The Hero's Journey (Gamer style)
This is something I wrote some time back. It involves using Joseph Campbell's "Hero's Journey" model in creating a campaign. I know sseveral GMs read this site and thought you might enjoy it.
There is a specific model that can be used to make a riveting campaign outline. If you stick with it, maybe even play with it a little, you will go a long way toward creating a riveting campaign.
There is something called the "Hero's Journey" model, postulated by a man named Joseph Campbell. Every adventure you have ever seen that you likely considered to be good is based on this model that always resonates with the human spirit when done correctly.
This model was used in the creation of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, La'Muerte de Artur (King Arthur's legend), the adventures of Hercules, Perseus, Drizz’t Do'Urdan, Siegfried and the ring of Nebulung, the Yamato Takeru legend, Dragonlance, Starship Troopers, etc. If any of the above caught your fancy, then you are already a fan of the Hero's Journey and know how well it can work when done right.
What most people don't realize is that it makes an excellent framework for a campaign in role-playing as well. Using this model in a campaign can be easy, fun and gives a real sense of adventure.
It is broken down into the following format
The Separation
The beginning of the story is focused on taking the hero(s) away from their normal world, usually through shock or trauma and setting them on the path of adventure. This has three key segments:
The Call: Something forces the heroes on the road toward adventure. It is traumatic and separates them from all they have known before and requires them to make a decision to face the unknown and perilous danger. In Star Wars, Luke gets the message from the Princess from R2. In Lord of the Rings, Frodo learns the truth of the ring. In Arthurian Legend, Arthur, a lowly squire pulls the sword from the stone and becomes King.
In a role-playing game this takes place usually in the first or second adventure or so. A great trial is hinted at and requires the heroes to do something about it and put themselves in danger. In a previous campaign I ran, it was the group finding 1/4 of the creation plans for the iron juggernauts, pulling them away from the relatively mundane duty of escorting Tolkeen refugees.
The Threshold: Something may hold the hero back, something he has to overcome and say "Okay, I am ready for this adventure, come what may." Often, this is internal and not an external force. In my campaign, the group had to make the determination that if they returned to their guard duty they would be walking into the hands of the enemy. Had they stayed ignorant of what they knew it would have meant nothing to them, but knowing what they had learned they had to choose a new path. In Star Wars, Luke's Uncle Owen is the barrier, who is removed by his death at the hands of the storm troopers. In Lord of the Rings, Frodo has to go against the naturally sedentary life of a Hobbit, and leave his home.
The Guardian/Mentor/Talisman: The Hero can't just wander out into the cold cruel world without an edge, oh no. He receives a guardian, a mentor or a talisman of power to aid him in his journey. In most cases the hero receives the mentor and the talisman. They never seem to be enough to actually solve the hero's big problems, but help empower him and/or see things as he may not have in the past, opening the door in his mind to conquer things with his wits. In Star Wars, Luke gets a mentor, Obi-Wan, and a talisman, his father's lightsaber. In Lord of the Rings, Frodo gets a mentor, Gandalf, a guardian, Sam, AND numerous talismans (Sting, the mythril coat, the vial of Galadriel, etc.) over time. In my own game, and in most campaigns, you should take the LotR approach. Sprinkle occasional mentors, guardians, talismans and what-not to help the players along and give them the confidence to face seemingly undefeatable evil, but it should never be enough to solve the problem on its own. They may win the favor of a great cyber knight, a crafty information broker, a Naruni sales rep. They may gain magic amulets, a cool specialized mech, a rune sword, a unique spell, etc.
Now, onto the part that makes up the core of your campaign:
Initiation and transformation
This, in essence, is the action. This is also where most game masters and stories are likely to falter. Why? Because the action has to MEAN SOMETHING. Not only to the plot, but to the characters.
This has five parts, but they are the most flexible part of the hero's journey model and can be mixed, matched and perverted. This is where you truly make a story your own by having fun with this section of the model. This is where the curveballs mostly come from.
