Character Kidnapping - Do you do it?

[TheLastCandle]

I've been made sour about kidnapping plots.

 

In one of my previous guilds, in a previous game, we had an individual who would simply decide for herself that she was kidnapped, and that other RPers had to come and rescue her. The first time, we played it out, but it was a bit off-putting not to have been privy to the plotline before it impinged upon other things, but kidnappings don't wait, we supposed.

 

The player did the same thing again in the middle of some other storylines that needed addressing, derailing a lot of people's progress in order to tend to hers. This time, the guildleaders gave a warning.

 

The third time... half the group got mad, and the other half basically decided that if she was going to be this way, we didn't want to play with her, anyway.

 

It's a potent trope, and always good for drama, but it has massive, massive abuse potential.

 

Your first mistake was roleplaying with Princess Peach

[Spethah]

I like properly planned kidnapping RP with proper consequences. I hate kidnapping events where the person comes back a-okay after a day or two, "oh hey I was kidnapped but I used my suppppper powers to get out" or they get saved and it's allll okay or whatever. 

 

In all honestly I've never had any of my characters kidnapped because every time I was offered it, there was no real consequence for either the victim or the kidnapper. I outright decline if I see that. I do wish to experience that kind of event from a writing point of view and would like to actually write about it, but again no one is willing to put some thought into what happens after the kidnapping. 

 

Shame I can't do any of that right now, since my character is a ghost and I don't know if anyone can really kidnap a ghost.

[Arter Wood]

I don't really remember if I had or not. I haven't had any characters that had bad run-ins with evil doers, but I've had submissive characters.

[Virella]

Only did it once! Was some server wide event where people started to go mad about some magical artefacts. My char's husband had one in possession, and seeming my elf was an useless civilian, they sought to kidnap her in return for the magical shard.

 

Sadly enough for the kidnappers all they got was a Walder Frey response of "I will find another" from her husband. They set her free due to it finding it a more cruel fate to toss her back into the arms of her husband instead of keeping her away from him. What was sadly enough very much true!

 

I do not mind it at all, as long both parties are clear on how and what

[Nako Vesh]

I've only had one character kidnapped and that was my Rogue in Burning Crusade. I wouldn't mind exploring it again, as long as it wasn't happening all the time or something. Though I don't see why anyone would want to kidnap Nako. :lol:

[Ha'uruh Nunh]

I've done it before, but my primary RP partner loathes kidnapping story lines, so I get more creative now.

 

In the hands of some people, such story lines are used as a bludgeon to get people to care about their character and make them the center of attention. Tread carefully if you choose to participate.

[T'shina]

I have always loved the idea of having a character being kidnapped.

 

Previously I have had a character kidnapped, tortured, and once someone had attempted to rape her (the person did ask for permission first thankfully and I appreciate that they had). However, it has never been for a prolonged amount of days as they usually don't get away with it long.

 

Personally, I'd love if T'shina had gotten kidnapped. Being that she considers herself a strong and self sufficient individual would make her more humble in the long run, which I think would be interesting to see her go through that mentally. (I enjoy torturing my characters in different ways)

[K'nahli]

I've often considered my character being kidnapped by the Amalj'aa for tempering, but that's about it!

[Kurt S.]

Like who'd want to kidnap the cook amirite or hell the head of a raw material supplying business or just some random catgirl ninjadin maybe some au ra washed up on the Bloodshore. 

 

I haven't been nor done one but it seems to be something that I want to try out. Granted I'm still sort of fresh to the whole roleplaying shebang so I"m not entirely sure how it works. Of course, like all the others who posted before, I wanna try it if it makes sense or something.

[Mercurias]

I've had my characters be kidnapped for up to three months before for plot purposes. The three month character was brutally tortured and came back missing a few toes, missing fingers, only one eye, and his appendix and gall bladder carved out (removed while he was awake to scream just for the sake of torture). He spent the next year and a half coping with post-traumatic stress so severe that he wasn't able to leave his "Safe place".

 

So yes. I've done kidnappings, and I've done them pretty serious and nasty. I've also done them amusing and lighthearted where it turned into a week-long drinking binge and joint spirit quest between kidnapper and kidnappee in order to subvert the trope.

 

Just not all in FFXIV, and not in the span of a year.

 

The key thing to all storytelling is to do things in moderation. Kidnapping? Sure. Just don't overdo it.

 

The issue I see with kidnappings is that they become VERY common. One person has it done very well and someone else wants to develop their character a bit, flashes back to the well-done kidnapping, and things "Hey! I should try it too in my own way!" There is absolutely nothing wrong with it except for that it can slowly turn into a fad, and then it loses impact.

