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What would it take to convince you to change a plot? - Printable Version

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What would it take to convince you to change a plot? - SaintEaon - 09-15-2015

For instance suppose you're deciding to take a character in a newer direction, the status quo's been the same for awhile and you meet some new RPers and start making a plot with them. At some point something happens, it could be from your old RP having some change, it could be something new you learn (be it true or false ICly), how big would it have to be in order to make you change your new plot and plans?

RE: What would it take to convince you to change a plot? - Ignacius - 09-15-2015

A decent conversation.  Keep things fun.

Then again, I like to drop the changes straight into RP.  Have some fun with it.

RE: What would it take to convince you to change a plot? - SaintEaon - 09-15-2015

(09-15-2015, 02:20 PM)Ignacius Wrote: A decent conversation.  Keep things fun.

Then again, I like to drop the changes straight into RP.  Have some fun with it.

Well let me throw this curve ball at you then. Your character development is about to take a dramatic turn, the things your character wants and values are changing, like growing up going from being a teen to a young adult who has to choose life for themselves. As you're starting this out, a character from your past comes to you (I'll let you decide the context) claiming that they've changed or are changing or whatever they're claiming and while they want to help you grow into this new world, they (as a character, not a player) need your character to fight against some of the change and try to remain with them. 

Who would this new character asking your character in part to stay with them have to be in order to get you to change the plot? I mean this could be a friend becoming an enemy, an enemy becoming a friend, a former lover/flirt asking to be something more, someone you admire, someone you hate. What would their relationship have to be to you ICly to consider changing for them?

RE: What would it take to convince you to change a plot? - -no longer matters- - 09-15-2015

Few things:

1.) OOC Scorn - Yep this happened once.
2.) New people getting involved with fresh ideas to ad in that work. (A lesson every writer should learn, you're ideas aren't always the best stay receptive.)
3.) Brick wall of where do I go now. - Like you plotted it all out, but it just didn't come together so you had no Idea where to go so you just went left instead of the planned right.

RE: What would it take to convince you to change a plot? - Warren Castille - 09-15-2015

Step 1) Present new idea (from herein referred to as "the boat") to Warren (herein referred to as "the stick in the mud")
Step 2) Be prepared for the stick in mud to riddle the boat full of as many holes as he can
Step 3) Get in the boat
Step 3a) Swim back to shore and construct a new boat
Step 3b) Sail away on the boat

Sturdy boats can stand a few holes. Other than my apprehension to shaking things up, I'd like to think I'm pretty okay about listening to "Hey, I've got an idea."

Edit: If we're talking about IC decision making, just apply logic and reasoning. Season with revenge and justice to taste.

RE: What would it take to convince you to change a plot? - Zhavi - 09-15-2015

Any well thought out and interesting idea, or accommodations to either bring in a character or let a character leave. Or, well, something unexpected happening in the rp, so long as it wasn't a nonsensical bit of godmoding.

99.9999% of the time, I leave everything but the beginning setup open to change.

I like my rp fluid.

RE: What would it take to convince you to change a plot? - Mia Moui - 09-15-2015

Sounsyy saying it can't be done.


I changed my plot a bit when I was informed that my idea wasn't all that likely in the lore.  But I'm open to suggestions pretty much all the time.

RE: What would it take to convince you to change a plot? - SaintEaon - 09-15-2015

Sorry if these threads I'm making lately are a annoying, I just like to address things I feel like might be common things to happen to RPers that it might be helpful to have different perspectives on. 

Lets go for a really typical Hollywood Trope: 

Guy and Girl are very close romantically but for whatever reason they don't work out. Girl moves on, guy realizes error of his ways and comes back. 

What does guy have to do to show girl he's changed enough to be worth her taking on despite any new potential boyfriends? Does it matter how "involved" the girl and her new relationship is? Does it matter the age? Does it matter how bad the last relationship was? If girl got a new relationship because she didn't feel like the old one was going anywhere after months, if guy came back showing he could change and be different, in girl's shoes how do you handle this?

Oh also assume Girl still really loves guy a lot. They're still very close just not together.

RE: What would it take to convince you to change a plot? - Kellach Woods - 09-15-2015

A good hook considering I ensure any "plot" I "plan" is so open ended it can be taken everywhere.

RE: What would it take to convince you to change a plot? - Gegenji - 09-15-2015

(09-15-2015, 02:43 PM)Kellach Woods Wrote: A good hook considering I ensure any "plot" I "plan" is so open ended it can be taken everywhere.

I try to do that as well. I will usually have a general idea of where I would like to go with a plot if/when I present it... but I also try to be open enough that if something comes up that alters the path - or someone has some other ideas - I can roll with it. I suppose Gogon is a good example of that - original plan had him dead, and he's done quite a bit since when that was supposed to happen.

RE: What would it take to convince you to change a plot? - SaintEaon - 09-15-2015

(09-15-2015, 02:47 PM)Gegenji Wrote:
(09-15-2015, 02:43 PM)Kellach Woods Wrote: A good hook considering I ensure any "plot" I "plan" is so open ended it can be taken everywhere.

