STORY DESIGN: DECLINE & FALL For Writers and Roleplayers

Berin Kinsman Dancing Lights Press http://dancinglightspress.com

Copyright 2017 Dancing Lights Press All Rights Reserved Sample file USING THIS BOOK

What you're about to read isn't a story unto itself. It's not a finely polished tabletop roleplaying game adventure. It's a template for a particular kind of story. It goes over the three-act structure for that plot type, and covers what has to happen in the beginning, the middle, and the end. It explains the sorts of things that you need to prepare before you start developing the story, and the things that you need to craft and develop after you've got the blueprint for your specific story put together. This book is designed to help you plan how to tell a story of tragic descent effectively, with the least amount of work possible. Because it's all about story, it is system-agnostic and usable with any genre or setting.

While this is a complete book unto itself, it's also based on concepts explored in Story Structure for Writers and Roleplayers, also published by Dancing Light Press. It's a big book that goes into greater detail on how to get the most out of the three-act structure, as well as developing a three-phase series (campaign, if you prefer) with a clear beginning, middle, and end. If you want to use your favorite roleplaying game system to tell stories with more depth than kill monster, get treasure, repeat (not that there's anything wrong with that), it is worth looking into. THE AUDIENCE Throughout the book the word “audience” is used universally to mean the consumer of your creative work. If you’re writing a book, these are the readers. If you’re crafting a screenplay, these are the viewers. If you’re running a tabletop roleplaying game, these are the players. The medium you’re working it and the ways your creative efforts are presented may vary, but some aspects of storytelling are universal.

Sample file

2 THE DECLINE-AND-FALL PLOT

“The ascent to greatness, however steep and dangerous, may entertain an active spirit with the consciousness and exercise of its own power: but the possession of a throne could never yet afford a lasting satisfaction to an ambitious mind.”

― Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

In a decline-and-fall story, the protagonist starts out in a high position, possessed of fortune and glory, having everything they could ever desire. This could be literal or metaphorical; they might have moral or ethical riches rather than money and possessions. The protagonist then proceeds to lose it all through corruption, greed, and general foolishness. Their decline is seen as a form of justice or punishment for some bad behavior they’ve engaged in. SampleExamples of the decline and fall plot include A Clockwork Orange,file Crime and Punishment, The Godfather, Gone with the Wind, and Paradise Lost.

3 DECLINE AND FALL PLOT OPENING PREP WORK

Start crafting your decline-and-fall story by establishing the essential elements noted below. These are your basic design parameters, and form the foundation you’ll build upon. Knowing this information up front will help you to develop the three acts of your story. You can come back here later and tweak these elements as the shape of your story to be becomes clearer. PREMISE The protagonist struggles with a tragic flaw, which the antagonist exploits, as they try to prevent the loss of everything they have.

The first thing you need to establish in a decline-and-fall story is what the protagonist has. It might be money, power, love, happiness, or anything else that the audience might envy them for. This is a person who is successful, or at least fortunate, and should not know hardship. The next thing you need to establish, then, is their fatal character flaw. This is the trait that places them on the brink of losing everything they’ve got. It could be an addiction, or an obsession, or a destructive behavior. It causes them to take foolish, unnecessary risks, and make terrible decisions.

The antagonist has to be someone in a position to take advantage of the protagonist’s character flaw. Their motivation can vary; they might simply want what the protagonist has, or they might want revenge for some past slight, or be jealous of what the protagonist has.

Goals - The goal of a decline-and-fall story is for the protagonist to fail. It’s a tragedy, a morality tale about weakness and a lack of appreciation, and there won’t be a happy ending. The protagonist will recognize that they have done something wrong, and why it was wrong, but it won’t save them. Throughout the story they will attempt to slow their decline and hold on to as much as they can for as long as they can, but it ends when they finally lose everything.

Obstacles - In decline-and-fall plot, the obstacles often stem from the protagonist’s flaw. Come up with a list of complications that their behavior will create, from minor hassles to the absolutely worst thing that can happen. The intensity of the obstacles will slowly escalate over the course of the story.

Additional obstacles will be based on what the protagonist has, and what is required to keep it. If it’s a relationship, they’ll have relationship problems. If it’s power, they’ll have to face challenges from rivals. Material possessions have to be guarded and Sampleprotected. You should also develop obstacles based around the story’sfile theme, once you’ve determined what that it.

4 GENRE A decline-and-fall plot can take place in any genre. All that changes is what the protagonist has of value, the type of character flaw they possess and how it could be exploited, and the types of resources available. This plot is especially popular in historical fiction and literary fiction. PLACE AND TIME A decline-and-fall plot can occur in any place or time. This will influence what the character flaw is, if there is a cultural context. It will also shape what the success, privilege, or other good fortune takes, and the types of obstacles that will be encountered. When paired with the genre, this creates a fixed set of boundaries and possibilities for your story. THEME Common themes in the decline-and-fall plot are associated with the concept of the universe seeking balance. This includes themes like karma will get you in the end, the circle of life, and even human experience is universal. The protagonist may or may not have earned what they have, but they will lose it all as a result of their own choices and actions. It will be tragic, but also inevitable and fair.

Exploring less typical themes can make your story feel fresh and original, but only if you can manage to make them work. Crime does not pay can work, if what the protagonist has was gained through illicit activity, especially so if they have since turned a new leaf and become a good person. Humanity versus nature, society, or the universe can work if the character’s decline comes after their defiance of some established and accepted status quo. They are somehow being punished for things they should not have done. STAKES What will be gained by accomplishing the story goal? What will be lost if the protagonist fails? The stakes in a decline-and-fall plot tend to be more extrinsic than intrinsic, and center on the loss of stuff. This only illustrates the intrinsic anguish they’ll also be feeling.

Rewards - By the end of a decline-and-fall story, the protagonist might gain intrinsic wisdom for completing the story goal. It’s possible that they will come through it with new insight, a clear conscience, and a fresh perspective on life. This, of course, is a best-case scenario. The best material reward a protagonist can hope for in this sort of Samplestory is to come out of it alive. file

5 Consequences - Failure to meet the story goal in a decline-and-fall plot will mean that the character survives. They somehow manage to not lose everything, or even find a way to recover what’s already been lost. If this is the case, then you really haven’t told a decline-and-fall story.

For the protagonist, reaching the story goal will mean losing material possessions, a position of authority, and important relationships. The supporting characters may lose out as well, or somehow benefit from the protagonist’s loss if they were truly a bad person.

The world of the story will feel the impact of the fall. If the protagonist was a flawed hero, they will be mourned for the tragedy of it all. If, however, the protagonist was more of a villain, whose gain main the oppression and suffering of others, their decline and fall will be cause for celebration.

Sample file

6