Different Plot Devices

I just wanted to take a quick temperature check about the way using different plot devices to move things along impacts your members!

On our site we have a few different methods of injecting movement into the plot. Sometimes we directly do things (i.e., posting with a god account to explicitly explain something to a certain character), sometimes we make use of targeted random events, and then other times we have more subtle methods (like sending letters or using a 'serendipity' account which vaguely gestures at something happening).

For other admins, what do you use?

For members, are there methods you prefer over others?

Recently we just added a 'broadcast' account that gives explicit plot updates. Our worry is that given it's a writing site members won't appreciate this audio format, but it's something we're trying out.

 

As a member,

I really appreciate a plot device that includes everyone on the site! The audio format in question is very novel and interesting, and since there is a written transcript we don't have to listen if it's somehow uncomfortable or impractical.

One pet peeve I've had has been that it's easy for high level and established characters to hog plots/information, and not delegate and share what's going on with others. Even if it's unintentional it can make it difficult or daunting for the rest to get involved, so I like anything that steers away from that! ^^

 

I really appreciate having things laid out plainly! The broadcast I enjoyed because it had a text version to go alongside the audio - I'm bad at understanding words in an audio format so I went straight to the transcript. As a very new member being able to read these big Plot Posts has been handy dandy for getting a sense of the immediate events.

 

Member here!

I agree with Chan on liking how everyone is getting the info with the broadcast format. I feel like something similar could be done with anonymous Notice Board posts across the regions in non-Family plot arcs, too. Having multiple formats for accessibility is a huge plus!

I can see the appeal in wanting to reward characters that have been around/active/loyal posters for years with key plot info (i.e. god visits), but I've also seen (and been guilty of) hoarding that info - sometimes with good intentions (i.e. wanting to work it into IC threads, but then having things move so slowly that it doesn't get out in a timely manner), and sometimes by accident (i.e. a character gets the info and then the player goes inactive/leaves without passing it on).

And I agree that it can be off-putting to newer players/lower level characters to then feel left out of the plots... even while understanding that it's hard to include them when you don't know if they'll stick around long enough to actually share the info or not. On the other hand, things like Key Quests often do end up locking out low-level characters, while something like an information drop is 'safe' enough that any character of any level should be able to access it.

That's why I like the RE threads that are open to everyone, and especially the Serendipities! Having Serendipities be based entirely on the luck of the thread means that anyone has a chance of running across the info. If anything, I'd like to see more use of them to drop info/hints. They do a great job of giving Vibes(tm) right now, but I think now that the algorithm is working - and working well! - they have the potential to be even more useful for spreading out plot-relevant info in the various regions.

Overall, I appreciate that CotF has several ways to drop plot info and move things along, instead of relying on just one thing. Direct god account interactions reward longtime active characters, and the new broadcast format has been a good (if creepy xD) way to make sure everyone can be involved, regardless of activity level or time on the site. Personally, I'd like to see more use of the Serendipity accounts, possibly with some emphasis on the various library boards that are scattered around Caido to give those boards a bit more relevance when applicable (maybe not with the current Family plot, but for something like Dygra info?), and also to spread more hints and pieces of info that multiple characters would have a chance to run across. Scraps of journals that have been torn up and scattered around a region, for instance, or writing scrawled onto a rock or tree that couldn't be easily 'removed' and might be stumbled across in more than one thread.

 

Thanks you two!

Just going to point form to make things easier <3

1. Absolutely hear you about higher-level characters hogging plot info. Especially when so many of our demigods are allowed to just ask leading questions in their god chats that other characters don't have the chance to. Random Notice board posts is absolutely something we can do more of. Do you think there's a reason more members don't purchase plot info to use? I know most save MP for something else, but in my mind it's one of the most valuable things you can buy where you get a 'return' right away.

2. Back when we were ramping up to war, we used the serendipities to suggest the locations of the relics and almost NO ONE understood. Similarly with the treasure hunt certain character's went on (which still isn't finished), and with the foretelling of Starfall. I worry that this is the flip side of the coin, where if too many characters have the info or it isn't detailed enough, people assume someone else will deal with it. Maybe that's just an acceptable issue to ensure more people can participate?

 

My game takes place in the modern day and the forum has a "Social Media" area and one for traditional (news) media. I post stuff on both of those when I want players to understand something is happening/is significant to the story.

 

ugh, I'm so jealous! We're fantasy/medieval. We have Notice Boards in each region, but sometimes it's either not convenient or people don't read them (both OOC and IC).

Do you find that at all?

 

In my (admittedly limited) experience, purchasing plot info with MP can be very hit or miss, too. I am not an experienced RPG player, and I have found that the things I find interesting can differ quite a lot from the things that actually drive plots forward.

For example, I love to delve into background lore and mechanics and why something works/does what it does. What is it, why is it, what are the philosophical, moral, ethical implications of allowing/disallowing something to happen, and how does this apply to my character, etc. So any question I might think to ask would not necessarily be very relevant to, for example, solving this issue where land is slowly being taken over one region at a time.

That probably comes down to communication, in the end. I'm admittedly shy about asking questions because I don't want to be obnoxious. x)


In response to the question about whether info can be too accessible, I really don't think so! Whether anyone chooses to interact with the plot has always been up to them, right? So the more people that get the option, the better it is, in my opinion :) It means you can always decide whether what's going on is relevant to your character and your playstyle, and just makes it more accessible!

I've played ttrpg with a dm once, who told me that the hardest part about leading a campaign was dumbing things down enough that the players would keep up. Not because we're stupid or anything, but because hints that seem obvious when you know the answer really might not be, to those who are unaware they even should be looking for them.

 

Oop, missed the notification about this thread updating!

re: plot info - some of it is character dependent. Giving Tal plot info, for instance, feels like casting pearls before swine XD But with the potential lethality of Key Quests on our site, investing in stat points or skipping levels to help raise HP often feels like the 'safer' use of MP. Getting plot info for a character doesn't do much good if they die before they can share it!
And there's also the 'bang for your buck' side of things. If you spend your MP on skipping leveling reqs you can get to a higher level faster, and will be much more likely to be included in plot info for 'free' in addition to gaining stats/abilities to keep the character alive.

For the Serendipities: they might have been too vague, at least for my brainmeats? ^^; I remember a 'swirling mist and laughter' Serendipity which in hindsight I thought was foretelling the haunted house KQ in the Mistbanks? And so many dead animals. So Many. XD Which foretold the coming of Dygra, I think you said afterwards? But even stalking the site to read every Serendipity OOC I wasn't able to figure out what they meant until after the fact. Sifting the 'general' regional serendipities from the hints and clues can be confusing too! Which might be a feature instead of a bug XD But I do always appreciate the moment of "Oooooooooh!" when the reveal for what they were hinting at comes!