TinyPlots: From Design to Realisation
From FiranMUX
Contents |
Introduction
Okay then. Thanks a lot for coming to my class on TPs. I'm going to be going at a fairly quick pace as we have a lot to get through. I'll be pausing at different points to ask for questions for anything anyone wants clarifying or examples for. I've also written it all up in Wiki code so it'll get posted up there for reference.
While I'm sure everyone understands this, just to be sure we're all on the same page, a TinyPlot's primary purpose on a game is to entertain players. However, TPs can also accomplish numerous other goals at the same time. They can be used to set moods or create avenues for conflict, they can be used to create or reinforce themes, they should always create hooks for players to roleplay about and around.
TP Design Basic Blocks
Your core idea
I can't actually help anyone create a core idea. Well, that's not entirely true. I can throw 10 ideas at every clan and org and see which one strikes home, or I can tell you how I come up with Ideas for TPs, particularly Firan TPs and you can then use the same skills yourself.
- Theme: Firan has one of the richest and best developed themes of certainly any online game out there. There are a ridiculous amount of news files, wiki files and board postings you can make use of. All of these are potential TP material. In particular old Emits and postings that suggest viewpoints of clans or potentially unresolved issues can be reviewed, refreshed and regenerated to create a TP.
- The people around you: Playerhelpers all have a channel to chat on. FacHeads have a channel to chat on. There are your clan channels. Wizards have every channel to chat on. If you're struggling for an idea, don't feel shy or embarrassed about asking for help. I cannot think of a single TP (or campaign/adventure) I've run that wouldn't have been better if other people had been involved in helping to plan it out.
- Movies, Books, Plays, other games: Now, I don't mean rip off the plot of a movie entirely, apart from anything that's going to be too large for a Clan TP and likely too obvious the moment someone spots it, even for a Wiz TP. Basic themes are great though. Focus on what _matters_ to people.
Fundamental Points
In Adam's Guidelines for TPs he makes a couple of fundamental points. As I can't say them better, here they are (though I encourage you to read the page in full):
Meaningful Conflict
A good TP presents a problem or dilemma to the characters and demands a simple solution. Do not railroad the players. Give them one or more "decision points" that are interesting and meaningful no matter what they choose. Decisions should lead to new situations, not dead ends.
Situations, not Stories
Players will often do the unexpected. Do not write a story. Stories are what players create. You're creating a situation and seeing what happens. If you know what's "supposed to happen" before the players are involved, you've taken away a lot of meaningful input from the people you're supposed to GM for.
Taking the above two points as our mantra for TP ideas allows us to very quickly sort what makes a good TP idea from a bad one.
HOWEVER: Sometimes, particularly on Firan, things need to happen that don't provide any conflict and don't provide a situation players can realistically affect. This is most common with things such as God TPs or Shami raids etc. I'll come onto the differences between them, and what makes some better than others shortly but, in short, the larger story is bigger than that of any individual PC.
Defining TPs
The name's the thing
It might seem irrelevant to have a catchy name for a TP. You could, after all, have five 'Hydra Clan TP', one after another. However, the name of the TP is really, really important for the Wiz Staff. Two months after your TP you don't want them to be paging you on something to say 'was it the 2nd or third TP you ran where Amenik cut someone's head off'. Instead, if they can page you with 'Was it your 'Belikian Wolfsbane' plot where Amenik killed that servant?' Names make for easier communication. As a tip btw, hiding clues in the names can be personally satisfying, even if only you and the Wizzes know them. So are naming-puns for TPs. You shouldn't expect the players to ever know the name of the TP - in fact if it strikes a chord with them they'll likely have their own name for it (evil Hydran servant plot for example).
Scope - smaller is better
This primarily applies to level IV plots but is just as valid for Wiz plots.
