16.20: Branching Narratives
Your Hosts: Mary Robinette Kowal, James L. Sutter, Dan Wells, Cassandra Khaw, and Howard Tayler
How do you give players meaningful choices while still keeping the story within a reasonable set of boundaries? In this episode James and Cassandra lead us in a discussion of branching narratives, and the ways in which we as writers can create them.
Credits: this episode was recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson
Liner Notes: Dan mentioned this collection of “Choose your own adventure” plot maps.
Howard illustrated the concept of “narrative bumper pool” in Tracy Hickman’s X-TREME DUNGEON MASTERY

Homework: Write a short “choose-your-own-adventure” story.
Thing of the week: The Planet Mercenary RPG, created by Alan Bahr, Howard Tayler, and Sandra Tayler.
Powered by RedCircle