Event-Driven RPs

[Arkhi]

Heyo.
This has been on my mind these past few days and I've been trying to both convey and explain what it is. As many of you know, I'm a fan of the Attack on Titan Tribute Game. Similarly, there has been interest in an AoT roleplay. Put two and two together and you've got an RP based on a game in which people can control what happens. This can be applicable to other games, too. If you wanted a war-based RP, you can make events that happen in it based on the results of playing a corresponding game.

Likewise, the RP can be based on real events, shows, animes, etc. In an RP about the betrayal of government and governed, you can use current events in the RP. Should you want to be a side character in a popular anime alongside others, you can go by what happened in the show to change the RP. In short, it would be a rather neat experience that can bring in more people interested in roleplaying, I would think.

If enough support and constructive criticism is offered to improve the idea and set guidelines, a Project Brainstorm could be opened. Perhaps we could even attempt an "ED" RP. Now, let's discuss the geometry of the idea.

[Code: PIRULUK]

I've thought about this before. Like, say, a fantasy RP, where occasionally events like "Goblin sightings are increasing"; or "Princess of country A has been betrothed to prince from country B", or "Renowned mage releases new thesis on the viability of temporal control magic". Small events that shape the world in real time, which RPers can then choose whether or not to react to. It's a nice idea, but it might put a lot of stress on the host, as he has to juggle all the information and planned events, as well as respond to RPers' reaction to these events. Also, there is a danger that both the host and the players alike might start to focus on the events more, to the detriment of the primary plot.

[Sutoratosu]

I find that simply using set story branching points (like I'm trying to do in PSS) works fine rather than trying something as intensively as real time event crafting and plot effecting... given that like Aqui already said A) it causes a lot more stress on the host with the work they have to do, and trying something like it could potentially derail the primary plot if people lose focus of the main conflict, whereareas with Pre planned Plot branching opportunities, every major choice made by players pretty much just activates a contingency plan for the plot, making it far harder to derail things.

I tend to set it up like this: What is the main goal? what do the players have to ultimately do to get there?

Then: alright, there's the major goal. Now, set up smaller goals. after that set up even smaller goals to acheive those smaller goals. And in between this web of major and minor goals, I try to think of ways that the players can affect the way that goal is achieved, or even if that goal is still relevant after the PC choices.

This is a rather shitty job of explaining it, so I'll try an Example: massive spoilers for Group B in Project Sky Slayer

Recently on PSS, a new major character was debued: Anansi, who is pretty much the Overlord of the highest plain of the Afterlife in PSS; Elise, where those who have proven themselves worthy by their great deeds are drawn after death. Now then, I did not intro players to Anansi in his current, revealed form. on the contrary, I introed him as a Giant Spider named "Scrawl" who had the mental reasoning complexes of a six year old child and who had been manipulated by people thousands of years ago without any thanks or reward after they left him.

Now then, here's something about Anansi, another key character, Stratos, is currently locked within Elise, in order to bring him back from the edge of death, the party must break into a recently destroyed city and locate a substance known as Elixir. Now then, Stratos can ultimately come back from death even if the party fails to find this miracle medicine... but the thing is, Anansi is the one who decides whether or not heroes are given a second chance to walk the earth... and seeing as how he's kinda travelling with the group, he really can't be in Elise in order to fulfill that duty, ergo, Stratos is now going to be completely stuck if they don't find this miracle substance

Now here's the beauty of all that; none of that lore about the afterlife judges and Anansi existed at all until the moment I read Player's responses to Scrawl's little sob story and saw their sympathizing with him, one of them even going so far as to cry along side him in his sadness at being used and then abandoned. I made it up right then and there, as I was typing the Update. I originally intended for him to help them on their quest for a short while and then die touchingly by saving them . But when I read the responses, it opened up another path way, and so chains of events were set in motion. It activated a contingency plot I didn't even know existed in my mind.

Now then, one of the player Characters is middle aged. out of all of the three of them, his was the only to actually weep for Scrawl's tale. This sight, a grown man crying over something as trivial as this, somewhat angered an NPC, Absalom, who was barely an adolescent and had seen his own father cut down right before his eyes not more than an hour prior. I rigged the sob feast between the PC and Scrawl to go on for 45 minutes, far longer than absalom had cried either of the two times he'd lost control of his greif. Absalom then voiced his partial disgust at how the PC was acting scolding both him and Scrawl harshly, later feeling shameful for snapping at them and apologizing. However, his scolding led to Scrawl making a final conviction; he was never going to be used by people again. He was going to live his life as he saw fit, and what he saw fit was to pledge his help to the Players. in order to allow himself to do this, Scrawl resolves to destroy a contract that bound him under threat of death to remain within the city boundaries.

Now, this contract had another purpose; dumbing Scrawl down and sealing his latent power as Anansi. once it was broken however, he regained his true purpose in the world and became Anansi again, discarding the name Scrawl as he remembered how he was before and chose to reclaim that powerful form. now... had players not have done anything, just sat there and watched the waterworks, Anansi wouldn't exist, just the plains of the after life, they would have no keepers and no judges though. Stratos would've been able to come back even if they somehow failed to obtain an elixir because the method for rebirth would've been entirely different. But now, he can't because as already stated; the Judge who needs to pass the verdict on whether or not he can return the Rebirth way is not there; he's with the group and currently helping them. But with that much power backing them, this pretty much means players are guaranteed to succeed in the Side goal of obtaining Elixir...

Eh... actually, this is kinda a crappy example of what I'm trying to get across too... I'll try again tomorrow.

[Chevaleresse]

I proposed something similar that was entirely player-driven rather than being based on current events, like one I saw on another forum. Lots of people had characters occupying positions of authority, and everyone had their own agenda, so it was pretty action packed and self-regulation. Most importantly, there was very little waiting on the host.

[Jory]

I move to table this thread for discussion for another 6 months. The RP forum here is still young and a lot of people are still learning how to RP. This requires everyone involved to be on their toes at all time and, most importantly, to recognize the delicate balance between changing background information and going with what others have posted. I don't think we have enough people who are "expert level" RPers, and therefore this could run into a lot of problems before it has a chance to become popular. I'm all for the idea, but NOT YET.