I’ve been reading Campbell and other works related to the Hero’s Journey architecture. My hope was that this would give me a better handle on making more interesting characters and satisfying plot arcs. Specifically, what I would like to get a better handle on is the idea of a hero that can overcome their flaws on their journey while also resolving the complex relationships between the other PCs on the way. What do you think about the Hero’s Journey? Is it a useful tool for RPGs?
I’ve been reading Campbell and other works related to the Hero’s Journey architecture.
I’ve been reading Campbell and other works related to the Hero’s Journey architecture.
Careful with Campbell or else his Eurocentrism will start to take over your thinking. I say that as someone who was super into Campbell while in my University Days.
In more seriousness, if you’re looking for a book to help with that I’d recommend Hamlet’s Hit Points over Heroes with a Thousand Faces or the Flight of the Wild Gander as something that will give you a better sense on how to build plot arcs. Campbell was more interested in myth, again from a Eurocentric point of view, rather than talking about how we structure stories for entertainment.
Careful with Campbell or else his Eurocentrism will start to take over your thinking. I say that as someone who was super into Campbell while in my University Days.
In more seriousness, if you’re looking for a book to help with that I’d recommend Hamlet’s Hit Points over Heroes with a Thousand Faces or the Flight of the Wild Gander as something that will give you a better sense on how to build plot arcs. Campbell was more interested in myth, again from a Eurocentric point of view, rather than talking about how we structure stories for entertainment.
The Hero’s Journey isn’t even useful for analysing Eurasian myth, so the chances of it being helpful for RPGs are probably not great.
The Hero’s Journey isn’t even useful for analysing Eurasian myth, so the chances of it being helpful for RPGs are probably not great.
If you want a Campbellian guide to storytelling and structure, you could do worse than checking out The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler.
As to whether the Hero’s Journey is useful for roleplaying games… Well, as with all things, it depends on the system you’re using and the campaign you want to run. I would personally advise against trying to impose a plot or plot structure on your game – that way lies the dreaded railroad. The rules of the game and the desires of the players provide structure aplenty.
As such, I recommend prepping the broad outline of a charged situation (or several situations, depending on the needs of the players and the game), let the players use the rules to engage with it, and then figure out how the situation would logically change in response. For best results, the situation in question should be tied into the reward structure of the game – if it’s Dungeons & Dragons, to use the obvious example, you want the situation to involve bad (or good, I guess) guys the PCs can stab and treasure they can acquire.
If you want a Campbellian guide to storytelling and structure, you could do worse than checking out The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler.
As to whether the Hero’s Journey is useful for roleplaying games… Well, as with all things, it depends on the system you’re using and the campaign you want to run. I would personally advise against trying to impose a plot or plot structure on your game – that way lies the dreaded railroad. The rules of the game and the desires of the players provide structure aplenty.
As such, I recommend prepping the broad outline of a charged situation (or several situations, depending on the needs of the players and the game), let the players use the rules to engage with it, and then figure out how the situation would logically change in response. For best results, the situation in question should be tied into the reward structure of the game – if it’s Dungeons & Dragons, to use the obvious example, you want the situation to involve bad (or good, I guess) guys the PCs can stab and treasure they can acquire.
The thing about using story structure in games is to keep in mind that games are not story telling in the traditional sense. When you write a story, you have complete control over what happens, not only to your main character, but to everyone and everything else in the story. In a game, you may set up a story (think Act One in the traditional storytelling architecture), the game play tells the rest of the story; you don’t have direct control over how it concludes. I think a lot of bad GMs – the ones who like to railroad their players – are really frustrated novelists and don’t understand this difference.
So yes, you can totally use parts of Campbell or other ways of looking at traditional storytelling, but you’re really only going to use part of it in a game.
The thing about using story structure in games is to keep in mind that games are not story telling in the traditional sense. When you write a story, you have complete control over what happens, not only to your main character, but to everyone and everything else in the story. In a game, you may set up a story (think Act One in the traditional storytelling architecture), the game play tells the rest of the story; you don’t have direct control over how it concludes. I think a lot of bad GMs – the ones who like to railroad their players – are really frustrated novelists and don’t understand this difference.
So yes, you can totally use parts of Campbell or other ways of looking at traditional storytelling, but you’re really only going to use part of it in a game.
While Campbell may have been eurocentric and fractious he wasn’t entirely off-base. A lot of his concepts are useful, but I wouldn’t recommend using him as your foundation. Use his concepts as an ingredient along with other things. I will second the recommendation for Hamlet’s Hit Points. It’s a really interesting look at the patterns of stories and how they work together as well as how and why they affect the audience. And look for studies of east Asian, sough Asian, eastern European, African, etc stories and structure. Good luck!
While Campbell may have been eurocentric and fractious he wasn’t entirely off-base. A lot of his concepts are useful, but I wouldn’t recommend using him as your foundation. Use his concepts as an ingredient along with other things. I will second the recommendation for Hamlet’s Hit Points. It’s a really interesting look at the patterns of stories and how they work together as well as how and why they affect the audience. And look for studies of east Asian, sough Asian, eastern European, African, etc stories and structure. Good luck!