Transitioning from Reactive to Active RP

[Aldotsk]

Still any ideas on how to recruit people into an active story?

 

I actually like everyone's suggestions through this thread. Honestly, like everyone said - the Making Connections forum section is always a best way to discuss your character developments and active story. Someone will bound to hear you out and will do something to make plot interesting.

 

If you know someone that you want to make an active story with, don't hesitate to PM him/her. That person will likely to get back with you to say yes or no. 50/50 right there.

 

Event forum or this forum section is a great way to start bringing some ideas.

 

Should you ever want to discuss something, feel free to PM me or anyone above if you want us to be involved in your active story!

[111]

I think there is always a bit of a blend between the two styles. No one is fully active, this isn't a D&D game where you can fully define everything. Every plot draws from and builds off of what other people are doing.

 

With my RP I tend to be active with small events which end up having a big impact. I feel like everyone loves to RP, but sometimes they just need an event to coalesce around. Of course it often makes everyone want to kill my character... but it's worth it ;D.

 

I'm going to try my hand at something a bit more substantial soon though. I have a plot in the works which will pit Ul'dah versus Limsa on a city versus city setting. I kind of have been hankering for a non heroes vs villains plot. It would be fun to do a plot where the ending is actually up in the air.

 

edit: Oh and I try to grab anyone I can for active things. I sometimes use a sultansworn role as kind of a questgiver. For example we wanted to do an IC dungeon the other day, but didn't have a reason to do one. "I got ordered to." seems to work pretty well from time to time.

[Askier]

At this point, I can't really think of much to add to this thread other than this, since everyone has made excellent points above:

 

Be ready for someone, maybe many someones, to come along, look at all the turning gears that run an rp arc and toss a wrench in it. It will happen. I know from personal experience running my two events and honestly, the wrenches were the most fun things. Lol.   Part of why rp is so organic is that its more of an improv game of "Yes and".

 

Otherwise, like has been said before, brainstorm with others, (my events never would have worked out without this) communicate often ( more the better), and just have fun with it. Everyone loves to hop on rp arcs, myself included. Like a wise man once said:

 

" If you build it, they will come."

 

Good luck with your arc. Well good luck to everyone really since looks like a bunch are in the works.

[Melkire]

I'm going to try my hand at something a bit more substantial soon though. I have a plot in the works which will pit Ul'dah versus Limsa on a city versus city setting. I kind of have been hankering for a non heroes vs villains plot. It would be fun to do a plot where the ending is actually up in the air.

 

...I want in. I'm PMing you. *drools*

[111]

I'm going to try my hand at something a bit more substantial soon though. I have a plot in the works which will pit Ul'dah versus Limsa on a city versus city setting. I kind of have been hankering for a non heroes vs villains plot. It would be fun to do a plot where the ending is actually up in the air.

 

...I want in. I'm PMing you. *drools*

 

Haha, details will be forthcoming. But really the biggest thing at stake will be the pride and prestige of the cities involved. While bomb/poison/terrorist plots are fun, everyone already knows which side will win. This will actually be determined by the battles and IC actions. Hopefully!

[Aya]

Haha, details will be forthcoming. But really the biggest thing at stake will be the pride and prestige of the cities involved. While bomb/poison/terrorist plots are fun, everyone already knows which side will win. This will actually be determined by the battles and IC actions. Hopefully!

Nuh uuuuh! Don't mess with Ul'dah!

 

[LiveVoltage]

I would agree, but sadly not. It's not fun if the bad guys don't win every now and then. It makes them look weak and insignificant. Big bads are Big Bads for a reason, so they deserve to win some because their position as a big bad demands it, otherwise its just bad RP.

 

Just remember, nobody likes a Paladin who always wins nor a villain who always looses. Its really give and take for the whole thing and striking a balance between win's and defeat's is what make's RP fun because you never know what will happen.

[111]

I would agree, but sadly not. It's not fun if the bad guys don't win every now and then. It makes them look weak and insignificant. Big bads are Big Bads for a reason, so they deserve to win some because their position as a big bad demands it, otherwise its just bad RP.

 

Just remember, nobody likes a Paladin who always wins nor a villain who always looses. Its really give and take for the whole thing and striking a balance between win's and defeat's is what make's RP fun because you never know what will happen.

