Storytelling in Non-narrative Games

The recent Jar Time got me thinking about how blending different genres together has given some games the ability to tell stories despite not being linear experiences. One of my favorite games of all time is Crusader Kings 2, and that game manages to give me this amazing story despite being an abstracted strategy game with just a map and some character portraits for graphics. The mechanics themselves interact to provide a rich narrative largely because of the RPG elements in the game. I'm often more invested in my characters than I am in big-budget games with complex, intentional narratives and expensive graphics, and I am genuinely sad when they die.

What has been the most fun or interesting narrative you experienced in a typically non-narrative game/genre?

Mount and Blade Warband. It has no real story to speak of, but I feel like it achieves what most rpgs seem to strive for way better than most of the popular titles (I'm mostly thinking of the bethesda games here): creating your own heroes journey, your own tale, leaving your mark in the world.

In Elder scrolls or Fallout, your path is already paved along a boring, cliched story in a world that is centered around you. In MnB, you have to make your own path and try to not get swallowed by all the shit constantly happening around you, which makes it seem that much more significant if you, for example, actually manage to become the lord of your own castle.

I've heard a bit about this game, never played it myself, but your description makes it sound like something I should put on my list to play at some point.

I think a cool game would be - you use a story creation tool...like a MadLib or Magnetic Poetry for making a story.

There are 800 story-creation phrases you only pick 20 character, action, choice 'stems' to fit into of one five story frames. So every time you make up a story you see different elements. Moreover, some story elements only pop up after you have played more than 10 times, more than 20 times, or higher.

However, your choices don't decided what happens in YOUR game, only other people's stories determine your game. So you provide stories in the games to your friends play, and they provide stories to you. And because we all start by making a NEW story there are always stories to play.

Also, the story bit are like Cards Against Humanity, you are supposed to make something WEIRD. So, the game would be M-Rated because like a Mad Lib or Magnetic Poetry you might makes a really twisted story that only adults should see. Imagine Bob Saget's "Aristocrats" as a story.

The "root story" is always you are the son or daughter of a noble house. Various medieval themed life, death, theft, war, marriage, love, rivalry, economic, political, social, or festive events can happen. Along the way the story unfolds and you as the player make choices, and you have to make more choices as the story unfolds as the other person wrote it. Some who looked trustworthy might double cross you. You sister who seemed to be helping you was actually the villain. Everyone who 'seemed' out to get you was really just crabby, the story will all turned out okay - if you don't over-react or get provoked.

Because a thinking person is behind the story...hopefully it turns out better than just random weird shit.

There is truth to the scale of what you are saying but the execution is rough and not as rich with feedback as you would get in a Bethesda game though. And there are not the stories being told moment to moment. But you do have the impact and it feels rather hard earned in the game. There are really almost always forces you have to avoid as well so you certainly don't feel basically more powerful than anything you will run into. It is a simulation vs, like he says, a game centered around you.

There are trade offs both ways but I think Warband is excellent to be clear (with mods it is elevated a lot). I think Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord is the game to look out for with this series because it looks to have more real physical exploration vs time at menus and the graphical and technical fidelity is much improved. But I think M&B has a fantastic combat system and really enjoyable overworld simulation. As they keep developing it, there is a ton of potential. If they can for example give character to the interaction and the lords in the game world that would go a long way. More interaction with your party. It has room to grow.

In the OP @guardingguards brings up Crusader Kings 2 and imagine if M&B could incorporate more elements from that game. I think both have that simulation of powers interacting that leads to changing stories that can develop.

Any time there is a simulation of that type there are storylines that can develop in that way. I think an interesting example that comes to mind for me is sports games. I have always been a big fan of the franchise mode, and in that you basically are setting up or playing out all new storylines in that game through simulation. The players can even be moved around, developed, etc. It mimics real sports in that way, even if there is obviously not the depth.

Crusader Kings 2 is a fantastic shout as far as great narratives in games without narratives. As a writer, I've actually gotten so many ideas just from insane stuff that's happened in play-throughs. My favourite was probably when I had a horrific insane, depressed moron king, the first king who I actively made sure his kids DIDN'T get tutored by - wife died, without thinking I passed tutoring duties to him, and his two daughters over the course of just a few years actually somehow picked up a bunch of positive traits. The eldest came of age, being my best ever monarch stat-wise, and then the king was assassinated. I'll always remember poor old sad, cruel, idiotic insane king who was actually a great father.

Modern XCOM is another one. They have nominal stories, but the kind of narratives you build with your troops is awesome. One thing I like to do now is save my vets to my character pool, not always so that I use them next playthrough, but so when they show up next game I completely change their look and style and pretend it's their child or niece/nephew or something, and make each play-through a generational thing. Sadly the latest one had a campaign-breaking bug, but that's XCOM Baby?

XCOM is a great one, not quite as involved from an emergent narrative perspective as CK2 but nonetheless it manages to tug at your heart strings. Especially true when one of your favorite badasses misses a 99% shot and then gets killed by that bastard next turn, isn't that right Colonel Beauregard!?

I'm currently playing through CK2 as the Iceling dynasty (coolest shield in the game imo -- blue background with a centered white lightning bolt) and right now I'm dealing with my 6 year old heir who somehow inherited a random county in Greece so I can't oversee his education. Despite being one of the most powerful rulers in the world at this point, the game keeps throwing curveballs at me and keeps it all interesting. No one character's story was super interesting, but going from Petty King of Mercia to Emperor was an epic, centuries long tail.