It's easy to go big with a plot. It's so tempting to bring in the Lanesh and the FFI and those fundamental themes and rich historical events that shake the heavens and cause everyone to go ooh and ahh. Don't. Simple plots are easier to run, easier for players to get involved in and easier to get passed by the wizards (or passed by the secret wizard ceremonies we all know they must do for approving their own TPs).
For a FacHead's clan tp you want to be focusing on the core elements of your clan and aiming the bulk of your clan TPs at them (the more people you can aim a TP at, the more likely you are to have a number of them buy into it). That's not to say every Clan TP has to be core-based but the majority should.
For a PHelpers IV TP you want to be focusing on nothing larger than core game-areas. Something that affects multiple children, farmers, crafters, neo-nobles, nobles etc. This is an area that can be easy to spread the TP net too widely though so make sure you keep 'smaller is better' in mind.
Wiz TPs can go anywhere, but again I'd say to aim at core areas rather than 'everyone' for anything but large event TPS (which I'll come to below), God events/TPS or the fundamental plots of the game (The Shamis hate all Firans etc.)
The nice thing about keeping the initial scope and aim of the tp small is that the players will spread it wider for you. For Example: Unot sends a message to one of his priests that not enough people are having sex outside and his porn-channel isn't any good anymore. Parosh promptly speechifies 'have sex outside, unot says so' this then causes the intended conflict aspect of Unot's message as Hydrans flock to complain about not being able to walk through the palace district at night any more. More Children start asking their parents 'Mommy, what are they doing' and the Weavers love it as everyone starts buying large hangings to conceal their rooftops from view. And all this came because someone said 'not enough people buy from weavers, how might we promote that?' (note, not a serious tp).
Last point. If you're a PlayerHelper or a FacHead and the scope of your TP absolutely requires more than the most basic involvement of a Wiz then your scope is probably too large. It might still get approved but it's more likely to be denied. We're here to run TPs _for_ the wizstaff and the game, not to just add more work.
Jessica loves the examples. "Notice that Donos is building on previous things that both Adam and I have stated previously...there are some /basic/ tenants of TPs, both in design and implamentation. *Firan*
Style of TP - Events & Stories
While there are all mannerof different types of TPs, it's easy to break them down into two broad categories on Firan. This is further developed at Event & TP Definitions.
Story TPs
Story TPs are the 'classical' TP. They have hooks that allow the players to 'buy in' to the TP (get involved/become aware of etc), things the players can 'do' to move the TP forwards (or destroy themselves upon) and possible outcomes. There are two ways to do a story TP.
A) You've predetermined the start, the decisions players have to make to move forwards, and the outcome. Now, so long as the players never become aware that they only had one route they could take then these can work. But, if the players become aware or frustrated at that one true path then they're likely to be less happy. Remember, players, not actors performing your script.
B) You determine the starting hooks. Clues for the players to find and, importantly, decisions they have to make. For each of those decisions there are following routes and hooks that can easily, or eventually lead to a conclusion. You might well not know the conclusion at all but it's good to have some idea to account for complications (which I'll come onto later). This type of TP is player-led and can quite often run off of a single event with the players then driving the rest of it through roleplay and follow-up questions (@fyis and @requests for wizards/@mails to the PlayerHelper/FacHead running the TP where required).
- <OOC> Vinetti has a question on example B.
- <OOC> Donos says, "Shoot"
- <OOC> Vinetti says, "When you say we need to come up with the decisions the players will have to make, are you talking about writing down what we expect will happen in the turning in of our TP idea? Seems impossible to know all the possible decisions players might make in that more open structure of TP."
- <OOC> Donos says, "I'm going to come back to this with complications. I'll give you an example. Players find a note that calls for a rebellion of Polytheistic Hydrans."
- <OOC> Donos says, "Players have multiple 'things' they can do with that note. They can ignore it, they can agree with it and start to spread the good word, they can take it to the temple who can launch an inquisition etc."
- <OOC> Donos says, "When you have a critical event - such as the initial hook for your plot, you want to have a good idea of the possible things players could do. Sometimes there's only 2 options, sometimes there's 20. The most likely ones are the ones you want to account for."
