Useful in writing RPG adventures especially for time strapped this can spark ideas.

I'm writing this review just to laugh at the idiocy of the review written by Maury B. As Jim B. mentions, THIS is a trimmed down version of a well respected treatise written in 1895. That version was intended to help playwrights generate ideas to help create good intriguing dramatic stories for stage and theater.

INTERESTINGLY, 1895 is ALSO precisely when the original American feminists started rolling up their sleeves and (rightfully) demanding fair treatment under the Constitution, as God's law dictates. THOSE feminists knew the value of being a strong female and sought to elevate femininity in general, as opposed to today's anti-feminist feminists, who've got their heads screwed on backwards and think that femininity is a curse.

The truly gut-ripping hilarious aspect of all of this, is that even if today's overly sensitive 'snowflakes' can't handle the idea of a well-centered female thoroughly enjoying the idea of being rescued by a big strong handsome knight in shiny armor... the true intention of THIS book was to stimulate your mind. If this book has offended you... then it has accomplished its goal. That is its entire purpose in existence. :D :D :D

Write some NEW story lines. ACTUALLY, before you declare yourself an official torch bearing new age playwright for the ‘woke’ generation.. I highly suggest that you study the field and human nature in general first. I’ve seen a handful of ‘woke’ RPG content coming out over the last few years, and most of it flops horribly.. not because people hate its wokeness, but because it sucks. I’ve even commented on a few of them to try to help.. but it’s kind of like trying to tell a fish how to plant potatoes.

THIS version is intended as a simple, easy and ultra-quick reference guide. If anyone actually wants to do a scholarly study on the actual content, then you really should get ahold of the original English translation and study that. Then you could make an actual informed opinion to present to the public. I'm looking at you, Maury.

These dramatic situations are all violent and include things like rape, sexual assault, and kidnapping. They assume the woman is the one needing rescuing or has betrayed a man. They are very "old school" and do not reflect diversity or inclusion.

This is a copy-and-paste job on the century-old English translation, except it's just the headings. The one-page introduction slapped onto this version can be summed up as "Pick one of these situations." This document adds nothing to the original.

Do a web search for Georges Polti Thirty Six Dramatic Situations and you'll find the full text. Reading a 100-year-old English translation of a 19th-century French work about classic (mostly Greek or French) literature can still present some challenges, but at least you'll have the full text if you want to read more.

Your web search should also turn up articles that will help you put the "36 Dramatic Situations" to use, although generally from a fiction writer's perspective, not from an RPG perspective.

Whichever source you use, keep in mind that these are situations, not plot outlines. Suppose you go with the sixteenth situation ("Madness"). You find that you need a Madman and a Victim. Suppose you pick variant B ("Disgrace Brought Upon Oneself Through Madness"). In this stripped-down version, that's all you get. If you use the full text, you'll get Polti's discussion of the topic, but it's still not going to help you with inciting incidents, plot points, encounters, or possible goals.

If you can run with "Madness" and "Disgrace Brought Upon Oneself Through Madness," this document may be enough for you. If you want to get more understanding of what Polti meant by those things, dig up the full text. If you want more help and inspiration to turn this seed into a fun adventure, neither this document nor the full text are enough.

More for writers then for RPG module creators as it just gives the basic plot or subplots of all novels. If you are a hack and slash creator then this will not be very helpful. If you are going for a more twisted plot it can prove very helpful.

Hmm. Back in drama school I only learned there was 12 universal plots. But this is a good way to plots your plots. And each plot has a half dozen or more variations listed. And of course you can add two or three togeather to really confuse by giving several goals or things to be done at the same time. Of course most people will have no idea of what to do with it, as it only gives the outline of the plot, not the names, details and stats. That's modern education for you.