The purpose of the book is to stimulate ideas and inspiration. It’s a small catalog of participatory transmedia storytelling experiences intended to remind, suggest, provoke and inspire creators.
2. Transmedia Playbook
TM
You are free to share this book in it’s entirety and free
to reuse/remix all text, illustrations and icons under the
Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike agreement.
The photographic images have been licensed by
us and can’t be remixed or used alone, so please
don’t share or remix them unless part of this book.
This edition first published June 2014 by
Transmedia Storyteller Ltd.
www.conducttr.com
Design by Eleanor Mathieson
3. Transmedia Playbook
TM
How to use this Playbook
Use this playbook when you’re stuck for ideas. If you want to do something fun but don’t
know where to start or if the client puts you on a deadline to propose an experience, use
this book as quick reference guide. This book will stimulate ideas and provide structure
to your thinking.
Each example story has three sections:
• Platforms – how this particular example is delivered
• Format – the participation tropes and experience characteristics
• Story – an example of how the format might be used
• Building blocks – the steps used to create the experience.
Note that the building blocks relate specifically to implementation in Conducttr but
could be used to implement in some other way if you prefer not to use the convenience
of Conducttr. To make it even easier, we’ve created template projects for most of the
stories here so you can create a new, original project and speed up the implementation
by working from one of those public templates.
How you can help
If you like this playbook and find it helpful, you can help the community of transmedia
storytellers by sharing it widely and by sending us your examples for possible inclusion
in the next release of this book. If your work is included in the next playbook, we will of
course credit you accordingly! Finally, if you’re a Conducttr author, remember that you
can even create your own templates too.
Introduction
The purpose of this book is to stimulate ideas and inspiration. It’s a small catalogue of
participatory transmedia storytelling experiences intended to remind, suggest, provoke
and inspire creators.
What is Transmedia Storytelling?
Transmedia storytelling is telling a story across multiple platforms, preferably allowing
audience participation, such that each successive platform heightens the audience’
enjoyment.
Note the use of “platform” instead of “media”. Video is a media while YouTube is a
platform. Text is another media but the platform could be SMS, a book, a blog and so
on. With this stricter definition, a multimedia website does not represent transmedia
storytelling unless it’s part of some larger, multi-platform experience.
Not all multi-platform projects are examples of transmedia storytelling and usually it’s
because the same content has been repurposed rather than each platform delivering
unique content.
What’s a Format?
We’ve defined format to mean a combination of experience characteristics and frequently
used participation mechanisms (which we’ve called participation tropes).
Our definition of transmedia storytelling encompasses many types of projects. It can
therefore be useful to think in terms of how the audience experience is shaped such as
the use of time, the use of place, whether the experience is intended to be enjoyed alone
or with others and so on. Working with these experience characteristics we start to create
a format – a certain classification of experience defined by the relationship between the
creator and the audience.
In addition to the characteristics, we see commonly used mechanisms or ways of
interacting with an audience such as a treasure hunt or voting and we refer to these as
participation tropes.
For example, if you build a twitter experience in which the audience has to make a decision
by voting, the experience characteristics would be Scheduled, because you open and
close the voting process at a certain period of time and Multiplayer because the audience
will work together and vote as a community. In this case, our participation tropes is
You Decide which we have created to describe a branching narrative that depends on a
community decision.