- <OOC> Jessica says, "Do you have to come up with all the possible outcomes, or at some point do you go...ok, these are my expected possible decisions and then the players might...sideswipe you with something that never even occurred to you...and you just deal with it at that point?"
- <OOC> Donos says, "I come up with the probable but not every. You can't account for everything. And I cover going with the flow and dealing with curveballs later."
Event TPs
While any 'thing' that happens on the grid from a wiz could be called a TP, an Event TP is purely reactive on the players' part and, in the main, they can't affect the event itself. They can, however, roleplay all about it afterwards.
Event TPs can be anything from finding a dead body in the dove to a snowstorm to a shami raid. Players can react to it, roleplay about it but they don't drive the Event. Once the event has happened, it's happened. However, players should always be able to act within the event itself and, ideally, lessen its impact. The perfect example of this is a Shami raid, where the city _will_ get attacked, but who the defending heroes are is up to the players actions.
If you check the mentioned Event & TP Definitions I also talk about Hooks & Bangs but we'll leave further discussion on them and other tips & tricks to a more advanced class.
Who are your players?
In short, consider who is going to be involved. Define it for yourself so you can make some predictions and shape the scope of your TP to your players. Aiming a plot at the nobles without having routes for nobles to get involved would lead to a failed plot.
Involvement - Players, not Actors
How do the characters/players buy into your TP?
This ties back to the Story TP descriptions above but this is one of the fundamental parts of TP design & running and the most important part of this class.
A good TP has 'things' players can do. That way they can feel involved, interested and as if they have made a difference. If you are doing anything but an event tp (and even with an Event TP it is important to have 'things' players can do during/after even if they can't change the actual event itself), then your TP is unlikely to do anything but frustrate players. It's no good starting a TP where someone is poisoning the water in the eagle district and then not allowing any player action to affect the outcome, which is that in one week's time the poisoner is found dead having killed themselves accidentally. That's a nice background thing for the game, but it's not a TP.
- <OOC> Marsalos says, "Where involvement is concerned. In the instance of your water poisoning plot there, with some luck there's going to be quite a few players trying to investigate, track things, etc. You can't watch everyone do everything, so how do you keep track of what players are doing? If that makes sense."
- <OOC> Donos says, "In essence, you can do it in one of two ways. 1) You have your type IV and they go around the clan doing 'whatever' and if players catch them for that 'whatever' they catch them. 2) Post on your clan boards saying 'anything to do with the water poisoning should go to Me rather than in a normal @request as it's a clan TP."
- <OOC> Donos says, "Now, people will still likely do @fyis for things like closing the gates because they affect everyone, but that way you can keep track of the actual investigation part and run it just as a wiz could, just without quite all the shiny toys."
- <OOC> Donos says, "The one important thing with that though is that you _Must_ do @fyis yourself on the TP to keep the wizzes up to date."
- <OOC> Vinetti says, "Lots of circumstances the 1st Division gets involved to. Or circumstances might get other clans involved too. Do we like post on the 10 board that anything having to do with the 'Water poisoning TP' contact me? I've never seen that done before."
- <OOC> Donos says, "Given that any action any player can do can cause an @request - it's impossible to work out every variable. But as long as you keep things concise and simple your TP will be less likely to spin into involving every part of the game in a massive hunt for the mad bomber of lurashar"
What are the key events that Start, Drive and Conclude the TP?
When planning your TP you want to consider carefully how you're going to start it, especially how you're going to target it at your key players (e.g. the Chimeran clan or all the dog-owners). Once you have the start, work out what some of the key events for the TP will be (dogs have started to get sick, then a man announces that he can cure the sick dogs for a princely some), add in some other possible routes for players to investigate (if anyone contacts Lurashar where the man claims to have come from, they can learn that dogs there likewise started to get sick just before he arrived). Then have in mind possible points to say 'done' (man leaves with 100million stenis in his pocket, or man is executed by Fidelia with his own a poisoned dog treats).
