Thoughts on RP plots

[Lexi]

There was a fair bit of discussion on Discord about roleplaying plots, how to get them started, and how to get involved in ongoing plots. Although there is no guaranteed way to get player characters or immortals drawn into your character's machinations, a plot can be a really fulfilling and rewarding way of establishing your character.

PART ONE: THE PLOTTING OVERVIEW

Direction:
As in any good book or movie, a good plot requires direction. If the audience - or in the case of the mud, the playerbase - does not understand what you want to accomplish, it is going to be difficult to keep them engaged. This does not mean you need to have every minute aspect of your plot planned out beforehand, but having a knowledge of what your character wishes to accomplish is the foundation of putting any plot into the game. Some characters I meet have superb roleplay and exceptionally well thought-out histories, but if they don't communicate to me what they are trying to accomplish, I simply cannot become involved. In short: there is an obligation on the person trying to enact change in the world to be the driving force. Don't wait around for other characters or immortals to pick up on what you are trying to do and instead forge ahead. Write journals that explain your goal, talk to people, send out notes, rally your allies and challenge your enemies. If people respond to your plot, it usually will not take long before it gains traction with the immortals.

Interaction:
So this sort of follows up on my previous point, and it might be really obvious, but the importance of interaction mustn't be underestimated. From my experience, a plot requires only a handful of characters to get invested to draw attention and gain support from the staff, but to just get one or two other characters involved might mean you have to strike up roleplay with ten characters. Not everyone you talk to is going to be suitable as the cast of your plot, and amongst the people your character resonates with, not everyone is going to be interested or able to invest the time and effort required to start up a major plot. So start planting seeds. Strike up with conversations with people of all aligns (after all, the best plots have both protagonists and antagonists), and just see where things go. Don't spill the beans immediately, but let there be a natural progression towards your ultimate goal as a plotcrafter: get peoples interest.  Once your character is better acquainted with other characters, start handing out tidbits about your plot. Boast to your enemies about the impact your schemes will have on the world, ask your friends to prove their loyalty by supporting it, promise your followers fame and glory, et cetera, et cetera. So if the first step is to make people aware of your plot, then the follow-up is get them to interact with it. You writing journals or posting logs is a great first step to making your ambitions come true, but the moment another character is writing/posting about them is the moment they are starting to actually be realized.

Versatility:
There has been numerous times when immortals or players have seen something in my roleplay and responded to it in ways I could not have anticipated. Sometimes, these responses put me in places I had not expected, or even intended, but rather than shutting things down and starting over to get people on the right track I just went with the flow. A mud, like most roleplaying games, is a collaborative effort and people drive the narrative together. Be excited that someone went with what you started, and work together towards crafting an interesting story. So don't let pride or ego get in your way, because events are rarely going to unfold precisely in the manner you were hoping or planning originally. This is especially true for large-scale plots (these are usually initiated by immortals, but there has been a few exceptions as far as I understand), but even in more personal arcs, you will find that immortals and players might take things in unexpected directions. From a player perspective, I find that there is no winning or losing in a plot - both triumph and defeat are pivotal points in my characters' development, and brushing off the dust and getting back up again after being knocked down will earn you recognition (this is no different from PK).

Consistency:
Having a plot reach its conclusion is a marathon, not a sprint. While excitement and activity helps a plot take off, you will really need fortitude to see it develop. Both of my last two characters had some unfinished business when their time came to an end, but if you can signal to the staff that you are committed to a plot, you will have better chances of long-term support. Work consistently and persistently towards your plot, and you will see results. It might be a tedious mantra, but longevity tends to be rewarded. An important aspect here is to manage your expectations; it is incredibly easy to get carried away as soon as your plot starts getting momentum, but some things take time for immortals to put into place. This all varies depending on the scope of a plot, but to make a lasting impression on the world, you have to be prepared to put in some effort.

What does all this mean in practice from an OOC/player perspective?

1. Think through what it is you wish to accomplish with your character. What sort of a plot are you trying to get going? Which people can you draw into it? What can you do to create momentum for the plot without immortal interaction? And how can you get immortals to notice your plot?
2. Once you know what you want to do, start thinking about how you want to accomplish it. Roleplay with people, post logs to the forum, write journals. It takes effort to get plots going, but you need to make sure that effort is seen by the staff. Dedication to roleplay definitely trumps roleplaying skills, so even if you don't consider yourself an avid roleplayer you can still get a plot rolling.
3. Don't be too rigid once the plot starts generating momentum. Think about how your character would react to unexpected situations as they crop up rather than trying to force the plot down a specific route (typically, plots branch out as time progresses and once people get involved they will add their own touch to it). This will save you a lot of frustration.
4. Don't give up if things seem to slow down. Key figures of the plot (whether player characters or immortals) might have periods where they lack time to progress the plot. Be consistent, be persistent, and your efforts will yield results (this is more true now than it ever was in FL's history).

I will add a caveat here that not every plot initiated by players will become an actual plot in the game. It can be  disappointing wanting to bring something alive and just not getting the response you were hoping for, but it's important to keep in mind that this is a real possibility.

