Since I still do a fair amount of tabletop gaming, I tend to like character-driven stories, so the growth of the participating characters is a major part of judging how good the story is for me.

Static characters are not interesting to me, so I like to see how the plot changes the personalities, behaviors, desires, and goals of the players involved. How does the Forsaken or the Death Knight character respond to the death of Arthas and the sudden completion of the goal they had so single-mindedly pursued? How does the Paladin character change when they look at everything that was sacrificed? What do Humans, Dwarves, and Gnomes do with their new-found knowledge of their races' origins? If one character's story ends (through, say, death or exile), how does that ending affect the other characters in the story?

It's definitely one of those situations where one might say, "I can't tell you what makes a good story, but I'd know one if I saw one." An event that makes one story impressive would make another feel contrived. An action that is compelling when done by one person would seem bizarre and out of character when done by another. There isn't really a set formula.

Reply