To Plot or to Not: The Question, the Debate

[Arelian Solin]

So! Just the other night I was talking to a friend of mine when an interesting point came up, and it's one I've been pondering ever since.

 

As far as I'm aware, there are two "main" types of RP that people participate in. The first being very much slice-of-life while the other is focused primarily on moving a plot of some sort forward.

 

To be pedantic about it for a moment, I define the two as follows.

 

• Plot-based roleplay is when a group of people gather together for a common purpose. Be it a magic ritual, breaking into an imperial castrum, solving a murder-mystery... The breadth and depth of this runs to an absurd degree, but at the end of the day it's something that gives people a reason to gather and to have their characters interact.
  

• Slice-of-life roleplay is when you're just playing out a day in the life of someone inhabiting the particular world on a consistent basis. Interactions come and go and tend to mirror real life in the sense that there's rarely some over-arching goal that the people involved are working towards.
  

While the two can mingle fairly often, there's usually a pretty strict divide between what people consider plot-based and what people consider slice-of-life-y. So I ask you, RPC. Do you have a preference?

 

To get the conversation started, I'll talk about my own preferences first!

 

I'm a plot-based roleplayer first and foremost. I'm at my best, and happiest, when I have some goals for my character to work towards, be it their own or helping further another's plot-line. I like having things planned that can throw wrenches into how the story is being told, and I like helping other people achieve a goal they've set out to finish. It's important to note that, in my opinion, plot-based RP doesn't have to be planned to an absurd degree--rather, it's quite literally just a light at the end of a tunnel that the character's can strive towards reaching. 

 

That being said, there's also a time and a place for slice-of-life stuff. Having my character just hang out at the bar or chitchat with people can be fulfilling and interesting ways to get to know my character a little bit better, and it's often the thing that sparks plots in the first place. I do end up extremely burnt out if this is all I'm doing, though. Gotta have that goal to work towards! Without it I end up getting really bored of a character relatively quickly.

[Nebbs]

I do both interchangeable and will slice of life in the middle of an adventure, which is why I like romance also as it add dimensions to the plottering. I tend to be an improv player and have several loose plots that can be run as and when, and major stuff is just a direction so the RP will actually shape and direct it.

 

Yes I have cake and eat it!

 

I do run one off presetup event but to be honest more often than not the whole organising overshadows the immersion.

[Maril]

The lines are heavily blurred for me these days. I used to be very plot-driven, not taking much interest in bar-rp save for the purpose of icly picking up rumors. Though, at the time (5ish years ago) I was very much also a bit of a bubble-rper, and most notably not responsible for a guild, I was just me. And new. So very new. I absolutely loved it and without that experience I wouldn't have stuck to RP. 

 

And whilst I still love and adore plot-driven stuff, after four years as a GM in two games, I am ah.. A bit exhausted, perhaps. That, and I find it very hard to do the kind of free-flowing plotting that I love so much, more often than not what I bump into around and about is "railroaded" RP, meaning RP that partly has a script - several things are pre-determined and influence from characters is pre-written in the shape of clues given to stragetically picked people at stragetic times. Granted, sometimes they're done so well that it takes me a while to realize what is going on, but regardless there's something about railroaded RP that turns me off. I like it when your characters actions can lead to inpredictable consequences, and where goals are not always reached in the desired way, if reached at all. 

 

I have ideas, one currently where I'm still searching for someone to play a villain, abeit it's not looking great right now - getting them out there is difficult, and again I do not like to predetermine everything. To that end as well, I do not feel I can plot a whole lot with my main character because everything she does directly influences the company - and going on vendetta against her is not just her alone but also the people she leads as an extension. 

 

So what I end up doing is more along the lines of slice of life, combined with your average day as a guildleader and an event-driven motivation if you can call it that. I really enjoy making larger events both for my FC and ones that are open to all. 

All of my characters are non-fighters, and Nailah is almost a borderline anti-sue (I took the test) which I think is a reaction of my roleplay in the game before XIV where I played a (Lore-wise a-okay) overpowered magician and I think I just got really tired of that. 