4. Transmedia Playbook
TM
JOURNEY
LOCATION (on and offline)
PERSPECTIVE
SHARING
Follow Up
Character waits for a delay period after an initial reply and then
re-contacts the audience with additional or conflicting information
Intercepted Communication
Audience contacts one character and gets a reply from another
Lock and Key
Audience must first contact one character who holds the key to unlock
information from a second
Check-in
Audience must go to a location in order to unlock information
Treasure Hunt
Audience goes from place to place gathering information
Video Cues
Audience discovers information in a video to send to a character
Alternative View
Audience gets two or more unfolding stories each with a unique but
related perspective
Personality Test
Audience answers questions to get different information according to
their answers
Pass it On
Ask the audience to bring someone else into the experience
AVAILABILITY
Participation Tropes
Locked Out
Audience is unable to access information for the period of a delay
Closed Out to Lunch
Character availability is limited by time of day and day of week
00:01 Time Limit
Information is available for a certain period of time
COUNTS
EXCLUSIVITY
Three Strikes and You’re Out
Audience is allowed a limited number of interactions after which
information or choices are unavailable
Flock to Unlock
Content is published after a specific number of people have interacted
You Decide
Narrative branches depending on majority community behavior
First Come, First Served
Only the first batch of people to respond correctly get the information
Personal Locker
Personalized web-based content is made available based on
interactive choices
VIP
5. Transmedia Playbook
TM
Index
HEAD OR HEART? 10
WATCH DAWGS 12
SECRET IDENTITY 14
BOND PARTY 16
GHOST STORY 18
FIND ME A LOVER 20
TIME FOR TEA 22
SATISFY THE ORACLE 24
LOVERS INTERCEPTED 26
PRISON BREAK 28
MASQUERADE BALL 30
PARTY LOVER 32
GOOD vs EVIL 34
OAK TOWN MYSTERY 36
ZOMBIE OUTBREAK 38
WANT TICKETS? 40
FULL MOON 42
STYLE BUDDIES 44
Characteristics
Branching Narrative
Audience is able to choose between different fixed sequences of interaction
Interactive
The content and information is delivered depending on audience interaction
Exclusivity
Audience gains access to exclusive content
Solo Player
The story is individual and the result depends on each audience member
Multiplayer
The experience depends on community interaction
Personalized
Audience receives personalized content
Physical Objects
The experience requires interaction with a physical object
Plays With Time
The experience depends on time periods, delays or deadlines
2July
Scheduled
The content is published at a specific date and time
PACING
PERSONALIZATION
REAL WORLD
STORY STRUCTURE
N
S
EW Real Places
The experience is dependent on a physical place
PLAY STYLE
Open World
Audience has greatest freedom because there is no fixed sequence of interaction
2July
N
S
EW
Closed
VIP
2July
Closed
2July
N
S
EW
6. Transmedia PlaybookTM
1110
HEAD or HEART
Facebook | Blog
STORY
Kala is confused because she’s torn between two guys. She needs to decide whether to
follow her heart or follow her head. She will make up her mind at the end of the week!
She asks her Facebook friends to help her decide and they vote for head or heart “Help
me decide! Should I follow my heart or my head?”
During the week Kala tells the friends how she’s swaying based on the collective opinion
but they will need to wait until the final day to see which triumphs!
At the end of the week, Kala makes her decision according to the most popular opinion
and publishes the whole dramatic experience on her blog!
BUILDING BLOCKS
Publish call-to-action
Use Date & Time Trigger with
Facebook Post
Maintain the count
Use two Change Value actions to
increment the Project attributes
head and heart
Listen for mentions of “head”
and “heart”
Use two Facebook Triggers - one for
“head” and one for “heart”
At the deadline publish the result
Use Date & Time Trigger at the
decision deadline. Use Condition
head >= heart to publish the “head
won” and Condition head < heart to
publish “heart won”
2July
7. Transmedia PlaybookTM
1312
WATCH DAWGS
Video | SMS | Location
STORY
CCTV cameras across the city reveal vital clues and story details that unravel the mystery
of what happened to Tony Vargas. Tony, a local charity worker and school soccer coach,
disappeared 3 days ago.
You play as a vigilante hacker with the mission to find out who took Tony and why.
Starting from one location, players need to locate a number of CCTV cameras and possible
witnesses scattered across the city.
Each CCTV camera has a code beneath it and witnesses wear a code on an armband.
