What kind of plots do you prefer?

[MeTekillot]

I feel like we could get a general feel of what kind of things players prefer to do with a handy-dandy poll. Maybe they could elaborate on their answers after voting? Maybe they couldn't. I hope they do.

[Harmless]

My other:

I like plots that have a buildup. I like plots that you see coming. I like getting warnings, or feeling like I am seeing warnings.

Example: Commit a small crime. Seem to be unnoticed. Begin noticing strange things. Then noticing REALLY weird things. Then, OBVIOUSLY DANGEROUS AND STRANGE THINGS and then mantishead. Those are the best.

[cnemus]

I like foreshadowing of things to come, opportunities to interact with the encroaching doom. Building dread and horror. *points up at Harmless's post* The very best plot to me is one that asks questions about our natures, when everyone is bad, what do the subtle shades of badness reveal about our true natures? Unexpected betrayal from the most unlikely of sources, yay. Stuff like that.

[BadSkeelz]

I like foreshadowing of things to come, opportunities to interact with the encroaching doom. Building dread and horror. *points up at Harmless's post* The very best plot to me is one that asks questions about our natures, when everyone is bad, what do the subtle shades of badness reveal about our true natures? Unexpected betrayal from the most unlikely of sources, yay. Stuff like that.

I too like foreshadowing of danger, but prefer the danger to be mundane rather than "Voldemort turns you and your entire clan in to jozhals." The lead-up to the HRPT, where several clans were isolated together in preparation for more than a real life week, is probably the crowning example of this. But I've seen it accomplished on smaller scales without such extreme measures, as well.

The Ratsucker plotline from a few years back has probably been my favorite long-term plot.

More generally though, I like "plots" that can be conceived, executed on, and enjoyed in less than an afternoon.

[Reiloth]

I like when people take risks, do things that endanger their PCs, and don't just play it cool on their heels. Plots that lead to risks and blood and danger and mayhem are great.

[nauta]

Outside of RPT plots, plots that would require very little overhead staff-side are the ones I like, but not plots that are completely player generated. 

Hence, I'm sorta a big fan of the "random whatever" plot, where staff drops an item (someone mentioned a scroll with writing in the rinth) or just animates some talking kankfly, and let's the PCs sort it out (was it a mindworm, is it magic, am i crazy, wtf omidrov imma gonna die)... Of course, not all plots can be random whatever, otherwise we'd be like: meh, another random whatever.  But some can, and believe me the amount of ants that get turned into mekillots over player gossip is amazing.

[QuillDipper]

I, for one, enjoy a good old fashioned murder.

In that same vein, I enjoy plots that are mundane run especially, where regular folks kick ass. It doesn't have to be super deep. It could just be bullshitting, getting your fellow Bynner laid. It could be soldiers looking into a murder of some nobody just because catching criminals is fun. Or it could be deep shit about your best friend/family getting killed and dealing with it. Politics is too dangerous and long term, especially for my loudmouth characters, I like simple dangerous.

Magic is a whole 'nother can away from politics. Magic makes regular people feel too powerless for my liking, or eliminates too much danger depending on what side the magic is on. Danger should be an element always, in any situation, because dying is what makes the game fun.

[James de Monet]

I like plots where people are powerless, in groups. I think it creates the most interesting interpersonal roleplay.  The kind where fear is king, and people start hiding under things and turning out their packs, praying for a last drop of booze.



Edited to add: That being said, you have to kind of use this kind sparingly. I think my day to day favorite kind is the quest to unknown lands to find something mystical.

[Lizzie]

I miss the freaky magicks and the active war-mongering politics and intrigue. Yes, Tuluk and Allanak are at war. Ho hum, who cares. You rarely see a Tuluki in Nak, you rarely see a Nakki in Tuluk. Tan Muark are gone, Red Fangs are gone, sorcerers are gone, the White Rantarri is gone, PC and staff-led NPC elementals are gone. The UnderTuluk is gone, and so are mundane explosives. You can't even fight over an extra key from Nenyuk anymore. Tor is no longer open, and when they were open last, they weren't allowed to hire mages anymore.

I want to pick up a backpack and blow my finger off as a result. Or get raided by a few well-organized desert elves who rob me of my boots and my mount but let me keep my blade and my waterskin. Or better - they take my coins, and tell me it's protection money, and if I become useful to them they'll actually pay ME at some future point.

I want to find out that my Salarr boss is a mindbender, or that the Lady Oash is actually a secret psi-sorc. I want the Archives back in Kurac.

These were all the things I thought made the game so much fun, "back then." Sure there was favoritism, "unbalanced" magicks, wanton PKs by various staff members who are no longer staff members, and yes - there was even mudsex between staff NPCs and player PCs. But it was pretty easy to avoid any of those things you didn't want to get involved in, and get neck-deep in whichever categories you thought were fun.

