PlaneShift
Gameplay => General Discussion => Topic started by: Rigwyn on February 07, 2012, 09:39:12 am
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Player Led Events
Have you ever wanted to run an event, but were not really sure how to go about doing it, or perhaps didn't have the nerve/confidence to give it a try? Well if so, you may like this thread. I'll spit out some of what I've learned from other players here in PS and elsewhere, then toss this up for discussion.
1. Types of Events
There are a few types of events that I've come across on PS and other games. The ones I've seen are what I call "Guided Events" in which a player acts like a DM leading other players though a preplanned storyline, and Freestyle Events - where a player or players encourage others to role play while providing a loose storyline that serves to give the rp some direction. These are a little different from casual RP in that there is some planning involved and usually somewhat of a story that's preplanned. The amount of planning can vary; personally, I prefer very loose planning with the expectation that the RP will come to life and find its own path.
2. Getting started
Plots and Conflicts:
So, to get started, you need an idea for a plot. Its an Event, thus something interesting is going to happen - otherwise, who would really care. Once you have an idea for a plot, you'll want to think about how to present the plot in-game. My personal opinion is that its best to bring about a conflict of some sort, then let others figure out how they wish to resolve it - this way there is no expectation on the player to make certain choices, and the player feels free to do whatever their character would do.
If you are not familiar with "Dramatic Structure", I highly recommend that you do a little reading up on it.
Start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramatic_structure (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramatic_structure)
For plot ideas, there are a few lists in circulation of 36 or so basic plot ideas that are used over and over again in literature. You can also find lists of plot ideas that are specific to fantasy or RPG stories. Check out these links for ideas:
http://www.ipl.org/div/farq/plotFARQ.html#36 (http://www.ipl.org/div/farq/plotFARQ.html#36)
http://www.rpglibrary.org/articles/storytelling/36plots.php (http://www.rpglibrary.org/articles/storytelling/36plots.php)
3. Looking ahead
Next I would suggest thinking your plot through to see if there are any glaring problems with your idea. For example, you will want to see if your idea violates the game's settings. If you planned on taking over the Octarchy, that's fine, but know that you can't do that as it would infringe on the settings. You could certainly stage a takeover with the knowledge that it would end in failure - after all, winning isn't necessary for a good story.
4. Getting the ball rolling
OK, so you have your plot idea, or possibly a storyline in mind. All you need now are people who are interested in playing with you. As a player, they are most likely going to ask themselves, "Will this be fun for ME?". Is your plot or story designed to entertain them or is it solely designed to entertain you at their expense? This is another thing that should be carefully considered. You need to make the event fun for others.
I've participated in events that were started out with an ooc discussion and agreement to meet somewhere and rp in a certain direction. This is perfectly legitimate and a rather easy way to start out. I've also participated in events that just happened naturally in-game. For example, you might "drag" or entice others into your story via IC means. The latter takes a lot more time to do but will have a very natural feel.
5. Props
Tadano Hitosh/Jarexia used to use quest items rather heavily in events. He would run quests and take note of the items and their descriptions, then integrate both those items and the information in the quests into his events. This gave the events a very solid feeling. They were well grounded in setting material, so they felt like they were part of the game. He would also take snippets of information from the books in the in-game libraries and find ways to make plots based on them.
I won't post the complete list that we came up with, but for the sake of example, here's a few:
* Philter of Intelligence
* Skull (xacha, seemingly eaten clean by insects)
* Sunshine squadron badge
* Engineering proposal
* Box full of tria
* Masterpiece sculpture
Now how to integrate such objects into a story.. Tadano used have players dig or search for things, then oocly trade the items to them as they were discovered. If you found a corpse in a closet, you might not think much.. but if you searched it and found a "Sunshine squadron badge" on it... well, that would serve as a clue as to who that person might have been and where to the party might go looking next. Likewise, a box full of tria might be suitable for an excavation, a Masterpiece sculpture might found only to discover later on that its cursed or coated in a layer of poison! A Philter of Intelligence (profound intelligence?) might be at the heart of a power struggle...
6. Rewards
Sometimes its nice to throw in some sort of a reward for players as a thank you for participating. They could be discovered in the course of the event, awarded at the end, or whatever. If you have a priest or mage type of character in the game you can easily "Bless" or "Enchant" someone's sword or weapon by replacing it with a nice long-name weapon. ( obviously, you don't want to replace it with something inferior!) Finding tria is also nice too - new players will appreciate this as they are usually strapped for tria.