Texting the CCTV code sends a link to video footage of what happened from the
perspective of that camera sometime in the past 3 days.
Texting witness codes results in either a phone call to listen in to past conversations or
a warning that the hacking intrusion has been detected! Detection results in the CCTV
footage being scrambled for 15 minutes.
BUILDING BLOCKS
Hack a CCTV camera
Use SMS Trigger with matchphrase
matching unique camera code to
send SMS with link to video
Notify player that CCTV footage
is no longer blocked
Use Publish Trigger connected to
delayed notification SMS to remove
player from hacked agent Group
Hack an agent and detected
Add player to the hacked agent
Group that corresponds to the
nearby CCTV
N
S
EW
8. Transmedia PlaybookTM
1514
SECRET IDENTITY
Twitter | YouTube
STORY
The mysterious rebel and secretive anti-hero “The Mystic Mask” will finally reveal his real
identity when 500 people @message him on Twitter the phrase “#rememberthe5th”
“The Mystic Mask” (@antiheroeofalltimes) tweets: “If I get 500 replies with
#rememberthe5th then I’ll publish my unmasking video!”
Start tweeting… and wait…
BUILDING BLOCKS
Tweet the call-to-action
Use Date & Time Trigger to publish
the tweet
Count the tweets up to 500
Use Condition with Trigger fire count
ignored until 500th
Listen for tweets with
#rememberthe5th
Use Twitter trigger with matchphrase
= #rememberthe5th
When count is 500 then publish
video and announcement tweet
Publish Video and Tweet on Twitter
trigger+Condition true (eg 500th
tweet). publish “heart won”
9. Transmedia PlaybookTM
1716
BOND PARTY
Email | SMS | Phone Call
STORY
A company wants to create a unique event for its employees: a James Bond night filled
with amazing drinks, glamorous dresses and casino-inspired activities.
The employees receive a paper note with a phone number to which they have to text
“RSVP YES” to confirm their attendance. The RSVP is met with two questions sent in
succession:
Question 1 : Are you Female (F) or Male (M)
Question 2: Who’s your favourite Bond? Connery or Craig
According to the answer, employees receive an SMS with a link to a PDF with their personal
dress code for the party and a ticket to show at the bar to get a personalised cocktail. But
things don’t finish there. One hour later, when they least expect it, the employees receive
a phone call: It’s Bond himself inviting them to the event!
Who can say no to that?
BUILDING BLOCKS
Audience texts RSVP and gets
first question
SMS trigger matches RSVP and
sends SMS reply
Audience sends Connery or Craig
SMS trigger fires, adds sender to
correct Group and sets question
Attribute = 2. Watch trigger fires,
Condition checks question number
and replies with final response which
uses Group Combos (M-Connery,
M-Craig, F-Connery, F-Craig)
Audience sends F or M
SMS trigger fires, adds sender to
correct Group and sets question
Attribute = 1. Watch trigger fires,
Condition checks question number
and replies with question 2
Delayed phone call from “Bond”
inviting them to the party
Delayed trigger from Step 3. fires 1 hr
later and make outbound phone call.
10. Transmedia PlaybookTM
1918
GHOST STORY
Book | Email
STORY
A book tells the story of John Fin moving to an old house that seems to have the
presence of its previous owner. The book says that John receives strange emails from
an unrecognized address (wr_vn@gmail.com) with messages warning him about a dark
secret the house hides.
If readers send an email to wr_vn@gmail.com then they discover that it’s the ghost of
William Raven, the old owner of the house, whose death remains unsolved.
The ghost sends emails to the reader telling them the story of his past and his enigmatic
house.
In this way, the reader receives two parallel stories - one in the book and one via email -
both are interconnected yet independent creating an enhanced experience.
