Judgement of Locke: Chapter 3
Added 2024-09-27 16:45:24 +0000 UTC
Chapter 3 is now out! It's nice having a backlog of something to post even if I've stalled on Villain Tamer. (And Pocket Monster University. And Last Warlock. And does Game Night count? Hoo boy...)
Last week, I mentioned story engines in passing, saying that Locke has a great one, but didn't actually explain what that meant. I picked up the term way, way back reading an AV Club article about LImitless. Not the movie, the TV show, which I thought was fun but only lasted for a single season. The show's creators talked about how any tv show needs a story engine, a setup that lets you come back to it week after week with fresh ideas. Isekai is a story engine. Star Trek is a particularly brilliant story engine. Best show of all time Columbo, now there's a story engine.
Essentially, you're never starting from zero. When you sit down to write an episode of Columbo, you already have the sketch on the page. A rich and powerful person will murder someone, cover up their tracks, and Columbo will investigate, build a relationship with the murderer, accumulate clues, increase the drama, and then you end with the Columbo finally nailing the criminal. Roll credits.
It happens every episode, but it still stayed fresh. And not to say that you can't include serialized elements or longer story arcs within a story engine, but you've got that sturdy framework to support you.
In the case of Judgement of Locke, the story engine goes like this: The goddesses decide on a contest, the contest plays out, it's up to Locke to judge the results, and then a bit of a break before the next contest rolls around. So simple! Though unlike those old fashioned tv shows, things are never going to reset to zero in Locke. As the contests continue, things will keep getting more and more chaotic. But having that North Star of the story engine makes it basically impossible to get stuck on the plot, because one thing always naturally leads into the next.
Anyways, enjoy the chapter!
Comments
Thank you for the chapter, sorry to hear you're a bit stuck with villan tamer, I was really looking forward to it, if you're taking suggestions.... How about a short chapter or vignette from the AI in eye's point of view? A small recap or slice of life from her perspective? Just a thought in case you wanted it...
Rhys
2024-09-28 00:02:10 +0000 UTC
