The Art of Storytelling in D&D: Character vs. Plot-Based Adventures

Character vs. Plot-Based Storytelling, Masks: A New Generation, Dungeons & Dragons 5e

Introduction

Storytelling is as old as history itself, requiring years of practice to master, and the principles and philosophy alone of effective storytelling across cultures and mediums, can and does constitute many academic studies. This guide will not serve as a masterclass on storytelling; rather, this guide is meant to assist new Dungeon Masters (DMs) in understanding the two main approaches to storytelling in Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) campaigns.

D&D is, at its core, a collaborative storytelling environment between the DM and their players; neglecting players' storytelling roles in your campaign will lead to its collapse. However, in my experience of tabletop storytelling, I often find it can be classified into two main pathways: character-based storytelling, and plot-based storytelling. While both approaches aim to enrich the story and excite the players, understanding their distinctions, advantages, and disadvantages is crucial for creating memorable campaigns and maintaining investment. This article is intended to do exactly that.

For new DMs, it’s important to understand which approach best suits you and your party’s playstyle, and this blog will guide you through these storytelling techniques.

Character vs. Plot-Based Storytelling: The Basics and Definitions

Let’s begin by defining what story, plot, character, and storytelling means.

Story:
A combination of plot and character which conveys a message.
Plot opposes the characters, characters change the plot.
The story conveys the theme, universal ideas like freedom, sacrifice, love, etc.
The story conveys the tone, the emotions it invokes and genres it emulates.
All stories convey a moral lesson to the audience. It’s often seen as the ‘point’ of the story.
Characters:
People with wants and needs. Every character is defined by their backstory, description, status, and personality.
The story follows a protagonist, the point of view for the audience.
Supporting characters for a protagonist are allies.
The antagonist serves as the central conflict of a protagonist.
Supporting characters for an antagonist are opponents.
Characters are driven to act by wants; desires they wish to fulfill.
“I want to be rich”
“I want to find true love”
“I want to exact my revenge”
Characters grow by recognizing their needs; lessons they need to internalize.
“I need to learn that being rich won’t satisfy me”
“I need to learn that true love cannot be forced”
“I need to learn that revenge won’t absolve my guilt”
Plot:
The chronological series of events. It is in constant struggle with characters.
Plots force characters to act in order to achieve their wants.
“If I want to be rich, I need to climb my company’s ranks”
“If I want to find true love, I need to impress my love interest”
“If I want to take revenge, I need to learn to fight”
Plots introduce characters and incite conflict.
“My boss is stopping my promotion”
“My love interest has a partner”
“My enemy outnumbers me”
Plots change as the characters act.
“I learned information that can destroy my boss reputation”
“I change my lifestyle to impress my love interest”
“I train nonstop to defeat my opponents”
Plots can either reward wants, or deny wants.
“I blackmailed my boss, I have earned my promotion”
“I convinced my love interest to break up with their partner”
“I fought my way to my nemesis, only to find him dead”
Plots reflect consequences, teaching the character their lesson.
“My wealth doesn’t satisfy me, and my actions ruined my boss’ life”
“My new relationship is perfect, and it’s built on lies”
“My revenge was denied, and I have not absolved my guilt”
Storytelling:
The method used to convey the story to the audience.
Characters are what the audience connects to.
Plot tells the audience about the character.
Show, don’t tell!
Good storytelling shows the moral lesson.
Bad storytelling tells the moral lesson.

I should clarify, this is only one of a thousand methods of storytelling. If you’re interested in learning more about storytelling, I’d recommend reading Blake Synder's Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need, Robert McKee's Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting, and Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

Ultimately, the story is a cyclical process of cause and effect between character and plot. The fundamentals of storytelling relies on the plot constantly challenging the characters, the characters constantly fighting to achieve their wants, the plot reflecting the consequences of their actions, and the characters ultimately learning their needs. These principles can be applied one-to-one with tabletop storytelling.

Character-based storytelling in D&D starts from the ground up, focusing on the players' characters (PCs). This approach involves the DM working closely with players to brainstorm engaging plot hooks derived from their characters' backstories, crafting a narrative that feels personal and deeply integrated with each character's journey. Conversely, plot-based storytelling prioritizes the narrative's overarching framework. Here, the DM develops a detailed story or world, and players are then asked to create characters that fit into this pre-existing narrative, pushing the plot forward.

Let's explore the nuances and differences between character vs plot-based storytelling.

Plot-Based Storytelling: Pros and Cons

Plot-based storytelling offers a structured narrative framework, ensuring a cohesive and well-paced story. This method allows DMs to weave intricate plots and world-building elements, providing a rich backdrop for the players' adventures. However, the main drawback is the risk of player characters feeling like secondary elements in the story, potentially leading to a lack of engagement. Additionally, there's the challenge of integrating diverse character backstories seamlessly into the pre-established plot, requiring creativity and adaptability from both DMs and players.