BUILDING BLOCKS
Reader sends an email
wr_vn@gmail.com
Use Email Trigger with empty
matchphrase and Condition to check
this is the first email this reader has
sent
Follow-up replies are sent
several days apart
Use Email Reply with delay
Immediate reply is sent
Use Email Reply to respond and add
reader to a “first email received”
Group
Allow reader to start sequence
again
Use Publish Trigger on last email sent
to remove reader from “first email
received” Group
11. Transmedia PlaybookTM
2120
FIND ME A LOVER
Twitter | SMS | Email | Inventory
STORY
In this saucy interactive story, every reader has a unique journey to find a “friend with
benefits” amoung four fictional characters who pour their hearts out on their blogs.
Players find topics of conversation by reading the blogs and try to build relationships by
asking revealing questions on Twitter, SMS and email.
At the dating site, where each player’s profile is held, they get to see what treats, invitations
and messages the characters have uniquely left for them based on their questions and
behavior.
BUILDING BLOCKS
Post revealing information on
the character’s blogs
Use Date & Time Triggers to make
Blog Posts to the dating site
Add personalised content
Give each player an Inventory
attribute for each character and
add content according to questions
asked
Capture the questions in Twitter,
email and/or SMS
Use Twitter/email/SMS Triggers and
matchphrases to listen for questions
Display the personalised items at
the dating website profile
Use Conducttr’s Developer API to
display the character Inventories for
each player
12. Transmedia PlaybookTM
2322
TIME FOR TEA
Email
STORY
Jonny Teabreak works in the stores of a large factory and always makes sure he’s away
from his desk between 1pm and 2pm. He is accurate, punctual and tea time is sacred for
him.
Any emails arriving during tea break are answered when he gets back at 2pm.
There’s no way to get an immediate answer from Johnny between those hours. Just try...
BUILDING BLOCKS
Audience emails Jonny
Email trigger with match phrase
“order” fires a store request
Respond after tea break
Use Delay Until setting on tea break
beat to reply at 2pm
Check if Jonny is on tea break
Use Date & Time Conditions to check
which if reply should be delayed or
responded to immediately
Respond when not on tea break
Use no delay settings and reply
immediately if not on tea break
Closed
13. Transmedia PlaybookTM
2524
SATISFY THE ORACLE
SMS
STORY
A traveller needs to correctly answer the three questions from the oracle. The audience
will help him to answer questions so he can pass the oracle without being killed.
The traveller sends each question to the audience, expecting them to answer correctly.
But, what happens if they don’t? Well, then unexpectedly the oracle gives the traveller
two more chances to answer the question.
If the audience still doesn’t get it right after all three attempts then the oracle takes
charge and sends an SMS to the audience telling them the traveller is dead!
If the audience does get it right, then more questions continue.
Will the audience be able to save the traveller?
BUILDING BLOCKS
Someone texts the traveller
Use two SMS triggers - one for the
right answer, one for wrong answer.
Use “question number” Audience
attribute and Condition to track
progress
Next Question or Game Over
Use watch trigger to check value of
“wrong answers” Audience attribute.
If the value equals 3 then send Game
Over message from Oracle
Count incorrect answers
Use “wrong answers” Audience
attribute and increment if answer is
incorrect
14. Transmedia PlaybookTM
2726
LOVERS INTERCEPTED
Email
STORY
The audience, playing the role of Lady Wiltshire’s lover, emails her only to have their
communications intercepted by her husband!
Lady Wiltshire, still in shock, follows up with a secret email a day after her husband has
replied.
She has been discovered but will the lovers find their way?
.
BUILDING BLOCKS
Audience emails Lady Wiltshire.
Use Email trigger with empty match
phrase for Lady Wiltshire. Use
Condition on trigger to reply only
once per audience member
Lady Wiltshire replies one day
after
Use Email reply with one-day delay
The husband intercepts the
communication!
Use Email reply from Lord Wiltshire
15. Transmedia PlaybookTM
2928
PRISON BREAK
Inventory
STORY
Four convicted criminals get one week to have their conviction quashed.
