A story can be filled with tension, memorable characters, and meaningful themes, but still lack something essential: the feeling of forward motion. In storytelling, this principle is called “movement.” Movement is the sense that the story is progressing, that each moment brings the audience closer to a conclusion. It’s an intuitive feeling that the story is advancing, pulling players along with it. This guide explores the elements of movement, how to create it effectively, and why it’s crucial for keeping players invested in your game.

Understanding Movement in Storytelling

Movement is a sense of progression that’s noticeable to the audience. This doesn’t mean that every single scene needs to bring characters closer to a resolution, but each event should contribute meaningfully to the story as a whole. Without movement, the story starts to feel like it’s stalling. Characters might seem to drift aimlessly, or the plot may appear cluttered with irrelevant events. Even moments of intense action or drama can feel empty if they don’t seem to serve a larger purpose in the narrative.

The concept of movement isn’t new; it can be traced back to Aristotle’s Poetics, which describes the importance of each story part being essential to the whole. If events can be removed without altering the story’s impact, they’re often unnecessary distractions. In modern terms, these would be called “filler” or “side quests” that contribute little to the main story arc. When movement is present, however, players feel that every encounter and discovery is purposeful, guiding them closer to an anticipated end.

Setting Player Expectations

Establishing clear expectations for players is a powerful way to build movement into a story. Players need two pieces of information to judge their progress:

Establishing the Scenario Goal and Win Conditions

Players should understand the scenario’s primary goal and what conditions must be met to achieve a successful ending. This doesn’t mean they need to know every twist along the way, but they should be clear on the stakes and understand the conditions for achieving success. A story without a clear destination often feels like it’s wandering around aimlessly, as events don’t seem to approach any meaningful end point. By defining the end goal, you prevent the game from feeling aimless, giving players a clear sense of purpose and direction.

Setting the Expected Pace for Reaching the Scenario Goal

As a game master, it’s also important to establish player expectations regarding how quickly they might progress toward the scenario goal. Players often expect a certain pace for reaching the end goal and will judge each scene’s contribution to progress. If the narrative lingers too long without moving forward, scenes can start to feel slow, boring, and disconnected from the overarching purpose. Players may begin to feel impatient, waiting for the real story to resume.

Adapting Movement When the Narrative Shifts Unexpectedly

To sustain a feeling of movement, even when plot twists change the players’ expectations, it’s essential to reorient them towards the scenario goal in a way that keeps the story moving. When a twist shifts the narrative throughline or complicates the path forward, it’s important to make sure players don’t feel that the story has veered off course but rather that it’s advancing faster than expected.

Adjusting Player Expectations When the Throughline Takes a Surprising Turn

Players usually develop an idea of how the story will progress and often anticipate a certain speed of movement along the throughline. If a twist suddenly redefines their understanding of the story’s trajectory – such as a shortcut to the goal or an unexpected revelation that brings them closer – this can create excitement and a renewed sense of urgency. By keeping the players’ expectations in mind and tying surprises back to the main goal, you keep movement strong while adding depth and layers to the narrative.

Making False Leads Productive Rather Than Regressive

It can be particularly frustrating for players to feel they’ve made progress only to discover through a twist that they haven’t. Red herrings or failed attempts can threaten movement if they appear to waste players’ efforts and reverse their perceived progress. When players realize that scenes they thought were moving the story forward were, in fact, misleading, it’s easy for them to feel disappointed and stalled.

To counteract this, use false leads to introduce new information. For instance, if players follow a lead that turns out to be false, make it fruitful by having it reveal another clue or insight, maybe not on scenario, but on campaign level – at least reveal a seed. Alternatively, a false lead could backfire and put players in a situation that escalates the conflict to the antagonist’s advantage. For example, if they challenged the villain too early, the player characters could be taken captive, important allies could side with the villain, or the player characters might end up on the run. These twists keep the story dynamic and introduce new plot opportunities, allowing players to keep moving forward with a renewed sense of purpose.

The Value of Movement in RPG Storytelling

These insights, inspired by a 2022 article by Chris Winkle on mythcreants.com, highlight the essential role of movement in RPG storytelling, ensuring that each step of the journey is as rewarding as the destination itself. The bottom line is that players should always feel events are relevant, no matter where they are in the story. When movement is thoughtfully integrated into your campaign, each scene and choice feels like it contributes meaningfully toward a greater narrative goal.