So I had this thought. I'm currently making a story right now that I hope to one day turn into an RPG, but there are so many things that must be taken into precaution.

The biggest thing I'm concerning about personally is whether or not I'm copying an idea that has already been done. I try to work closely with some of the games I'm more familiar with as well as reading some story lines from games I haven't played to make sure I'm not copying them. Kind of hard, since it seems like everything has already been done. Or at least all of the good ideas have already been used.

Do you suppose cliches are a good thing or a bad thing? Does the fate of the world really need to come into play at all? Do you prefer a gradual story that keeps you consistent with everything thats going on or do you like a twist, in which everything you thought you knew about the story changes?

Personally, I think some cliches are acceptable. The fate of the world, a zero to a hero, face off against the ultimate evil, all of that just comes without saying. I like a story that leaves you with a good feeling inside after completing it, despite some of the possible hardships and rough times the characters had to face. Conflict is another big thing. The characters can't always feel like they can do whatever they want. Their motives must be constantly interfaced in the various events. I find that if you do anything less then a cliched story, it makes you wish there was more there then what the story offered. Unless you prefer variety.


So, how about anybody else? What do you personally think constitutes a good RPG story?

I think the thing I appreciate most in game storylines, RPG or not, is a sense of utter finality. As in, no cliffhangers, and you know exactly what remains after the final scene. This is kind of vague, but when executed properly it has a strong emotional effect on me, moreso than the ending of, say, a Mario game or something.

The best example I can think of is Shadow of the Colossus...well actually that was kind of a cliffhanger. But it was also an excellent ending, artistically speaking.

Now see, I'm kind of a fan of all the types of endings. The utter-finality ending gives closure, the open-ending wraps up the plot but kind of implies that Character X is going to set off to accomplish Objective Y again, and then leaves it up to the imagination of what happens.

Then you have Cliffhanger endings which can be nice, and TPK endings which are usually kind of meh.

a small cliffhanger at the end is alsways nice.

i'm more concerned about character development.

characters should slowly develop a certain emotion or thoughts through the course of the game. not too slow but also not from one second *SNAP* to the other.

i can live through som of the basic stuff, but it has to have something special new.

A LIST

-saving the world = Okay
-multiple worlds = Okay, as long as there aren't too many
-family issues at the end of the game = getting old but okay (No, I... am your grandmother)
-changing course of action through other perspective like other characters (like Golden Sun, one story, 2 perspectives) = okay
-YOU are the chosen one = BORING!!! Why not one where you are supposed/thought to be the chosen one, but aren't, but still save the world, at least that is new, or hardly used ("boy, you aren't the chosen one" "WHAT?!" *dies* *change to different character*
-main protagonist is young (16-22 years old), stubborn, like to fight, has family relative to the story, etc = okay, ONLY because a 80 year old does NOT have a nice amount of charisma, only back problems

you get the picture, should i continue?

these are only a few things i expect in good RPGs

Looking at the List of RPG Cliches might help, too. >.>

if this idea isn't over used yet it could have epic battles.
also having towns destroyed is good to.

On the subject of the chosen one, I once thought of a story where some secondary antagonist/allies (depending on the part of the story) had actually artificially engineered a chosen one, someone else.

The catch was that the person wanted nothing of it, and was always more than happy when the Protagonist came along to do things.

Wat makes a good RPG story ha.....lots of plot twists, side stories, and different outcomes are keys to excellent RPG' S.

I always liked when you can relate to the character.Comedy to lighten up a mood,A cool plot,and lots of details to get pictures in my mind.

You know what makes a good RPG story? It's a very simple answer, if you ask me.

Be interesting enough that you want to continue going through the dungeons. As long as the story meets that requirement it falls into the good catergory, if you ask me. Cliches are something I think at this point are unavoidable; there's been so many RPGs throughout the years that pretty much every situation has already been done. And even if you manage to find something that is original, it doesn't mean it'll be good or even interesting, for that matter.

Honestly, the actual plot of a RPG means for very little. Likeable characters and good storytelling count for more than the actual plot. Give people just enough that they know something is up, but not enough to let the cat out of the bag; hook them so they want to constantly know what is going to happen next.

Too true. I came across this thought while overlooking my story. At this point, cliches are unavoidable. So what if you think you've seen the same thing in another game before. As long as the story promises to fulfill what it sets out to accomplish to the fullest extent, why should anyone complain?

Writing my story, I was kind of reluctant of placing somewhat familiarities into my story, however, now I'm relatively confident that I can maintain the originality I had intended, as well as get away with some stereotypical allure.


Thanks for the help, everyone!

I'm still looking forward to hearing what anyone else has to say on the subject at hand.