 

TL;DR: What do I prefer? A mix. I like freestyled plots, I also like visiting bars. What do I end up doing? Slice of life.

[Kyrio Lamansque]

I'm in the middle like a lot of people. Do I really like my plots, feeling like I'm involved in something important? Absolutely. 

 

Do I like knowing how Kyrio spends his days, down to sometimes minute? Yeah, I kinda do. It gives him the feeling of being an 'actual person' and no just a plot device.

 

However I easily get 'plotted out', both on the giving and receiving side. If there's too much drama for too long, I just kinda.. check out. So I end up being more toward the slice of life sort of thing, but I'm not afraid to join a plot should the opportunity present itself.

[Chris Ganale]

As someone who has all their characters locked by being in plot-driven stories and therefore is gated by "but my character is too busy with X or wouldn't be in Y because plothax" whenever I want to RP and therefore don't get to RP, use plot wisely.

[Zhavi]

When I first started here, I was hugely plot driven, because Zhi was always running around doing this or that, and always had some scheme going on.

 

But I like both types of rp. I think I tend to plot more just because brainstorming gives me mindgasms, but pickup rp has plenty of its own charm, too.

 

ALL THE THINGS!

[K'nahli]

I'd be more fond of plot-driven RP. It was what I had expected from FF but I have yet to really experience it(in general). So sadly, my RP has been mostly slice-of-life... outside of a very, slow-paced tribal story anyways.

[Max]

I'm more inclined towards plot-based roleplays, but not when things get too scripted. I like a good solid premise to start off with and then we give our characters the reins.

 

Slice of life roleplays can be a little too stagnant for me. But like what OP said in his final paragraph, there is definitely a time and place for them.

[ArmachiA]

PLOTTTSSS. I'm big on plots. As a GM of 17 years it's just what I expect.

 

However, writing plots or constant never ending danger gets... well exhausting. And it doesn't give anyone a lot of time to sit down and get to know each other. A balance is necessary. Do a plot for awhile but remember to give your players some time to breath. The current plot my FC is doing we're going to end about a month before Heavensward (Hopefully, since it isn't very scripted we just gotta hope it goes as fast as we want) and then nothing will be going on for a while. Like, probably not till August. I always space out plots in such a way, 2 month whirlwind then two months of a break or so. It's necessary - social RP is - and it's fun in it's own right. I like deep character depth too, learning about characters and long, slow romances, and that's really hard to do when you're in the middle of a Garlean horde all the time.

[Marisa]

I like plots! But I, uh... I'm never a part of them

[Chris Ganale]

PLOTTTSSS. I'm big on plots. As a GM of 17 years it's just what I expect.

 

However, writing plots or constant never ending danger gets... well exhausting. And it doesn't give anyone a lot of time to sit down and get to know each other. A balance is necessary. Do a plot for awhile but remember to give your players some time to breath. The current plot my FC is doing we're going to end about a month before Heavensward (Hopefully, since it isn't very scripted we just gotta hope it goes as fast as we want) and then nothing will be going on for a while. Like, probably not till August. I always space out plots in such a way, 2 month whirlwind then two months of a break or so. It's necessary - social RP is - and it's fun in it's own right. I like deep character depth too, learning about characters and long, slow romances, and that's really hard to do when you're in the middle of a Garlean horde all the time.

 

I need to break my stuff up this way. Unfortunately I'm really bad about cramming things together back-to-back. And being a dumbass and setting my characters up in ways that they don't get out much.

[Harmonixer]

I prefer a healthy mix of both. Plot is excellent stuff to be part of, but I find too much of it can be a little mentally taxing for myself. I'm fortunate that my friends enjoy humor as much as myself. Even when my characters are doing absolutely vile things, I like to inject a tiny bit of silliness here and there.

 

I like useless dialogue inbetween my character building. It's a good exercise and sometimes allows something new ideas to bloom.

 

Most of the time, I let whoever I'm RPing with lead, unless requested. I don't mind.

 

But plot is always good, and very welcome. Just not all the time. Is there such thing as RP chaffing? It's that, for me.

