concepts.

Gaming can learn a little bit of structure from story writing structures. Story writing teaches well how to structure scenes. It does however miss the mark on actually teaching about conflict.

Story writing can learn a little bit of conflict from gaming. Gaming has great mechanisms, structures, and resolution methods to measure and create conflict within a story or game.

All scenes and action are based on laws and logic of cause and effect.

But first, what is a scene?

What is a scene?

A scene is the place where a sequence of continuous action occurs to a cast of characters.

In both a story and a RPG the scenes are where actions take place. It will include movement, observations, decisions, effort, dialogue, skills, and risk.

How are scenes created?

Creating Scenes

Scenes are created in a number of ways. It may be planned ahead of time in some form. It may be in an outline, on a scene list, might be a rough description, summary of action, or it may naturally be the result of story flow while writing or an open sandbox game. As long as there is a goal of the scene related to the overall story, a description of major features of the location, and some sort of conflict - it's a scene.

Another type of scene sometimes is called a sequel or reaction scene.

What is the structure of scenes?

Scene Structure

In writing, normally the viewpoint character enters into a scene and begins to attempt to perform a goal, in the middle meeting with repeated failures or successes and end with resolution, a twists, or unexpected setbacks. The scene may or may not lead to a sequel. Scenes and sequels have beginnings, middles, and ends. What is in those structure differs between scenes and sequels.

Where are scenes?

Setting and Perspective of the Scene

The scene takes place in a single location and single point in time, with a single purpose. In writing, the scene focuses the point of view (POV) of one single character's experience. In RPGs, the story will focus on all of the present player characters.

How long are scenes?

Scene Length of Time

The length of the scene depends on the purpose of the scene. Less important scenes should be very brief. Important scenes may be longer. The importance and purpose of the content of the scene should determine the length of scene. Don't make unimportant scenes long. And don't make important scenes short.

With the basic definitions and concepts of a scene, lets look at the two types of scene in greater detail.

Two Types of Scenes

There are two types of scenes: action scene (proactive); and sequel or reaction (reactive) scene.

In the proactive action scene the viewpoint characters will have a goal, conflict, and resolution such as a setback. In a reactive reaction sequel the characters will react to something, show emotion, face a choice or choices - a dilemma - and reach a decision based on the character's personality, motivation, emotion, needs, lies, and ethics.

Begin by Establishing the Scene

Begin each scene or sequel by describing what is happening, what is around the characters in view, or what has changed if the location has been used before.

Describe the setting of the scene focusing on the three most important details that characters would notice.

Have the characters enter the scene - noting where they are in the scene in relationship to the space and other objects. Only describe things that they can see, limited to the view of the setting. They may describe the scene based on their own character voice.

Proactive Action Scene

Scene Goal and Purpose

The goal or purpose of the scene is based on the main character's decision based on personality type, motivation, emotion, needs, lies, and ethics. Without a goal, the scene will not have any meaning in the story or game. It cannot advance the story.

The goal itself should be something simple, real, valuable, possible, and challenging. Scenes with suspense might postpone the knowing goal until it is revealed as a surprise or shock. This is the only time when the goal shouldn't be obvious and presented up front.

Much of the scene should be full of subtext - unspoken character intentions, emotions, and reactions only implied. The most powerful strings being less likely to be recognized.

Scene Conflict

In a proactive action scene most of the scene should be conflict. Conflict is a struggle between two goals - what the characters want and what the opposition wants.

RPG gaming can teach story writers many things about conflict. Story writing sources for writing normally don't go into details about conflict as much as gaming. Story writing in my opinion excels at character development and story structure. Gaming excels at presenting conflict structures and mechanisms. In a future post I hope to present gaming techniques to examine different kinds of conflict.

Scenes should vary in intensity throughout the story and game. Intensity can depend on the stakes of the goal of the scene, the odds of the challenge, the movement within the scene, the arrival of new characters, and the environment of the scene. It may also depend on uncertainty, doubt, and something to worry about.

The scene should have at least two obstacles. The first should be apparent. The second might appear anytime and will increase the tension causing the characters to reconsider their actions. A third or more obstacles might be used in more important scenes such as the climax of the story arc. A scene with just one obstacle might be used as a transitional scene where the character just checks in on one thing.

Scene Ending

Except during the final confrontation - and even sometimes then - the scene should end or resolve with a disaster, twist, or surprise.

Reactive Reaction Sequel

Emotional Reaction

The first part of the reaction sequel is an emotional reaction to something that occurred, is learned, or comes to surface. The characters have instinctual physiological descriptions and knee jerk reactions. Emotions may be described. What does this mean to the characters. As awareness kicks in, the characters must analyse and think up options.

Analysis of Dilemma

The next part of the reaction sequel is for the characters to come up with possible actions and figure out what to do. They may use different methods of evaluation based on their character personality, motivation, emotion, needs, lies, and ethics.

There is the problem and then the possible solutions. Most of the solutions should be bad if the conflict is strong enough. The character(s) probably will choose the least bad solution.

Decision

This choice should be the next scene goal. The goal itself should be something simple, real, valuable, possible, and challenging. The reaction scene will then transition into a proactive action scene.