Most D&D campaigns are plot-based, following a basic narrative of adventurers completing a quest, and there’s a reason this narrative persists. The high fantasy genre naturally lends to the characters changing the trajectory of the world’s future while exploring their ingrained worldbuilding, but the characters can’t begin to grasp and predict the effects of their actions on the world without proper exposition. Most players are familiar with tropes originating from the works of Tolkien and European mythology, but for worlds that introduce original elements, plot-based storytelling is essential to allowing the DM to naturally introduce these elements as they become relevant. Character-based storytelling often doesn’t provide the bandwidth needed to explain the divine, arcane, political, and societal nuances of a world, and if a PC is formulated upon an element not yet introduced, it forces the DM to either ignore them, or broaden the narrative. This widened narrative that targets many unrelated plot hooks leads to a loss of focus on the main storyline, ruining the sense of urgency and growth for the characters, and eventually the death of a campaign by attrition.

While we’re on the topic, it’s important to note that plot-based storytelling is not railroading. We’re not ignoring character backstories, wants, or needs, nor are we forcing them down one pathway in the story without flexibility or change. Rather, plot-based storytelling means the characters will weave their wants and needs into the plot and accomplish them as the plot progresses, ensuring that the story continues while they explore their character arcs. It’s the responsibility of both the DM and the players to adapt their characters to the narrative in order to ensure characters grow with the plot, not alongside the plot. The challenge of adaptation alone can be fun, and plot-based storytelling still leaves ample opportunity for character development when done right, but it vastly differs from its alternative.

Character-Based Storytelling: Pros and Cons

Character-based storytelling emphasizes the creation of deeply personal and engaging narratives. By rooting the campaign in the characters' backstories, it fosters a sense of ownership and connection in the players, because this is their story. However, this method can present challenges, the biggest being an uneven spotlight distribution as some characters may naturally fit the narrative better than others. Additionally, it can be exceedingly hard to form a narrative at all, demanding a high level of flexibility from the DM, as the story must adapt to accommodate the evolving backstories and decisions of the characters.

For an example of a system that naturally incentivises character-based storytelling, a personal favourite was introduced by my close friend’s Masks: A New Generation game. In Masks, characters are defined by their Playbooks (Playbooks are like classes, offering common superhero archetypes and loose prompts that offer a lot of creativity), and they ask players during character creation a prompt, labeled by "When Our Team First Came Together..." From the outset, this prompt initiates character-based storytelling by asking each player to describe a pivotal moment that defined the team's formation, developing relationships to other PCs, and encouraging players to engage with the team's story as a whole. In my experience, the Conditions, Influence, and Team Moves mechanics of this system only further incentivise interaction and drama. Every session we play, we the players are laughing and encouraging our characters to argue and fight with one another, creating a mini civil-war in our superhero group.

‘Masks’ allows for character-based storytelling not only through mechanical reinforcement, but by ensuring each character's emotional and relational development is central to the game. The story isn’t about a group of new superheroes stopping villains; it's about a group of new superheroes learning to accept themselves and one another. We can apply this to any form of character-based storytelling. Our goal, if we choose this approach, is to always prioritize the PCs, and how they affect one another as we explore their character arcs and growth, creating a rich, shared narrative that is deeply personal and engaging for all players. In other words, the plot becomes secondary to the characters, only providing prompts for further conflict in the story.

Balancing Character and Plot in Your Game

Deciding the best approach for your D&D campaign depends on your group's preferences and your strengths as a DM. While character-based storytelling excels in creating emotionally resonant experiences, plot-based storytelling fosters worldbuilding, and can deliver exceptional narratives. Striking a balance between the two, by allowing room for character development within a structured plot, or incorporating elements of a bigger narrative into character-driven stories, can lead to a rich and fulfilling campaign, and I’d advise playing with both storytelling formats to see which one resonates with you as a DM.

At the center of the methodology of storytelling, the key is to remain flexible and receptive to your players as you find that balance and ensure everyone's enjoyment. As a DM, you have a duty to put the most attention onto the PCs first, and regardless of which method you choose, the sole focus of the story should be on them. If the PCs become secondary to the story, or if a single PC overrides the other players, then the essence of collaborative storytelling has been lost, and it is on the group as a whole, DM and players together, to reestablish that balance.

Conclusion: Storytelling Requires Practice

Whether you lean towards character-based or plot-based storytelling, the heart of your campaign lies in the shared experiences and stories you create with your players. Remember that every DM's journey is unique, and as you learn, refine your approach, and make mistakes, you’ll naturally strengthen your writing, and grow a better understanding of the storytelling that fits your group.

If you enjoyed this article and would like to learn more about character development and worldbuilding, I’d recommend reading my other posts about running tabletop games! If you’d like to join the community and stay updated on new posts, click Follow My Work, and show your support by sharing this post or donating $5 by clicking Support My Work!