Developing TPs
Mapping out the Events and anticipating Complications
Once you have a rough frame of Hook, developing events and potential conclusions you should start to consider how you can add some more possible events to help the players drive the plot. The best way to do this is to look at each event and think 'what could they do here/what could go wrong here). Anything which is a complication you note apart. Once you have possible outcomes for the events, come up with more events to insert _if you need to_ and let the players complete. Note, for an event plot this stage is comprised of 'what can players _do_ during and after the event to still feel as if they made a difference?
You don’t need to map out everything at all. In fact, the simpler you can keep your planning ahead the better. But you should start with an idea of the most likely actions the players will take after your initial hooks, and how you’re going to handle those outcomes. You can do a ‘success/fail’ outcome for them, but don’t be surprised if the players do something you didn’t account for. That’s why your running a TP and not writing a story.
Characters - why use NPCs when you can use PCs?
Wherever possible you want to have NPCs nudge a plot and PCs drive it. It might be great for your ego to have your NPC triumphantly lead the players from clue to clue and then to the conclusion but it's dull for the players.
Resources
Work out everything you need to have ready for the start of the plot. And let me emphasise one word 'Names'. It is incredibly stressful to be emitting or describing an NPC and then realise you don't have a name for them as the player types 'So, what was your name again?' This is important for any 'person' you have as part of your plot. The Dog-Poisoner would, of course have a name as a IV but if you mention his dying sister in RP you'd better have a name ready for her.
You want to account for objects, money, descriptions, rooms, emits etc. Anything the plot needs to run and be driven forwards.
Once again, you _need_ to limit the number of things you need from the wizzes here. 10,000 stenis for your NPC to go bribe someone with is probably (note, probably) fine. 10 rooms is absolutely not. And, for the wizzes, the last point is - the more resources you need for your plot to happen, the more work there is for you to start the plot ;)
- <OOC> Vinetti says, "Can we make our NPC be from any clan? And can we use multiple NPCs? Such as npc 1 points the plot towards npc 2 who points the plot to npc 3 who is really the mastermind for the big showdown. Pow pow! ;)"
- <OOC> Donos says, "1 NPC per FacHead or Phelper at a time. However, you can absolutely recruit other facheads or Phelpers to aid you"
- <OOC> Donos says, "At the end of each plot you want to get that IV recycled - you can then create another one for your next plot."
- <OOC> Vinetti says, "So I could make a GD NPC who goes into the Cockatrice District to stir up trouble?"
- <OOC> Jessica would be fine with it, it'd be more interesting to have the CK and GD Fachead team up and do it...but as the wiz who approves PH and FH tps...I'm fine with that.
Complications
When you go through the development of your plot, you want to write down all the possible complications you can think of. One of them should always be 'what if the players don't buy into the plot'. For each complication you want to decide how you're going to handle it (answers for the no buy in - fine, all the dogs die, players have to spend more money on new dogs). You can guarantee you're not going to cover every complication, but if you think through all the likely ones and account for how you want to handle them (dropping the TP is an okay conclusion) then you're less likely to be shouting expletives at your machine at 1am as the players do something you hadn't anticipated.
- <OOC> Jessica says, "And check with other folks...sometimes there is a complication you hadn't ever thought of...X god is going to be very interested in an activity that to you...seems fairly normal and natural."
- <OOC> Donos says, "Just to follow up on that point. I sat down with a TP I designed and at each 'event' said 'how can this be screwed up' I then listed ways and came up with curves to get it back on track, or said 'yep, dead end if the players do X' - typically 'players involved in plot all roster/die' isn't something you can account for though so don't sweat it if that happens ;)"
What makes Firan TPs easier/harder?
