Consider a story arc.
So how would you start it all off?
Would you use your characters back story as a means of establishing the setting or have them come together as the conflict began?
How did you handle this or how did it work out?
Wow. I appreciate the question, but the answer may turn into an essay. And for that, I apologize in advance. (In fact, this may be only "part one" of that essay…)
First of all, the original question that began this thread was concerned about how to address an ongoing serial. My suggestion about how to write a planned, serialized set of stories, is best handled though a pre-determined story arc. And I felt the invasion of the Kafer at Aurore fit that criterion perfectly. As the “writer,” I knew from the background information given in
2300AD the date the Kafer attacked the planet, that Earth would eventually counter-attack, would eventually drive the Kafer starships from orbit, and strand thousands of Kafer on the planet “behind enemy lines.” All the player characters had to do was hold out long enough for relief forces to drive off the threat they faced, whether the players knew that or not.
Could you plan a story arc for the
Bayren supplement, for example? Absolutely! It’s just you would have to do most of the work. GDW didn’t do much of the heavy lifting in
Bayren. There are a few story ideas in
Bayren, which is about a deep space exploration vessel dedicated to finding its way to the Seven Sisters star grouping, and its adventures in route and once they arrive. But there were only three “adventures,” (I believe,) in the supplement. Could you write more? Certainly.
But what I feel is essential for a story arc, which makes for a compelling series, is you have to be working towards an ending you have already previously determined.
A couple of TV series are excellent examples of a story arc reaching a climax. Both
Babylon 5 and the new
Battlestar Galactica were both envisioned, at their inception, to end at a climax. Once the heroes defeated the “shadows” in
Babylon 5, and once the Battlestar Galactica reached Earth, their stories were essentially over. (
Babylon 5’s spin-off sequel only had a dozen episodes, and
Battlestar Galactica’s prequel was cancelled after only one season.)
I felt the “first invasion” of Aurore supplied that ultimate ending – humanity would eventually counter-attack, and relieve the colony. I’m not sure
Bayren, as written, did. After they reach the Seven Sisters, is that it? Is that the climax of the story arc? To me, that seemed anticlimactic.
The original question was asking advice on how to handle a serialized story. My suggestion is to create a story arc with a clear beginning and ending. I feel this served me well, because I knew, (and the players easily inferred,) there was a goal to work towards, regardless of how long it might take to achieve. And when you eventually reach that conclusion, the payoff is tremendous.