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need Plot Tum II spins the action into the resolution. prepanng 1t for 1ts end. Thts IS a set up for the sequence of Scenes whtch w1ll follow drawmg the story towards rts concluston and solution. Example of Plot Turn I We'll continue our example of a DEA drug bust throughout this section Now lets work on Plot Tum I, which starts with another Cut Scene. It's the convict agam, but 1n this Scene he's talking to the department store owner They're talking about the money they'll get from not only the sale of the drugs but also the insurance money from the burglary The convict leaves With a pile of cash, and a load of coke, conveniently uncut and laced to kill (the store owner has decided to terminate their relationship) The convict parties down for the rest of the evening while taking the drugs That IS, until he's informed that the Main Cast, his 'old buddtes' at the DEA. are wondering who pulled the robbery, and are out looking for htm The Cut Scene ends when the convtct decides to pay our heros a visit, and repay them for notes he believes past due In the fight that ensues. the convict is either killed by one of the Main Cast, or dtes of a drug overdose at the end ofthe Scene. E1therway, the characters find out from the lab that he was fUll of contaminated cocaine. Suddenly there's a connection Who was the convict involved w1th this time? Where are the rest of the drugs? And where are they coming from? The conflict begins. 130 Theatrlx - The Core Rules Example of Plot Turn ll The Troupe now knows how the drugs have been entenng the country, the Involvement of the department store owner, the drug cartel . everything Unfortunately, they can't simply bust everyone The Main Cast has taken the shipment of cocaine away from the bad guys, fmding 1t tnside a cargo of stuffed antmals at the airport However, in retaliation, the bad guys have taken someone special, a loved one or two associated w1th the Matn Cast (possibly someone's husband or ch1ld) Plot Turn ll 1s the Scene tn which the Troupe finds out that the drug kmgptns have taken the hostages, but are wtlling to trade They want their cocaine back, in return for the hostages' lives. If any cops show up to the trade, the Innocent hostages will be killed The trade will, of course, take place at night, inside the department store The Troupe must now get together and decide what will happen from here. How are they going to resolve th1s dilemma? Any way they choose w1ll close thts Episode, hopefully With the bad guys tn Jail, the hostages freed, and the DEA agents tn the newspapers as heroes Planning Because the Actors play such a large role in devel oping every story you'll only be able to sketch out your Plot Turns before you start roleplaying Even these need to be fluid to accommodate the Theatrix system Always be cognizant of the whole plot and the whole story dunng each of your Scenes lmprovtse 1n order to make thmgs
come together, and be prepared for last minute changes. We'll discuss a good way to fluidly prepare for each Episode under the section titled 'Cue Cards', coming up in this chapter. Other Plot Turns Besides the two basic Plot Turns mentioned above, your plots may also contain many other Plot Turns of varying size and importance. These will serve the pur pose of moving the plot forward and keeping the Actors on their toes. These other Plot Turns are always key points in your story where evidence will be discovered, new characters will be introduced, or important actions will occur. How many other Plot Turns should you have? As many as you need to give substance to your plot. This number is going to vary from story to story. Remember to be fluid in your organization. This is an interactive storytelling game. You have your plot, and your Plot Turns to get through, but try not to put time stamps on them. Your Plot Turns are only points in the story. Leave it up to the Actors as to when, or if, you arrive at them. MIDPOINT Halfway through Act II comes the Midpoint. The Midpoint breaks the action of the confrontation into two parts. Your story always moves forward towards some definite goal. The Midpoint gives a place for the action to go after Plot Turn I, and then to leap off from towards Plot Tum II. Knowing the Midpoint is a tool. With it you have a way to focus your plot into a specific line of action. What is the Midpoint? What is this Scene that links the first and second half of the confrontation? It's the swing of the pendulum, the sudden realization, the turning of the table. Confrontation always moves the action from one state to another. For example, from being hunted to becoming the hunter. From ignorance to realization. Or in a tragedy, from the preparation of the trap to the slow closing of the noose. The Midpoint is the Scene at which a critical mass of action, or events, will cause a sudden shift in the nature of the confrontation, from one state, and towards the next. This is the Scene in which the detective starts to get wise to the situation, in which the hero starts to fight back, or in which the victim has taken the bait. Example of the Midpoint Returning to the story of the DEA drug bust, we'll now tackle the Midpoint. This must be the point at which the DEA team will discover how the drugs are being shipped in, and conclusively identify the department store owner as the ring leader. Now all they have to do is stop the drug shipment, then use that evidence to nab the bad guys. The first half of the confrontation will be taken up with trying to unlock the mystery, and with finding out who's responsible. The second half of the confrontation will be taken up with the DEA's offensive, undoing the drug ring, and forcing them into a position where they'll have to take drastic actions. This sets up the story for Plot Turn II, the abductions, and the eventual gunfight in the department store. The Midpoint of our DEA investigation will occur during an award ceremony, in honor of the department store owner, for his civic service to the community. The Troupe has been tailing the store owner, and have made their way to the ceremony. During the ceremony, they'll notice that the dead convict's old girlfriend is now with Mr. 