 

There is a slight issue here that these plots often blow up out of control. It's one thing for a villain to get away, or have a small victory. But Ul'dah is not going to get blown up. It's just not going to happen. Everyone knows it, the plot is still fun, but there is no other way to do such a high stakes plot besides internally knowing the heroes will win.

[Verad]

I would agree, but sadly not. It's not fun if the bad guys don't win every now and then. It makes them look weak and insignificant. Big bads are Big Bads for a reason, so they deserve to win some because their position as a big bad demands it, otherwise its just bad RP.

 

Just remember, nobody likes a Paladin who always wins nor a villain who always looses. Its really give and take for the whole thing and striking a balance between win's and defeat's is what make's RP fun because you never know what will happen.

 

I do. I like these things. These things are okay.

 

Let me amend this to add some extra advice: Make sure everyone is on the same page thematically.

 

This, I think, is a significant but unspoken barrier to really good arcs. Verad's stories can be somewhat serious, but they're never going to be pits of darkness in which villains always win unless heroes morally compromise themselves or sacrifice the things they care about. I would be sure to tell players that in advance, in case players who prefer a much bleaker tone can steer clear. 

 

I would similarly keep Verad out of such plots, not because they're not interesting to me (all plots are interesting to me, but not all are right for the character), but because his efforts to provide levity and optimism may run counter to the planner's goals.

 

This ties in to Roen's suggestion to consider what themes you want to address in your story when planning it - don't just consider what themes, but how you want to address them in terms of tone.

[LiveVoltage]

I would agree, but sadly not. It's not fun if the bad guys don't win every now and then. It makes them look weak and insignificant. Big bads are Big Bads for a reason, so they deserve to win some because their position as a big bad demands it, otherwise its just bad RP.

 

Just remember, nobody likes a Paladin who always wins nor a villain who always looses. Its really give and take for the whole thing and striking a balance between win's and defeat's is what make's RP fun because you never know what will happen.

 

There is a slight issue here that these plots often blow up out of control. It's one thing for a villain to get away, or have a small victory. But Ul'dah is not going to get blown up. It's just not going to happen. Everyone knows it, the plot is still fun, but there is no other way to do such a high stakes plot besides internally knowing the heroes will win.

I think you misread what I typed. Of course villains wont be able to blow up Ul'dal, but neither are they going to be blocked at every turn either.

 

I meant it generally that the villain's should win some, if you want a more simple explanation. I never meant that they should kill 1000 people and be able to get away with it, totally blowing what I originally meant out of proportion.

[111]

I would agree, but sadly not. It's not fun if the bad guys don't win every now and then. It makes them look weak and insignificant. Big bads are Big Bads for a reason, so they deserve to win some because their position as a big bad demands it, otherwise its just bad RP.

 

Just remember, nobody likes a Paladin who always wins nor a villain who always looses. Its really give and take for the whole thing and striking a balance between win's and defeat's is what make's RP fun because you never know what will happen.

 

There is a slight issue here that these plots often blow up out of control. It's one thing for a villain to get away, or have a small victory. But Ul'dah is not going to get blown up. It's just not going to happen. Everyone knows it, the plot is still fun, but there is no other way to do such a high stakes plot besides internally knowing the heroes will win.

I think you misread what I typed. Of course villains wont be able to blow up Ul'dal, but neither are they going to be blocked at every turn either.

 

I meant it generally that the villain's should win some, if you want a more simple explanation. I never meant that they should kill 1000 people and be able to get away with it, totally blowing what I originally meant out of proportion.

 

Fair enough, perhaps I should have been more specific and said 'in the end'

 

Yes obviously villains will score their early victories, that's what gives the story tension. But the final outcome for most of these large plots is never really in doubt.

[Berrod Armstrong]

I would agree, but sadly not. It's not fun if the bad guys don't win every now and then. It makes them look weak and insignificant. Big bads are Big Bads for a reason, so they deserve to win some because their position as a big bad demands it, otherwise its just bad RP.

 

Just remember, nobody likes a Paladin who always wins nor a villain who always looses. Its really give and take for the whole thing and striking a balance between win's and defeat's is what make's RP fun because you never know what will happen.

