Advice/Help How do I keep my Rps alive?

[Jack Konstantine]

I have a difficult time creating stories with substance. All I ever do is banter, which is fun, but it's not as fulfilling as a full-fledged character arc. I don't know how to write stories that aren't mine, and even then, it's not as though I have a lot to go off of. My replies take forever, because I'll spend hours trying to research every nuance and before I know it, I'm lost in an infinite sea of information. The worse part is that I hardly digest a thing to show for it, nor can implement it in a way that would make sound sense. My original interest fades, because the bar I imagined is set higher, extremely higher than when trying to make it manifest.

And I've become jaded for it.

I see other people pull it off, and I can't help but become discouraged. In fact I've nearly quit, and I'm a bit hesitant to accept offers to rp because this always inevitably happens.

So, is there any advice anyone could provide?

 

[Chordling]

You should consider finding resources for plot development and read. Analyzing how the plot of your favorite stories were developed can go a long way. Failing can be part of the process. Don't give up. Don't discourage yourself. Learn. Figure out what went well and what you would like to improve. The latter must be specific in order to be constructive. "I liked the players" is not specific enough. "I like how the players communicated through the OCC chat" is what we're looking for. Join other group roleplays and observe how the GM facilitates their space for creativity. Discuss ideas with other GMs. What do they do? What do they find successful? What doesn't work for them? Here's the catch though. Everyone is different. So you need to figure out what works best for you. That takes practice and experience. You're might find yourself wanting to improve all of the time and that's totally okay! The most important part is that you're having fun.

 

[Hyde]

I find that engaging your players outside of the Roleplay is usually one of the best ways to go. Players that feel more connected to you usually feel more connected to the Roleplay and are less likely to dip or ghost. You can do this in a variety of ways like having a strong off-topic thread with icebreakers or conversation that isn't entirely related to the Roleplay. Plotting can happen too, of course, but it should be intermediately separated by other discussions.

For an example, I was more recently in a plot that took place on another site where most of our off-topic interaction happened through a Discord server. We often played a game where players would tell two truths and one lie about themselves. In that game, people had to identify the lie and were able to ask questions about the truth.s There were other games that we played too, like This or That or just talk about side projects that we were working on at the time. I've since left this Roleplay because of life, but I'm still in that server and we're all still pretty close (there's only four of us left now). I think we're planning on reviving the Roleplay sometime soon with new players and I might hop on once it comes back though it's more out of loyalty to my friends than to the plot itself, lol.

 

[Crayons]

If you find yourself stuck in banter mode, it could be that your character lacks goals and motivation. If you give them something they are trying to achieve, they will go ahead and attempt it. Same goes for if you're a GM - make sure the player characters have goals and motivation. It can be something plot-led but also something that comes from inside the character themselves. Both is ideal.

 

[Nightshad3]

Try out some in-game "bullet" RP. Some games naturally create events you have to respond to, and it feels alive.

 

[M.J. Saulnier]

If you find yourself stuck in banter mode, it could be that your character lacks goals and motivation. If you give them something they are trying to achieve, they will go ahead and attempt it. Same goes for if you're a GM - make sure the player characters have goals and motivation. It can be something plot-led but also something that comes from inside the character themselves. Both is ideal.

It's important to make sure you know the difference between primary goals and secondary goals. Primary goals have substance and purpose within the plot and therefor guide the character through it more than secondary goals. "Finding true love" or "Becoming a better person" may keep you spinning in circles, scavenging those banter moments.

Good goals are created by giving good characters purpose within good plots, so let's get back to the plot aspect. Making stories with substance isn't easy, what's impossible is finding enough writers with enough room on their plate who get your vision and are capable of helping you execute it. I can't give you much advice for finding partners, I'll just advise you to be very tolerant of people (that's the secret). I am always available for free, no-strings plot help and council. I love plot mechanics, love brainstorming, and chewing on good ideas with other writers.


