WRPGs vs. JRPGs: The Art of Story Telling

[Scoobes]

Not sure I agree with the simplicity you describe the story telling in WRPGs. JRPGs tend to tell a very linear story, which like you said, reveals titbits of information and as long as the story is good and maintains its air of mystery, drives you to continue. You keep playing because the story is being told to you and you want to find out what happens next. Someone else is telling their story to you.

In WRPGs, you tend to make the story as you go along which is why the story can sometimes seem a bit simplistic at times. You decide who follows you through your actions and choices. You decide the outcome of the all the details in the story. Yet they can still have that complicated and mysteriousness (see SW: KoToR, Mass Effect or Deus Ex) even whilst you seemingly influence the story.

If you look at open world RPGs like Oblivion or Fallout 3, the story isn't just the main story, but the stories you choose to involve yourself in, and the outcomes depend on the actions you take during the game. You don't even have to play the main story, your own main story could be your quest to be an assassin. One of my friends played Oblivion and only did the thieves guild quests, and that for him was his main story of the game.

In WRPGs, you enjoy the influence you exert over the directions the story can take. In JRPGs you're enjoying the story being told.