Chris Crawford on Interactive Storytelling by Chris Crawford

long chunks of noninteractive exposition shouldn’t be necessary. In a well-written story, the gap between the protagonist dropping his gun and finding himself in the dungeon should be minimized(unless, of course, the storyteller wants to introduce some interesting tidbit of information during the trip to the dungeon).
     
How Do You Keep the Storyworld Interesting?
     
    Here lies the real meat of the storybuilder’s task in interactive storytelling, and the essential task is to envision a dramatic
storyworld
, not a
storyline
. If you perceive your creation as a storyline, you are doomed to failure. If you have a story to tell, you should tell it by traditional means: cinema, literature, or theater. If you want to build an interactive storyworld, you must banish all notions of plot and storyline from your head and instead think in terms of a storyworld: a universe of dramatic possibilities, revolving around a central theme and exploring all the variations on that theme.
     
    This topic cries out for an example. Consider, in the broadest terms, a storyworld about the Arthurian legends. It’s a promising foundation to work on because a large and varied collection of stories already exists within this body of literature. If you start off thinking in terms of a single story, such as
Romeo and Juliet
or
For Whom the Bell Tolls
, your efforts are doomed because a single storyline dominates your thoughts. But the Arthurian legends offer all manner of different stories; it’s impossible to think of these legends in terms of a single storyline. Yes, some dominant threads should show up in any interactive Arthurian storyworld: the love triangle involving Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot; the search for the Grail; the conflict with Mordred. But none of these primary themes must come out in any predetermined fashion, and the stories have other subthemes as well. It’s still possible to have a worthy Arthurian storyworld without any love triangle or one in which Mordred reconciles with Arthur. This is the key to creating interactive storyworlds: multiple but connected themes. An interactive story-world must present the possibility of romance, betrayal, battle, spiritual growth, and many other possibilities. Only in this way can the player explore a dramatically interesting universe. If the storyworld is confined to a single theme, such as a love triangle, it can develop and conclude in only a few ways.
     
    So a simple version of the Arthurian storyworld includes the love triangle, the search for the Grail, and the final battle with Mordred. At the outset of the storyworld, young Mordred is seeking to unseat Arthur as king; Lancelot has justarrived at Camelot; Guinevere has been Arthur’s queen for some years; and the Saxons are continually raiding the lands of Arthur’s people, killing peasants and stealing cattle. Arthur must organize war parties, lead counterattacks against the Saxons, fight battles against them, and drive them back. He must fairly distribute the spoils of war among his subordinates, rewarding those who fight well without antagonizing others. Mordred attempts to foment trouble by playing on the rivalries and resentments of those who believe Arthur hasn’t properly recognized them. Arthur must also adjudicate disputes among his people, which sometimes requires more diplomacy than justice. Meanwhile, Guinevere, as queen, is responsible for running Camelot, and her activities generate new difficulties demanding Arthur’s interventions. If Guinevere feels unsupported by Arthur, her resentment might flower into a relationship with Lancelot—assuming that he too is somewhat disenchanted with Arthur. Or perhaps it won’t. Either way, Mordred spreads tales besmirching Arthur’s reputation and Guinevere’s purity. The situation comes to a head when Mordred declares a rebellion against Arthur. The nobles choose sides, based largely on their respect and affection for Arthur. In a final battle, numbers will likely