Getting "corrupted" by a couple of sorcerers and going on an insane adventure to the "dark side" of Armageddon was one of the richest, most exciting experiences I've had with this game so far. Prior to that, the most exciting was when insane shit happened in the Tablelands back when the Elan Pah was in its heyday, and when the hair on the back of your neck raised up whenever you heard Sargax Kurac say "Profits."

So basically, my "ideal" plotlines would involve all the things that have been eliminated from the game.

[MeTekillot]

dang you made me sad

[Harmless]

I miss the freaky magicks and the active war-mongering politics and intrigue. Yes, Tuluk and Allanak are at war. Ho hum, who cares. You rarely see a Tuluki in Nak, you rarely see a Nakki in Tuluk. Tan Muark are gone, Red Fangs are gone, sorcerers are gone, the White Rantarri is gone, PC and staff-led NPC elementals are gone. The UnderTuluk is gone, and so are mundane explosives. You can't even fight over an extra key from Nenyuk anymore. Tor is no longer open, and when they were open last, they weren't allowed to hire mages anymore.

I want to pick up a backpack and blow my finger off as a result. Or get raided by a few well-organized desert elves who rob me of my boots and my mount but let me keep my blade and my waterskin. Or better - they take my coins, and tell me it's protection money, and if I become useful to them they'll actually pay ME at some future point.

I want to find out that my Salarr boss is a mindbender, or that the Lady Oash is actually a secret psi-sorc. I want the Archives back in Kurac.

These were all the things I thought made the game so much fun, "back then." Sure there was favoritism, "unbalanced" magicks, wanton PKs by various staff members who are no longer staff members, and yes - there was even mudsex between staff NPCs and player PCs. But it was pretty easy to avoid any of those things you didn't want to get involved in, and get neck-deep in whichever categories you thought were fun.

Getting "corrupted" by a couple of sorcerers and going on an insane adventure to the "dark side" of Armageddon was one of the richest, most exciting experiences I've had with this game so far. Prior to that, the most exciting was when insane shit happened in the Tablelands back when the Elan Pah was in its heyday, and when the hair on the back of your neck raised up whenever you heard Sargax Kurac say "Profits."

So basically, my "ideal" plotlines would involve all the things that have been eliminated from the game.

[BleakOne]

I guess I'm a bit of a D&D style player at heart. I like 'adventures' into the unknown. The aforementioned 'Ratsucker' plot was awesome. A few of my characters took part in that story in one way or another. I loved the long build up, the various events. It was awesome.

I've also had a few really fun experiences which had no lead up or after effects, but were incredibly fun. A staff-animated jozhal can turn a standard hunt into surprising fun. And sometimes !!fun!! too.

Secondarily, I like the RP that comes when your PC is just in a normal day. Not just sitting at a bar, but going about the city, heading to wherever you get food and water from, or relaxing with friends and getting drunk.

[Malken]

Secondarily, I like the RP that comes when your PC is just in a normal day. Not just sitting at a bar, but going about the city, heading to wherever you get food and water from, or relaxing with friends and getting drunk.

That's the kind that I don't like. I love my RL and when I play Arm, I don't want to feel like all I'm doing is playing an ordinary guy just living an ordinary life making babehs (where are you greasygemo) and chillin' at the bar. It's okay if I do that in between crazy fun adventures and plots (the non-volcanic kind, plz).

[Araza]

I dunno, I'm hoping that I do get to experience one of these plots sooner or later in my Arma career... at least when I get the time to be on, lol. To be honest, though, as a new-ish player it feels kinda disheartening to hear of these 'glory days'. It makes me wonder whether or not such extravagant things will happen again. I mean, I as an OOC player am enthralled by what my character's been experiencing thus far but to hear of days past I feel like I missed out on something greater considering those stuff probably occurred around the last decade or so...

[BleakOne]

I joined after the so-called 'glory days', and I've had and am still having plenty of fun. I've seen some pretty crazy stuff too, and heard of some equally weird goings on, so there's still plenty to experience if you look for it.

[MeTekillot]

wait nevermind reading is hard

[Inks]

I like being involved in open ended player run plots with occasional imm animation if they feel like it. I like murder plots with motivations and I enjoy find the doodad quests. I Hope there are metal objects and I wish there were small seams loaded in the gameworld waiting to be found and plotted over.

[Evoru]

I like the kind of plots when you think everything is going smoothly, and so what if you have to step on a few people to get to where you're going?, only you don't step hard enough on one person. They resent that boot print you left on their face, but you don't even remember the face or the boots you were wearing that day. They were probably his, and you threw them away because they didn't match your silky new frippery.

