Gamifying Plots

Taika

Also there is nothing less satisfying as a player than coming into a game fresh off the street and unable to find a foot hold to get established. If I were to join a game where groups were given priority 24/7 over single players it would mean to play I would have to join a group. Now for the sake of putting this in perspective, let's pretend the only group willing to take on the new player is headed by the MuSoapBox famous VaSpider. I have to join that group or never really get into things or just not play. There is the option to bring my friends but I'm guessing my experience in not getting a foot hold would make me not want to do so.

There is nothing more discouraging than having to spend 2-3 weeks pulling teeth to get any rp at all, or getting some staff plot and having it be a complete shitshow of staff-alts and chaos.

Regarding plots, I find it super easy to do an off-the-cuff type group plot with leads people can chase down than something bigger. Holding a story-arc is a feat of pacing that I really struggle with. What I love running is that more intimate one-on-one or one-on-two type plot that really digs into backgrounds and plots and the character themselves. This is hard to do without knowing the pc, and how they will react or think. I mean, I could find some kind of blunt force trauma to break a pc, but what's the fun in that? I'd rather finesse and dig and find ways to mess with them that will, eventually, build them up into a stronger character.

I also find that it seems the type of pc's that like to run solo for plot type things are also the hardest ones to get to know in rp. I get that pc's can be shy or spook easy and not open up, but throw a dog a bone and help me help you have fun, right? XD

magee101

@taika what magical land do you hail from and wherst must thou goest to find thee for thine scenes of plottage?

Ganymede

@bad-at-lurking

If staff did 1 scene for 1 players PC every day, then 30 players would have a scene once a month, or so.

As someone who averages about 1 scene every three months, due to my schedule, this would mean a lot to me and 29 other players.

I see what you’re getting at, but if you can only manage schedule 1 7-person scene once a week, you’re getting the same mileage. If you can engage your players consistently one on one, you may be able to encourage more activity by providing them with leads to get other players involved.

Just another perspective.

Bad at Lurking

@ganymede

I'd love to have that kind of time, but MUing is not a job and I'm fairly sure that if I stopped feeding him, my dog would eventually eat me.

magee101

@bad-at-lurking said in Gamifying Plots:

@ganymede

I'd love to have that kind of time, but MUing is not a job and I'm fairly sure that if I stopped feeding him, my dog would eventually eat me.

Just to put some perspective. As a Player ST fairly reliably for two years straight, I keep up a househild, raised my daughter, and still found time to run 1-2 scenes per day for people, either private or on grid. Yeah I didnt have a job I was the stay at home parent but keeping a kid alive and happy and learnung and keeping the house up aint a vacation either. It all depends on your passion.

Bad at Lurking

@magee101 said in Gamifying Plots:

@bad-at-lurking said in Gamifying Plots:

@ganymede

I'd love to have that kind of time, but MUing is not a job and I'm fairly sure that if I stopped feeding him, my dog would eventually eat me.

Just to put some perspective. As a Player ST fairly reliably for two years straight, I keep up a househild, raised my daughter, and still found time to run 1-2 scenes per day for people, either private or on grid. Yeah I didnt have a job I was the stay at home parent but keeping a kid alive and happy and learnung and keeping the house up aint a vacation either. It all depends on your passion.

With all due respect, just because you have done that doesn't make it a reasonable expectation for others. I know myself and I know that if I don't keep running a game in a healthy balance with the rest of my life, I'll burn out on it. I think it is unreasonable for any of us to decide we know what that healthy balance is for anybody else.

(It's surprising how many times I had to ediit that so it doesn't sound like I'm being judgemental or combative. If I didn't succeed, please believe that it isn't intended to be either.)

Arkandel

@bad-at-lurking said in Gamifying Plots:

@ganymede

I'd love to have that kind of time, but MUing is not a job and I'm fairly sure that if I stopped feeding him, my dog would eventually eat me.

You need to first figure out how to strike a balance between what you can invest into staffing for a game and the rest of your life. It's pretty much never a good idea to over-invest, since either your initial efforts will be taken for granted then they'll go to waste once the production drops off, or you'll burn out badly which isn't good for you or anyone else involved.

The unicorn solution is to find player Storytellers. Delegate tasks and let them run things too since then as your playerbase grows so do your plot-runners by association.

But how you will find them? Best of luck.

magee101

@bad-at-lurking I was just providing perspective and you didnt sound judgemental at all

Ganymede

@bad-at-lurking said in Gamifying Plots:

I'd love to have that kind of time, but MUing is not a job and I'm fairly sure that if I stopped feeding him, my dog would eventually eat me.

Dogs are more loyal than that. Cats are not.

Anyhow, when I said "staff," I meant "everyone on staff." Frankly, doing 10 scenes per month isn't a bad goal at all.

To hook on what someone said about incentivizing the behavior you want to see, and presuming your game allows minor PRPs, here's a suggested system that may get some traction:

Offer 1 XP/week as a flat-rate gain to all PCs. Tally every plot run, for which a log is submitted. For every 10 logs submitted, increase the flat-rate gain by 1 XP. While the system creates a free-loader problem, it incentivizes people to get others onto the game and engaged in PRPs, no matter how small or insignificant.

Misadventure

What are the most productive and/or enjoyable group scenes related to plots?

Perhaps suggesting those would give staff an endpoint to get groups or singles and pairs to head towards.

As example, I do like plots where many skills can contribute, however, I have little use for a scene where everyone poses reading research results. It takes up time, and can be safely left to players who WANT to RP around that framework, without staff attention.

Staffs primary value (in this topic) is validating efforts (both reporting success, and making sure that successes are tracked as they affect stories) and adding in new information for players to mull over and make preparations based on etc, to link up unconnected PC efforts if they should, and whatever management risks and costs (from lost contacts, to combat) need.