It's a classic scenario that spans almost any RPG or FPS game I can think of. You come upon an enemy; do you attack, use something in your inventory, or make a tactical withdrawal? Hurry up, the enemy is getting closer, and it doesn't look like it wants to hug. Well, maybe that one strapped with explosives wants a hug, but it won't end well. Thus are the complications of writing for games. Abilities, inventory, and options. They can make or break the plot and playability of a game.

Some games are more intricate and allow you to fight using items while running backwards to avoid whatever nasty wants to split you in two, but most of them are relatively single-minded. Why? When was the last time you went around shooting Nerf darts at friends, while dodging their attacks, and at the same time drinking a can of Pepsi? For me, it's been never, as my friends and I were more of Frisbee players than Nerf dart shooters. But the concept is still valid.

Multi-tasking on a continuous basis is not feasible. For one, that Pepsi would get sloshed about while dodging enemy fire, and where am I going to put the can when I'm done? Meanwhile I still need to reload my Nerf gun, one handed thanks to this soda. Realistically, throwing the can at my target would probably be more effective than this Nerf dart thing. But realism and games rarely blend well. Like oil and water, you can put them in the same container, even shake 'em up a bit. But they never quite mesh perfectly.

And yet, if you don't give your players the ability to choose between different options, if the gameplay is completely linear, then frustration levels will rise very quickly. It would be like walking through a hedge maze, but there're no side paths, no dead ends, just one path that curves here and there but doesn't let you branch out at all. Where would the fun in that be?

As with most things, you need to create a balance between options. Not too many, but not too few either. Seems like common sense, right? Something even noobs would understand? If that's so, then why are there so may bad games out there? I'm not talking about just video games. The Elder Gods know how many horrifically bad video game plots there are out there. But there are plenty of board games, card games, and RPGs that just can't seem to find the right balance to keep the player going.

So, what's a writer to do? Well, short of trial-and-error play-testing with various friends, family, and random kidnapees off the street, you're going to have to do some critical thinking. A step above normal thinking, but a step below over thinking. Just as with a regular story, you need to look at the various bits and pieces that make up your plot and the various accoutrements that go with it, to see which bits are loose and rattling about. Which bits pinch in unmentionable areas? Which bits are solid and well placed? Play testing your own game and fiddling with the plot is the equivalent of proofreading and revising. Not even games are perfect the first time through.

Just drink a mana potion, cast some wisdom modifiers on yourself, and attack your plot head on. Or you can try to flank the plot and roll for a surprise attack, depending on your preferred playing style. I'm more of a shoot an arrow at it from afar, let it run up to me, then watch as it falls into a spike trap right in front of me. But everyone has their own methods.