 

PART TWO: THE INTRICACIES OF PLOTS (optional)

Let me start of by stating that the points I will be raising here should be seen more as my personal tips and guidelines when pushing my characters' agendas (so not rules set in stone). These are the methods I sometimes rely on when trying to drive a story forward, and hopefully they can be helpful to other people as well.

Immersion:
Draw on aspects on the Forsaken Lands' setting to enhance the details of your plot. Does your plot involve a magical geas that must either be fulfilled or magically voided, lest your very soul be ripped into a thousand fragments? Instead of it being some vague 'powerful wizard' who placed the curse on you, look at the world and find potential places it could have been originated from: the diviners of the High Tower of sorcery, the devil lieutenant from the Witchwoods, a cultist from the Pentagram, and so on and so forth. If the story you are putting together has elements relating to pre-existing places, lore, or history, people can more easily interact with the plot (whether in actual roleplay or via journals). While I have been missing from action for a few months at the writing of this post, there were a few active player-driven plots when I last played; a Watcher conservationist was trying to clean up the pollution of the lake outside of their cabal, and an orc warrior was rallying his people in the Dragon Teeth mountains to war. Going further back, we can see characters like Agmeel or Gordy firmly rooted in Tarandue. These were all stories firmly entrenched in the fabric of the game, that was then expanded upon. It is possible to have plots dealing with matters beyond Aabahran's confines, but it will take creative roleplay (and potentially immortal support) to get people drawn into it.

Stakes:
Any plot regardless of scope should have stakes attached to it. What happens if it fails? Which people will benefit and which people will suffer if it succeeds? There was once a fire giant orator that was rousing the people, urging them together into a Peoples' Republic of Miruvhor. His ascension to power saw the dethroning of the current Viceroy (I may be misremembering this title): the Time Lord of the Savants at the time. My character back then had political ambitions in Miruvhor but was also a member of Savant. While I as the player doubt my position in the cabal would ever have been affected, my character's in-game approach was one of duplicity and subterfuge because she wanted more political clout in the city but feared cabal reprimands if her support for the Republic was uncovered. Not all plots need to have high stakes to garner interest, but characters tend to get involved in things if they feel that something is on the line (the safety of their home, their reputation, power and wealth, etc). Ever felt like an interaction with immortals like Rygothran or Volgathras came with risks attached? That a misstep could be costly, but navigating the interaction with care could offer a reward? The staff really seems to understand how setting up stakes can elevate a plot and how much of a dramaturgical impact this can have on a storyline.

Pacing:
This is something that takes a fair bit of practice (or in my case, trial-and-error) to get right, but having a good pacing of your plot can really make it feel a lot more believable and realistic. A plot should feel like it is developing organically, that it is the result of the people around it, that actions lead to consequences. You don't want reveal too much too soon, while at the same time giving out enough to pique peoples interest. Imagine a villain giving the speech about their ultimate plan in the second scene of the movie - there is a chance it would just feel forced and, frankly, irrelevant at that point. Initiating and driving a plot forward requires a bit of tact, and while it is important to engage with people, you have to have an understanding of who the right people are. Or perhaps I should say that you need to have an understanding of what the right reaction is towards each person you interact with. As an example, my previous character was designed as being chronically ill with symptoms that borrowed both from epilepsy and consumption. First interactions with people was just showing them I was sick through emotes. Later on, I might bring up that the Knight immortal had informed me it was a terminal illness, but make assurances it was not contagious. The next natural step would be to seek peoples aid in my search for a cure. While a very personal arc, Azan, Azhlahar, and Ragnomar ended up contributing in meaningful ways to it (three characters of opposite align to my own and three entirely different responses - do not limit your roleplay exclusively to those perceived to be on your side). There was a Paladin that accused me of consorting with pagans and devil-worshippers for seeking medicinal help from druids, which lead us down long and winding roads. Make an effort to create a natural flow from one interaction to the next, building up your plot in a manner that makes it feel natural.

 

In conclusion, there are so many ways to get a plot rolling, and there are definitely characters that rose to prominence in much different ways than I have described here. To anyone feeling uncertain about their ability get a plot in motion: be creative and go out on a limb. Ask for feedback on the prayers forum, and be prepared to practice before finding your own style of drawing people into your stories. It would be nice if leading figures of past plots and immortals weighed in on the subject and shared their thoughts.

I am under the impression that some people are wary of starting up their own plots because they are uncertain what to do and how it will be received. I would encourage everyone playing the game to open up with their characters a little bit and start planting seeds about the things they want to accomplish. I find it just as fun and exciting to be invited into someone else's doings as progressing my character's own agendas.

EDIT'ed for a gazillion typos and grammatical errors.

[Imoutgoodbye]

An excellent guide to be sure. 

My one caveat is to also check with an IMM about a possible ending:. We can't all blow up a city (looking at you @Lloth, @Anume, and @Kyzarius).  In fact, I think a few of these even required some building of areas, so, perhaps a little quid pro quo can help your case.  

Just don't be disappointed.  And, as @Lexi has mentioned, don't be rigid.  That's something I recently struggled with. Being rigid in your RP is the opposite end of the spectrum from multikilling PK.  Don't do either and you'll find your in game satisfaction increased.