Create branching dialogue that explores and affects character emotions, focusing on a confrontation between the player character (PC) and a close friend who feels betrayed.
1. Define the Betrayal
Choose one of the following scenarios or create your own:
The PC left their friend behind during a dangerous mission, prioritizing their own safety.
The PC broke a promise to help their friend with an important personal matter.
The PC shared a secret their friend had confided in them, resulting in public embarrassment.
2. Set the Scene
Write a brief introduction to the scene where the confrontation takes place. Establish the context and emotional stakes. You can keep this short, a few sentences.
3. Develop the Dialogue Tree
Create a dialogue tree that includes the following elements:
Initial Confrontation
The friend expresses their feelings of betrayal and hurt.
(Don’t make this huge block texts. We’re not writing a book; we’re creating an interactive conversation. We want to get to player choices/decision points quickly.)
Player Responses
Provide at least three decision points where the player can choose different responses. Each decision point should offer at least two responses reflecting different emotional tones or strategies. Here are three branches you can use (or you can create new ones, if you like.)
Apologize Sincerely
Attempt to mend the relationship with a heartfelt apology.
Defend Actions
Justify the PC’s actions and explain their perspective.
Accuse Friend of Overreacting
Suggest that the friend is blowing the situation out of proportion.
4. Branching Outcomes
Each response should lead to a different conversation branch, reflecting the friend's emotional reaction and the impact on their relationship with the PC. Consider the following possible outcomes:
Reconciliation
The friend forgives the PC, and their relationship is restored, possibly even strengthened.
Strained Relationship
The friend accepts the PC's justification but remains wary and hurt.
Complete Falling Out
The friend rejects the PC's explanation, leading to a severe rift in their relationship.
5. Write the Dialogue
Develop the dialogue for each branch, ensuring that the friend’s reactions feel authentic and emotionally resonant. Pay attention to the following:
Emotional Tone
Capture the intensity of the emotions involved in the confrontation.
Character Personality
Ensure the dialogue reflects the personalities of both the PC and the friend.
Dynamic Interaction
Make the conversation dynamic, with the friend’s responses evolving based on the player’s choices.
Laura sits on the couch, hands folded, eyes wet with tears. She stares at you in silent accusation for what feels like forever. Finally, she breaks the silence.
"So," she starts, "when you told me the party was canceled, you lied to me. What you really meant is your friends didn't want me there."
>[[It's not that they didn't want you there...->Deflect]]
>[[I never meant to hurt you.->Apologize]]
>[[Yes, I lied. To protect you.->Confront]]"My friends don't hate you," you explain. "They've just only ever known you as an overachiever. You're smart, serious, and to the point. That intimidates the shit out of them."
She laughs angrily. "They should be intimidated! I bet I'll be way better at their stupid little game than they are."
>[[Give them time to get to know you.->Deflect2]]"I never meant to hurt you, Laura," you say. "I said the game was canceled because I'd rather not go than make you sad."
"Well," she says, throwing her hands up in the air. "I found out anyway! I found out that your friends are all dickweeds!"
>[[Yeah, their behavior sucks.->Apologize2]]Laura stares daggers at you.
You sigh. "They don't know you very well yet--well enough to be vulnerable together. It's not unreasonable to want to hang out with people who you're comfortable with--"
"It *is* unreasonable to be an **asshole**!" she interjects.
>[[The bottom line is I decided I'd rather not go than hurt your feelings.->Confront3]]"What they think doesn't matter," you explain. "If they only meant to invite me, they shouldn't have brought it up in a group setting. And if they made a mistake, they should've explained the situation and apologized."
Laura snorts and shrugs angrily. "They should've, but they're dickweeds!"
>[[You're right, their behavior sucks.->Apologize2]]"What I'm trying to say" you explain, "is that they haven't had a chance to see a different side of you. The playful side."
Laura's expression softens--like her rage has been broken, but she's not quite ready to let go of it.
"I'm not playful! I'll kick their asses."
>[[Honey, Dungeons and Dragons isn't about winning...->Deflect3]]"Dungeons and Dragons isn't about winning." As the words leave your mouth, you do your best to stifle a laugh.
"It's about having an experience together--letting go of the everyday bullshit and embracing a communal fantasy. It requires vulnerability. And if you want people to feel safe with you, you just might have to show a little bit of your own soft underbelly..."
Laura stares poutily in your direction, but you can tell you're making progress.
"My underbelly is super soft," she retorts. "I'm a fucking bunny rabbit!"
>[[Well, maybe they need the opportunity to see that.->Deflect4]]"Maybe we'll invite them all over for game night, have a few glasses of wine, and they can get used to seeing you outside of work, away from the power dynamic. And then they can see you for the fluffy bunny you really are."
"Whatever." Laura replies, her face contorted in a fake pout trying it's hardest to hide the hint of a grin. You stare at her for several quiet moments, wielding the most patient smile you can muster.
"Fine. Maybe." The grin breaks free from its icy tomb.
"Who's my little fluffy bunny?" you manage to eke out, as a couch pillow pelts you in the face.She shakes her head. “How does pretending like everything’s okay when your friends secretly hate me, protect me?”
>[[My friends don’t don’t hate you.->Deflect]]
>[[What was I supposed to say? "They never meant to invite you?"->Confront2]]
>[[The reality is that what they think doesn’t matter.->Console]]Laura nods at you, wholly unimpressed. "Their behavior sucks because they're dickweeds."
You sigh gently and begin the gentle work of mending fences.
>[["I'm not here to defend them, but...-> Apologize3]] "Listen," you say. "I'm not here to defend them--"
"So don't!" she retorts, staring daggers into your soul.
"My friends aren't bad people. They just haven't had a chance to get to know you outside of work. When they do, I think you'll really get along."
She pouts silently into a pillow.
>[[I'm sorry, honey. I wish they'd handled this differently.->Apology4]]"I think the way they handled this was shitty. They should've just taken a chance to get to know you."
Laura sighs, and her expression softens.
"It's not your fault your friends aren't as evolved as you. It just.. sucks to be excluded. And what kind of friends would put you in the middle like that anyway?"
You nod. "It was a shitty thing to do. But that's why I said I wasn't going. And now they know that if they want to keep hanging out with either of us, they need to be a lot more thoughtful about how they invite us to things--and a lot more considerate of your feelings.
After a few moments, she pats gently at the empty couch cushion beside her. You slowly cross the room and sit beside her.
Laura leans against your shoulder and sighs. The tension that once permeated the air slowly ebbs away.She sighs, and her body language softens slightly.
"Honey," you say gently, "I'm sorry my friends suck at navigating social situations. They should've explained the miscommunication and apologized. And then you could've decided whether you even wanted to go in the first place. But now that neither of us are going, maybe they'll learn there are consequences to not communicating like an adult."
Laura looses an abrasive laugh. "You'd think they'd be better at that if they sit around pretending to be elves all day or whatever."
>[[You're absolutely right. ->Confront4]]You cross the room and sit gingerly on the couch beside Laura. She stares into a pillow with her face locked in something of a disappointed pout.
"Maybe next time, they won't be such idiots, and they'll invite you from the start."
Laura gives a derisive chuckle. "Assuming I even want to play with them next time."
"That's totally reasonable," you reply. "You don't have to. The funny thing is, I bet you'd actually have a lot of fun. At least, if you weren't playing with such shitheads."
At long last, Laura grins. It's a slow, reluctant thing--yet already the tension that's been wound up in your shoulders begins to ease. Finally you begin to sense that, in time, everything is going to be all right.