A big problem with RPs today is that no one really wants structure. More times than not it ends up feeling like those ripcord dinky car races. A plot idea is presented. This is a race. But when those little cars start going, they each have a mind of their own. The intention was to see which would clear a given distance first, but usually none make it to the finish line. The moment you try to introduce plot anchors to fix this, people feel smothered, or someone wants to throw a wrench in the mix that warps the entire flow of your concept. Because someone always has to present an alternate version of the anchor you carefully plotted out with every character and the greater story in mind, in the interest of their one OC. It's inevitable.

Plot anchors are a godsend. They are tiny plot events that guide a story. Similar to a checkpoint in a video game, they guide the players toward the next step in the story line. Put simply, they move shit along, lest shit gets stale and a new game is booted up instead. They could be something simple and loose, or a major event that is semi structured in nature. Without them it can be hard for many new school players to know what to do, when to do it, how, and furthermore why.

 

[Crayons]

It's important to make sure you know the difference between primary goals and secondary goals. Primary goals have substance and purpose within the plot and therefor guide the character through it more than secondary goals. "Finding true love" or "Becoming a better person" may keep you spinning in circles, scavenging those banter moments.

Good goals are created by giving good characters purpose within good plots, so let's get back to the plot aspect. Making stories with substance isn't easy, what's impossible is finding enough writers with enough room on their plate who get your vision and are capable of helping you execute it. I can't give you much advice for finding partners, I'll just advise you to be very tolerant of people (that's the secret). I am always available for free, no-strings plot help and council. I love plot mechanics, love brainstorming, and chewing on good ideas with other writers.


A big problem with RPs today is that no one really wants structure. More times than not it ends up feeling like those ripcord dinky car races. A plot idea is presented. This is a race. But when those little cars start going, they each have a mind of their own. The intention was to see which would clear a given distance first, but usually none make it to the finish line. The moment you try to introduce plot anchors to fix this, people feel smothered, or someone wants to throw a wrench in the mix that warps the entire flow of your concept. Because someone always has to present an alternate version of the anchor you carefully plotted out with every character and the greater story in mind, in the interest of their one OC. It's inevitable.

Plot anchors are a godsend. They are tiny plot events that guide a story. Similar to a checkpoint in a video game, they guide the players toward the next step in the story line. Put simply, they move shit along, lest shit gets stale and a new game is booted up instead. They could be something simple and loose, or a major event that is semi structured in nature. Without them it can be hard for many new school players to know what to do, when to do it, how, and furthermore why.

I think everyone should be aware of the difference between goals: "capture the flag" and motivation: "I want to show people I'm better than my brother!"

One is a tangible achievable "thing" that it is possible to get, the other is the reason why a character wants that thing. Goals and motivation can both come from without (through plot) and within (through character creation or development) and you need to have both to make a really good RP.

Making a plot with achievable goals is important, but also it's equally important for the characters to know why they want to participate in the plot and gain those goals. Personally, I also like plots that are driven by the characters themselves.

 

[M.J. Saulnier]

But like again, capturing the flag is a main goal. Getting a lover is a secondary goal. Making new friends is a secondary goal.

 

[Crayons]

But like again, capturing the flag is a main goal. Getting a lover is a secondary goal. Making new friends is a secondary goal.

Depends on the RP - like in a romance, getting a lover might be your main goal, and capturing the flag might be a route to win their heart, but yes, having primary and secondary goals is a thing.

 

[XtaticSoda]

I feel your pain all too well.
I understand what it is like to put untold amounts of time into researching things only for your own efforts to fall short of what you wanted. This is primarily what keeps me from writing stories on my own. I started roleplaying because having another person prompts me to keep writing, even when I know it may not be the best.
Having high expectations of yourself is not a bad thing when they inspire you to do better. But when they roadblock you, knock you down and kick you in the dirt, you need to not be so hard on yourself.
I certainly find that reading, and examining how authors I like tell their stories really helps me. Even just looking at the way they structure conversations, or describe details. That goes for roleplay partners too. The more you do it, the easier it will come to you. The more people you roleplay with, the more variety you will get to see in how other people do things.
The most important thing in roleplay is to have fun. You are supposed to be writing a story together. Make use of your partner to help you and don't take on all the responsibility for yourself.