Over the week, player interactions will unearth important documents that could save
their necks or send them back to prison.
Check to see what information each character is holding... Maybe they have incriminating
evidence on the others... maybe evidence to support their defence? Only one of them is
innocent.
Players work as a community to save the innocent - building alliances and solving puzzles.
There is a website at which the audience can check the information for the accused.
Be alert! The website changes over time!
BUILDING BLOCKS
Create a personal folder for each
prisoner
Create an Inventory attribute for
each character
Add content to each prisoner’s
folder
Add different content to the
Character’s Inventory according to
the audience interaction
Capture different key phrases in
Facebook and Twitter
Use Facebook and Twitter Triggers
and matchphrases to listen for
certain interactions
Display the prisoner folders at
the court website
Use Conducttr’s Developer API to
display the character’s Inventories
16. Transmedia PlaybookTM
3130
MASQUERADE BALL
Blog /Facebook/Twitter | Email
STORY
The audience has a chance to win a VIP invitation to the glamorous Secret Masquerade
Ball organized by the fashionable, scandalous and very much admired Olivia Waldorf.
But hey, there’s a challenge… there’s a restricted number of invitations.
Olivia publishes a challenge: “Email me (Olivia@Waldorf.com) the answer to this question
‘What is the real name of Coco Chanel?’ “
The first 50 who answer correctly: “Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel”, will get a VIP invitation
plus one invitation revealing the secret time and location of this fantastic party.
Don’t forget to bring your mask…
BUILDING BLOCKS
Publish the question
Use Date & Time Trigger with Blog
Post
Add guests with correct replies
to “VIP” Group
Use Add Group action to add guests
to Group
Limit the correct replies trigger
to fire only 50 times
Use Condition with Trigger fire count
limited to 50
Broadcast an invitation only to
the VIP Group
Use Date & Time trigger with email
broadcast to VIP group to say “You’re
invited!”
VIP
2July
17. Transmedia PlaybookTM
3332
PARTY LOVER
Phone Calls
STORY
The popular and desired bachelor Justin Heartcrusher is famous for his busy and party-
full lifestyle. It is said that he’s never home or relaxing from Thursday to Saturday night.
The audience can corroborate this by calling Justin during these periods. Every night
from Thursday to Saturday, he will pick up the phone and the audience will hear him
partying in different noisy and awesome nightclubs. Of course, he won’t be able to hear
anything, so he tells the audience to call at another time.
If the audience dares to call him on a Sunday morning, he will pick up the phone with
a massive hangover (or maybe tells them they’re crazy for calling him during a Sunday
after-party).
BUILDING BLOCKS
Create Justin’s schedule
Use Date & Time Triggers with
Change Value to set Project
attributes to his whereabouts
Audience calls the character
Use Phone Call Trigger with
Conditions using Project attribute to
determine correct message to play
Closed
18. Transmedia PlaybookTM
3534
GOOD VS EVIL
Twitter
STORY
Goodatke and Evilmoon are two fantastical creatures that embody a battle between
good and evil. The battle is presented at a website in which audience actions on Twitter
cause the creatures to grow and shrink in size and change color.
The audience is invited to take sides by tweeting “I fight for Goodatke” or “I fight for
Evilmoon”
Then they send defensive commands to their creature and attacking commands to the
other.
Attacking commands: #feed, #slap
Defending commands: #shrink,#soothe
The losing creature is the one that explodes from over-feeding! To survive, the winning
creature must have fans who #shrink him!
BUILDING BLOCKS
Audience tweets their
allegiance
Use Twitter Trigger with Group Move
to place member in one or other of
two creature groups
Send changes in size and colour
to website
Use API Call to send changes to the
website so it redraw the characters’
size and colour
Count attacks and defence
Use Twitter Trigger with Change
Value and Character Attributes to
affect the characteristics: size and
colour
Celebrate the victory
Use Watch Triggers with Conditions
to detect when a Character reaches
maximum size and then which
Character’s size is the smallest –
making it the winner
19. Transmedia PlaybookTM
3736
OAK TOWN MYSTERY
Inventory
STORY
Oak Town has been beset with a series of mysterious disappearances since the arrival
of the enigmatic and solitary Brian Mystfall. The audience is given the role of the town
detective and receive a key to a post office locker in which they will find guidelines and
important data to solve the case.
