I've been rather busy of late, and haven't even read some of the recent comments (I'll try and get to them). So much to do.
I did however run across a interesting little article here that I wanted to comment on. It basically breaks down Star Trek (the recent movie), The Matrix, Harry Potter, and Star Wars to their basic storyline and finds out they're all the same.
There's nothing new to this, and one shouldn't be surprised. All are versions of Campbell's Hero's Journey after all. And this is perhaps the most common and successful 'plot' of all time. The core ideas are successful because they speak to something in mankind, everyone can relate and everyone knows how the story should go and are happy when it does indeed go that way.
Any sense of discovery along with the way is not over the major plot points- but rather is found in the details. The setting, individual character descriptions and action, etc.
On the other hand, when someone attempts to completely avoid those major points- the result is a disconnect with most of the audience. They can no longer relate, finding no joy in the main story and little in the details which now seem pointless. It may achieve cult status, but the mainstream will pass by with little interest.
What this reminded me of of with respect to the rpg hobby is how much time so many of the online personalities spend trying to do something different, often attempting to avoid key elements of the Hero's Journey (or any other of the classical plot arcs). In so doing they disconnect from most people- seeking the approval of their own little cult which may consist of a population of one in many cases.
Such a waste.
I prefer the open embrace of those elements that have always worked combined with the details that individual groups can bring to the table. It may not be 'cutting edge' but unlike that rather foolish goal which typical requires more ego (and cultists) than talent - it can actually work.
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6 comments:
I agree but with the caveat that the failed experiments to deviate from the archetypical pattern have value. Those failures (and they almost always are) help to better define what actually works. Its like a game of battleship; every miss helps narrow down the possibilities and better define the board.
Course, its still better to hit than to miss. ;)
That said I think its important to recognize the importance of experimentation and failures. Often you see a product that lucks into a hit, and then struggles to figure out why it works and ends up not being able to replicate the success again in future products. Learning to experiment and fail gracefully I think is the only way to have prolonged and sustained success when it comes to any creative endeavor.
I would tend to agree that failure has a certain value- as an object lesson if nothing else.
However I don't think that value is noticed very often in this hobby, at least online.
I am a cult leader. The Cult of the Free!
Never bought into the Monomyth hype.
Aren't RPGs a shared medium? How can one person control the group? Unless they have a cult in which case they can do as they please.
Do you consider "plotless" sandbox games as "attempting to avoid key elements of the Hero's Journey"? The epitome of Monomyth? Otherwise?
I'm not certain how something collaborative like a role playing game has the same kind of fixed plot as, say, a Disney movie. How does the Hero's Journey apply to role playing games?
It's pretty clear that this is a winning formula in a lot of media, though, yeah.
@Rob Lang: The Cult Leader of finding good in anything Free. Yep, that be you :)
After your last review of FEAR I think you'd even find something good in Age of Heroes...
@Norman Harman & AZ in CA: I was using it the Hero's Journey as more of an example of the value of the traditional than as a concept to use directly in a rpg.
That said, I do think it's quite possible for it to apply to rpgs, even sandbox one.
People will naturally seek those things that having meaning for them in a rpg. For some, it will be the Hero's Journey.
How the campaign deals with that is important.
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