7. Character Development
Some players will want to participate for the sake of character development. Events - especially those that you document and post on the forums are great for character development. Playing the role of a villain, hero, heroine, or whatever in a documented event will do wonders for a previously unknown character.
Ok, I've said enough for now. Fire away.. comments, your advice, your feedback, criticism, and or questions!
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Not quite what you are talking about but...
I was thinking though that a crafting competition might be a good idea. One person at every station with a set amount of raw material. The person who comes up with the greatest value in the given time wins. Some kind of balancing system might be necessary for cross-discipline challenges but it could be done.
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Hmmm..
That would probably draw a nice crowd just as vendor markets, deuling matches, social events such as the ones lhaa and aiwendil were known for hosting, and fairs such as the ones the explorers guild was known for hosting.
I could see this as either a loosely roleplayed event where a bit of personality is tossed in without getting too much into rp ... But who knows. I think something like this might really work out well.
Worth noting is that an event does not have to follow a story line or have any direction... The recent masquerade ball is a pretty good example of this. People just show up to meet others and hang out.
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here's another huge resource for those who wish to get into the narrative side of things:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage
careful though, you can end up taking a deep dive into a wikiwalk and never come out.
to touch up on a few points:
i consider it good form to be as inclusive and flexible as possible in RP. I prefer the things that emerge naturally out of conflicts between characters, but bringing in a story from a character's past into the present is a good way to build on your character while letting others get involved. I'm not keen on railroaded plotlines where there's only one solution to the problem, and only one person is fated to be the hero. Chance and creativity should play their roles as well in the resolution.
Also, RP shouldn't end at the conclusion of the arc, but should have lasting effects that ripple throughout. I love to see one plot bleed into another, conflicts emerging from conflicts, relationships formed and broken. One thing that I find fascinating with these RPs being recorded in the forums is how certain characters who may play a pivotal role in one storyline make a minor but impactful appearance in another. It reminds me of crossover issues in comic books.
I like that you've included rewards and character development; I think those are both key elements. Whether we emerge from an adventure with the infinity +1 sword or a cool scar, if the story has a lasting effect it gives it value, gives it meaning. Characters should emerge from a crisis changed. Plus, those artifacts provide a catalyst for further retelling of the story later on, providing further RP scenarios.
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Heh heh .. tvtropes eh? I'll have to take a look at that...
Another thing that I didn't really get into yet is "Narrative Hooks".
Its not enough to have a nice story; you will want to draw your reader/players(s) into the story somehow. Likewise, its not enough to do this once; you need to do it again and again - hook the reader/player and then reel them in as the story progresses. A hook, very simply, is a statement or line that grabs your reader's attention - making them want to continue reading or playing. If you provide cycles and layers of getting them interested, and then satisfying their curiosity, you should have no problem.
Wikipedia has a more concise definition here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrative_hook (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrative_hook)
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Great guide Rigwyn :thumbup: this is surely going to help me!
I'd like to start an event planned since I began playing PS, I don't feel ready to do that yet for IC and OOC reasons but your guide is great! \\o//
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Worth noting is that an event does not have to follow a story line or have any direction... The recent masquerade ball is a pretty good example of this. People just show up to meet others and hang out.
That wasn't the intent but oh well. ;) The idea was to leave room for people to make their own contributions rather than be herded like a single player RPG *cough*and it cut down on my large enough workload *cough* but it ended up with people largely just hanging around waiting for something to happen. Fortunately, some players did step up.
I think the hardest part of any event is navigating the player element. Given time you can come up with a decent premise, and practice will get you used to running events, but getting players engaged, keeping them engaged, and planning for where they deviate from your intended path is hard. Especially if your event lacks the promise of material reward. :/
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The idea was to leave room for people to make their own contributions rather than be herded like a single player RPG
I want to point out that this is perfectly legitimate despite the fact that some players frown upon it. Some players enjoy guided D&D style events. Guided events also make it possible for players to engage in a rich experience in a fairly short period of time. I for one, prefer to spend my time actively engaged as opposed to standing around and hoping that something will happen. Its just a matter of preference.
