Players and RPTs

[Xio]

I know nothing about effectively organizing an RPT with or with the staff being involved, but have often wondered two things; How do players feel about player-driven and run RPTs, and if a player were to outline and layout an RPT completely, (concept, needed materials, etc.) could (s)he run an RPT with the necessary staff assitance, though minimal staff 'interference', so to speak.

[Adhira]

Speaking as a staff member, rather than player, some of the best RPTs I've ever seen in this game are player run.

I've seen players spend copious amount of IC and OOC time setting things up. Some have been done with no staff assistance at all, others have had a little staff help as directed by the players.

When I see things like this, and the amount of work people put into it usually inspires me to think how I can help out to make things easier. It may be by loading up a few extra casks of liquor, changing echos in a ginka wrestling pit, bringing along that bahamet, or throwing a few npcs, or echos to their events.

Staff do like to help, but we like it best of all when the players are leading the way and we can add to the atmosphere. Even though we might have storytellers, players are the ones that tell the true tales, we just help stoke the fire, make the shadows and give those creepy sounds in the middle of the scary part.

[Ammit]

if a player were to outline and layout an RPT completely, (concept, needed materials, etc.) could (s)he run an RPT with the necessary staff assitance, though minimal staff 'interference', so to speak.

Yes, as long as "minimal staff interference" does not mean "allowing unrealistic things to happen."

Personally, I love to help my clanned players with their RPTs whenever possible (unfortunately I don't have time to help non-clanned players as well).

[Belenos]

If we saw the majority of rpt's being player initiated rpt's I would be pleased.  More than often the staff will initiate an rpt on their own simply because there is nothing going on in player land. We love player initiative.

How do you get one of these things started anyway? 

-- First communicate, communicate, communicate.  The best leaders out there are also the most copious letter writers.  Do not assume that we are omnipotent and clairvoyant.  If you don't tell us, we don't know. 

-- Second, keep your ideas within the realm of the possible.  We always get the 'I want to craft the steel sword of doom so I can kill <insert villain of the day here>.  Can I get uber powers please?"  These are not rpt's we care to see run.

-- If you want to spur on a rpt, in order to keep it going expect to invest a lot of your time into it.  Do not just submit an idea and sit back and wait for the staff to implement it for you.  Keeping an rpt alive can be a considerable amount of work.  You need to constantly stoke the fire or it will die out.  Not only that, you'll find people stealing the wood from your rpt fire as it is burning.  Be prepared to find alternatives to keep it aflame.

-- If you send in emails letting the staff know what you are doing, do not wait for an explicit approval before moving on with your plans.  If you are way off in left field with your plans, we generally let you know, however we don't always "approve" the other ones.  You don't need our approval to start rpt's that are realistic, and in character.  "Approving" stuff carries with it the connotation that we are actively providing material support for your plans, or that your plans will go off as you anticipate.  This is not always the case for various reasons.

-- Be creative and more important,  inclusive.  The more people you get involved, the more likely it is that something will develop, and the more enjoyable the rpt will be.  If you find after looking deeply into your rpt plans that it is more of a masturbatory, power trip, then I would suggest you rethink it, as it won't be as successful as you would hope.  The best rpts include a lot of people and have a life of thier own.   

[Southie]

One thing I've noticed about creating and running RPTs: they really do get more fun with the more people involved. Replace need for NPCs with PCs whenever possible. Hire the Byn to come along if you think there might be any danger at all. See if merchant houses might lend you some help, either with supplies or with people to ride along. The more players and clans that you involve, the more staff that will take notice, since their clans are now taking part, so that helps you out too. But most importantly, it shares the fun. Some of the biggest and most enjoyable RPTs I've taken part in recently have been player-organised and directed, with staff playing more of a reactionary role than driving events by a pre-set script.

[Ourla]

Some of the biggest and most enjoyable RPTs I've taken part in recently have been player-organised and directed, with staff playing more of a reactionary role than driving events by a pre-set script.

This.  The last RPT I organized began as a small-time, purely player-driven little party.  I kept my clan imms updated on the process and asked for a few tips.  By the time the main event rolled around, it had snowballed into a massive, beautiful, unforgettable night(s), supported and driven by PCs, and given The Perfect Touch by the immortals.

I would say the key to beginning any RPT is setting a date IRL, long enough in the future for those of us with RL jobs and other commitments to make arrangement to attend.  Once you have a concrete time to work toward, everything else will fall right into place.  Post the event on the IC and OOC boards, and you're set.  It's that easy.

...or that your plans will go off as you anticipate.  This is not always the case for various reasons.

Hahaha, yeah, this bears repeating.  Leave some room in your RPT for things that might not go smoothly.  I've had contests where a lot of people showed up but nobody won, players who didn't appear at their properly scheduled slot, etc.  Be flexible.  Have an activity or two up your sleeve just in case a bit of downtime rears its head.  You don't want your attendees getting bored.

[Fathi]

And for those of you not planning and throwing RPTs yourself, there are still plenty of ways to get involved.

If you hear of an event, however big or small, being planned in your area, why not invite yourself as more than an attendee? If you hear your local Lord Fale is throwing a party, offer to assist in some way. Keeping social norms and caste in mind (it might not be a good idea to invite yourself to a party that you normally wouldn't be invited to, after all), try to contribute in some way to make the event better.

Offer your services, your products, your advertising, or your advice. If you hear that a group is planning an expedition somewhere, scout it beforehand and offer to ride along as a guide. Unless it's a very specific in-House or in-clan event, I'd say the vast majority of players have no qualms whatsoever with other people showing up and partaking of the fun, especially if your contribution is realistic and helpful ICly.

[Tisiphone]

Further, for some RPTs, don't be afraid to join in ANYWAY. If you know that an independent merchanting group is planning on going out to hunt scrab, invite yourself and a few friends along as a raiding party. If Lord Fale is throwing a party, that's the perfect time to slip in through the gates, mingle like you belong, and slip terradin into his drink.

Some of the best fun can be had when RPTs don't go off the way they were planned because other PLAYERS don't let them. Just be careful to be OOCly curteous; there's a difference between throwing in a cool twist and/or taking it in a new and unexpected direction, and crashing the party.

[jcljules]

This may be a newbish question but what exactly IS an RPT? I've read a lot of posts that mention them, and I get the gist--an RP event that involves a lot of players with some divine assistance--but what does it really mean, and what does it stand for?

[FuSoYa]

RPT stands for Recommended Playing Time.  Could be anything from setting up a time for a bunch of friends IG to have some drinks or to a big event in a clan.

HRPT stands for Highly Recommended Playing Time.  This normally involves something BIG, possibly world changing and is normally staff driven.

Brandon

P.S.  Don't worry, I went a few months wondering what each stood for.  I thought HRPT was Halaster Role Playing Time for some reason...

[Ghost]

Recommended Playing Time:  As the name suggest, it is a specific time you have a good chance of noticing something interesting.  From a simple competition to a skirmish battle with a critter, it generally takes place in a part of the game and most players around that part would most probably see it happening (and could take part)