In short - the game itself. Firan TPs are much, much easier to conceive because there are so many archetypes you can draw on. Most nobles think X ergo something that challenges X can be a TP. Bears think Y so something that threatens Y can be a TP. On the other hand, there are so many characters with their own stories that you can both find involving them harder (why should I care about someone's dog being poisoned when i'm trying to build a new temple to Unot for people who don't believe in any god but Unot?) and you have the chance of submitting a plot and it being denied because a) It's a plot on the game already, b) it's plot ran before. There are _hundreds_ of plots on the game right now. Every single PC has plot hooks around them, and anyone who has exhausted them or is unable to set personal plot goals is able to submit a request for someone to come up with more for them.
As such, background and relationship driven TPs are typically far better off as character's @relationships or @sheet/background or, @sheet/secrets. Don't try and come up with plots that the game already handles every day without any wiz, Phelper, NPC or Fachead involvement - all those players out there will do a much better job of creating things every other player can react to than any of us ever will.
- <OOC> Donos says, "Just to reiterate that first point, as it ties back to the basic building blocks at the start. The Firans themselves, and the clans and @orgs are written in broad strokes; it's the characters that are in detail."
- <OOC> Donos says, "Wizzes can do TPs aimed at one player. FacHeads and Phelpers need to aim at those broad strokes to get as many people involved as we can. If we're doing clan tps that involve a lot of people, that frees up wiz time for those 1month+ tps that are intricate and break rule 1 (keep it simple) ;)"
Realising TPs
Making use of your resources: IV NPCs, Clan/relevant forums
As mentioned above, you have a lot of resources available to you to design and develop a TP but you can also make use of them to keep a TP moving. Level IV NPCs are your most direct tool to push a Clan or FacHead TP. Wizzes also have the all-affecting @wall or can @wall to individual areas to push players one way or another. Using them to nudge or create rp around your tp can allow more players to get involved. You can even have more than one IV created for a TP by working with another PlayerHelper or FacHead to help you bring the TP to life.
On the Wiki there is a Plot Worksheet that I developed for the game that has a nice breakdown of all of these subjects and is designed to help you put into words what might only be in your head.
For TPs involving multiple NPCs, it can a good idea to create a Relationship Map of the NPCs and how they relate to one another so you can see at a glance and help your planning/reacting. Adam's mentioned these in one of his classes so I won't go into depth on them but I have drawn up a very basic one for my example TP below. You can see the R-Map at:
Curveballs - how to go with the flow
Players will do things you don't expect. It's a fundamental rule of gaming that players do weird things at times that make no sense to anyone but themselves (and sometimes not even them). When you're running a TP, go with the flow. If players come up with a great idea to find out information, or drive the TP or even resolve it then don't refuse them their win because it wasn't part of your pre-determined route of success. If it's logical and fulfils whatever 'success' criteria you have for the TP then let them run with it - it will make a better story for you and for them.
Likewise, if one player has taken your hook and is just sitting on it and not doing anything, then come up with a way to throw another hook out there to some more players. There are good TPs that can only have one buy-in but ideally you really want to have multiple options open.
Log, Log, Log
Log the scenes you're involved in. Ask players to log scenes relevant to the TP. That way they have a record to look back on and grin about and you can review the moment that you accidentally typed ooc p Adam=they've totally not realised that she's the poisoner, this is great!
Update and process
As the TP goes along - assuming it's not a one-scene event or one-night TP you want to keep updating your notes so you are as up to date as possible. That way if there's a request about your tp, or people seem stuck you can review and inform as needed.
<OOC> Jessica is a big fan of logs and rp over @requests for info...so I encourage TPs that are rp based. Just as an aside.
Managing Expectations
It's important to keep track of how your players are doing with the TP. If they're frustrated with it, if they're struggling to move forwards etc. then you can look at the information they have and see whether you've given enough clues for them to make decisions from - or even realise there's nothing for them to make a decision on and they're just waiting for the next 'thing' to happen.
