Producer letter/November 2004

11-Nov-2004 Shared Stories

I love a good story. Really, I do. Cracking the whip here at work can be pretty stressful, and at the end of the day I sometimes need to unwind by curling up at home and losing myself in a good book or DVD. But while this definitely helps me relax and decompress, I’ve come to realize lately that experiencing a good story on my own is just not as fun or fulfilling as being able to share it with others.

For example, I almost always get more out of a movie if I watch it with friends. When the movie’s over, we can discuss the finer points of the plot and cinematography or, if it was a bad movie, make snotty comments about the actors and place bets on who will be a contestant on the next “celebrity” reality show.

As far as books are concerned, I’ve always found the written word to be much more enjoyable if I have friends who are reading the same thing that I am – and really, can anyone honestly say that they don’t enjoy a good old-fashioned book club?

Wait, don’t answer that.

In many ways, role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons are the ultimate extension of this phenomenon, which we call “shared stories.” RPGs go a step further than communal book-reading or movie-watching, because the participants don’t just share the experience of the story – they take the adventure provided by the DM and run with it, creating a unique shared story as they progress. The fact that these stories are created by and unique to the players gives them more ownership of the story (their story) than a group of people who are just reading the same book or watching the same movie.

Is shared storytelling really a vital part of the Dungeons & Dragons experience? If so, how can we make the most of it in Dungeons & Dragons Online? I spent a lot of time thinking about these questions last month – I wasn’t sure if I’d stumbled on something interesting and poignant, or if I was just losing it. So I decided to get some input from the rest of the team.

The first person I talked to was Nik Davidson, our Online Community Manager and the DM of one of our weekly Turbine D&D; games. I told him about shared storytelling, and he pointed out that in D&D; and other role-playing games, players take care of one of the hardest challenges in storytelling – making people care about the characters. He said that the trick is to make sure that the players have enough motivations to work with; you don’t want them to go on a quest just because “that’s what they’re supposed to do.” If we can come up with a general story hook, and some believable set pieces, the rest should just happen.

When it gets down to it, he continued, it’s just all about relationships – relationships between party members, between the party and their allies, their enemies, and their world. “Make for interesting relationships, and the shared stories will unfold,” he said.

Ken Troop, our Lead Designer, was quick to tell me that the Eberron setting gives our players, and more significantly their characters, a common context that is rich with intrigue and possibilities. Secret societies, mysterious locales, and a lively tapestry of inhabitants will provide a believable backdrop for their adventures. Ken said that Eberron is ripe for the creation of shared story experiences, as long as the game world is able to act (and react) appropriately – this is what makes these stories both real and memorable.

What do you think? Are we right? Are we wrong? Have we all just lost our marbles?

Sound off in the forum with your thoughts and answers, and maybe even your own shared story experience – in Dungeons & Dragons or otherwise. The community guys have created a thread specifically for this discussion here.

Until next time,

Judith Hoffman Executive Producer Turbine Entertainment Software