PowerPoint is silly

[sinjun]

But then, why wouldn't it be? Let's just consider the source.

In other news, hrm, well, Elyse taught a lesson yesterday, or at least, she helped break a block, so that's just as good. Cea was being taught a lesson, but we didn't finish. Had to pause that scene.

Elyse is also now convinced that Atalanta is a witch icly and Basuma currently comes a close second, but you know, she was trying to do things properly. Next time, she'll just surprise the Amyrlin with whatever proposal she has. See, Elyse can learn. Don't tell the Amyrlin or Atalanta anything or they will just use it against you. Case closed.

Though somehow, I have a feeling that particular attitude will harm the tower, more than help it. Ah well, perhaps Elyse will get over it. Or maybe she'll just learn to play politics. Or maybe she'll end up leaving the tower. Who knows? The joy of playing when you don't have any idea how things will end up!

Political intrigue can be fun, I suppose. It would have been nice to have a break for poor Elyse, but that wasn't to be. *shrugs* At least this way, if she doesn't icly heal properly because of the mind games in the Hall, it's not my fault. Yes, I did have her almost turned, but you know, I had every intention of giving her some time to heal. *shrugs* I'll have to see if I can find that time somehow, despite the politics.

Comments

Re: Pandora's box...

[eternityschild.livejournal.com]

I also think part of the problem is that we write out the plot and where we are going and why... then unless people get involved, that is how the plot is played out. Some things have to be carefully scripted to avoid player death, which I think some people don't realize.

For example: Player T is in jail in Malkier. Player U wants to kill that player without suffering IC consequences. Well, Malkier isn't going to have it's prisoners in a place where they could be easily killed. So that would need to be highly thought out.

I also think people don't realize the difference in global TP vs. regular TPs. Global ones are like the taint cleansing... it takes alot to get that planned out to where pieces fit in reason. With Age and I running it, if people start turning in another direction, it'd reasonable that it'll take forever. And there is room left in it to work. The Manetheren ending was a mess, but even the end of that was planned out. So... I'm confused.

Plotting - Part one (Yes, I'm longwinded again.)

[wolfcat.livejournal.com]

...then unless people get involved, that is how the plot is played out.

Personal experience talking here: If people don't get involved, don't play the plot. If people aren't interested, there's no point wasting your time. Find something they are interested in, instead, and let your original idea become either a personal plot or wait until a more receptive time. Let them run what they come up with after that, while you just nudge things enough to keep it inside acceptable IC bounds.

Some things have to be carefully scripted to avoid player death, which I think some people don't realize.

Okay... I have trouble accepting that as a reason to overscript things. Yes, I agree that on a consent-based game you can't go killing people's characters off if they don't want you to, so you have to find ways around that, but that doesn't mean excluding all chance. (There's a few people I would have taken out over the course of my RP career, let me tell you, if I didn't have to hassle with consent and the IC strictures it forces. And there's a few that would have happily done the same to me, too, I'm quite certain.) So, yes, limits have to be established. No question. No argument here about that. But, they should be reasonable to the situation.

Taking your example: Player U has the right to make an attempt on Player T's life. Player T can decide how successful that attempt may be. Player U cannot be allowed to escape IC consequences, however, though he should be permitted to have a hand in determining just what those consequences will be. Most people will be reasonable if you appeal to their sense of fairplay and remind them how they would feel in the same situation. And those that aren't reasonable are either twinks or people that are caught up in some sort of OOC situation that has unfortunately spilled IC. And that's a different problem all together — one that has absolutely nothing to do with the plot as an IC event.

Yes, you have to establish rules. But, the rules should ideally have some sort of flexibility to them.

Again, however, I would wager this is a perception issue. It could be, and, knowing you, like is, that you have tried to set flexible limits. I don't deny that. But, if your players aren't getting that impression, it doesn't make a difference how flexible you are. It all comes down to how flexible they think you are. And that is impossible to control.

I also think people don't realize the difference in global TP vs. regular TPs

Well, no. They don't, often enough. Not if they're young and/or inexperienced, at least. But, that also has absolutely nothing to do with the overscripting of a plot, either. The same prinicples apply, regardless of plot size. The trick with a global, far-reaching plot, however, is that you break it down into bite-sized chunks that are, in effect, mini-plots confined to specific areas. And you tailor those mini-plots to the people that want to be involved and try to involve as many different and disparate characters as possible. No small order, I know. Tough as hell and twice as ornerous.

Re: Plotting - Part one (Yes, I'm longwinded again.)

[eternityschild.livejournal.com]

Well.. yeah. Most of that works when you aren't dealing with twinks. Player T in jail has agreed to death, but even so, Player U has to figure a good way to get in there and kill them without the consquences, so then you're stuck. :)

Re: Plotting - Part one (Yes, I'm longwinded again.)

[wolfcat.livejournal.com]

Make Player U a judge.

And, if that doesn't work, pull out an inverted illusion weave to disguise them. A convenient NPC they can pay off and have disappear.

There are almost always options.

However, in the end, if you're dealing with twink, yeah. You have to simply be the heavy and put your foot down and be done with it.

But, there's never anything much you can do about a twink.

Re: Plotting - Part one (Yes, I'm longwinded again.)