 

[Chiester]

Oh, this. I remember also going through it. How no matter how much effort and research you do its just not interesting in the end, others get bored and it just feels imposible. Mhm, awful.

It happens for many things, vut I will share you the few I had to deal with to get over it. It might help.

So first thing first, if doing research feels like work then you are already not having fun. Don't do it then, the plot went wrong a while ago already.

Another thing is when you use books as examples of how you should rp. Books are planned beforehand, that's why they can add tons of complexity and big payoffs, but honestly trying to do that is very stressfull in rp. Roleplay is all about improvisation and quick thinking. I say if you want to take inspiration from literature go read some japanesse webnovels. Re:Zero and Index comes to mind. They take lower levels of literacy to write and underatand, but are still deep and interesting.

The last thing is to not be so serious. The strenght of humanity is that they can laugh in the worst situations. Sillyness and idiocity is part of all of us, don't forget about that in rp. Also, MISTAKES. Make your characters joke, be dumb and fail from time to time, that will be fun. Also, some things can happen at random or be anticlimatic, life can be like that. If you can make your partner laugh and facepalm then they will stay.

That's all I can think about right now, hope it helps you or anyone else.

 

[nerdy tangents]

I also find making like little scenes or missions to go through helps.

Like say the characters go to the zoo, go hiking, go to the vacation.

It gives them something to do that also progresses the plot a little.

Also just limit the amount of research you do. Most of the time unless your doing something your partner is familiar with they aren’t going to know the difference.

And if they do have real life experience just ask them, hey what’s this like IRL?

 

[Jack Konstantine]

It's important to make sure you know the difference between primary goals and secondary goals. Primary goals have substance and purpose within the plot and therefor guide the character through it more than secondary goals. "Finding true love" or "Becoming a better person" may keep you spinning in circles, scavenging those banter moments.

Good goals are created by giving good characters purpose within good plots, so let's get back to the plot aspect. Making stories with substance isn't easy, what's impossible is finding enough writers with enough room on their plate who get your vision and are capable of helping you execute it. I can't give you much advice for finding partners, I'll just advise you to be very tolerant of people (that's the secret). I am always available for free, no-strings plot help and council. I love plot mechanics, love brainstorming, and chewing on good ideas with other writers.


A big problem with RPs today is that no one really wants structure. More times than not it ends up feeling like those ripcord dinky car races. A plot idea is presented. This is a race. But when those little cars start going, they each have a mind of their own. The intention was to see which would clear a given distance first, but usually none make it to the finish line. The moment you try to introduce plot anchors to fix this, people feel smothered, or someone wants to throw a wrench in the mix that warps the entire flow of your concept. Because someone always has to present an alternate version of the anchor you carefully plotted out with every character and the greater story in mind, in the interest of their one OC. It's inevitable.

Plot anchors are a godsend. They are tiny plot events that guide a story. Similar to a checkpoint in a video game, they guide the players toward the next step in the story line. Put simply, they move shit along, lest shit gets stale and a new game is booted up instead. They could be something simple and loose, or a major event that is semi structured in nature. Without them it can be hard for many new school players to know what to do, when to do it, how, and furthermore why.

This. I'm tired of feeling as if I'm clearing a distance. I go through writers like a book. It's discussing that's difficult. I can communicate out of character fine, but when we have to combine heads? It becomes complex. I've used improvisation as a crutch. An author has a better time than a role-player, because their in complete control.

I'd like to hear more about your take on plot points. Can you break it down, as you would for someone who's a dummy? Yes, I'm the dummy. Hi.

 

[M.J. Saulnier]

I'd like to hear more about your take on plot points. Can you break it down, as you would for someone who's a dummy? Yes, I'm the dummy. Hi.

