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I need help thinking of episodes in my newest storygame. Episodes are short adventures.

In the beginning, you pick a character. By default, you are a knight. If you've played five games successfully(as in getting to the end), you unlock a new character to play–the wizard. You continue playing episodes and unlocking new characters.

I have two episode ideas.

1.) The classic, save the princess! Her castle has been taken over by monsters, and the princess has been kidnapped! Battle the monsters, collect treasure, but most inportantly, save the princess!

2.) A jungle adventure. All the cute, furry little creatures have been turned into large, blood-thirsty beasts! Whoever turned these cute animals evil must be wanting someone out of the forest. Will you survive long enough to find out what they're trying to hide?

So, I need ideas for mini-adventures!

Aren't you entering Kiel's contest? Shouldn't you be working on that instead of this?

Yeah, but I just PMed asking if I could forget that idea since it would take too long. I also asked if I could try a different idea. But I can't work on that since I would need to add Kiel as co-author right away. :\

Anyway, any ideas?

Why don't you just work on your contest entry for the next 3 weeks, see where you are, and then tie up any lose ends with reasonable cliffhangers so you can make your submission?

Uh, but the story is three different stories in one. There's no way I could finish that, even with cliffhangers.

Just scale it back to something manageable? None of these are expected to be epics, and there's still plenty of time.

Okay, back on topic! Ideas!

(I will work on my contest entry, but when the contest is over, I'd still like to work on this)

Idea #1 - Establish your own plot, don't ask other people to do all the ground work for you. The Writing Workshop is a place for specific advice, proofing, fine tuning, etc. Not broad sweeping questions like, hey guys what should I write?

Idea #2 - Focus on the contest project that you committed to, which has a time limit.

Again, I'm working on that. Sorry about the asking-for-ideas thing. I was just curious to see if anyone had ideas. Because technically it's not a plot, it's a bunch of mini-quests.

I strongly urge you to reconsider that. A plot is a necessity.

I don't mean to be rude, if I am, say so and I will stop, but I do feel a tad defensive since this is a story I made, and I think adding a plot would defeat the purpose, in this case. Of course, that doesn't mean there's no plot, it just means it's smaller than most.

Again, don't mean to be rude, I just felt defensive, and when someone is put in a defensive situation, they tend to argue back.

Sounds like it's going to be more game-like than story based. Are their going to be skills or stats, or any kind of puzzley element to getting through the mini-quests?

Stats like Strength, Agility, Intellect, etc. I'm thinking about adding certain elemental spells that the hero can use in battle.

The stats will, obviously, help them when fighting.

Do you know how to use scripting and variables?

Uh, yeah. If I didn't I wouldn't be trying this, because, to be honest, it'd seem like too much of a challenge if I didn't know what I was doing. Don't worry, I've read lots of guides, and even looked through the Advanced Editor questions.

Good. Just making sure you weren't some noob who thinks the advanced editor will do anything they want it to do.

On the meantime, don't ask for your game's plots. I mean, how is it your game if you get the ideas from other people? Nothing is an original concept, but come on.

I'm not asking for complete plots. Just ideas. A word to use would probably be prompts. In other words, not a plot for a story, just something as a base, that could be worked off of and wound into a plot,

Plot-

Monster is attacking random people. The hero finds the monster, attacks it, but fails. He trains harder and finally defeats the monster.

Prompt-

Hero discovers that a monster is attacking random people. The hero must stop him, if he is strong enough.

 

Although not much of a difference, there is one.

Look around and you'll see even the (good) stories that are more game focused than story focused have a plot to carry them onward. Unless it's a 100% game like the dice game.

But if you're doing mini-mission side quest things, you're going to have a grand uphill battle in making the reader give a darn about what's going on. If you don't have a plot, and you said you don't technically have a plot, you're just wandering around doing irrelevant, random drivel. Oh, I'll go make a PBJ sandwich. Ah, the sun is shining. Where did I leave my knitting needle?

You haven't made anything yet.

I unchecked the preview box.

You haven't published anything yet = it hasn't been made. At this point it's just a work in progress/idea.

Yeah, why would I publish it?

You encounter a bizarre town isolated from the rest of the kingdom. With a bit of investigation, you realize that they're actually a cult of devil worshippers, and plan to summon a demon on the full moon, which happens to be three days. The player must prevent this from happening, naturally... or not. 

Thank you.

Ew.

Okay I'll give it a shot, just because this seems to have pissed Bucky off and that's awesome.

The character is investigating a series of attacks and reports of livestock being slaughtered in a region with several poor rural villages. They realize they're dealing with a classic werewolf scenario, but complications arise when it turns out to be the son of the ruling lord, who's protecting him. There ought to be a few ways to resolve the situation, and stabbing your way into a powerful noble's home and murdering his son wouldn't necessarily be the smartest one.

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:)

Does this read:

A dark mage has proclaimed to the kingdom thay he will bring in terrors from another realm if he isn't paid. You infiltrate the mage's lair and are accidentally sent to out world. You then defeat the mage, and force him to send both of you back.

*0ur w0r/d

Here are my suggestions:

 

1) A rescue mission -- a recon squad have been captured by the enemy. They managed to snatch the enemy's "interesting things", so you must save them and get the "interesting things". You can't let them get their secret documents, blueprints, cool toys, are whatever they are back.

2) A snatch and grab -- bust into the enemy territory, get the target, and get out. There are various approaches.

3) A skirmish between soldiers of your faction with the enemies. Help your soldiers gain victory.

4) Testing out a prototype. New type of magic, or maybe a new form of weapon.

5) A visit to the lower-class citizens. See how they live, observe, or maybe make friends... or even find an 'interesting' person there? Also, love and relationships can be found anywhere... it doesn't have to always having a crush with a prince/princess.

Hang on, are episodes supposed to be like Side Quests to the actual plot, or is the whole game episodes?