Our Last, Best Hope doesn't use 3 or 5 acts in it's terminology - instead it's based around two acts, but with the first act (where what would usually be considered "play" actually begins) being pretty damned close to the second act in the 3-act model.
Essentially, Our Last Best Hope has the following:
Mission Prep This is equivalent to first act - you find out who the characters are, and the basics of how they relate to each other are introduced, but not expanded on. The crisis is chosen, the assets are put into play, the plan is outlined (this being the plan of what to do when the destination is reached, not how to reach the destination). The crisis is essentially a background thing at this point - more setting than plot, if that makes any sense. It doesn't actually come into play - you just pick what's being worked towards.
The Choice This is basically the kickoff for the game - it sets the ball rolling by forcing a choice on the group about how they'll proceed towards the crisis. It's where the action starts. In the game I played, it landed in my lap as the doctor, because the fifth crew member (in our four player game) had just died of a previously unknown virus. In a spaceship. The choice was "do we press on". The main choice for us as players was how it would affect us and how we'd proceed with our mission. We (obviously) chose to press on regardless, but try to contain the problem.
This kicks off act one, and is equivalent to the catalyst / inciting event in the three-act model, and the response to the choice pretty much defines the story that the threats all fit into.
Act One This is the journey to the crisis, and it's structured as a series of spotlight scenes, each concluded by a threat. This expands on the interplay between characters, and brings a lot of the stresses between them to the fore. The shape of the story that unfolds here is largely defined by the choice.
This is probably fairly analogous to the rising action of Act Two in the three act model.
Consequences Act One ends with a change in circumstances, the nature of which is determined by the cumulative results from the various threats in that act. In the game I played, this played out with us basically being left with a slightly screwed up ship - we'd exhausted the supplied in the medical bay and our solar shield was buggered enough that we couldn't adjust our course or use it for anything fancy anymore.
This is roughly analogous to the switch from act two to act three in the 3-act model - I don't know if that bit really has a name... but it's the point where the action starts moving towards a climax rather than just growing.
Act Two On the cusp of the crisis, the team face a few more threats - much riskier and flavoured more by the changed enviroment imposed by the consequences and the impending crisis.
Crisis Things then come to dealing with the crisis itself, which is equivalent to the 3-act model's climax. The game doesn't explicitly require a denoument, but it does suggest and extra scene after the crisis has been addressed (in flashback if everybody's dead) to tie things up, but that's treated as optional.
no subject
Essentially, Our Last Best Hope has the following:
Mission Prep
This is equivalent to first act - you find out who the characters are, and the basics of how they relate to each other are introduced, but not expanded on. The crisis is chosen, the assets are put into play, the plan is outlined (this being the plan of what to do when the destination is reached, not how to reach the destination). The crisis is essentially a background thing at this point - more setting than plot, if that makes any sense. It doesn't actually come into play - you just pick what's being worked towards.
The Choice
This is basically the kickoff for the game - it sets the ball rolling by forcing a choice on the group about how they'll proceed towards the crisis. It's where the action starts. In the game I played, it landed in my lap as the doctor, because the fifth crew member (in our four player game) had just died of a previously unknown virus. In a spaceship. The choice was "do we press on". The main choice for us as players was how it would affect us and how we'd proceed with our mission. We (obviously) chose to press on regardless, but try to contain the problem.
This kicks off act one, and is equivalent to the catalyst / inciting event in the three-act model, and the response to the choice pretty much defines the story that the threats all fit into.
Act One
This is the journey to the crisis, and it's structured as a series of spotlight scenes, each concluded by a threat. This expands on the interplay between characters, and brings a lot of the stresses between them to the fore. The shape of the story that unfolds here is largely defined by the choice.
This is probably fairly analogous to the rising action of Act Two in the three act model.
Consequences
Act One ends with a change in circumstances, the nature of which is determined by the cumulative results from the various threats in that act. In the game I played, this played out with us basically being left with a slightly screwed up ship - we'd exhausted the supplied in the medical bay and our solar shield was buggered enough that we couldn't adjust our course or use it for anything fancy anymore.
This is roughly analogous to the switch from act two to act three in the 3-act model - I don't know if that bit really has a name... but it's the point where the action starts moving towards a climax rather than just growing.
Act Two
On the cusp of the crisis, the team face a few more threats - much riskier and flavoured more by the changed enviroment imposed by the consequences and the impending crisis.
Crisis
Things then come to dealing with the crisis itself, which is equivalent to the 3-act model's climax. The game doesn't explicitly require a denoument, but it does suggest and extra scene after the crisis has been addressed (in flashback if everybody's dead) to tie things up, but that's treated as optional.