While I am open to being convinced that I am wrong, I have previously proposed the following thesis:  RPG’s are not stories but games that utilizes stories as well the structures and tools of story telling as a central part of the game experience.

The game and story sections bleed over. The underlying premise is that the stories provide the context in which the game occurs and new stories are created from the game play. Story can interject into the play of the game when some element, a character or mcguffin, becomes relevant to a decision made by the player. Clearly story is part of what we are doing, a central part. So then what uses of story make game play better and do not detract from it? Here are a few of my thoughts.  One caveat, I have become aware that in professional game design (particularly in video games) there is a lot of conversation about this topic. I have done some reading but not nearly enough to feel very conversant about it. You may have a better grasp of the terminology used in the industry than I do. What follows is just me throwing crap against the wall. Perhaps some of it will stick.

Embedded Narratives: These are stories about the non-player characters, locations and items the players will interact with and are relevant to the game play. If the players know the story of Saint George the dragon slayer and then find his sword, they might surmise that it is a potent weapon against dragons. Therefore the story of Saint George’s sword has an impact on the decisions players make in game. These stories can provide context for the players at decision points.

Emergent Narratives: The stories that are created by the players interacting with the non-player characters, locations and the items in the game. These are not designed or intended by the game master or designer. This is the core of my intentions as a game master. I make stuff up for players to mess with. This is when the players mess with something and the dice decide what happens. I love it because I have no idea how things turn out.

Triggered/Linked Stories: These are stories which are triggered or linked to player decisions. As game master I decide that if the players do x then y occurs and the characters may be completely unaware of those events or how they come to impact the characters or the world around them unless they go investigate it. This one is a little abstract and I’m not entirely sure if I’ve explained it in a way that makes sense.