Likewise if players are badgering you and the TP is planned that 4 nights after x happens is how long it takes for Ardrija to get into town and that's what was announced then that's how long it takes. Sure you could expedite it, but then you might have to deal with another player who had taken the night off work so they could rp with Ardrija and now they're going to miss the rp.
Don't be precious
Your Plot is not as important as the players enjoyment of the game. That does not mean 'players win', it does mean though that you want to allow the players to gain enjoyment out of the plot and the game, and not have the plot force them into situations they just won't enjoy. There are players who don't enjoy conflict rp, or 'bad things happening' rp but they can get plenty of fluffy, shiny rp every day.
Note Event TPs do force things on players. But a perfect example for this was the blizzard TP. It happened, bad things happened but the amount of time players were 'stuck' was limited and managed so as not to prolong the suffering.
<OOC> Donos says, "As a follow up on 'don't be precious' - the other point I should have made better is 'if the players don't follow up on your tp and it all falls flat, learn from why they didn't buy in and just move on, don't keep trying to ram a tp down peoples throats that they just aren't buying into (except for God TPs, if they're not doing what the god wants then ram, ram, ram - that's thematic)."
Aftermath - what went well, what could have gone better?
When your plot's over, sit down and review what worked with it, what didn't and why and what you could have done better. Then, ideally, start work on your next one with more experience and a better grasp on how _you_ like to run TPs.
There is no true, right way and no 'perfect' plot. But I hope the above has helped go into depth on some of the things discussed in other classes and given you some tools to work with for your TPs.
<OOC> Jessica says, "Would you recommend going over the tp with someone else? Specifically perhaps someone else who runs tps and a player (or the players) for feedback?" <OOC> Donos says, "Yes - feedback is essential for improvement and lessons learned." <OOC> Vinetti says, "We @mail our TP schemes to you, Jessica?" <OOC> Jessica says, "Request them to my attention, please."
Example TP
- What are the complications?
- What makes this a good Firan TP?
- What makes this a bad Firan TP?
- What are the resources?
Mer Unik and Mer Torik are best friends. Their families hate eachother but Mer Unik and Mer Torik are soon to inherit and they want to put all that behind them. They come to Anarinuell because Mer Torik's land is in the republic-held part of Coralut and Mer Unik has a farm on Chimeran land. There's a dispute going back to shortly after the founding of the Chimeran clan on a small piece of rich pastureland between the two, and the map showing the border there is unclear (poor penmanship).
However, one year ago, Mer Unik married a much younger woman Enikita, not knowing that Mer Torik also wanted her. This has twisted their friendship and Torik now wants Unik dead. He intends to find an Old City thug to kill Unik and make it look like an accident so he can comfort the grieving Enikita and make her his.
<OOC> Donos says, "feel free to shout out with them - let's start in order with complications with the tp"
<OOC> Marsalos says, "Would these be two NPCs, Donos?"
<OOC> Donos says, "2 or 3, the plot allows for both - Enikita can be on stage or off"
<OOC> Vinetti says, "I don't see how many, if any, players would even care what happens to a couple of IVs who just showed up one day."
<OOC> Marsalos nods to Vinetti
<OOC> Donos says, "Yep, that's one - and that's the complication for every plot - what if they don't buy into it. Potential Solutions - roleplay them for a week to get people involved but they still might not buy in."
<OOC> Geloe says, "People care if it's in pretty colors."
<OOC> Marsalos says, "Another complication, what if none of the Old City PC thugs are interested in the assassination."
<OOC> Donos says, "That's a great point Geloe, would you like to expand on it a little?"
<OOC> Donos nods to Mars - correct, potential solution - he does it himself.
<OOC> Marsalos says, "Though if he does it himself then it sort of self-wraps and goes back to 'who cares?' :)"
<OOC> Marsalos says, "Nobody's in danger"
<OOC> Vinetti says, "Staff probibly wouldn't give out enough money to buy a murder anyway."