[industrythirteen]

I'm not really sure what I prefer anymore. I have some thinking to do. 

 

I used to really like plot-based RP. I felt it gave me more reason to be involved in something. I have done a lot of I guess, what I call tavern RP, which is just daily life, run-of-the-mill kinda RP. But, I find most tavern and random RP to be un-engaging because I struggle to find a reason to get involved all too often in the conversations going on around me. I don't like butting in, mostly. But, that's all on me. I'm not criticizing the type of RP or the player that loves it. I'm noting my own limitations and my own hang ups in getting involved or not involved. 

 

The reason I don't know what I even prefer, or enjoy, anymore is because I find it harder and harder to get into plot RP. I don't really want to have more than a cameo, and I don't want to take up too much time of my GM/DMs, and I want to give other people more an opportunity to shine, despite what I think I would have my character do in any given situation. I see an awful lot of posturing and chest-beating, too. While that's entirely plausible for a character, I just wish folks would get on with it sometimes! A lot of people get involved, and something is gonna give. Someone is not going to get the time they deserve. I'd rather just bow out, and let someone far more invested get the time because they clearly want it. 

 

So, some observations. Please keep in mind this is only what I have seen (and done, and learned from) in my experience across several MMOs, and it may definitely will differ from anyone else's experience.  

 

1. I don't see too many folks treating plotline RP, or heavily managed RP, as one might treat a tabletop, pen and paper game. GMs can reasonably handle five to six players and give each of those individuals the attention they deserve due to the small scale of it in a PnP game. Few of these tabletop games are about any one player character. What I mostly see in MMOs (again, my observations) is trying to stuff as many characters or players as possible into a story that I don't think can support it. Especially not without a lot of help. I know that no one wants to be left out, and no one wants to leave anyone out, but I don't know of a better solution than to split things up into multiple parts with multiple GM/DMs doing different aspects at different times. Or just asking a friend to wait patiently. 

 

2. Trying too hard to manage everything, or control every detail. Some behavior is predictable, but some isn't. Players always find a way to deviate from a path, and surprise GM/DMs. 

 

3. I find a lot of plot RP to be character-centric. It revolves around either a single player character, or a few closely related characters. Often, my character is only marginally aware in the on-goings of the other characters' lives, and I have little reason to participate. My solution to this is to create a story to doesn't involve furthering a personal or private plotline or story of a character. 

 

3a. With my Au Ra, I'm debating on just having a basic framework and never having a personal storyline or on-going plot for her like I have in the past. Not shockingly, I've never completed those plots or stories for other MMO characters. Mostly I don't want to be what I perceive to be a me-monster, and get too hung up about my personal RP and story, or have any expectation that anyone has any reason to care or become personally invested. 

 

I have done all three things in my RP history. I've tried to DM an on-going plot or plots where it was entirely centric to my character. It was hard to both play my character, and manage the 40+ people I invited. The plot eventually got whittled down to about 10 people, tops. I also got kind of annoyed with the player deviation because how dare anyone deviate from my carefully plotted ...plot. I like to think I've grown up a little, and learned a lot from my mistakes. 

 

So, I'm not really sure plotting, or not plotting is the way to go anymore. I guess ultimately it depends on what folks want to do. And wow is that a really non-answer from me.

[Aife]

I like to have a huge plot driven arc for my character every three or so months. Aside from that I spend time helping others with their plots or just doing slice of life rp. I find if a character is constantly involved in a new plot every week it gets a bit...well..ott.

[Michikyou]

I like to have a huge plot driven arc for my character every three or so months. Aside from that I spend time helping others with their plots or just doing slice of life rp. I find if a character is constantly involved in a new plot every week it gets a bit...well..ott.

This so much this.

 

I try and also do a few small plots for the few people i have close to my character and her family - just small plots like: Researching void things, oooOoooo.

 

However I find getting into other peoples plots can be difficult - and sometimes people are a little uninviting. ._.

