Thoughts about Storytelling

I saw Dawn of the Planet of the Apes yesterday. I walked in intrigued because of the favorable reviews it had garnered; one critic even dared to compare it to The Empire Strikes Back. I walked out disappointed. The atmosphere, setting, and special effects were all fantastic, but the story and characters were bland. The writing was lazy and devoid of original thought. Every complication in the plot had a stock solution and the movie went for the low hanging fruit. There was no suspense. Every character played their part in the predictable way. My criticism isn't simply because the audience knows were the larger setting is going - we all know the apes take over the world - eventually. The writers decided to trod out every trope they could about two cultures that mirror each other and eventually come into conflict. There was one interesting moment in the movie, but I don't want to spoil anything for those that are interested.

Leaving the movie I began to think about the comparison to Empire. What made Empire a beloved movie and story in the upper echelon of cinema? Admitably, I was like 10 when I saw it, but why does it stand up when Dawn seems to fail? The movie has a sense of danger. Almost every scene in Empire pushes the protagonists deeper into the shit. It's not enough that the Millennium Falcon has to evade the Empire, it also has to escape from the inside of giant space slug the were accidentally hiding in. The plot twists. Han, Leia, Chewie, and the droids make it Cloud City to find Han's friend Lando, but it turns out he's made a deal with Empire; of course, there's also Luke's big revelation.

You're players are probably fans of the same things you are, so they're probably familiar with the same plot twists and devices you are. A good to shake things up ask yourself: "What if?" Asking what if is one of the most important tools of fantasy and science fiction. Take the scenario you've been working on and look for different ways to explain what's going on. A common situation for a good king to fall under the counsel of a power-hunger adviser. Usually the adviser has some connections to the evil cult, in order to drive up the drama when the players finally confront the adviser. What if the cult wasn't devoted to a demon, but a fallen angel instead, looking to get back into good graces? Maybe the angel doesn't give a damn about getting back into graces of their deity, and want to start their own holy city? What if the angel wasn't fallen, what if it was a perfectly respectable angel trying to subtly fix the injustices caused by the "good" king through influence rather than direct action?

Something else you can do is think about how to add another layer to danger. How do you keep you players on their toes? Adventures should be simple walks into dungeons. The players should be walking into the unknown. Create a list of things that the characters can know when they walk into the dungeon, then a list of things that you can foreshadow as they make their way through the dungeon, and finally a list of things that you're going to surprise them with. It doesn't have to be a long list, though it depends on the size of your dungeon. Start with ten items altogether between the three lists.