The audience can check the locker through the Oak Town website, and as they advance
in the game they need to contact different characters, gather facts, and check the locker
for clues and personalised information that will allow them to put the pieces together.
But... this locker does not only store clues and hints, it also stores prizes and rewards for
completing certain quests!
BUILDING BLOCKS
Give a locker to each player
Use an Inventory attribute for each
member of the audience
According to the stage of the
quest, update the clues,
guidelines and prizes
Use Add Inventory Item action to
add items
Track the audience journey
Use Add Group action to move the
audience to respective group
Update the online locker with
the new items (clues, guidelines
and rewards)
API content action to display the
information in the website
20. Transmedia PlaybookTM
3938
ZOMBIE OUTBREAK
Twitter
STORY
ZetKa lab is working on a very dangerous chemical formula that needs to be carefully
stored. During the night shift, an exhausted staff member leaves the lid open and things
go horribly wrong. An unstoppable zombie outbreak begins!
In the morning, players who have pre-registered to play Outbreak learn if they’ve been
infected or given the antidote serum. Anyone can play if they’re registered or not, but
play is enhanced through registration.
Players with the serum - Medics - can cure zombies by injecting them and can inoculate
healthy players not yet infected or bitten.
Zombies can infect others by biting them.
Medics and inoculated players need to be bitten three times before they turn zombie!
Let the zombie-mania begin.
BUILDING BLOCKS
Determine opening conditions
Use sign-up Widget to register
player and looping count Attribute
to determine if this player is a Medic
or Zombie
Medics cure and inoculate
Use Group Conditions to check if
tweeting player is a medic; if yes,
use Group Conditions to check if the
mentioned player is a Zombie or is
healthy
Zombies bite others
Use Group Conditions to check
if tweeting player is a zombie; if
yes, use Audience Attributes and
3rdparty to count the times the
mentioned player has been bitten
Zombie or healthy
Use Watch Trigger and 3rdparty to
check if the mentioned person has
been infected or cured. Use Groups
to assign the player to the respective
group: Zombie or Healthy
21. Transmedia PlaybookTM
4140
WANT TICKETS?
YouTube | SMS
STORY
The Zebra Movie Theatre is giving away 15 tickets to an amazing premier!
The day before this great event, this movie theatre publishes a Youtube video with a
movie clip that hides a clue to the premier.
Finding the clue is not easy, but things just get harder… the audience also has to find in
the YouTube clip the mobile number to which they have to send the answer.
The first 15 people who find the clue and SMS the correct answer will receive a link to a
PDF that contains the sought-after tickets to the premier.
BUILDING BLOCKS
Publish YouTube video
Use Date & Time trigger the day
before the premier, and YouTube
video publication
Add the correct replies to the
group winners
Use Add Group action to add players
to Group for winners
Limit the correct replies trigger
to fire only 15 times
Use Condition with SMS Trigger fire
count limited to 15
Broadcast tickets to the movie
premier to the winners!
Use Date & Time trigger with email
broadcast to the winners Group
2July
22. Transmedia PlaybookTM
4342
FULL MOON
SMS
STORY
The powerful werewolves pack, ‘The Midnight Lycans’, allow certain humans to trespass
the boundaries of the paranormal and become part of the pack. When the full moon
presents itself, players have 24hrs to text “Lycans” to initiate the transformation.
All players that text during the full moon period become werewolves for one month,
gaining powers and a place in the pack.
After 27 days, their powers are gone and they go back to their human form.
