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Guidelines for constructing a plot; Please READ
Topic Started: Jul 6 2012, 04:06 PM (281 Views)
Jean
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Telepathy, Telekinesis
Guidelines for constructing a plot:


We encourage all our players to submit plot ideas, work on plots, and work with us on the direction for this great site, that we all love to play on. However, there are a few guidelines that, over the years, we've found work best. So, keep these in mind when you're coming up with your plots, and try to avoid falling into the pitfalls we've seen over and over.


#1 - The most important thing to remember is that a plot isn't a novel outline. Novels are scripted, but plots shouldn't be, except at keypoints (and these should be at a minimum). Simpler is always, always better. Come up with a scenario that can be explained in a few sentences and goal that the antagonist is trying to achieve.


#2 - Do not script the actions, motivations, or thoughts of other PCs. If your plot requires someone else's character (or even your own) to react a certain way, then it is likely too overly engineered and scripted. By making something too scripted, you're removing the ability of the players to play their characters and the gameplay becomes dry and lacks spontaneity. If you've decided on, not only what the bad guy does but also the good guys' reactions to it, then this is no longer a plot, it's fanfiction that you want people to help you play through. It also tells the other players that no matter how good their posts are or what ideas they have, the events and outcomes have already been decided.


#3 - Try to use PCs, not NPCs unless it is unavoidable. We have a wide variety of heroes, villains, and everything in-between, work with the other players, talk to them about your idea. You should only use an NPC if that character has a special ability/skill that's vital to your plot.


#4 - Plots start simply and tend to organically grow as the players play through them; leave enough space for that to happen.


#5 - Take into account what is happening on the board and what direction the board is going. No character exists in a vacuum. History and background are foundations of all the stories, they build onto each other, layer by layer. If a crisis is going on, or if they are still recovering from a huge, all-encompassing crisis, don't ignore it; come up with a way to use it in your plot.


#6 - Start small. Try to make your plots as compact as possible because the longer a plot takes, the greater the chance that it'll break-down before it's finished. People get forgetful. People get bored. People have emergencies at work or home and have to drop-out. Don't worry about it being too short. Plots always, always grow.

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