 

There is a slight issue here that these plots often blow up out of control. It's one thing for a villain to get away, or have a small victory. But Ul'dah is not going to get blown up. It's just not going to happen. Everyone knows it, the plot is still fun, but there is no other way to do such a high stakes plot besides internally knowing the heroes will win.

I think you misread what I typed. Of course villains wont be able to blow up Ul'dal, but neither are they going to be blocked at every turn either.

 

I meant it generally that the villain's should win some, if you want a more simple explanation. I never meant that they should kill 1000 people and be able to get away with it, totally blowing what I originally meant out of proportion.

 

Fair enough, perhaps I should have been more specific and said 'in the end'

 

Yes obviously villains will score their early victories, that's what gives the story tension. But the final outcome for most of these large plots is never really in doubt.

I actually enjoy running plots where it can be totally up in the air who the 'villains' are. Different sides, fighting for different ideals -- none of which are outright -wrong-, but they oppose each other so solidly that the success of one side means the obliteration of the other's way of life. 

 

Makes for an interesting take on 'letting the villains win'.

 

Especially when the 'villain' is you!

[C'kayah Polaali]

Haha, details will be forthcoming. But really the biggest thing at stake will be the pride and prestige of the cities involved. While bomb/poison/terrorist plots are fun, everyone already knows which side will win. This will actually be determined by the battles and IC actions. Hopefully!

Nuh uuuuh! Don't mess with Ul'dah!

 

 

Limsa is strong!

[DreamedReality]

Thank you, Hornet, for making this thread. It's something I've been struggling A LOT with over the last couple of months, being a very reactive RPer myself. And a thank you to all the folks that have responded so far.

 

I do have a couple follow-up questions on some of the great advice presented so far. And for a bit of perspective... I'd describe myself as a reactive tabletop RPer trying to transition into an active MMO RPer. With most of my MMO RP experience being more casual/tavern style rp until FF14's launch. So I don't have much experience at being in MMO RP plot arcs.

 

How do folks here determine when an NPC (or badguy/antagonist) is important enough to warrant creating and dragging through the tutorial (and potentially lvling further)? Or do NPCs generally stay written but not seen?

 

Can I get a few more tips on how folks here (particularly those that run the Group Driven style plots over the Character Story arcs) juggle finding time to actually run your 'main' between directing story/playing npcs/badguys? That's actually one of my main concerns... I'm quite fond of Jaques(and my alts) and don't want to feel trapped in playing weeks and weeks of not Jaques(et al).

[Melkire]

How do folks here determine when an NPC (or badguy/antagonist) is important enough to warrant creating and dragging through the tutorial (and potentially lvling further)? Or do NPCs generally stay written but not seen?

 

Can I get a few more tips on how folks here (particularly those that run the Group Driven style plots over the Character Story arcs) juggle finding time to actually run your 'main' between directing story/playing npcs/badguys? That's actually one of my main concerns... I'm quite fond of Jaques(and my alts) and don't want to feel trapped in playing weeks and weeks of not Jaques(et al).

 

I can't speak to juggling a long-term villainous alt with your main (haven't had one yet, but I'll point you to Askier, whose alt for multiple Group-Driven plots [Jin'li] lasted for months), but I can take a stab at the other questions.

 

Whether an alt should be dedicated to a NPC is largely a question of:

 

1. How central is the character to the story arc;

2. How often the character will make recurring appearances in this arc and others;

3. How long the character is expected to last;

4. How important it is to have a universally-accepted visual representation of that character.

 

I'll go a little in-depth into #4: not only does having a NPC alt give players something to look at so that you don't have to emote out their appearance every time they show up, but in certain situations, such as combat RP, it is extremely beneficial to have a physical entity present so that you have a position, direction, orientation, etc. It's the difference between having a model for your Red Dragon/Carnifex/whatever present on the tabletop and -not- having -anything- present.

 

As for leveling your NPC alt, generally speaking you level to 15 to gain easy access between cities, to gain access to dyes and the aesthetician. You level beyond 15 as necessary to don the gear appropriate for your NPC's vanity/appearance etc.