When you're talking about plot points or plot anchors, you're just talking about a key event, place, or goal that must be worked toward and reached or achieved by the protag group, antag group (if applicable) or both. Generally you want a few major anchors as well. Major anchors are huge, key events or happenings in the plot that keep everything guided toward some form of climax or even conclusion. It is 100% possible to have creative wiggle room and spontaneous interactions and events whilst using plot anchors. How you create those anchors may depend on the story you had wanted to tell as a GM (a mapped out series of anchors), how the group develops that plot as things progress (new anchors are created as the plot evolves in real time).

Okay so let's invent a quick, shanty, bare bones little plot.

You've all been sent an invitation via mail to travel to a far away kingdom and meet with a mysterious nobleman. He is offering to hire you all as a band of mercenaries based on your individual skill sets. Your task, should you accept it, is to retrieve an ancient family heirloom from a rival kingdom.

The logical approach to first posts would be everyone arriving in this kingdom, making their way through the city on their way to the nobleman's estate.

Enter your very first plot Anchor:

• Meeting with the Nobleman

This ensures that no one gets lost in the city, literally. I've seen instances where two or more players will meet and sidetrack almost immediately. As a GM it's your job to read the field a bit, make sure your players are comfortably on their way toward each anchor. I even open a direct line of private communication that I regularly stimulate, even if it's just to ask if they have any concerns or questions, requests, plans, etc. Anything I may be able to help with.

Now after said meeting has concluded, the next logical anchor is:

• Depart the city as a team

This gives a little bit of wiggle room between the end of that meeting, and when everyone departs for the rival kingdom. Plenty of time to characterize, explore character dynamics and chemistry, but there's a clear, understood next step shared by everyone. Not one single person is thinking, what now?

Next I would probably throw a man vs nature conflict at the group to really challenge them as a team for the first time, and give everyone a chance to showcase their skill sets.

• Man vs nature conflict

Now, why don't we camp them out for the night? Good chance to digest the recent events, and more importantly, for substantial character dialogue to move along those OC dynamics.

Now maybe some creative energy gives birth to a man vs beast conflict that night when some predators attempt to ambush us for a late night meal. Archors shouldn't be seen as a prison sentence. It's just to keep a plot moving for all involved parties, so no one gets bored or sidetracked. I've seen people quit Rps because they sidetracked themselves out of the narrative too far and getting back just felt awkward; they were now "that OC" that roamed off to sniff flowers for twenty minutes.


This is what plot anchors are. All of those were small, loose anchors. Deeper in you may have major achors, such as:

• GM OC is imprisoned by antags
• GM OC confirms visual of Ancient Heirloom during time in custody.
• Group rescues GM OC from prison

Or even semi-structured anchors like a climax of sorts:

• Evil kingdom sieges rival kingdom (looking for same Heirloom). Walls are breached, palace is heavily damaged, antag captain is killed, evil soldiers invade city as protags obtain Heirloom
• Protags fight their way out of the city with Heirloom
• Rival Kingdom is occupied by Evil kingdom

That would be a major anchor that is semi structured with a set number of things that must happen. It's still up to everyone exactly how that plays out.


These aren't things you have to rush toward, always racing to skip to the next anchor, it's just there to keep a clear objective on that horizon so no spins in circles or starts backseat Gming with major plot developments of their own that are sprung upon the narrative by surprise. Not saying things can't change or evolve, but let's do it as a group, not phone it in on our own.

 

[Jack Konstantine]

When you're talking about plot points or plot anchors, you're just talking about a key event, place, or goal that must be worked toward and reached or achieved by the protag group, antag group (if applicable) or both. Generally you want a few major anchors as well. Major anchors are huge, key events or happenings in the plot that keep everything guided toward some form of climax or even conclusion. It is 100% possible to have creative wiggle room and spontaneous interactions and events whilst using plot anchors. How you create those anchors may depend on the story you had wanted to tell as a GM (a mapped out series of anchors), how the group develops that plot as things progress (new anchors are created as the plot evolves in real time).

Okay so let's invent a quick, shanty, bare bones little plot.

You've all been sent an invitation via mail to travel to a far away kingdom and meet with a mysterious nobleman. He is offering to hire you all as a band of mercenaries based on your individual skill sets. Your task, should you accept it, is to retrieve an ancient family heirloom from a rival kingdom.

