Robin Laws' novel approach to story analysis is easy to understand and I can already see the potential applications. I do not mean composing a beat map before a given session in attempt script the emotional path of a session. Rather, I can see that with awareness of a session's dramatic rhythm I could deploy various tricks described in the book (and I haven't finished it yet) to amplify the enjoyment of everyone at the table.
I'm running another session of Knights of the Astral Sea this weekend so I'll get a chance to test some of what I learn. Of course, I don't expect to fully take advantage of these techniques until I've done some beat analysis of my own. I may just do that, with a comic book, a favorite movie, or even one of my Mythic stories. If it proves to be a useful exercise then I'll post a beat-map or two on the blog.
2 comments:
I've read some of Laws' analysis on his livejournal page. I bet the book is good stuff. Thanks for the heads up.
Other than some first edition errors (a handful of beat graphics that mismatch the accompanying text), it is a hoot. It's been a few years since I experienced either Hamlet or Dr. No and I'm having a blast looking at how they break down into beats. I love Robin's wry commentary on the works themselves and specific examples of how individual beats might apply in game.
I spent a good chunk of this past Saturday's *awesome* Knights of the Astral Sea game looking for ways to work in Anticipation beats, for example. More on that in another post...
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