[Faye]

I like both pretty equally, maybe with a slight preference to slice of life. My characters get involved in the plots of other regularly, as far as making plot stuff happen myself goes, I usually do something every few months to spice things up if going with the flow of things is getting a little stale. While I mostly yearn for more "slice of life" role-play, I like to have my plot bloom from that role-play, so they're kinda like two halves of the same whole for me.

[Arrelaine]

I would be the third option: I have no preference! I like both, I do both and generally put my hands in both as much as I can.

[Dravus]

I'm a fan of both. I do, however, have a strong preference for role-play that has a long term and consistent plot in mind. Unfortunately this can be difficult for me to find due to timezone differences.

[Darien Cadell]

I like "plots" based on this definition, I guess, but I actually clicked slice-of-life above, because like Nailah, I am not at all a fan of the railroad. As soon as I get a sense there's a script in the background, I get the cringe and want out. I don't much care for tavern/social RP generally. Once in a while, sure, but I can't do it often. Maybe what I like is better described as "event" RP? An initial situation with some kind of point to it beyond chatting with pals that may or may not lead to another event, depending what happens.

[Shoshopu]

I like both, but almost always my RP is sort of long-term goal oriented. I have a sort of direction of character development in mind even when my characters are sitting around in a bar or spending time with friends, and not actively engaged in some sort of mission. For that reason I voted 'plot', but I would get worn out pretty quickly if all of my RP was always important plot scenes or something. My RP has fun filler episodes that fit into and relate to a continuity and at the very least have some character development. That's how I like to think of it.

[Nero]

I'm very much a narrative-based roleplayer. Slice-of-life has its place in deepening character relationships and lending itself to character depth and development, but unless there's a plot to challenge those relationships and provide contextual meaning to that depth, I typically lose interest very quickly.

 

That said, conflict and plot isn't completely necessary to make a session dramatic or intriguing. Plot is a tool, like any other literary device. It's important to remember that at its heart, roleplaying is improvisational writing.

 

EDIT: To expand on my point (seeing as how I apparently hit the nail on the head for a few people), I do not find slice-of-life inherently boring. Rather, slice-of-life is very useful to develop parts of your character. How do they react around racism, how do they deal with being startled, how strongly do they feel about their beliefs, etc. However, simply establishing these traits is not enough, and your typical slice-of-life scenarios usually do not force a utilization of them in the same way a plot does.

 

To put it into a simplistic analogy, slice-of-life roleplay is gathering all of the ingredients to a cake. Writing the premise to a plot is putting the ingredients together and baking the cake, and plot roleplay is eating that cake. In regards to how I make my characters interact with other player characters, I feel that it is wasteful for me to gather the ingredients and not use any of them in a cake.

 

And like any sweet treat, eating too much cake is unhealthy, and using the same ingredients makes the act of eating cake boring. Contrast is an important element in both writing and food.

[ArmachiA]

I'm very much a narrative-based roleplayer. Slice-of-life has its place in deepening character relationships and lending itself to character depth and development, but unless there's a plot to challenge those relationships and provide contextual meaning to that depth, I typically lose interest very quickly.

 

This is such a good way of describing it I'm stealing it forever.

[X'havir Vahl]

I like both. Slice of Life is nice for when scheduling is a pain and you only have an hour here or there in game to actually RP so just hanging out in the fc house waiting on a queue and chatting with members icly.

 

I also like the long arching plots that when mixed with the daily interactions, make for a nicely rounded character. I just wish I had more time to do them.

 

So both, both are good.

[Kellach Woods]

I don't like planning far in advance, but I do have general outlines and "quests" that my character has that can essentially fit anyone who really wants to get involved.

[FreelanceWizard]

Personally, I like to do my adventuring IC, so slice of life RP is a nice tie back to what my character is doing in downtime. With that said, though, I do like a nice plot now and then. Having both, IMO, helps bring out different aspects of characters. I like to think of it like a comic book -- you want some issues of the X-Men playing basketball, training, and dealing with their interpersonal stuff, and then you want other issues where they're taking down the Bad Guys. For me, where it gets really fun is when you have the interpersonal parts mixed with the plot. I certainly aim for such "Bendis-esque" RP, particularly in IC dungeons.