The logical approach to first posts would be everyone arriving in this kingdom, making their way through the city on their way to the nobleman's estate.

Enter your very first plot Anchor:

• Meeting with the Nobleman

This ensures that no one gets lost in the city, literally. I've seen instances where two or more players will meet and sidetrack almost immediately. As a GM it's your job to read the field a bit, make sure your players are comfortably on their way toward each anchor. I even open a direct line of private communication that I regularly stimulate, even if it's just to ask if they have any concerns or questions, requests, plans, etc. Anything I may be able to help with.

Now after said meeting has concluded, the next logical anchor is:

• Depart the city as a team

This gives a little bit of wiggle room between the end of that meeting, and when everyone departs for the rival kingdom. Plenty of time to characterize, explore character dynamics and chemistry, but there's a clear, understood next step shared by everyone. Not one single person is thinking, what now?

Next I would probably throw a man vs nature conflict at the group to really challenge them as a team for the first time, and give everyone a chance to showcase their skill sets.

• Man vs nature conflict

Now, why don't we camp them out for the night? Good chance to digest the recent events, and more importantly, for substantial character dialogue to move along those OC dynamics.

Now maybe some creative energy gives birth to a man vs beast conflict that night when some predators attempt to ambush us for a late night meal. Archors shouldn't be seen as a prison sentence. It's just to keep a plot moving for all involved parties, so no one gets bored or sidetracked. I've seen people quit Rps because they sidetracked themselves out of the narrative too far and getting back just felt awkward; they were now "that OC" that roamed off to sniff flowers for twenty minutes.


This is what plot anchors are. All of those were small, loose anchors. Deeper in you may have major achors, such as:

• GM OC is imprisoned by antags
• GM OC confirms visual of Ancient Heirloom during time in custody.
• Group rescues GM OC from prison

Or even semi-structured anchors like a climax of sorts:

• Evil kingdom sieges rival kingdom (looking for same Heirloom). Walls are breached, palace is heavily damaged, antag captain is killed, evil soldiers invade city as protags obtain Heirloom
• Protags fight their way out of the city with Heirloom
• Rival Kingdom is occupied by Evil kingdom

That would be a major anchor that is semi structured with a set number of things that must happen. It's still up to everyone exactly how that plays out.


These aren't things you have to rush toward, always racing to skip to the next anchor, it's just there to keep a clear objective on that horizon so no spins in circles or starts backseat Gming with major plot developments of their own that are sprung upon the narrative by surprise. Not saying things can't change or evolve, but let's do it as a group, not phone it in on our own.

Thank you, this could serve as useful advice. I understand this a little better now. Only, I'm not necessarily a "GM" GM. I don't participate in groups. Even so, is this knowledge still applicable?

And, another thing; GM-ing is like a fancy term for narrating, right? Like a dungeon master, but for play-by-post RP? That's always confused me a bit.

 

[Chordling]

Thank you, this could serve as useful advice. I understand this a little better now. Only, I'm not necessarily a "GM" GM. I don't participate in groups. Even so, is this knowledge still applicable?

And, another thing; GM-ing is like a fancy term for narrating, right? Like a dungeon master, but for play-by-post RP? That's always confused me a bit.

The advice should be reviewed from a general storytelling point of view. You do not need to be the GM in order to execute these skills.

So here is a little bit of a fun fact. The term "DM", which is short for dungeon master, is specifically coined and related to Dungeons and Dragons. "GM", which is short for game master, is the unassociated version. But both are leadership roles.

 

[Enmyira]

Just a quick comment. Thank you everyone who’s posted here. These are all wonderful points that help even once seasoned writers get back on track. Thank you all!

 

[Phantom Thief of Hearts]

As someone who's co-GMing an RP that's two years old right now, I'd say you need dedicated roleplayers. Also don't be deterred if your RP doesn't have a massive amount of players. As long as you breed a sense of community in your roleplay and maintain a decent amount of contact with your players, it will thrive.