[eternityschild.livejournal.com]

The situation I'm thinking of... Player U is a twink. Have a channeler gate them in, slit the throat and get out... HA! Even inversion wouldn't work too well cause once they kill, they have to have a way out. The best is just to poison the food. ;) But why would I share that with a twink?

Re: Plotting - Part one (Yes, I'm longwinded again.)

[wolfcat.livejournal.com]

Because it gets them out of your hair and won't actually hurt anyone in the long run.

Plotting - Part 2

[wolfcat.livejournal.com]

With Age and I running it, if people start turning in another direction, it'd reasonable that it'll take forever.

Okay, that I can't say very much about. Frankly, my opinion is that if you find people are turning it in a different direction, that's the way you go with it. You re-write. Running a TP, any TP, is all about re-writing. It's far more about re-writing, or writing possible contingencies, than it is anything else. It's a challenge, that's for sure.

Take Tam's Arches Plot, for instance.

You have given me OOC permission to successfully build them. For which I thank you. However, I will not promise you that I will in fact be able to take advantage of that. There are far too many variables I simply can't control unless I script it down so tightly I'd have to get you personally to intervene with a "THOU SHALT" to make it work. And wouldn't that piss everyone off? Of course, I know you won't do that, but that's not the point.

The point is that I have to be prepared for a whole lot of continencies and possibilities. For instance:

Basuma has given us IC permission to go ahead with taking the proposal to the Hall and even to the Tower if we can get it past the Hall. But, she's sure as hell not happy about it. In fact, she's downright furious, ICly, that we'd even consider such a thing. She could, at the very last moment, as Amyrlin, recind her permission if she wanted. That would twist the plot damn quick. And I have to be prepared for that. What do I do if that happens? Do I give up? Do I try a different tactic? If so, what? Similarily, the Hall could twist the plot damn quick, too. Hell, it already has by forcing Elyse to present it early. We had planned an extend period of feeling Sitters out and making a bunch of quiet backroom deals. Thanks to Atalanta, that's just gotten a whole lot harder and a whole lot less likely. Is that a problem? No. It just changes the picture. So, I re-write.

If the Hall denies Elyse permission to take it to the Tower, as a further example, I'll have to re-write again. What will happen then? Will they demand to have the final decision on it, yes or no? Or will they simply force Elyse to scrap it for now? If they want final decision, what answer will they give? If yes, we go ahead as planned and move on to gathering the build team and constructing the terangreal. If they say no, however, then what do I do? I have to re-write. Figure out my options — one of them being to say, "Okay. People don't want to play this farther. That's cool. I can end it here." Is that my choice for the end of the plot? No. Is it a possibility? Yes.

Plotting for a MUSH is not like plotting for a novel. It's all about continencies, options, and possibilities. It's like those choose your own adventure books from when you were a kid — except you can't ever memorize the route to your favourite end and it never ends the same way twice.

The Manetheren ending was a mess, but even the end of that was planned out. So... I'm confused.

No. The middle of the Manetheren plot was a mess. Right up until someone — whoever it was, I don't know — finally said "This needs to be fixed. Here's what we're going to do." (I know Elyse ran the final battle; I don't know who finally pulled things back on track to allow her to do so.)

The Manetheren plot languished badly in the middle, as far as I could tell. There was no direction of which I, as a regular player "not in the loop", was ever cognizant. But, no. I don't think the Manetheren ending was a mess. It might have been unexpected, but it wasn't a mess. Not from a plot p.o.v., anyway — though maybe from an OOC p.o.v. I don't know. I wasn't privy to that. The actual running of the scenes that ended the plot, however, once the direction had been re-established, went very cleanly, very smoothly, and with lots of room for surprises. To, the plot's ends were all tied together, just waiting for the next plot to begin: I.e. the division of Manethren and the beginnings of the conflict among the Alliance. In that regard, it was spectacularly successful.

But, it was getting to the point of being able to run the end that hurt like hell. With that I won't disagree.

At least, from what I was able to see, anyway.

Re: Plotting - Part 2

[eternityschild.livejournal.com]

And see, here's where I get confused with all this. We don't script details down to the nitty gritty half the time. Just somethings need reasonable explainations in plotting like.. why would the Hall allow this? Why would Aelgar and Eharon get involved in Essenia? (I still don't have an answer for that.) But yeah.. I mean, I agree with you. One thing I've often noticed is that major global stuff gets started without an overall objective to go on. Or.. many players don't think of their own plots to run.

Re: Plotting - Part 2

[wolfcat.livejournal.com]

One thing I've often noticed is that major global stuff gets started without an overall objective to go on.

Yes. And that's a problem. Scene goals are important. But an End Goal is essential. Just be prepared to change your End Goal, if necessary. Or your scene goal, too, for that matter.

Or.. many players don't think of their own plots to run.

Well, yes. I know that frustration terribly, terribly well. For some, it's just a matter of education.

For others, they couldn't even if they wanted to no matter how much you teach them.

And for still others, they live in this "flip on the tv and be entertained" world that gives them everything without them having to make an effort. Even kids' toys nowadays are tailored to that. Just play the cartoon. They've never had to work, and they don't want to work.

Not much to be done about that.

But, with that rare first group... grab 'em, mentor 'em and let 'em go. You know, if you think about it... it's not that different in concept to a discipleship process. To steal a bit from the church. Same idea. Different goal.