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I for one, prefer to spend my time actively engaged as opposed to standing around and hoping that something will happen.
Umm so do those of us that leave the space open. ;) No one plays a game to do nothing. If you think we enjoy just hanging around waiting for a bite, take inventory of how many of us are still around. ;)
Mind you, those of us that still make the mistake of waiting too long for something to happen are probably olbies that were used to having to fend off too many people each wanting to drive things in one way or another. Now there is this ennui to fight in order to pull off events which is probably why you don't see more events.
In the past i remember player "events" were smaller and a mixture of guiding and leaving parts open but there was more interaction from the people that were playing along. It kinda feels like you not only have to plan, but push, or RP for some people as well; admittedly, that feeling didn't just start recently. Setting up and running an event is hard work and it sucks the fun out if it feels like you have to drag players along just to get interaction.
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Any advice on how to set up events Illy?
I know your flavor of RP is a little different from mine... likewise ... you're a midbie and have seen a bit more.
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I had a nice set of tips typed out and bothered to stay up way too late to type them and Hydlaa plaza logged me out and ate them -_- I might recreate them tomorrow but I am a little ticked at the forum eating my work so I'd bid you goodnight for now
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That is indeed a shame. Here is a tip for you. Type it up in a text editor and then just cut and paste it into the reply dialog.
Ya I know, it IS pretty obvious but I've been burnt by the auto-logout myself a time or two. Now I try to keep my comments more pithy and don't bother to retype stuff if it happens. I do commiserate with you.
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there is something to be said for the act of spreading RP. let's say your character has come across a macguffin of sorts and you're faced with the moral dilemma of what to do with it. instead of keeping the event to yourself, you make contact with others and share the problem with them. if they want to get involved, they will. then they will will make contact with others and so on. An event should ripple outwards like this. Maybe it speaks to how desensitized the population of Yliakum is that something quite major can happen, say a brutal crime or a joyous celebration, and those that were witness to it can completely forget about it THE VERY NEXT DAY. Sometimes it seems there's a subconsciously agreed upon ban on continuity amongst the playerbase. If you can't wrap up your RP within one sitting, count on it fizzling out rapidly.
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You are just hoping someone asks what a mcguffin is, since most don't remember old Alfred H. Imagine if he was still around, and did RP in PS.
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Maybe it speaks to how desensitized the population of Yliakum is that something quite major can happen, say a brutal crime or a joyous celebration, and those that were witness to it can completely forget about it THE VERY NEXT DAY...
If you can't wrap up your RP within one sitting, count on it fizzling out rapidly.
That's because, as an MMO, the population of active players in constantly changing. People may forget a huge event in 3 hours because 3 hours later there may not be anyone still logged in who witnessed the event in the first place.
Also, if you don't wrap up an event in a single sitting, there's no guarantee that the characters involved will all get together again any time soon.
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Quite true regarding the fizzle factor. I found that having as little dependency on other player as possible tends to make things run smoother - with fewer snags. Also doing the event in smaller segments with small parties works. ie. During one segment, an artifact might be unearthed and the leader of the event may request they they reconvene somewhere to discuss further actions. In another sitting, the group of available players might be slightly different.. but as long as no particular players need to be involved, it still works with the new players giving it a breath of fresh air.
I prefer to do open events where anyone can jump in and jump out as needed. I'll present a problem of some sort ( being an antagonist most of the time ) and leave some room for others to catch on. This is a little bit more like freestlye RP than a guided event with the exception that I'll have a long term plan that I'll strive to accomplish in one manner or another.
Another problem that I run into is with meeting up with others. My hours of play are very awkward and being on for long stretches of time is extremely difficult. Likewise, being on at the same time as other players is a challenge, so what I do is to branch out and look for others to help take part in running the event. This can be done strictly ICly by asking another character to fulfill a long term request or via ooc discussion and agreement to help run the event. The nice thing about having others help is that they get to choose how THEY wish to run their portion of the event. As an event runner, this gives ME the pleasure of not knowing exactly how things will go down.
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You are just hoping someone asks what a mcguffin is, since most don't remember old Alfred H. Imagine if he was still around, and did RP in PS.
I think it was the Elemental Light 5 yr anniversary party where they had a character aptly named Macguffin who was delivering the booze but got lost, and it was up to guests to search for him throughout Hydlaa. ;D