Directors Notes

Playing in Nycos  (aka, learning to play for real again!)    Let me first say that I personally am tired of saying "adventuring party". I consider the group of characters pulled together for an adventure to be a team, a unit, and my personal favorite, cadre (Out of respect to the team aspect, in typing, I go further and capitalize the term, calling them a Cadre. You call it what you want. I use Cadre.   Though in some role-playing games one can literally turn a corner, change scenes, and head in seemingly random directions from time to time, most have a core driving principle. They have a way the storyteller wants to lead, and the players generally find ways to accommodate the story.    There is something inherent in fantasy settings that lends itself to longer story arcs. Stemming from historic pieces like Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, or Homer’s Odyssey, stories of ancient times are, by their very nature, long story arcs.    In creating such a story using the Passages mechanism, the Director creates a skeleton (or wire frame, or template, whatever) for encounters, and fleshes out a living, breathing vison of a future past, or a reimagined present.. Until the game concludes, the direction is an open door that the players walk through.   A story’s arc, therefore, is a description of the potential duration of a story. The longest frame of reference would be the Saga, the life-long pursuit the characters engage in. Generally such a saga is made up of a sequence of  long-arc series. A long arc represents a tale that might take several dozen sessions to complete, while a short arc can often be accomplished in a single session, given enough lead-in information and a well-organized Cadre.   As Director, you set their feet upon the path toward adventure, and the story unfolds as you lead them.     The Fable A story that has a point or lesson built into its structure, the Fable offers the participant deeper understanding of the subject matter and its application. Fables can be created in every SystemBook genre, and works particularly well with younger audiences, offering insight they might otherwise miss. Optimally set for a single session or short series, the Fable can tell larger story arcs when used in conjunction of others, sequentially. The Mission Anthology Similar to the Fable, in being optimized for single sessions or short series, the missions are in pursuit of one or more particular plot lines, and can often be used to showcase one particular character or Cadre objective, or even, sequentially build other kinds of stories in smaller pieces. Single Missions, set in a serial format, is arguably the second-most popular form of role-playing game story, and thus will be arguably more recognizable than the more sophisticated story arcs. The Search The most recognizable story form in Fantasy Roleplaying games is the Search, where the Cadre sets out to find/transport/destroy/capture or otherwise manipulate the destiny of a specific item, person, or material. Such is optimally used to tell grand stories, drawing from all other arcs to tell the larger story. While in most formats the Search results in a saga structure, specified settings like Deep Signs or Distant Suns can use the arc in shorter formats, even boiling some Search stories down to a single session. Perhaps your team will be hired to save a kidnapped princess, to hunt down and detain a wayward wizard, or to discover a pathway to a distant land for trade and commerce. Only you, the players, can choose the direction and the focus your Cadre will take. Of course, the director will have his own ideas about your path, and whether expressed in rich treasures or high points of glory and fame, the stories you build will be challenging and enthralling at the same time.