I try to do that as well. I will usually have a general idea of where I would like to go with a plot if/when I present it... but I also try to be open enough that if something comes up that alters the path - or someone has some other ideas - I can roll with it. I suppose Gogon is a good example of that - original plan had him dead, and he's done quite a bit since when that was supposed to happen.

What if it wasn't just like something you roll with. If someone had the idea of a plot that went one way then someone or something from your character's past came up like a nuclear fuckin' bomb or a force of nature that wouldn't just shatter your plans but could potentially shatter your partner's too. At that point do you say "Well, look this has been important to my character in the past I can't ignore it." or do you go "Well my character will be affected by this, maybe even dramatically, but I'm going to go for the same loosely defined end goal regardless."

And further more would it change the way you viewed this event if you'd known that a lot of the reason this event happened was because of your change in plot.

To use the trope again, guy changes not because he would ordinarily have changed but because the idea of losing girl was so bad for guy, his character went through its own development to match.

RE: What would it take to convince you to change a plot? - Zhavi - 09-15-2015

(09-15-2015, 02:50 PM)SaintEaon Wrote:
(09-15-2015, 02:47 PM)Gegenji Wrote:
(09-15-2015, 02:43 PM)Kellach Woods Wrote: A good hook considering I ensure any "plot" I "plan" is so open ended it can be taken everywhere.

I try to do that as well. I will usually have a general idea of where I would like to go with a plot if/when I present it... but I also try to be open enough that if something comes up that alters the path - or someone has some other ideas - I can roll with it. I suppose Gogon is a good example of that - original plan had him dead, and he's done quite a bit since when that was supposed to happen.

What if it wasn't just like something you roll with. If someone had the idea of a plot that went one way then someone or something from your character's past came up like a nuclear fuckin' bomb or a force of nature that wouldn't just shatter your plans but could potentially shatter your partner's too. At that point do you say "Well, look this has been important to my character in the past I can't ignore it." or do you go "Well my character will be affected by this, maybe even dramatically, but I'm going to go for the same loosely defined end goal regardless."

And further more would it change the way you viewed this event if you'd known that a lot of the reason this event happened was because of your change in plot.

To use the trope again, guy changes not because he would ordinarily have changed but because the idea of losing girl was so bad for guy, his character went through its own development to match.

if it makes sense, I roll with it.

If it doesn't I either discuss it until it does, or drop it.

I once had someone ruin my character in the course of the rp. She was chattel, a means of getting to another character. Still rolled with it. Couldn't play her after, didn't care. The story was worth it.

RE: What would it take to convince you to change a plot? - Verad - 09-15-2015

Instead of all the hypotheticals, why not tell us what kind of answer you're looking for?

RE: What would it take to convince you to change a plot? - Gegenji - 09-15-2015

(09-15-2015, 02:50 PM)SaintEaon Wrote:
(09-15-2015, 02:47 PM)Gegenji Wrote:
(09-15-2015, 02:43 PM)Kellach Woods Wrote: A good hook considering I ensure any "plot" I "plan" is so open ended it can be taken everywhere.

I try to do that as well. I will usually have a general idea of where I would like to go with a plot if/when I present it... but I also try to be open enough that if something comes up that alters the path - or someone has some other ideas - I can roll with it. I suppose Gogon is a good example of that - original plan had him dead, and he's done quite a bit since when that was supposed to happen.

What if it wasn't just like something you roll with.

If it's not something I can roll with, then I don't. I might play along with it a bit to see if gets better, but if I don't like where it's going, I don't do it. Example, an "April Fools" prank resulted in Chachan being tricked into thinking his girlfriend had been turned into a male Highlander. It was odd, but I rolled along with it.

... Until the person decided to get rid of said Highlander (since it ended up somehow being some other, mental person entirely) by having them slip off a wall, crack their head open, and die. Right in front of Chachan. After the shock of having that curveball thrown, I decided to recon it to a bad dream and have carried on with it as such ever since. It was something I was not comfortable rolling with, so I ultimately didn't.

RE: What would it take to convince you to change a plot? - Ignacius - 09-15-2015

(09-15-2015, 02:25 PM)SaintEaon Wrote:
(09-15-2015, 02:20 PM)Ignacius Wrote: A decent conversation.  Keep things fun.

Then again, I like to drop the changes straight into RP.  Have some fun with it.

Well let me throw this curve ball at you then. Your character development is about to take a dramatic turn, the things your character wants and values are changing, like growing up going from being a teen to a young adult who has to choose life for themselves. As you're starting this out, a character from your past comes to you (I'll let you decide the context) claiming that they've changed or are changing or whatever they're claiming and while they want to help you grow into this new world, they (as a character, not a player) need your character to fight against some of the change and try to remain with them. 

Who would this new character asking your character in part to stay with them have to be in order to get you to change the plot? I mean this could be a friend becoming an enemy, an enemy becoming a friend, a former lover/flirt asking to be something more, someone you admire, someone you hate. What would their relationship have to be to you ICly to consider changing for them?

Not much of a curve ball for me.  Roleplaying is not about using other peoples' characters as props for your story.  If my character trajectory is going one way, and someone wants my character trajectory to go another way, they'll have to do it the same way everyone else does: roleplay.  If they want my character to take up a specific role for their character, and they can't convince them through RP, it's not going to happen.

I'm old-fashioned like that.