Plot and how to make it better

[RheaGhe]

I HIT POST BEFORE THIS WAS READY! I WILL BE EDITING IT LATER! If you can make sense of it, go ahead and respond. It's basically a ramble on why it's okay for shit to be taken away and given back after goals are accomplished, because the timescale is cool. Going back to sleep now.

One thing I don't think gets leveraged well in Arm is it's time scale.
You have years happening in months.

And I think that should be a factor.

I got to thinking about this reading another thread, but it really is deserving of it's own. As a lot of these threads seem to boil down to the same problem. Ennui with the options for maneuvering through the game. there's so little automated to do in the cities, and largely that's fine. But in designing plots, I think, from what I've experienced, there's not a lot of plot's that factor that time scale in.

Like, don't be afraid to burn down existing structures for plots, have them rebuilt mostly the same over the next couple years. That's an instant 2 months of plot for a group of players.

Problem with a certain house hording a bunch of cool shit.

Maybe the Kadians accidentally make explosive perfume, and blow up their storehouse, so they've got to negotiate with a noble house to rent a structure nearby. It's smaller. But it gives a couple months for staff to sort through their warehouse and do plot with the stuff inside.

Maybe the Sath's and Jals have a sewer main burst and the same thing happens.

There could be property reclamation plots(Go hire mercs and engage the sewer trogs for the nobles jewelry box back), there could be construction effort plots where resources in large amounts are donated, there could ARSON plots, players should and could be allowed to plot to burn down their enemies hovels. War plots should be common place, not even active ones, just organized border skirmishes. Have roving groups of NPC soldiers, levy's basically, under equipped that wander the borders, that die to animals leaving corpses, but if it's noticed and small enough that a player patrol could skirmish with them.

Have the occasional emissary plotline, "An emisary from Luirs arrived mi'lord, he needs a protection detail." Now your guards have to secure lodging for this idiot NPC, who doesn't need a constant minder. They just need a plan of attack for the next month or so in game.

All that needs to really be done is to adjust the world around the timescale. Adjust the plots around it too.

Player plots on the small scale, events and the like, should and would still happen, RPT's patrols, and so on. But if you adjusted the larger plots to the time scale, you can see a LOT of really easy stuff that you can do to entertain an entire city for months IRL.

There's so much you can do, that would require just changing an entryway, having an NPC give some orders ICly on occasion. And the players doing shit and submitting reports.

Not every plot needs to be worldshaking magical in it's implications and so on. Not saying there shouldn't be those plots. But you can turn cities into a center, that uses the wilds, if you give some large scale challenges to players to get engrossed in.

I been up all night, so I'm gonna be back after a nap for an editing pass.

[DesertT]

I feel like so much of this can be taken on by players and not really require much, if anything, from Staff.

I have a Half-Giant who loved a certain drink and at least one of his buddies was making it a point to acquire it for him.  He also decided he wanted to skim the Silt Sea, all SORTS of fun came from that!

You can develop a taste for [small animal tail/bit] and either go and acquire yourself with a friend (or friends) which will then open the window for other interaction.  Have a cook-out, drink, and play cards.

I'm more of a small world player.  I enjoy the little life moments that happen between characters or in a small group.

Big, bad, scary world plots have their place, but when I'm utilizing my other (unknown to others) accents at night in a storm with a bunch of Bynners, proclaiming my love as a rinther or throwing my voice as a present tribal, those moments crack me up the most.

[Riev]

Why do staff only have to interact in big scary bad wolf plots?
Why do small plots have to be run by players?
Why can we not have smaller plots facilitated by staff members?

Staff are responsible for being the driving force behind Arm's narrative. Staff should be planning plots, building NPCs and items for those plots, interacting with the players, and keeping other staff informed of what is going on.

Their position, when they begin, is Storyteller.

Yes, players are responsible for their own fun as well, but it is staff's expectation to facilitate it. Players should not be SOLELY responsible for their fun times and card games.

[FamousAmos]

Agreed.

[DesertT]

You'll note that I didn't say staff "only have to interact in big scary bad wolf plots".  Those are your words.  Not mine.

I said that I enjoy the small life moments.  I never said Staff can't get involved in those or shouldn't.

I said that we as players can facilitate most (so much) of the stories that we enjoy.

I also never said that Players should "be SOLELY responsible for their fun times and card games".  That is your emphasis changed and added, not mine.

Sure seems like someone likes to assume the most negative when I post.  It's becoming a pattern.

[Riev]

I wasn't specifically responding to you, either.

Seems like someone is taking stuff awful personally.

[Wday]

Small player plots are awesome with staff or without!  There has to be no real outcome of a plot or goal but the role play and adventure going after it is the main thing.  Just grab on to a idea and go after it even if it's someone else goal and you just join up to see if it is something.

Big world plots with a staff goal.  I like to spot those and jump on the coat tail of them and start fleshing things out myself.  Maybe even go the complete wrong way then what is really going on but the Role play there is fun and if you can hook one or two more in with the idea!  We are taking long hours on game without even noticing it.