 

 

EDIT:

 

As Merc mentions below, Roen is also a good person to talk to re: juggling alts. Hers certainly last much longer than Askier's. =P

[Unnamed Mercenary]

Thank you, Hornet, for making this thread. It's something I've been struggling A LOT with over the last couple of months, being a very reactive RPer myself. And a thank you to all the folks that have responded so far.

 

I do have a couple follow-up questions on some of the great advice presented so far. And for a bit of perspective... I'd describe myself as a reactive tabletop RPer trying to transition into an active MMO RPer. With most of my MMO RP experience being more casual/tavern style rp until FF14's launch. So I don't have much experience at being in MMO RP plot arcs.

 

How do folks here determine when an NPC (or badguy/antagonist) is important enough to warrant creating and dragging through the tutorial (and potentially lvling further)? Or do NPCs generally stay written but not seen?

 

Can I get a few more tips on how folks here (particularly those that run the Group Driven style plots over the Character Story arcs) juggle finding time to actually run your 'main' between directing story/playing npcs/badguys? That's actually one of my main concerns... I'm quite fond of Jaques(and my alts) and don't want to feel trapped in playing weeks and weeks of not Jaques(et al).

 

With thw NPCs I've used, I'll level them to the point that I can outfit them with what I want. Otherwise, I keep them written only. I know quite a few people *cough* Roen *cough* who levels a bunch of alts as NPCs/Villains.

[Verad]

I generally avoid making alts to represent NPCs on the following grounds:

 

-I am lazy

-If I spend that much time and effort on an alt for RP purposes, I'm going to want to keep the alt alive in RP. This begins the transition from NPC to PC, and I just don't have the time for that.

-Other people will start to want to keep the alt alive as well as a result of that same transition, and it can be difficult to eliminate a character when there are other players who want to keep it alive.

[LiveVoltage]

Hrm... well I would offer two idea's to the matter of NPC's.

 

Forum RP seem;s to do the best job when it come's to NPC. It's easy and there is no relative confusion or mess involved, mainly because you have to imagine everything.

 

The other idea is to only establish alt PC's for characters that have an important role in the plot. Thats the only reason why I would think of an NPC alt being allowed to exist.

[Faye]

I'm in the same boat. I'd offer advice if I had any, but we're in the same position. But some of the responses here from others have proved to be useful.  There needs to be more "take charge" RPers out there.

[Val]

It seems like something simple and, to some people, it is. You just think of a story and start roaming around RPing it from there. The problem I've always faced is getting people on board that are interested in your ideas, or getting people that want to join you.

It's hard to get people on board with RP and get stories going. I like to dabble as an active and a reactive RPer, but I also like for people to forge their own path and do their own thing. I've found that it's difficult to recruit people willing to be villains that will follow their own path in the RP rather than work with something that's preordained or pre-planned. I don't mind having a particular end goal in mind, but I do like it when all players have the ability to change that plan based on the actions of their characters.

 

This.. probably wasn't a suggestion so much as an acknowledgment of understanding. If you ever do wish to RP or want someone to RP with, you're more than welcome to call on me. I'd be glad to get involved in anything =)

[ArmachiA]

Most of my experience in RP is being a GM (An active RPer as you put it ). I find there aren't a lot of these out there, and most RPers are reactive RPers. Luckily I'm an Active RPer and run an FC so my FC is very involved in lots of plots and story planning and stuff because I drive things behind the scenes. Without Active RPers there's just no plot, but stepping up to the plate can be fairly intimidating. Interpersonal RP is well and good, but you definitely need adversity and huge epic plotlines to give people something to bounce off of.

 

I have a dedicated team of people who play our FC's bad guys and we plot stuff out all the time. Generally, in order to build suspense, our bad guys win a lot of victories in the beginning and lose later. A lot of things are deciding as the plot progressing and we try not to plan anything out too much (I.E - my bad guy character ended up kidnapped this season, which was never in any plans, but you have to be fluid), but there is an ebb and flow to stories. Villains have to hurt someone, Villains have to be villains, then you can kick their ass later.

 

Moving the story along is a large, large post, it's kind of complicated and I could go into it forever but it may be boring. I've been doing it for about 15 years though.