 

And then somebody gets a little hurt OOC because their plot, instead of giving a huge impact, is met with eyerolls and a "Not -another- kidnapping!" attitude.

 

My suggestion would be to look for inspiration and other ways to develop your character that don't fall along the lines you've seen before. A lot of the time, looking at other genres entirely can bring you some huge ideas! Watch a western! Read a biography on a famous person! You'll be shocked to see what you can adapt into your story.

[Theila Durain]

I've had a character kidnapped by someone with the worst intentions, and subjected to all the horrible things that entailed. She ended up having a broken psyche and stockholms syndrome. She eventually ended up becoming the villain for a later RP, as she was already tok far gone by the time she was 'rescued'.

[LiadansWhisper]

So I'm curious.

 

Have you had your character kidnapped in your roleplay with another player character? If you've not had it done, are you willing?

 

Definition for this thread: The kidnapping is a character held and kept for a period of at least a couple days, against their will. This does not include backstories or histories of your character that you've written on your own.

 

By the first definition of a couple of days, Kage has not. He has been knocked out and held against his will for a day at most. He's been knocked out by a plank of wood and rolled up in carpet (by Xydane). He was knocked out and carried over Unnamed Merc's shoulders. But not for a period of days I'd be ok with such an event!

 

My character ended up kidnapped as part of an RP situation.

 

It was not my idea, but it ended up being fun.

 

I'm pretty much open to anything that doesn't end in death and/or serious mutilation.  But most of the time, RP isn't going to go down like that.

[furs-fornication]

Hmm, well I've never had anyone try and kidnap any of my characers, though with them being them, I'm surprised no one has yet. Especially Rheha.

 

But I wouldn't mind the thought really. If executed and resolved quickly, I think it could be a fun turn of events drama-wise and even character development wise. I see though the point in it being overused. Perhaps if it was done in a differen way?

[Mercurias]

My character ended up kidnapped as part of an RP situation.

 

It was not my idea, but it ended up being fun.

 

TANKS SHOULDN'T LEAVE THE HEALER AND THE DPS TO DO ALL THE FIGHTING THEMSELVES WHEN MOST OF THE BADDIES ARE TARGETTING THE SQUISHIES!

 

*grumbles*

 

Still salty.

[Enla]

I've had it happen once before in a storyline for a character in another game, but presently I haven't engaged in anything remotely similar since coming to FF. With that said if someone comes up with a good enough plot hook and asks me about it first I'm -ALL- for it. Hell, the asking part is only to make sure I don't have obligations already set in stone for that character at the time. Anything that brings my characters some form of strife is perfectly fine in my books.

[Reth]

I'm new to FFXIV so nothing on here yet, but I think kidnapping stories hold a lot of potential.

 

In a previous game almost 10 years ago I played as a Human Bard who was kidnapped by Drow and taken to the Underdark, where his keepers were trying to understand the magicks he was able to draw forth with his music (Bardic magic was rare in this setting).

 

It originated as an OOC discussion where the myself and a few select members of the Drow community wanted to RP together, but it resulted in some of my most memorable experiences roleplaying there, and a Games Master who took the role of Lloth even started a lasting storyline of hunting my character down with Driders after he escaped.

 

I think if you're going to do a kidnapping arc, make sure it gives you potential to RP with multiple people you may not have met otherwise. I think it could get a little stale if you only get to speak with your one kidnapper.

[Dante Abigor]

While my character hasnt personally been kidnapped, seeing as almost everyone that actually sees him as an enemy with no room for gray area mostly think so because they believe him to be a danger and would rather kill him outright instead of bothering with a kidnapping, he has been paid at least twice to kidnap another character for a job.

 

Usually doesnt do anything to them that he wasnt paid to do or to guarantee his own safety.

 

Im not a big fan of IC kidnapping though. Forces people to be ooc for a time, usually feels really black & white, and unless either someone dies or someone is paid I personally feel like the plot failed somehow, as it feels like its just left out in the open and then everyone is like.....nonchalant or overly dramatic about it later.

[Magellan]

Heheh.... I feel like this used to happen all the time in Tera. I do agree with some of the others that it's a rather quick and cheap ploy to ramp up the drama, is overused, gets resolved too quickly, and often doesn't have a solid reason behind WHY the kidnapping occurred, other than 'need a reason for conflict'. 