 

[TPBx]

I have a difficult time creating stories with substance. All I ever do is banter, which is fun, but it's not as fulfilling as a full-fledged character arc. I don't know how to write stories that aren't mine, and even then, it's not as though I have a lot to go off of. My replies take forever, because I'll spend hours trying to research every nuance and before I know it, I'm lost in an infinite sea of information. The worse part is that I hardly digest a thing to show for it, nor can implement it in a way that would make sound sense. My original interest fades, because the bar I imagined is set higher, extremely higher than when trying to make it manifest.

And I've become jaded for it.

I see other people pull it off, and I can't help but become discouraged. In fact I've nearly quit, and I'm a bit hesitant to accept offers to rp because this always inevitably happens.

So, is there any advice anyone could provide?

Honestly a lot of it is luck. I've let RPs die and I've had other RPs die on me. The ones that have stuck around for ages just happened to be by chance tbh. Life happens, people don't always have time to invest and sometimes you don't have time to invest. At the end of the day, RPing is another hobby and not your day job. You just have to roll with things, and don't stress yourself out when things don't go your way.

 

[Jack Konstantine]

When you're talking about plot points or plot anchors, you're just talking about a key event, place, or goal that must be worked toward and reached or achieved by the protag group, antag group (if applicable) or both. Generally you want a few major anchors as well. Major anchors are huge, key events or happenings in the plot that keep everything guided toward some form of climax or even conclusion. It is 100% possible to have creative wiggle room and spontaneous interactions and events whilst using plot anchors. How you create those anchors may depend on the story you had wanted to tell as a GM (a mapped out series of anchors), how the group develops that plot as things progress (new anchors are created as the plot evolves in real time).

Okay so let's invent a quick, shanty, bare bones little plot.

You've all been sent an invitation via mail to travel to a far away kingdom and meet with a mysterious nobleman. He is offering to hire you all as a band of mercenaries based on your individual skill sets. Your task, should you accept it, is to retrieve an ancient family heirloom from a rival kingdom.

The logical approach to first posts would be everyone arriving in this kingdom, making their way through the city on their way to the nobleman's estate.

Enter your very first plot Anchor:

• Meeting with the Nobleman

This ensures that no one gets lost in the city, literally. I've seen instances where two or more players will meet and sidetrack almost immediately. As a GM it's your job to read the field a bit, make sure your players are comfortably on their way toward each anchor. I even open a direct line of private communication that I regularly stimulate, even if it's just to ask if they have any concerns or questions, requests, plans, etc. Anything I may be able to help with.

Now after said meeting has concluded, the next logical anchor is:

• Depart the city as a team

This gives a little bit of wiggle room between the end of that meeting, and when everyone departs for the rival kingdom. Plenty of time to characterize, explore character dynamics and chemistry, but there's a clear, understood next step shared by everyone. Not one single person is thinking, what now?

Next I would probably throw a man vs nature conflict at the group to really challenge them as a team for the first time, and give everyone a chance to showcase their skill sets.

• Man vs nature conflict

Now, why don't we camp them out for the night? Good chance to digest the recent events, and more importantly, for substantial character dialogue to move along those OC dynamics.

Now maybe some creative energy gives birth to a man vs beast conflict that night when some predators attempt to ambush us for a late night meal. Archors shouldn't be seen as a prison sentence. It's just to keep a plot moving for all involved parties, so no one gets bored or sidetracked. I've seen people quit Rps because they sidetracked themselves out of the narrative too far and getting back just felt awkward; they were now "that OC" that roamed off to sniff flowers for twenty minutes.


This is what plot anchors are. All of those were small, loose anchors. Deeper in you may have major achors, such as:

• GM OC is imprisoned by antags
• GM OC confirms visual of Ancient Heirloom during time in custody.
• Group rescues GM OC from prison

Or even semi-structured anchors like a climax of sorts:

• Evil kingdom sieges rival kingdom (looking for same Heirloom). Walls are breached, palace is heavily damaged, antag captain is killed, evil soldiers invade city as protags obtain Heirloom
• Protags fight their way out of the city with Heirloom
• Rival Kingdom is occupied by Evil kingdom

That would be a major anchor that is semi structured with a set number of things that must happen. It's still up to everyone exactly how that plays out.