The Challenge
Once you get past the threshold the heroes now face the unknown and a series of challenges. At first the challenges are very easy and are aimed at building the heroes skills and confidence. But as time progresses they get harder and harder and more complex. Along the way there are helpers and there are tempters. Sometimes it is hard to tell one from the other. Some helpers turn out to be tempters and some who appear to be tempters are actually helpers. Ultimately, the challenges seem to always be in the areas where the heroes are most insecure and at their weakest. By overcoming their biggest handicap do they progress to a new level. Luke's journey through the Death Star, the many challenges of Frodo and Arthur, these elements are the easiest to spot. This makes up the bulk of a campaign, and it should be obvious why this model works so well. The challenges start off easy, great for low level characters, and helps build them in skill and confidence (and for a player group, teamwork) so that when they start to get to the heart of the campaign and face the real nemesis they can prevail and reach their stride. In my own previous campaign, this was everything leading up to the big battle at Tryth-Sal. Traditionally, the easy period ends when they basically stare THE ENEMY in the eye and spit in it and throw down the gauntlet. My group did this by thwarting the main enemy's assault on the Lyn-Srrial, directly opposing him openly. Often, a sign that the easy part of the challenge is coming to its end is the death of the mentor. My group lost a cyber knight, Sir Charles, a few adventures before the big battle, meaning they had to be more self-reliant. One good thing about a campaign is that you can take your time with these things.
Into the Abyss
This is where we grab the edge of our seats in the theater, start turning pages faster while reading the book, or start wondering if we should not have bought just one more clip of Naruni ammunition in a campaign. This is the dark chapter of the hero's journey. They are faced with a seemingly hopeless task against staggering odds. This is where they truly earn the mantle: Hero. It must test all their skills, reach right into their weakest aspect and they must do it without support. This is where Luke faces Vader in Cloud City, Frodo leaves the fellowship to go on his own into Mordor, etc. This can be a single event, or (for campaigns) a span of events where things seem darker and darker. The challenges get harder and there's little sign of hope. But if the hero digs deep within him or herself, find their heart and knows who their friends are who their enemies are and have confidence in their abilities and have learned well, they can succeed.
In a campaign, I suggest a series of abysses, each moving the plot forward remarkably. Each teaching the hero about himself or themselves and what they can truly do when pushed to the wire. In my campaign, I try to have abysses for each player, sometimes more than one if they have trouble overcoming earlier ones.
The transformation and revelation.
You've all seen it and you all know it. "I am your father!" in Empire, Samwise's speech about "the old stories, the ones that really matter...", Arthur's knights find the holy grail.... An event that transforms the characters, reconstitutes them. They are now focused; they are now in the heart of their hero-dom. They take the fight, from here on, to the villain. They start to gain momentum. All the lessons are learned (but the enemy always has a couple surprises) and they must use what they have learned to defeat their foe. This often comes with a shocking revelation, a great betrayal, and some big surprise. This is the "dun Dun DUNNNN!" part of the story. From here on we head toward the rousing climax....
The atonement
This is what they've been waiting for...mano-a-mano with the head honcho...and a resolution to the darkness. If all goes well, the light shines through, shattering darkness, driving away villainy. Others look up and acknowledge that the hero is a hero. The hero is now comfortable with the mantle and in fact uses it to his advantage. They are at one with themselves and this is why they defeat the villain. It isn't the magic sword or the super-mega-gun or the spell, it's heart, will and confidence and courage. We see this all through return of the jedi with Luke. He is comfortable with being a jedi when he saves his friends from Jabba. He then faces Vader and the emperor and has faith in his father despite all the evil Vader has done. it pays off. This is probably the hardest thing to represent in a campaign. It takes a lot of engineering and a lot of fixing and knowing your player characters. But it often comes naturally. A level 10 mind melter or lord magus can be pretty darn confident! NPCs at this point should know who the heroes are, even if the hero doesn't know them. Favors start coming in, the momentum starts building. When the player characters call for the final showdown, a thousand voices rise behind them from all the people they've saved and impressed. The heroes have done so much for them that they have their back now. The Enemy realizes "these guys are coming for my neck!" and the final showdown is set and occurs in glorious fireworks and gripping action. With skill, luck and lots of harebrained plans and confidence, the enemy is defeated....
but that's not the end of the journey.....
The Return
Wrapping up your campaign.