 

I've had one pretty decent kidnapping plot in FFXIV, and one pretty terrible one.... that actually did go for several days... which had the curious side effect of taking all the core rpers (read: officers) out of IC availability for about a week while they looked for the kidnapee, which thrust the entire FC into a state of rp limbo.

[Caspar]

I hear this was actually a mechanic in Age of Wulin. The villainous schools would kidnap and ransom/sell members of enemy factions. Heroes would go and rescue them. I wonder if RP was fun there. I wouldn't mind getting kidnapped, if it actually could happen to my character, but it might disrupt an existing storyline, so I'd always prefer to be asked first.

[Ashe]

Closest to it has been holding someone at bladepoint to incur a stalemate in combat.

 

And then throwing him in a prison only for him to walk free >> 

Hehehe

I was gonna say "The closest to it has been being held at blade-point, knocked out, and being thrown in prison for being a butt-hurt kinda heretic."

 

To follow up. I am continuing to RP with my FC over one of the hidden Linkpearls my character keeps on him (read: paranoid butt)...I did this to force a change in my character so I would hate RPing him less as well as get me to go stop RPing to farm some gear before HW. I am bored not RPing...but the stick has been removed from my character's butt so I'm happy. That and I made a new enemy ^^

[Arrelaine]

I don't normally do kidnappings (as a matter of fact, I've never done one but Arry almost got kidnapped during a guild plot!), because it's been done so much. I try to avoid plots that are used too much; I'd rather flex my creative brain mojo and come up with something that will refresh people instead of make them go 'hggggh not again'. I don't think kidnappings are bad RP, just that people might get tired of them after so many, and it helps to have something new so the next person plotting might not get that reaction if they go with it.

[LadyRochester]

I have been on both ends of the story.

 

Regarding getting kidnapped, my character is open to everything, except for death (That would have to be prearranged, as I would want to make it part of a big/significant plot.) She eventually managed to wiggle herself out with persuasion, the second time it happened, she was rescued. 

 

As for doing the kidnapping, I always ask the other RPer oociy if they are okay with it, as I don't like to do such "big" moves without warning the other beforehand, so, unless the rper tells me otherwise, I will always warn OOCily about the actions she might take. I don't expect the same from others, but I feel like better communication leads to better RP. She only did this once, and it was with the help of sell-swords she hired.

[C'kayah Polaali]

I have, both in FF and other games. Other folks have talked about the various points of etiquette around this sort of RP. Effectively it's the same as any other conflict RP. There is an additional aspect of it that often doesn't show up in other RPs, though: Kidnapping RP takes place over time, so what do you do with your character between scenes? How does time flow?

 

Both in Eve Online and Star Trek Online I have played arcs that involved my character being kidnapped. In both of them we attempted to play it out real-time-ish. My character was taken on day X, and then was kept until freed. The arc in Eve went clumsily - I was new to scripted arc RP, and handled it poorly - but in both of them things got frustrating because I couldn't really RP my characters outside of the arc until they had been freed. The arc in STO was especially frustrating because we weren't able to get everyone together for scenes very often, so it really stretched on.

 

What that's led to in FF for me is the philosophy that you have to allow time to become decoupled for these sorts of arcs. Instead of pinning the start of the arc to the day it begins, I've started pinning the end of the arc to the day it ends. What that means is that if my character is kidnapped on the 1st of June and not freed until the 30th of July, I'm not keeping him out of commission for two months. Instead, we look at the IC length of the arc (say it's 4-5 scenes over 48 hours) and say the kidnapping happened on the 28th of July. It's pinned to the end of the arc.

 

This doesn't prevent consistency or continuity problems, of course, but neither does pinning an arc at the start. What it does do, however, is let the players take their time and play out the arc at their convenience without anyone having to put their characters out of commission ICly for an extended time.

[ZoktaiKhor]

Zachary has for Four days by Garleans he was tortured ,but rescued by a Warrior of Light

[Suviyo Viyo]

It's funny, in another game I was RPing in... it seemed like I was coming across people RPing this type of scenario constantly!

 

Honestly, I have to say that I'm a little bothered by RP that involves denying one of the player's sense of agency in a situation. And really... it just seems really odd and unlikely that people would find themselves being kidnapped right and left all the time.

 

Also things like the whole "Save the Princess" trope comes to mind when I think about this... and it just winds up feeling pretty tired... plus a little more than regressively disempowering for a female character.

 

So yeah... Unless there was a fun and unique way of playing with the trope and flipping it on its head... I'd rather not ever RP a scenario involving it, myself.