 

My advice is to try something small at first, test the water, then move to big epic plotlines. I'm comfortable currently dealing with 40 or so people, but when I started I was really only comfortable with 2 or 3.

 

I could go on this tangent for hours, pages and pages, but i'm gonna stop now before I do . If you have any questions let me know.

[HonZoMon]

Hi Hornet, :bouncy:

 

I'll give you my two cents.. Which is probably worth less than two cents since I haven't been Rping for very long. 

 

I never thought this would be much of an issue. Mostly since a lot of the people I RP with are always hungry for MOAR rp, be it Active or Reactive. I love me some Reactive RP, but it does get a little stale if you do too much of it. You shouldn't feel bad about making yourself the star of an Active RP scenario that you choose to set up.

Say you want to go with the "Shadow from the Past" story. Yes, the story will be centered around you, but that doesn't mean others won't enjoy the ride. I have two story-lines that I want to play out atm, which are both completely about Honzo's past. I'm not at all worried about becoming a special snowflake, because -hopefully- I've planned them out enough to be fun and enjoyable for everyone involved.

 

I'm pretty sure if Hornet approached anyone on here with an Active RP story idea, they would all get behind it. If you are afraid of people saying "Pshh, god Hornet so much special won't Rp it"... Trust me you have nothing to worry about.:thumbsup:

 

Unless you have secret arch enemies I don't know about... :tonberry:

[LiveVoltage]

I personally dont have a problem with special snowflake RP's when its done to forward character development or explain things. My issue with it is when people want to be a special snowflake all the time, thankfully though I have never seen that yet.

 

Snowflake RP's though tend to give depth to characters if played right, which is why I wouldn't cross it off as evil controlling or whatever you want to call it, because it really isn't. If someone expresses a legitimate interest in another character about his past, or they just want to develop a relationship between the two of them, then its perfectly natural and okay.

[ArmachiA]

I personally dislike doing any stories that focus on my characters. My characters things are side plots to the bigger plots and I never want to be too much in the spotlight as an Active RPer. HOWEVER, it may be easier to start with a character arch since it can be much smaller.

[Roen]

Alts! \ o /

 

I have a few... although I know others who have leveled WAY more than me. :dazed:

 

While Roen is my main, Raelisanne is my main alt (and I will just stick to talking about her for this post for brevity's sake). I leveled her to 50 when I started to play this game because on my previous MMOs, leveling alts were a thing.

 

This game though made me finally say "Ugh leveling alts is hard" because of stories and scenarios that I had to do for each character.

 

But I am glad I did level her because she was/is the main villain in the very first group oriented plot that I was involved in. Like Osric mentioned, having her be a playable character really does help out the scenes she is in. It also helps me slip into her shoes easier, her mannerisms, appearance, dialogue is wholly different from Roen, and it is easier for other characters to immerse themselves into the scene as well because she is standing right there. I think it definitely enriches a scene visually to play against a character that is standing there.

 

Forum RP/text RP is another way to tackle that problem though if you don't want to spend the time leveling.

 

As for how much time I play my alts vs main... it really depends on the arc. Because Raelisanne is a villain, I don't have her casually walking about, hanging out at taverns, or whatnot. She doesn't get leisure play. I bring her out for specific meetings and such. But that's because that's who she is. She abides by schedules, do not do things without purpose or plan. So scheduling scenes and RP for her is easy to do, and the rest of the time, I am playing my main.

 

The major arc she is in, the chapter has come to an end, so she is laying low for now. So right now she isn't getting any play time really. But there were days where I was on her more than Roen so that I can set up plots, RP meetings and such.

 

Still, I have never really felt that Rae took my play time away from Roen. Rae is there to enrich other's stories, throw conflicts their way... and maaybe get some development her way long the way (because cardboard villain without depth is boring). I plan to explore her story though mostly through written posts. But those revelations will come pretty slow.

 

Will I have difficult time ending her story? Nope! I kind of have an end in mind for her, although it's vague and RP will largely dictate it, but when the time comes, if her story comes to an end, she will become a new character with a new name and look. Perhaps a new villain? I don't know! But she is planned to be a long-spanning arc character so that won't be anytime real soon.

 

Again, long winded, my apologies. I hope that lends some insight.