This is the final stage of the journey. The hero returns to their roots either physically or metaphorically, bringing with them the "gift," what they learned and/or obtained on their journey. In mythology this is often represented by a magic object that in some way connects with knowledge and power, a metaphor for wisdom and the ability to use it.
This can have its own trials as well. Often, this is blended with a final task to overcome. The hero finds that the evil he left home to fight has taken root in his own cradle. And most often this evil is not physically powerful, but cunning and sly, forcing loved ones long left behind to turn against the hero, bringing home hard that he is now an outsider. In Lord of the Rings the hobbits return to the shire to find Grimer Wormtongue and Sauruman have taken up residence there, for example. After Hercules returns home from fighting the hydra and the lion his wife poisons him, etc. The point is that the hero has come home changed beyond what he was when he left, and that takes some adjustment.
Several outcomes can happen at this point. 1. The hero is accepted and his knowledge and gifts are used to raise the entire community. 2. He is rejected as an outsider and finds that the road he left behind is now his new home, or among the new friends and alliances he made. 3. The hero cannot adjust at all, is rejected by all because his knowledge is too much for others to hear and accept and he isolates himself from the world. Often this last leads to the hero becoming a mentor in the adventures of the next hero.
In your campaign use this as the ending to bring home how much the world has changed for the heroes since they started. Often they do not have one home, so take them back to familiar places and people which once seemed so intimidating and strange that look small now and normal. Maybe the dangerous, brutal 'Burbs they started out in seem small and petty now compared to the wide world. That CS lieutenant and his dogpack that always harassed them seem insignificant. Maybe they can return to the farm town that gave them a place to stay who lost most of its men folk to that demon and drop off a couple confiscated power armors for the town's defense. One good tactic I have found in adventures is making player characters treat the dead realistically. If one of the characters in the game died (and if there was a body left) there's a good chance there was a grave. If he died defending said village he could be a hero, with children that would be dead if not for the group playing in the street, imitating the fallen comrade.
Or maybe there is no end of this road for the group. They may break up for a while or relax and enjoy wealth and fame and heroism for a little while, but soon something else "calls" them from their comfortable existence on the road to new adventures, new journeys and new lessons learned.
There is a specific model that can be used to make a riveting campaign outline. If you stick with it, maybe even play with it a little, you will go a long way toward creating a riveting campaign.
There is something called the "Hero's Journey" model, postulated by a man named Joseph Campbell. Every adventure you have ever seen that you likely considered to be good is based on this model that always resonates with the human spirit when done correctly.
This model was used in the creation of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, La'Muerte de Artur (King Arthur's legend), the adventures of Hercules, Perseus, Drizz’t Do'Urdan, Siegfried and the ring of Nebulung, the Yamato Takeru legend, Dragonlance, Starship Troopers, etc. If any of the above caught your fancy, then you are already a fan of the Hero's Journey and know how well it can work when done right.
What most people don't realize is that it makes an excellent framework for a campaign in role-playing as well. Using this model in a campaign can be easy, fun and gives a real sense of adventure.
It is broken down into the following format
The Separation
The beginning of the story is focused on taking the hero(s) away from their normal world, usually through shock or trauma and setting them on the path of adventure. This has three key segments:
The Call: Something forces the heroes on the road toward adventure. It is traumatic and separates them from all they have known before and requires them to make a decision to face the unknown and perilous danger. In Star Wars, Luke gets the message from the Princess from R2. In Lord of the Rings, Frodo learns the truth of the ring. In Arthurian Legend, Arthur, a lowly squire pulls the sword from the stone and becomes King.
In a role-playing game this takes place usually in the first or second adventure or so. A great trial is hinted at and requires the heroes to do something about it and put themselves in danger. In a previous campaign I ran, it was the group finding 1/4 of the creation plans for the iron juggernauts, pulling them away from the relatively mundane duty of escorting Tolkeen refugees.
The Threshold: Something may hold the hero back, something he has to overcome and say "Okay, I am ready for this adventure, come what may." Often, this is internal and not an external force. In my campaign, the group had to make the determination that if they returned to their guard duty they would be walking into the hands of the enemy. Had they stayed ignorant of what they knew it would have meant nothing to them, but knowing what they had learned they had to choose a new path. In Star Wars, Luke's Uncle Owen is the barrier, who is removed by his death at the hands of the storm troopers. In Lord of the Rings, Frodo has to go against the naturally sedentary life of a Hobbit, and leave his home.
