Crimson Longinus
Legend
@Hussar I agree that most of the stuff in the game should be "about something." Not everything, some bits can be adding flavour, but most of the time characters should be doing something consequential. But sometimes those "pointless side quests" can become satisfying stories in their own right.
One thing I've grown tired of RPGs in particular but in other media too are massive and overarching "main plots." I have come to appreciate episodic storytelling. If you have a big main story you follow for who knows many sessions (or episodes of a TV show) and then the campaign/show gets cancelled or the ending happens but just is bad, it kinda feels you wasted your time and it a bit retroactively spoils the things you liked about the previous sessions/episodes.
But in more episodic format where there are several consecutive smaller stories, linked by same characters and the setting, this obviously cannot happen. You will have several smaller endings, several short but completed stories. And if some of those are not that great, it doesn't really spoil those which were.
One thing I've grown tired of RPGs in particular but in other media too are massive and overarching "main plots." I have come to appreciate episodic storytelling. If you have a big main story you follow for who knows many sessions (or episodes of a TV show) and then the campaign/show gets cancelled or the ending happens but just is bad, it kinda feels you wasted your time and it a bit retroactively spoils the things you liked about the previous sessions/episodes.
But in more episodic format where there are several consecutive smaller stories, linked by same characters and the setting, this obviously cannot happen. You will have several smaller endings, several short but completed stories. And if some of those are not that great, it doesn't really spoil those which were.
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