haradrel
09-10-2008, 04:59 AM
How to create a solid story for your dio
Having just action for actions sake is not the same as having a solid dio. You want to tell a story, but you want it to be confrontational (of course so you can get to the juice battles).
The best dios are those based around a fairly simple, straightforward idea. You may want to add in various sub-plots and wrinkles, but a simple idea
is a solid foundation to start with. At its heart, a scenario generates a conflict between the characters that must then be resolved in the story. It is
the source of this conflict that provides the basis of the scenario. There are many devices you can use for this basis, here's just a few:
The Object ; An important artefact(I use the term artefact because it is all encompassing, it could be a weapon, a computer, some rare mystical ninja
artefact etc.) that the opposing parties wish to capture/destroy/find.
The Person ; character or characters who the opposing parties need to rescue/ kidnap/kill/interrogate/meet.
The Place ; A character needs to get into or out of somewhere, either permanently or temporarily, like an armoury, Tank or secret laboratory, launch bay,
control centre, missile facility, etc. Perhaps he needs to search it, or maybe he has to plant something there.
The Situation ; For example, is a character or squad going to be ambushed, involved in a double-cross, an escape attempt, a covert infiltration, etc.
Of course, some of these can be combined together for more elaborate plots, such as needing to find a device and get it to the right person to analyse it,
though often these more complex ideas are better for continuing dios (If you plan to make more then one that is). However, if someone is busting a comrade
out of the joe stockade, this is a combination of person and place, or maybe they need to break into Hawks home to steal his secret files on where the
prisoners are kept.
As a note I would like to say that I have shamelessly stolen this from a rpg game, I take no credit for it at all, but I've found it to be helpfull when writing (I have yet to make a complete dio! - please don't kill me :eek: - )
Having just action for actions sake is not the same as having a solid dio. You want to tell a story, but you want it to be confrontational (of course so you can get to the juice battles).
The best dios are those based around a fairly simple, straightforward idea. You may want to add in various sub-plots and wrinkles, but a simple idea
is a solid foundation to start with. At its heart, a scenario generates a conflict between the characters that must then be resolved in the story. It is
the source of this conflict that provides the basis of the scenario. There are many devices you can use for this basis, here's just a few:
The Object ; An important artefact(I use the term artefact because it is all encompassing, it could be a weapon, a computer, some rare mystical ninja
artefact etc.) that the opposing parties wish to capture/destroy/find.
The Person ; character or characters who the opposing parties need to rescue/ kidnap/kill/interrogate/meet.
The Place ; A character needs to get into or out of somewhere, either permanently or temporarily, like an armoury, Tank or secret laboratory, launch bay,
control centre, missile facility, etc. Perhaps he needs to search it, or maybe he has to plant something there.
The Situation ; For example, is a character or squad going to be ambushed, involved in a double-cross, an escape attempt, a covert infiltration, etc.
Of course, some of these can be combined together for more elaborate plots, such as needing to find a device and get it to the right person to analyse it,
though often these more complex ideas are better for continuing dios (If you plan to make more then one that is). However, if someone is busting a comrade
out of the joe stockade, this is a combination of person and place, or maybe they need to break into Hawks home to steal his secret files on where the
prisoners are kept.
As a note I would like to say that I have shamelessly stolen this from a rpg game, I take no credit for it at all, but I've found it to be helpfull when writing (I have yet to make a complete dio! - please don't kill me :eek: - )