Player Led EventsHave 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 EventsThere 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 startedPlots 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_structureFor 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.rpglibrary.org/articles/storytelling/36plots.php3. Looking aheadNext 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 rollingOK, 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. PropsTadano 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. RewardsSometimes 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 DevelopmentSome 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!
