Use the structure of a great action story to make games that feel like a pulse pounding thrill ride.
Want to capture that feeling when the game keeps picking up steam, the tension is rising, and everyone's in sync, almost instinctively knowing the flow of the game? Well, we wanna make it easier to get there, and we're going to do it by talking about the building blocks of the best action movies. Following this structure can keep the pace going and enrapture your players, making them feel like the odds are against them moments before they celebrate their hard won victory.
In the Strategy Stateroom, we're going to go over the structure of action stories. Using these ingredients will create reliably action packed adventures.
Define your Antagonist
Antagonistic forces of action Nature State Time Person
Antagonists goal
Why it hurts your victim
Add personal stakes
Plot Your Action Quest
Convey the Goal
Show the reason
Kickstart the plan
Complicate the plan
Give some help
Antagonist almost wins
Party at antagonists mercy
Showdown
Add Your Must Have Scenes
Setting up how bad
Best scenes to add
Pursuit/Chase scene
Backed into a corner
Final showdown
Then we jump into Grandma B's Schoolhouse, where we learn about a real life action hero, whose gutsy heroism helped hold the Nazis at bay. Aleksandra Samusenko, who at the age of 23 was in command of a tank, was told to hold ground while a wave of enemies with more training and superior firepower rolled in ready to crush anything in their path. Inspired by the writings of badassoftheweek.com