Three Act Structure

Bazaar, Pursuit and Showdown

To keep sessions concise, stories will follow a simple three act structure. Each Act contains two scenes, separated by a sequel (These are explained in their own sections). This means that each session has the following flow:

SCENE - SEQUEL - SCENE - SCENE - SEQUEL - SCENE - SCENE - SEQUEL - SCENE

The Bazaar

The First Act is called the Bazaar. This is where the players are introduced to the story and the premise and the world. They are here given a certain amount of time to gather research and intel and resources. The Bazaar has a very clear ticking clock, with penalties being accrued based upon time spent gathering resources and information. The players must balance their desire to prepare with the penalties that delaying action generates. The Storyteller will provide a broad sense of the penalty when players ask about obtaining a resource or information. These penalties will take the form of Story Elements (see below). The storyteller will provide the players with either the point value of the element, the primary effect of the element, or the reversal of the element, but not all three. The players will then have to decide if the cost is worth the penalty accrued. Remember that all Story Elements can be reversed (see the Reversals explanation below), and so even these penalties could be used by the players to their Avatar's advantage.

The Pursuit

The Second Act is called The Pursuit. This is where the players have their Avatars pursue the goal of the session, often in the form of a Story Element.

The Showdown

The Third Act is called The Showdown. This is the Grand Finale of the session and the resolution to the story. This is not necessarily the resolution of any overarching Myth Arcs that the Storyteller has been developing. This is the final battle with arch enemy. This is the heist itself after planning and preparation. This is the attack run on the Death Star.