The Guardian/Mentor/Talisman: The Hero can't just wander out into the cold cruel world without an edge, oh no. He receives a guardian, a mentor or a talisman of power to aid him in his journey. In most cases the hero receives the mentor and the talisman. They never seem to be enough to actually solve the hero's big problems, but help empower him and/or see things as he may not have in the past, opening the door in his mind to conquer things with his wits. In Star Wars, Luke gets a mentor, Obi-Wan, and a talisman, his father's lightsaber. In Lord of the Rings, Frodo gets a mentor, Gandalf, a guardian, Sam, AND numerous talismans (Sting, the mythril coat, the vial of Galadriel, etc.) over time. In my own game, and in most campaigns, you should take the LotR approach. Sprinkle occasional mentors, guardians, talismans and what-not to help the players along and give them the confidence to face seemingly undefeatable evil, but it should never be enough to solve the problem on its own. They may win the favor of a great cyber knight, a crafty information broker, a Naruni sales rep. They may gain magic amulets, a cool specialized mech, a rune sword, a unique spell, etc.
Now, onto the part that makes up the core of your campaign:
Initiation and transformation
This, in essence, is the action. This is also where most game masters and stories are likely to falter. Why? Because the action has to MEAN SOMETHING. Not only to the plot, but to the characters.
This has five parts, but they are the most flexible part of the hero's journey model and can be mixed, matched and perverted. This is where you truly make a story your own by having fun with this section of the model. This is where the curveballs mostly come from.
The Challenge
Once you get past the threshold the heroes now face the unknown and a series of challenges. At first the challenges are very easy and are aimed at building the heroes skills and confidence. But as time progresses they get harder and harder and more complex. Along the way there are helpers and there are tempters. Sometimes it is hard to tell one from the other. Some helpers turn out to be tempters and some who appear to be tempters are actually helpers. Ultimately, the challenges seem to always be in the areas where the heroes are most insecure and at their weakest. By overcoming their biggest handicap do they progress to a new level. Luke's journey through the Death Star, the many challenges of Frodo and Arthur, these elements are the easiest to spot. This makes up the bulk of a campaign, and it should be obvious why this model works so well. The challenges start off easy, great for low level characters, and helps build them in skill and confidence (and for a player group, teamwork) so that when they start to get to the heart of the campaign and face the real nemesis they can prevail and reach their stride. In my own previous campaign, this was everything leading up to the big battle at Tryth-Sal. Traditionally, the easy period ends when they basically stare THE ENEMY in the eye and spit in it and throw down the gauntlet. My group did this by thwarting the main enemy's assault on the Lyn-Srrial, directly opposing him openly. Often, a sign that the easy part of the challenge is coming to its end is the death of the mentor. My group lost a cyber knight, Sir Charles, a few adventures before the big battle, meaning they had to be more self-reliant. One good thing about a campaign is that you can take your time with these things.
Into the Abyss
This is where we grab the edge of our seats in the theater, start turning pages faster while reading the book, or start wondering if we should not have bought just one more clip of Naruni ammunition in a campaign. This is the dark chapter of the hero's journey. They are faced with a seemingly hopeless task against staggering odds. This is where they truly earn the mantle: Hero. It must test all their skills, reach right into their weakest aspect and they must do it without support. This is where Luke faces Vader in Cloud City, Frodo leaves the fellowship to go on his own into Mordor, etc. This can be a single event, or (for campaigns) a span of events where things seem darker and darker. The challenges get harder and there's little sign of hope. But if the hero digs deep within him or herself, find their heart and knows who their friends are who their enemies are and have confidence in their abilities and have learned well, they can succeed.
In a campaign, I suggest a series of abysses, each moving the plot forward remarkably. Each teaching the hero about himself or themselves and what they can truly do when pushed to the wire. In my campaign, I try to have abysses for each player, sometimes more than one if they have trouble overcoming earlier ones.
The transformation and revelation.
