>>5396798Ah I see. So if I take just one node of your future forward planning decisionmaking process, here is how what I proposed differs.
Imagine a game with just one set of choices.
The traditional approach is open ended, it just goes on and on into the future often until the GM gives up or it becomes completely impossible to manage it. As lots of anons already mentioned it takes a lot of effort and work trying to imagine a few steps ahead and all the possibilities.
What I am proposing is to set a limit to that complexity, the combinatoric explosion of choices, using this Intro Frame / Hidden Thing structure. You situate the Ending within the mysterious Introduction, and what the players do helps you to define / reveal it.
The game is not unbounded, there will be a set of endings (the world cube thing).
When you get to a stage where you think enough has been explored or you have enough information to create your 1d6x1d6x1d6 table of potential outcomes from the player choices and consequences, you End the game.
The idea for the hidden thing comes from Anagnorisis, recognition in Greek drama, literally a dramatic reveal etc.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AnagnorisisSome of the HIDDEN THING questions I was thinking about for my quest the Lightning Sea included:
1/ The reason why Lady Praxagora has gone missing from the Palace
- abducted by mercenaries?
- running away from her wedding?
- she hates all Men?
- she wants to abandon Highborn life and lead a Necromunda style gang in the Underdistrict instead?
2/ Why is Lady Sadarnuna's face scarred?
3/ Why is Lady Sadarnuna visiting the Lightning Sea with her mysterious companion? Who is her companion? etc
4/ What is the Lightning Sea, where does it come from?
etc etc. So these questions become the Hidden Thing from the mysterious intro and you try and answer them with the usual main quest through the player choices etc. I recognise that not everything was conclusively answered or explored but it just illustrates the design process I was experimenting with for the game.
This is just a structure I am developing, it may be too complex and stupid lol. But I just thought I would try and share it, maybe it can inspire some other anons as to how they setup and make gsmes, and hopefully reduce the amount of abandoned quests with no conclusive Endings.
