Game sessions and monomyths

Recently my roleplaying group has finished playing a system and we started to discuss some theories of roleplaying games. We discussed a few topics, one of which I discussed last time, but one idea that stood out to me was the realisation that most game sessions, not just the overall story arch, follow the structure of the monomyth.

Let me explain.

Monomyth - the hero's journey

Monomyth, also known as hero's journey is a template of a category of tales that involve a hero who goes on an adventure, in a decisive crisis wins a victory, and then comes home changed or transformed. You can see the monomyth structure appear in all sorts of stories, from Lord of the Rings and the Neverending story, A New Hope and the Matrix.

While this structure often applies to the overarching story of the hero (Link facing off against Ganon to save Zelda, Vault Dweller going into the wasteland to save Vault 13, etc.), the same pattern can also be seen in an individual adventure.

Monomyth adventure

Here is a typical chart of what the hero's journey looks like:

Now let's compare it to a typical adventure you can find in say, D&D:

1) Call to adventure - the party finds a map leading to the nearest dungeon, they decide to investigate.
2) Assistance - the group gathers its supplies and gears up.
3) Departure - the adventurers set off to explore the dungeon and they venture into it.
4) Trials - the heroes have to face off against monsters that infest the dungeon, deal with traps and so on.
5) Approach - after clearing most of the dungeon, the party approaches the final chamber.
6) Crisis - the group has to fight the biggest baddest monster in the dungeon.
7) Treasure - after defeating the main baddie, the adventurers plunder the dungeon's treasury.
8) Result - dungeon is cleared, time to head back.
9) Return - the party returns to the town laden with their spoils.
10) New Life - the adventurers celebrate their victory, enjoying their newfound wealth.
11) Resolution - the heroes reflect on how the journey has changed them and what new adventures lay ahead of them as they look forward to the next adventure and the next turn of the monomyth cycle.

The same cycle applies whether you're D&D adventurers exploring a dungeon, shadowrunners hacking into a corporate system, or lightsabre-wielding scifi ronins blowing up a space station.

The overarching story of your campaign might be a large monomyth where characters go from being nobodies to saving the world, but each adventure along the way could also share a similar cycle.

Circles within circles.