Variation 7: Conclusive Adventure Conclusions

This Variation is near and dear to my heart, because I spawn dozen's of new plot lines every time a new element enters the game. If you do enough of that, pretty soon you are swamped in a maze of Threads and it is hard to even remember your Primary Thread. 

I run a lot of sandbox games, and NPCs with more clout than me seem to send me on endless side quests. The advice in this essay help to reign that in and drive a particular thread across the finish line. It is true that it may glue together parts you didn't think were related, but as that happens in movies, books, and comics all the time, I can't see a single reason it can't apply to our solo games.

It just so happens that one specific magazine article has a direct connection to this Variation, but there are other articles that focus on different kinds of endings as well. 

• “Conclusive Adventure Conclusions”
• MM Vol. 20, pg. 3
• “3-Act Structure For Mythic Adventures”
• MM Vol.42, pg. 12
• “Creating Mystery Adventures”
• MM Vol. 6, pg. 4

Two articles require an honorable mention here. The first is about Keyed Scenes, which can help drive a narrative in specific direction. The second offers a new kind of scene, the The Denouement Prompt. While the later was written for an article about found journal games, it can easily be applied to wrap things up after a thrilling Conclusive Conclusion, and is well worth a read.

• “Control Your Adventure With Keyed Scenes”
• MM Vol. 10, pg. 12
• “Solo Adventures In The Style Of Found Journals”
• MM Vol. 46, pg. 34