<OOC> Donos says, "You'd be surprised what you can buy for not much money in the OC at times"
<OOC> Donos says, "Okay - any more complications?"
<OOC> Jessica says, "Complications - No one cares (no buy in) solvable. Torik can't hire anyone (no interest) solvable. Unik survives the attempt (ends or restarts), Guard get involved. Enikita doesn't turn to Torik as planned."
<OOC> Geloe says, "Sure :) If people know it's a TP, they'll be more likely to buy into it... PH emits, heck, even standing @emitting from your level IV in a crowded area will get noticed."
<OOC> Geloe says, "Sorry, am a bit slow :)"
<OOC> Marsalos says, "Also complication, a higher-up (CL, etc) could step in and squash it before it gets off the ground."
<OOC> Donos says, "No that's fine Geloe - exactly, people get involved in TPs because they know something will happen. However, one other complication with this one - this is very similar to '@sheet/relationships Character A and character B' It still works, but things like this _can_ happen in the game already. It doesn't make it a 'bad' tp but it is something to bear in mind. And yep Mars - that's a danger with any low-level plot."
<OOC> Neoma says, "Ekinita ends up NP'd and preggers. :)"
<OOC> Donos says, "Okay, why is this a good TP?"
<OOC> Marsalos says, "Hee"
<OOC> Neoma says, "It has a finite scope."
<OOC> Donos says, "Good, anything else?"
<OOC> Jessica says, "Detail"
<OOC> Donos says, "Explain in more depth please Jessica?"
<OOC> Marsalos says, "Ethics quandaries"
<OOC> Jessica says, "details, you have goals set for both men...and moral dilemma (points at Mars)."
<OOC> Donos says, "See, there are ethical questions there Mars but they're not up front and in people's faces. Now, if we make it that Torik is the rightful owner of the land, then even if he's caught there's an issue for the judge to decide - what happens to the land?"
<OOC> Marsalos says, "Well, murdering someone is kind of ethics question :) But true"
<OOC> Donos says, "It's a very cut/dried one on firan though - for the OC killer there is one. but after the killing it's cut and dried unless, for example, there are things such as bribery involved"
<OOC> Vinetti says, "I like the atmosphere it creates of the OC. You could even have the murderer be a NPC and let it come out that an OCer did it. That will stir both the OC and the 1st Division."
<OOC> Donos says, "Okay, why is it a bad tp - not including the complications earlier."
<OOC> Jessica says, "Another complication - the murder overshadows the land issue of the tp (notice, we all went directly to the murder aspects of the TP). Or conversely, the land tp could overshadow the murder tp if it were being played out."
<OOC> Marsalos says, "I'm not sure how to answer that, Donos"
<OOC> Donos says, "Yes - the plot has several levels - love triangle, land dispute, murder - but the other two are likely to get lost too easily. Now, it can be solved but it requires a time investment."
<OOC> Donos says, "Whoever was running it would have to play the IVs more than 1-2 nights, they'd need to embed them in peoples minds."
<OOC> Neoma says, "Aside from the assassin and the judge, it doesn't really invite much outside involvement. I mean, the whole thing could almost play out without anyone else at all being involved."
<OOC> Donos says, "Yes Neoma - bang on. There's no broad stroke buy-in here."
<OOC> Donos says, "Ohh and I forgot to mention another good - it reinforces theme with caldera being republic city in chimeran land." <OOC> Donos says, "Okay, resources?"
<OOC> EggplantBuilder says, "The people who would benefit would be the guard. They would benefit, but it would be a side-benefit."
<OOC> Donos says, "Nods - they get an investigation but it takes the plot from Chimeran roleplay about land to 1st charge in and investigate. It becomes dual-focus. Okay, resources?"
<OOC> Marsalos says, "Time spent playing the NPCs. The money to pay the assassin. The map, theoretically."
<OOC> Jessica says, "2-3 level 4s, money to buy murder, money to get a judge's attention (thematically) ;) or a CLs."
