I wanted to open a discussion on events to both offer some perspective and get some feedback. Usual disclaimers apply regarding what can happen, what will happen, etc. Note this is not in response to any event specifically.
As the team has grown, we have had the ability to offer responses to player-led events more frequently, and we also have the chance to start planning more GM-led events. First, I want to talk about player-led events.
Player-Led Events
We often get e-mail from players discussing their RP plans. These are great, as they let us consider how to best respond, and let us know whom and where to watch! While it would be great if we could respond to every event, or even watch for all examples of RP ever occurring anywhere, that is simply not possible. Accordingly, these e-mails can go a long way towards ensuring we are able to best craft a response. Not that a GM response is required for all events to be fun, but we do understand the desire to feel that the game environment is responding to your actions, and of course, we do enjoy responding when appropriate.
So what do we look for in player events?
A firm grounding in the reality of the game world; a recognition of the existing body of game lore and the desire to explore it, and operate within it. To be somewhat glib about this point, if you propose that the secret lizard overlords of Katamba have instructed you to sing the song of their people, and doing so will cause a volcano to emerge under Crossing, it is likely that your event will not end with a volcano emerging under Crossing. To be serious about this point, understand that while you (or your character) may wish for a particular outcome, that does not mean we will provide this outcome for you. Also understand that generally speaking, one-off efforts by a single character will not result in sweeping changes to the landscape of the game.
Involvement of multiple people. This one is a little fuzzy -- while we absolutely will respond when appropriate to single players or small groups of players, generally speaking we prefer that the event proper be a public affair. We want you to roleplay with one another, and for our involvement, if we do get involved, to enhance these exchanges, not be the focus of them. Also understand that to avoid the sentiment of favoritism, we prefer that information provided in events be available to all. Of course, some events will involve actions or knowledge that characters wish to keep secret.
Adequate time to prepare. This is a big one -- considering a response and crafting it can take time, and with adequate preparation, is often something than can be "delivered" by any GM. Personally, I have crafted some responses to events that required considerable preparation, and then had a real-life conflict arise at the last minute. This proved to be a non-issue, as a fellow GM was able to "run through" (and improve on the fly!) the event response I had put together. Of course, we also understand (and love) that spontaneous RP happens, and we get plenty of e-mails or reports to the effect of "My character is doing a thing in 1 hour, just letting you know." These are also very helpful for us to know where to look, though we may not be able to respond on the fly. Still, communication is preferred!
There is a mixed goal with responses to player events: we want to help make the game world feel dynamic and responsive to your characters actions, but we also do not want to "steal your thunder."
GM-led events
There are often complaints that GM-led events are "on rails." It is sometimes true that events have to reach a particular outcome, especially when a release or update is predicated on that event. We try to make the process of getting there flexible and responsive to player action, but this is still how a game story unfolds. To use an old example, when the Turtle exploded, that was a planned event that was going to happen. Players responded, things occurred, but that Turtle was going to explode. To use a modern example, the Maelshyve Death event, Maelshyve was going to "die" at the end, but we did write a variety of branches and responses in anticipation of the different ways players might have responded. Sometimes, events mark the release of something, and no matter what, that thing is going to be released at the end of the event.
We do not want an event to feel preordained or for your characters to feel like bit players, but this is also a multiplayer game, and not everyone can be in the spotlight 100% of the time. You may not get to be the hero who stops the bad thing from happening or the villain who makes the bad thing happen. We will respond and push the story along to the best of our capacity and include player action and responses to player planning to the best the story allows, but in some cases, ultimately, the event will get from A -> B.
What I would like to encourage people to consider is how their character would respond to the evolving game world, just as real people have to respond to events that are beyond their control. Many of us had very exciting experiences involving the game setting and story developments in the past, and OUR enjoyment of those experiences as players is what drove us to want to work on and provide those experiences as GMs. I personally think a mix of both player event responses and GM-led events are important to the ongoing game world.
With GM-led events, we absolutely look for player involvement and opportunities to specifically respond to players operating within the event.
So, all that said, I want to open this as a discussion. What do you want to see more or less of? What events or areas of the lore are most exciting to you? What discourages or prevents you from getting involved in events? I understand there are many of plot arcs that have been left incomplete over the years -- some of these can be picked up, some cannot. Ultimately we want you to enjoy the setting and the stories we work on, so please let us know how we can better deliver that (within the context of what I outlined above).
|