These aren't things you have to rush toward, always racing to skip to the next anchor, it's just there to keep a clear objective on that horizon so no spins in circles or starts backseat Gming with major plot developments of their own that are sprung upon the narrative by surprise. Not saying things can't change or evolve, but let's do it as a group, not phone it in on our own.

Hey, man. It's been three years and some change, hope you're doing okay. I still reference this until today. I had a question if you're still around. Okay, so. I understand what you mean about major plot anchors, I think. But just how do you structure the smaller, lesser anchors? Do they necessarily have to contribute to the major plot anchor in some fashion, to make certain their not sniffing daisies? I'm in a role-play right now, where our characters are supposed to be recruiting for a party; their next destination is a city. It's at least three days worth of travel away, and I am supposing that leaves time to fill for events. How do you create meaningful conflict, with a good payoff? Sure, fighting wolves is good fun, but you can only throw combat at someone so many times before it gets boring?

 

[Jet]

Jack Konstantine

I suggest you make a foreshadowing event, something that connects to the big event you're working towards. Most good stories do that, because it makes the big events more impactful.

For example, if there are villains in your RP, have a spy follow your group on the road. The players can either kill the spy, capture and keep them, capture and release them, or ignore them.

When you reach the city, each action has a different effect.

Killing — The villains don't know you're there, but you get no information.

Capturing and keeping —You have a bargaining chip during a future meeting with the villains.

Releasing — The spy is grateful and reveals important information.

Ignoring — gets you ambushed when you enter town.

Stuff like that keeps the intrigue alive, builds momentum for the big event, challenges moral codes, and gives the players agency. Wins all around.

 

[Jack Konstantine]

A what-if scenario imposed by GM(in this case, the henchman tailing your adventurers), followed by the adventurers individual input(so long as it's within realms of the subplot), which either assists or hinders them in the long run? Leaving a bit of fate up to them, am I getting this right?

 

[Jet]

A what-if scenario imposed by GM(in this case, the henchman tailing your adventurers), followed by the adventurers individual input(so long as it's within realms of the subplot), which either assists or hinders them in the long run? Leaving a bit of fate up to them, am I getting this right?

Exactly. The big events stay the same, but the details, and even the outcomes are effected by player choice. It gives players agency, fills up the dead time, and the party's imprint is left on the story.

Like a trusting, gullible party will be too nice and too forgiving, and learn a lesson about betrayal. They might trust the wrong people, let enemies go, or make bad alliances, and then pay for it later. For a good example of this, the German soldier from Saving Private Ryan. They let him live and look what happened.

Meanwhile, a harsh, merciless group will create enemies with their decisions. These enemies can be temporarily left on the back burner, but return at crucial times and screw the party.

I learned this from the Witcher 3, and I think it's helped me tremendously.

Also as an aside, good RPGs are the best way to learn GMing. They're much closer to RP than books, television or movies, at least from a plot & planning perspective.

 

[GojiBean]

Hoyo!

Sadly, keeping an RP alive is not an exact science. It relies a lot on luck and personal effort on the part of the GM to ensure that the participants are having as much fun with the experience as possible, while also balancing a healthy level of progression in the story that makes everyone feel like their characters and their efforts are actually leading somewhere.

The luck part comes from finding participants who don't ghost or flake out after one or two posts. That can be hard to do given how high the turnaround rate is, and how quickly people's interest can come and go, and their enthusiasm can wax and wane.

So don't give up. That's the best advice anyone can give.

If you're having issues with character arcs just ask yourself "what does my character need?"

So long as you have an answer for that question you have a direction to take them. It doesn't really require any extra special effort or planning other than a post-by-post marathon towards that singular goal. Take it at your own pace.

Persistence pays off!

~ GojiBean