🔥Branching

How to design with branching in mind

Players want to know that their action (or inaction) matters. Without consequences players will disengage. "Branching" is a way to communicate consequences.

There are three ways to do this in Conducttr:

1. Multiple Master Events Lists (MELs)

2. Pattern of Life (PoL) stax

3. Impersonation

Multiple Master Events Lists

You can use MultiMELs as a way to create "branching" in exercises.

Add another MEL by clicking the +:

When should I add more than 1 MEL?

1. to add additional narrative and challenges to the exercise (e.g. if players are handling the main exercise too comfortably)

2. to extend the usefulness of an exercise by adding optional MELs for specific departs (e.g. the "legal MEL" if the lawyers take part in the exercise).

3. to take the exercise in a new direction to show players a consequence (e.g. paid ransom, didn't pay ransom)

To find more about multiple MELs in the Facilitator Dashboard, visit the page below:

Multiple Master Events Lists

Different Pattern of Life stax

Another way to achieve "branching" in exercises is to use different PoL stax. This can be effective if you want to simulate different online reactions depending on player choices and avoid using several MELs.

In this example, players will experience a totally different response on social media based on a public speech:

To find out more about Pattern of Life, visit the page below:

Pattern of Life (PoL)

Impersonation

Impersonation can also be a method of "branching". EXCON can shape how the scenario reacts and changes by roleplaying a stakeholder and communicating with the player or in the exercise to signal the impact of player choices.

To enable impersonation, you'll need to assign positions (which act as a link between players and personas).

To find out more about impersonation and assigning positions, visit the page below:

Impersonation

Responsiveness matters

Responsive design simulates a "choose-your-own-adventure" story, which is highly engaging for players.

When players experience the impact of their positive or negative choices, lessons are more likely to be remembered - experiential learning is the most powerful.

Benefits of responsive design

• Encourages decision ownership

• Improves exercise debriefs

• Increases emotional investment