You've all seen it and you all know it. "I am your father!" in Empire, Samwise's speech about "the old stories, the ones that really matter...", Arthur's knights find the holy grail.... An event that transforms the characters, reconstitutes them. They are now focused; they are now in the heart of their hero-dom. They take the fight, from here on, to the villain. They start to gain momentum. All the lessons are learned (but the enemy always has a couple surprises) and they must use what they have learned to defeat their foe. This often comes with a shocking revelation, a great betrayal, and some big surprise. This is the "dun Dun DUNNNN!" part of the story. From here on we head toward the rousing climax....
The atonement
This is what they've been waiting for...mano-a-mano with the head honcho...and a resolution to the darkness. If all goes well, the light shines through, shattering darkness, driving away villainy. Others look up and acknowledge that the hero is a hero. The hero is now comfortable with the mantle and in fact uses it to his advantage. They are at one with themselves and this is why they defeat the villain. It isn't the magic sword or the super-mega-gun or the spell, it's heart, will and confidence and courage. We see this all through return of the jedi with Luke. He is comfortable with being a jedi when he saves his friends from Jabba. He then faces Vader and the emperor and has faith in his father despite all the evil Vader has done. it pays off. This is probably the hardest thing to represent in a campaign. It takes a lot of engineering and a lot of fixing and knowing your player characters. But it often comes naturally. A level 10 mind melter or lord magus can be pretty darn confident! NPCs at this point should know who the heroes are, even if the hero doesn't know them. Favors start coming in, the momentum starts building. When the player characters call for the final showdown, a thousand voices rise behind them from all the people they've saved and impressed. The heroes have done so much for them that they have their back now. The Enemy realizes "these guys are coming for my neck!" and the final showdown is set and occurs in glorious fireworks and gripping action. With skill, luck and lots of harebrained plans and confidence, the enemy is defeated....
but that's not the end of the journey.....
The Return
Wrapping up your campaign.
This is the final stage of the journey. The hero returns to their roots either physically or metaphorically, bringing with them the "gift," what they learned and/or obtained on their journey. In mythology this is often represented by a magic object that in some way connects with knowledge and power, a metaphor for wisdom and the ability to use it.
This can have its own trials as well. Often, this is blended with a final task to overcome. The hero finds that the evil he left home to fight has taken root in his own cradle. And most often this evil is not physically powerful, but cunning and sly, forcing loved ones long left behind to turn against the hero, bringing home hard that he is now an outsider. In Lord of the Rings the hobbits return to the shire to find Grimer Wormtongue and Sauruman have taken up residence there, for example. After Hercules returns home from fighting the hydra and the lion his wife poisons him, etc. The point is that the hero has come home changed beyond what he was when he left, and that takes some adjustment.
Several outcomes can happen at this point. 1. The hero is accepted and his knowledge and gifts are used to raise the entire community. 2. He is rejected as an outsider and finds that the road he left behind is now his new home, or among the new friends and alliances he made. 3. The hero cannot adjust at all, is rejected by all because his knowledge is too much for others to hear and accept and he isolates himself from the world. Often this last leads to the hero becoming a mentor in the adventures of the next hero.
In your campaign use this as the ending to bring home how much the world has changed for the heroes since they started. Often they do not have one home, so take them back to familiar places and people which once seemed so intimidating and strange that look small now and normal. Maybe the dangerous, brutal 'Burbs they started out in seem small and petty now compared to the wide world. That CS lieutenant and his dogpack that always harassed them seem insignificant. Maybe they can return to the farm town that gave them a place to stay who lost most of its men folk to that demon and drop off a couple confiscated power armors for the town's defense. One good tactic I have found in adventures is making player characters treat the dead realistically. If one of the characters in the game died (and if there was a body left) there's a good chance there was a grave. If he died defending said village he could be a hero, with children that would be dead if not for the group playing in the street, imitating the fallen comrade.
Or maybe there is no end of this road for the group. They may break up for a while or relax and enjoy wealth and fame and heroism for a little while, but soon something else "calls" them from their comfortable existence on the road to new adventures, new journeys and new lessons learned.
posted by Dark Lord at 7:32 AM
1 Comments:
As soon as I read the title I knew this would be good, for I have studied. And in studying I learned that man is mortal and thereofr wanted the poison as far from me as possi...wait, wrong movie...
Follow Joseph Campbell and one about can't go wrong.
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