No plot is original.
Any plot can be broken down into a basic idea.
For example, Final Fantasy X can be sompressed down to:
Boy saves girl. (SPOILERS: Tidus saves Yuna from death.)
You can do this to any plot, and I think someone discovered that there are only about 32 plots you can have.
The trick is to customize your characters, setting, and other factors to make it original.
Just a little diagram I made (prepare for English flashbacks):
One thing I can say about plot:
Characters are extremely important.
You could have the most interesting plot ever. If your character is a stickman that never talks and has no personality, you don't really give a damn if he saves the world, gets his girl, accomplishes his dreams, or anything else. He's just a grey blob.
This is called character development.
In the movie UP, (spoilers) you are shown a man fall in love with a girl, which takes only ten minutes in the movie. Then, she dies. You care, you're sad. It has a major impact on you.
What's the secret?
Sympathy.
Make the character a sympathetic figure. The character fails his test? You've been through that, you understand, you feel sorry for him.
To continue my example, in UP, you grow attached to the wife because she is a lovable figure. She has personality at the beginning of the movie, she seemed like an actual person, with wants, needs, love. That breaks the ice. Then (spoilers) you see her get married to the husband. You feel happy for her and him, they have found love. They spend good times together, and renovate the house they met each other in. But then, you see her in a clinic, with baby diagrams. She's sitting there, disappointed, and you assume the worst. It breaks your heart. You see her decline over the years; previously she had beat her husband up the hill, but now she struggles. Then, she simply dies. You see the husband, depressed, sitting at the church.
It's a simple plot, you follow a couple through their ups and downs, but you feel so attached to the characters that it matters to you when she dies.
Basically, almost any plot
can work as long as you have good character development. (Of course, good plot always helps.)
My tip for making characters: Give them at least three adjectives and three goals, then name them.
Adjectives are self explanitory, but let me explain motivations and goals. Your hero probably ends up saving save area, be it a town, a city, a nation, or the world. But why? Is he patriotic? Is he a strong supporter of justice?
Still, even with strong virtues to combat the problem, it should seem out of hand. Why go through such lengths?
Most games choose love.
Love is a powerful emotion. It is driving.
Perhaps the Villian needs your childhood sweetheart to complete his evil plans?
This is what drives a hero to save the world.
PS: the Protagonist's goals and the Antagonist's goals should be at an impass, the Protagonist and the Antagonist should not be able to both achieve their goals. There needs to be a conflict.
Kind, Brave, Funny.
Marry Lily.
Become a great comedian.
Explore.
Protagonist: Phil.
Beautiful, Delicate, Dramatic.
Marry Phil.
Become an actor.
Succeed in life.
Girl: Lily
Crazy, Evil, Hyper.
Rule the world.
Get rich.
Get a girl.
Antagonist: Sean
Then, come up with some sort of plot.
Peaceful.
Sean steals Lily and destroys town.
Phil survives.
Everyone Phil
loved was taken away from him.
Phil sets out to free Lily.
Phil finds magic sword.
Phil finds Sean.
Phil and Sean fight.
Phil wins.
Phil and Lily escape the breaking tower.
They live happily ever after.
Now you have a basic plot. Hopefully you can do better than I did.
Now, interject helper players, AKA new additions to the party, new quests, etc.
(then just write the script)
PS: I'm not an expert, so take everything for a grain of salt.
