Story Design: Decline-and-Fall Stories
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How can you add more empathy and suspense to your story of tragic descent?
Story Design Volume 20 - 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.
Examples of the decline and fall plot include A Clockwork Orange¸ Crime and Punishment¸ The Godfather¸ Gone with the Wind¸ and Paradise Lost.
Story Design: Decline-and-Fall covers all of the elements you need to prepare in order to tell a story of tragic descent. It's based on concepts explored in Story Structure ¸ 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.
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