<OOC> Donos says, "I'm impressed, I didn't think anyone would spot the map"
<OOC> Marsalos nitpicky
<OOC> Jessica says, "Yay for Mars"
<OOC> Donos says, "Okay so last question - and not to be answered by Jessica - who thinks the plot and its complications can be devloped into something workable and who thinks it fails on the key points I outlined in the class?"
<OOC> Jessica puts her hand down.
<OOC> Donos says, "And I said no to Jessica's point because she has final decisions, so as soon as she says yes/no it's pretty much answered there ;)"
<OOC> Marsalos says, "Is this where we get fired if we answer wrong? :)"
<OOC> Donos says, "Nope"
<OOC> Kendra says, "I think it can be made workable. It would take effort, but it could be done."
<OOC> Marsalos says, "Personally I think it has potential, but it doesn't stand as it's written here. I think you'd need to up the antes for more PCs before it became something that would do well."
<OOC> Vinetti thinks players will smell how phoney and how TPish it is a mile away. "It doesn't feel like something that could happen naturally."
<OOC> Kendra says, "I think you'd really need to get the chars involved.. have them live, work, and RP in the city, get sponsors, etc."
<OOC> Jessica says, "Remember Geloe's comment, players will get involved in tps faster then...well in non tp rp...even if it is fake"
<OOC> Donos says, "Okay - and Jessica - if someone submitted it, would you say it was runnable with more work, or shoot it down entirely?"
<OOC> Geloe says, "It would be tough to include a wide variety of people, but it has potential. I think I would want to add something 'sweeter' to get people involved.. something to make them care just a little bit more than just the pretty colors. LIke, hrm. Trying to think of a feasible example... like, maybe if one (or both) ended up an Olympic champion..."
<OOC> Marsalos says, "I don't think necessarily it would take so many background work. I think a good twist would be something going wrong with the assassination, for example, that becomes an event. But that's future planning. As I said, as is, it doesn't fly well." <OOC> Kendra says, "I say, instead of just an assasin, he looks for an OC arsonist to burn down the dude's house."
<OOC> Vinetti says, "More fire? Ugh."
<OOC> Marsalos says, "Like one of the NPCs messes up the description and sets the OC off going for the wrong person. A PC."
<OOC> Donos nods - that's a potential twist, but fires do involve wiz work so i'll quickly say 'don't plan a mass-arsonist plot, i'm pretty sure it won't fly'
<OOC> Kendra oohs! Geloe! A poisoned blade in an Olympic competition!
<OOC> Donos says, "And note, one thing I was hoping to show as I made clear at the start. This tp was deliberately written with flaws, and you guys are spotting them and bouncing ideas to make it better - and that's how you develop or improve a tp."
<OOC> Geloe nods. "Something like that, or making one of them a champion that the people care about, and adds to the resentment between them."
<OOC> Jessica says, "Honestly, yes...but for a basic reason. I want PHers and FHs to try running TPs. Even if it isn't great or even good...just try it. Becoming good comes with practice."
<OOC> Jessica says, "I've GM'd a few times and with Donos's help...came up with a TP that I feel is my first 'good' tp."
<OOC> Jessica always wants to see an artists first works, cause they are not Masters.
<OOC> Jessica chuckles.
<OOC> Donos says, "Okay, any questions on the whole class? There will be, as said, workshops for people to attend in the future to help develop ideas - and there's nothing wrong with having a few ideas and developing them at the same time."
<OOC> Geloe says, "One complication or danger I see though... it could easily turn into the old hat of "Guards arrest everyone in the OC, OC gets irritated and bad things happen OOCly." It'd have to be done a bit more carefully than just hiring an OC thug -- but then, part of it is knowing your factions too."
<OOC> Marsalos would love to have workshops
<OOC> Donos says, "Okay, Jessica's probably the best person to speak to about organising the workshops and I'm..done ;)"