'Community Service'. That doesn't seem right. Here suddenly is the missing connection. The drugs must be coming in through this guy's stores. But how? Maybe the Troupe can break into his offices and search through his shipping records. Or, maybe the convict's old girlfriend would be surprised to find out that her old flame was given contaminated drugs by her new beau. Somehow, the Troupe's going to find out about the stuffed animals coming in from Central America, setting themselves up for the second half of the confrontation. THE PINCH Once you've figured out the dramatic context of each half of your confrontation, you can then provide the content. The dramatic context holds the story in place, while at the same time, moving it forward. All you need is one key Scene to hold together each half of that context. This key Scene is called the Pinch, and there are two, one for each half of the confrontation. The Pinches become the content of Act II. The Plot Turns define the beginning and end of the confrontation. The Midpoint defines the place at which the confrontation turns. The Pinches are the confrontation. The Pinches tie your storyline together and keep it on track. They 'pinch' the confrontation into a single line of story development. Ask yourself first what the context is for each half of Act II, then decide upon the Scene that best captures that dramatic need. These become Pinch I, and Pinch II, respectively. You now have both Plot Turns, the Midpoint, and both Pinches. Decide upon any other Scenes you need to provide Information, or to explore character possibilities, and you're done. Example of Pinch I The context of the first half of Act II is the mystery. How and why did the burglary happen? The Troupe can search out the dead convict's friends and try to get information. Some of them may be scared, and willing to give out a few clues before they're killed. Others may Theatrlx- The Core Rules 131
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()eslan: David Berkman, Trav1s Eneb
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1J [Bll f)f tf)J[1J§ c INTRODUCTIO
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Downtime Pregaming APPLAUSE JELLYBE
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8 Theatrix - The Core Rules
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10 Tlleatr1x - The Core Rules
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Chapter V- Lights ... Camera ... Ac
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pretend to be this other person tha
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¢ A league of super-powered heroes
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c;> her tormenting her employees wi
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edge to their characters (which mea
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Sequence that they're dreammg. The
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edge represented by that number may
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Books If you're creating your own g
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Coordmation is Important in fightin
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¢ A character who can ignite herse
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Example Skills The following page c
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Personality Trait Activation In add
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Ace of Aces -The persona was practi
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Descriptor Activation Like Personal
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CONCEPTION The concept for your cha
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co ; I -i ::::r C'D () 0 ro ::u c:
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Failure, based upon how difficult t
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1:0 Creativity -If the easy solutio
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Easy - Ahh, an old style electronic
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The final Difficulty of such action
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same is really just as true for the
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The first set of ovals deals with w
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many times, and is 'getting ready'
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RANDOMNESS If there are times when
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ecome their own screenwriters. The
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The Plot Pomts earned 1n th1s way s
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However strange this turn of events
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Zero Point Subplots Although it wou
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Page 116 and 117: Research A quick note on research.
Page 118 and 119: UPDATING THE CORE RULES The Theatri
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Page 144 and 145: Theatix 12efeence Sheet A Skill Ran
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