Quote from: Cranewings;411106In the Feng Shui rule book, the author says something like, "We keep telling the same stories over and over not because we can't think of new ones, but because those are the best stories."

(Setting the notion of "story" aside ) I completely agree: what "best" may mean (that could be "most significant", "most entertaining" or whatnot), the Classics come back in our games for a reason.

Quote from: ggroy;411119From the book "20 Master Plots (and How to Build Them)".

(It's a book on generic fiction writing).

Okay, but let's not be too generic here. "Explore the Tower of the Wizard" is a good example, as is "Defend the Village from the Orcs". "Search for McGuffin" isn't so good. I want more details than that. Less technical, more specific.

An old man with a treasure map walks into the tavern, looking for a band of dauntless adventures.

A big, scary monster (typically a dragon) is burning the crops, eating the livestock, demanding a tribute in gold (or virgins, or whatever) and/or generally making a nuisance of himself. A local noble or burgher hires the PCs to do some monster-slaying.

One or more PCs framed for a crime (usually theft or murder) they didn't commit, and now the PCs have to clear their name, catch the real wrongdoer and find out who's behind the conspiracy.

Just to poke fun...

We have this tremendously impressive castle filled with really wonderfully powerful knights, wizards and assassins should you get out of line.  I myself am called the Fire King Dragon Slayer, because I wield the fire of the 100 dragons I've slain.  But we really need you 1st level adventurers to go stop that orcish invasion, slay the evil wizard and save my kingdom because as you can see I'm just so gosh darn busy!

Mind you that's more a poke at video games but it holds true all the same...

Quote from: kryyst;411134Just to poke fun...

We have this tremendously impressive castle filled with really wonderfully powerful knights, wizards and assassins should you get out of line.  I myself am called the Fire King Dragon Slayer, because I wield the fire of the 100 dragons I've slain.  But we really need you 1st level adventurers to go stop that orcish invasion, slay the evil wizard and save my kingdom because as you can see I'm just so gosh darn busy!

Mind you that's more a poke at video games but it holds true all the same...

No, I've played that setting too many times. It is why I run such low level worlds. I always hated playing FR back in the day, knowing there are three arch mages living in town, though they won't help us even though there isn't anything else going on.

Quote from: The Butcher;411133An old man with a treasure map walks into the tavern, looking for a band of dauntless adventures.

A big, scary monster (typically a dragon) is burning the crops, eating the livestock, demanding a tribute in gold (or virgins, or whatever) and/or generally making a nuisance of himself. A local noble or burgher hires the PCs to do some monster-slaying.

One or more PCs framed for a crime (usually theft or murder) they didn't commit, and now the PCs have to clear their name, catch the real wrongdoer and find out who's behind the conspiracy.

Good stuff.