Then one day everything starts going wrong. You suspect someone is acting against you, and the next time you try to take a step you trip...but look, your friend that gave you the boots caught you! Only he caught you on his knife, and he spends the next few hours of your (short, painful) life explaining the lengths a man will go to in order to get his boots back and revenge a squished face.

[Armaddict]

The kinds with small beginnings.

And big endings.

They come in various scales and varieties and mediums, and they're all good.

[Norcal]

The kinds with small beginnings.

And big endings.

They come in various scales and varieties and mediums, and they're all good.

I don't know. Some of the things I read above, about the glory days, are still possibilities. I have been involved in a few of them, some recently.  Sorcs, thieving elves on the Pah (not just Red Fangs either), suspecting your clanmates of being gickers in a clan that hates them, mindbenders, war between Kurac and a certain d-elf tribe, murder for profit, murder for fun, murder for politics. Lots of murder, and tons of betrayal. I think corruption is the most boring of things though. Just too easy.

I imagine the old days were fun and that changes make players who were around back then sad.  Yet, I also think that folks like myself and other even more recent arrivals will look at these days as the glory days.  Arm is what you make of it, and I have never had a problem creating or getting involved in plots even with PCs right out of the box. I suppose you need a willingness to take risks and push the envelope at times, but the plots are there and you all make most of them.  You guys rock.

[Lizzie]

I want to point out - my last post a few posts up was what my *ideal* plotlines would consist of. Like, if I could wave a magic wand and have plotline after plotline of mad stupid crazy shit happen on a daily basis, with enough staff support and interest and resources to make 100 die-hard WOW fans swear off graphics forever and plunge in.

That doesn't mean that I'm not enjoying other plotlines, or that less spectacular plotlines aren't fun or that I don't look forward to seeing "what's next" in the world of Zalanthas.

The events that happen now will be the glory days of the next decade. Some people will be involved in them, some won't. The thing about the two sorcs and my character becoming corrupted is actually fairly current (in the past couple of years) and as I said, that was the BEST fun I've had so far.

I'm not disheartened or cynical about "what it is" now. I think with the new staff and some of the old staff returning, we'll be seeing new "OMGWTF" plotlines, just - in a different way. I'm looking forward to experiencing some of them and I won't even try to compare them with the "Glory days" of my own experiences. Going into it assuming it'll suck is really just asking for it to suck, because that would justify your attitude (which everyone wants to do). I go into it knowing that I had a blast with past experiences, and knowing I can't have *those* experiences again, but that I might have a blast with NEW experiences.

Also for Norcal - the thing with the raiders - I shouldn't have to detour into "their" territory to be afraid of getting raided on the way from Allanak to Tuluk. I should be concerned about elven raiders anywhere along the way. That was one of the things that made the Red Fangs so much fun to deal with as a "victim" (I played one too but I was a "victim" of them with a few characters before I played one). The very name of their tribe, spoken out loud, brought fear into the minds of travellers going anywhere in the world, not just in one section of the game that was known to be protected by the people who lived there.

[Fujikoma]

I enjoy the plots that come to life through player interaction. Sometimes, when drawn out far enough, with just enough tension applied at all times... and then, *snap*, it's over, and even though you "won", you still feel like you lost OOC, because, there goes your villain, what the heck are you supposed to do now? And if you lost, hey, maybe after a few IG years your next PC will find themselves best buds with your previous enemy, and  you'll be like, wow, that was all just a hideous misunderstanding, or, holy cow! I was not only right, I wasn't suspicious enough! But, it's still all good fun. Thanks, everyone who's played with me. I can only hope to create more believable characters as time goes on to repay you all for the time you've invested in bringing the game to life for me.

[Tetra]

Armageddon is a harsh MUD with an equally gritty setting, but I have to disagree with the general sentiment that murder makes a good plot.  It doesn't.  A plot is good because it interweaves an overarching scheme of stories that symbiotically compliment each other.  Murder is just a cherry on the cake, it does not provide good storytelling on its own.  With that being said, murder and death can propel a plot, and ultimately be the conclusion of it for your character -- but it is not "the plot".

[Fujikoma]

Armageddon is a harsh MUD with an equally gritty setting, but I have to disagree with the general sentiment that murder makes a good plot.  It doesn't.  A plot is good because it interweaves an overarching scheme of stories that symbiotically compliment each other.  Murder is just a cherry on the cake, it does not provide good storytelling on its own.  With that being said, murder and death can propel a plot, and ultimately be the conclusion of it for your character -- but it is not "the plot".

I'll say. It's something I'd honestly prefer not to use, but so many times it becomes inevitable.

[Molten Heart]

Spending a lot of time talking about killing someone is much more fun than when someone dies.