Discover what you could do as werewolf… and don’t miss the full moon.
BUILDING BLOCKS
Create Full Moon periods
Use Date and Time Triggers to start
the period and a Publish trigger
attached to an “end of full moon”
SMS using a 24hr delay
Inform Non Werewolves that the
opportunity is lost
Use SMS with 1 day delay and
Groups to text only those who are
not werewolves
Listen for registrations
Use SMS Trigger with Project
attribute to check Condition that it’s
within the 24hrs of the full moon
Inform the Werewolves that their
powers are at an end
User SMS with 27 day delay and
Groups to text only werewolves that
they’re human again
23. Transmedia PlaybookTM
4544
STYLE BUDDIES
Twitter | iBeacon
STORY
Fashion retailer DressStore is having a Mad Hatter month. They launch a new line of hats
and host afternoon tea parties as a celebration. During this month, they offer a discount
for friends that check into their stores together and Tweet a photo of one of the friends
wearing a hat.
At future tea parties, part of the decoration will be all of the great pictures the customers
took.
Come, wear a hat, and act a little mad with your friends!
BUILDING BLOCKS
Check store location
Use Conducttr API and iBeacon to
add audience to correct store Group
Check friends are in same store
Use Conditions, 3rdparty and store
Group to check if friends are in the
same store
Player tweets photo
Use Twitter Trigger with Content/
Attachment option and empty
matchphrase to listen for tweets that
contain a photo
N
S
EW
Send Reply
Use Twitter reply to thank friends for
their photo
24. Transmedia PlaybookTM
4746
Picture and Story Credits
Images
Page 16 Photograph by Renato Ganoza https://www.flickr.com/people/rzganoza/ | Licence https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
Page 18 Photograph by Daniel Dionne https://www.flickr.com/photos/mrzeon/ | Licence https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
Page 30 Photograph by Susana Fernandez https://www.flickr.com/people/susivinh/ | Licence https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/
Page 32 Photograph by Messy Cupcakes http://messycupcakes.com/ | Licence https://creativecommons.
org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/
Page 42 Photograph by Niv Singer https://www.flickr.com/people/antichrist/ | Licence https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
Page 44 Photograph by Nataly Rios with thanks to Adriana Caro
The purpose of this book is to stimulate ideas and inspiration. It’s a small
catalogue of participatory transmedia storytelling experiences intended to
remind, suggest, provoke and inspire creators.
Use this playbook when you’re stuck for ideas. If you want to do something
fun but don’t know where to start or if the client puts you on a deadline to
propose an experience, use this book as quick reference guide. This book will
stimulate ideas and provide structure to your thinking.
Each example story has three sections:
• Platforms – how this particular example is delivered
• Format – the participation tropes and experience characteristics
• Story – an example of how the format might be used
• Building blocks – the steps used to create the experience.
Transmedia PlaybookTM
98
BRAIN or HEART
Facebook | Blog
STORY
Kala is confused because she’s torn between two guys. She needs to decide whether to
follow her heart or follow her head. She will make up her mind at the end of the week!
She asks her Facebook friends to help her decide and they vote for head or heart “Help
me decide! Should I follow my heart or my head?”
During the week Kala tells the friends how she’s swaying based on the collective opinion
but they will need to wait until the final day to see which triumphs!
At the end of the week, Kala makes her decision according to the most popular opinion
and publishes the whole dramatic experience on her blog!
BUILDING BLOCKS
Publish call-to-action.
Use Date & Time Trigger with
Facebook Post
Maintain the count.
Use two Change Value actions to
increment the Project attributes
head and heart
Listen for mentions of “head”
and “heart”.
Use two Facebook Triggers - one for
“head” and one for “heart”
At the deadline publish the result.
Use Date & Time Trigger at the
decision deadline. Use Condition
head >= heart to publish the “head
won” and Condition head < heart to
publish “heart won”.
2July
TM