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Collect the pieces plot

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A collect the pieces plot is a stock plot in which the objective is to reassemble some item (which generally has mystical powers) which has been broken up in some fashion. A common object in a collect the pieces plot is a crystal. The "collect the pieces" stock plot is particularly useful for creating a long, segmented story such as those found in serials and video games, because each segment brings with its unique challenges as the story's characters attempt to locate a single piece of the puzzle.

Forms

There are two main forms of collect the pieces plots:

Total recovery:

  • A total loss of the item, which results in many sub quests for the pieces. Each sub-quest can have a completely different storyline to it, although each ends in a recovery of one of the pieces.

Partial recovery:

  • Only part of the item is missing, but the whole still cannot function without the missing portion.

Works which use the collect the pieces plot