History Literature / HamletsHitPoints

* TastesLikeDiabetes:[[invoked]] Discussed as a possible outcome of too many upward beat resolutions (i.e. ones that make us hope for the characters).

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy:[[invoked]] Discussed as a possible outcome of too many downward beat resolutions (i.e. ones that make us fear for the characters).

* InnocuouslyImportantEpisode: Well-written Pipes are this in little. Ideally, the audience doesn't even register them as beats until much later, and they are often additionally wrapped into a more obvious Procedural or Dramatic beat to conceal their importance.

* GenreTurningPoint:[[invoked]] Discussed in the pen-and-paper context, specifically the U-turn away from extremely elaborate and complex {{Game System}}s towards radically simpler ones, exemplified by ''TabletopGame/OverTheEdge'' in TheNineties.

* ContinuityCreep: In "Surprised by Story", Laws argues that narrative crept into the TabletopRPG medium, as an unbidden and unintended side effect of inventing ExperiencePoints: if not for them, each PlayerCharacter's slate would be wiped clean after every dungeon, precluding any meaningful CharacterDevelopment and with it, any storytelling.

* ContinuityCreep: In "Surprised by Story", Laws argues that narrative crept into the TabletopRPG as a medium unbidden, as an unintended side effect of the persistence of ExperiencePoints: if not for them, each PlayerCharacter's slate would be wiped clean after every dungeon, precluding any meaningful CharacterDevelopment.

* SlidingScaleOfPlotVersusCharacters: This belies the dichotomy of the two most common beats: Procedural beats advance the external plot, while the Dramatic beats facilitate internal CharacterDevelopment. Laws explicitly mentions that works of fiction consisting primarily of Dramatic beats are of little interest to gaming fans.

* YouAllMeetInAnInn: This default intro to a DungeonCrawling adventure is used as a first example to demonstrate the beat analysis in action.

''Hamlet's Hit Points'' is a 2010 non-fiction book by Creator/RobinLaws consisting of three key parts:

''Hamlet's Hit Points'' is a 2010 book by Creator/RobinLaws consisting of three key parts:

* "Beat Analysis", wherein Laws postulates his theory of narrative beats and identifies nine basic types

* Three detailed case studies applying his theory to ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', ''Film/DrNo'', and ''Film/{{Casablanca}}''

* CharacterDevelopment: Mainly occurs via Dramatic beats, according to Laws theory, wherein one character attempts to exert a measure of emotional control over another (or themselves). In doing so or failing to, they both reveal things about themselves and evolve as individuals.
* ContinuityCreep: In "Surprised by Story", Laws argues that narrative crept into the TabletopRPG medium as a whole unbidden, as an unintended side effect of the persistence of ExperiencePoints: if not for them, each PlayerCharacter's slate would be wiped clean after every dungeon, precluding any meaningful CharacterDevelopment.

* {{Foil}}: The book examines the concept in great depth, splitting it into Procedural and Dramatic variations. A procedural foil is a character whose admiration of the protagonist and/or incompetence highlights the latter's awesomeness (such as Felix Leiter to James Bond). A dramatic foil is a character who embodies either the choices the audience hopes the protagonist will make ("angelic foil", e.g. Obi-Wan to Luke) or the choices we fear they'll make ("demonic foil", e.g. Darth Vader). Interestingly, Laws argues against making player characters foils of each other, as it is hard enough for most players to manage their own character arc on the fly, let alone two or more at the same time.

* SlidingScaleOfPlotVersusCharacters: This belies the dichotomy of the two most common beats: Procedural beats advance the external plot, while the Dramatic beats facilitate internal CharacterDevelopment. Laws explicitly mentions that works consisting primarily of Dramatic beats are of little interest to gaming fans.

* FandomHeresy:[[invoked]] Discussed in regards to role-players, specifically the ur-schism between [[TheRealMan efficient strategists]] and [[TheRealRoleplayer character actors]].

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Discussed as a possible outcome of too many downward beat resolutions (i.e. ones that make us fear for the characters).
* ExecutiveMeddling: Discussed in regards to the reasons why mainstream blockbusters often fail to deliver cohesive stories: Laws argues that their producers and executives have trained themselves to view narrative as just the glue to hold various Gratification beats together.
* FandomHeresy: Discussed in regards to role-players, specifically the ur-schism between [[TheRealMan efficient strategists]] and [[TheRealRoleplayer character actors]].

* GenreTurningPoint: Discussed in the pen-and-paper context, specifically the U-turn away from extremely elaborate and complex {{Game System}}s towards radically simpler ones, exemplified by ''TabletopGame/OverTheEdge'' in TheNineties.

* TastesLikeDiabetes: Discussed as a possible outcome of too many upward beat resolutions (i.e. ones that make us hope for the characters).
* YouAllMeetAtAnInn: This default intro to a DungeonCrawling adventure is used as a first example to demonstrate the beat analysis in action.