What is a good, ARMish Plot?

[LoD]

My favorite plots are those that pit players vs. players and involve a few different clans moving after a mundane goal that rewards players who are intelligent, quick to respond and has no set ending in mind.

An example would be something along the lines of a caravan carrying some valuable product (perhaps a new kind of rare spice, or some metal ore) was rumored to have gotten lost in a storm, stranded and its men killed by creatures of the desert.  One of them managed to get away and reach a small village (Red Storm East, Cenyr, etc...)

The rumor gets passed on to the various Merchant Houses, who can then hire independants, the Byn and other entitites to try and recover the remnants of the caravan.  What is actually found in the caravan, who finds it and what they must overcome to reach it are all part of the fun.  Even finding more information on what it was carrying and why could be made available at remote villages or clues could be found.

This allows a wide variety of classes and skill levels to participate and feel as if they were part of the outcome.  It also provides for a lot of interesting encounters and setups for other clans to enter the mix for their own reasons (i.e. raiders, scouts, mercenaries, etc...)

Plots that I really don't care for put players vs. NPC or VNPC forces and  deal in highly fantastical enemies/protaganists (i.e. sorcs, magickers, wyverns, dragons, ghosts) and seem to have an intractable schedule in mind (i.e. destruction of a City, invasion of a village, release of a spirit/demon)  These plots may trickle down to effect some players, but (IMHO) exclude the bulk of the players from having any meaningful part in the storyline.  Because of the severe nature of the entities involved, normal everyday joes don't have much of a chance to showcase their skills and feel as if they contributed.

Those plots don't make me feel like I could win by figuring things out, overhearing conversations or manipulating pieces as I could with a more mundane and simple plot that involved almost 100% PC characters.

In the end, Merchant Houses, Mercenary Guilds and other mundane organizations are my favorite playgrounds because they have the largest chance of seeing a plot that one could actually feel as if your presence made a difference.

-LoD

[Revelations]

An example would be something along the lines of a caravan carrying some valuable product (perhaps a new kind of rare spice, or some metal ore) was rumored to have gotten lost in a storm, stranded and its men killed by creatures of the desert. One of them managed to get away and reach a small village (Red Storm East, Cenyr, etc...)

The rumor gets passed on to the various Merchant Houses, who can then hire independants, the Byn and other entitites to try and recover the remnants of the caravan. What is actually found in the caravan, who finds it and what they must overcome to reach it are all part of the fun. Even finding more information on what it was carrying and why could be made available at remote villages or clues could be found.

This kind of plot seems something that would need Imm support, which is good and all. I'd like to see more of these kinds of plots now and then.