Plot Movement and Passing of Time

[Dusky]

I'm working on a rather large roleplay, both in depth and in sheer size. Right now my current problem is figuring out a method for keeping the plot and time moving when it can take days of irl time just to pass a few hours in many RPs. That's something I want to avoid, so I was drafting up some plans of action.


I was considering posting a "plot goal" for each game day - gussied up to fit within the context of each storyline, of course - and making it a policy to end a game day after no more than X number of days - probably 3 to 5. The issue with this is that while it might make players feel like they have more of a point of reference and a direction, and it would keep things moving, they also might feel more constricted and obligated.


I was curious as to how everyone else handles this kind of problem?

 

[Sen Pai]

Keeping a large roleplay moving is quite difficult but you usually have to rely on the roleplayers themselves. It's like trying to keep a fire going. If you place too much wood on the flame, it will die from the lack of oxygen. You've got to give your roleplayers space to breath, to explore the world without having to follow a strict plot line. It gets boring if you're just typing what the roleplay creator wants rather than what you want to do.


What I did before is to set a plot event without a set number of days. I compromised during the event and if it slowed down a little, I made something happen to get the action back up and moving. Back then, I though this was a good idea (kind of) but my execution was poor. I didn't spend enough time boosting up the action and relied on my roleplayers too much. If there's nothing to react to, most roleplayers will find it difficult to do something especially if you are the "game master".


What I should've done was to keep the characters together (at least in the general area) so that it would be easier for them to associate with one another. I made it optional to join in with the plot events and after each plot event, I would give the characters free time to explore and such.


I personally think that the way you are describing running your roleplay sounds marvelous and it will most likely work out well. Perhaps whenever the roleplay slows down, boost it back up again with action? As long as you are not dictating the roleplayers, I think it'll be fine. c:

 

[Dusky]

Hey Pai! I'm glad you like my idea, that definitely makes me feel better about it. It's great to have your input, it gives me plenty to think about. A mix of structure and freedom - I think I can do that.

 

[Saturnity]

To be honest, setting deadlines is one of the hardest things to do in a roleplay, especially one so large and detailed as you are saying. You have to have a pretty dedicated set of participants, and those participants will have to have very flexible schedules, which is just not common. On top of that, a roleplay is supposed to be a fluid machine, which means that even if you set goals and manipulate every inch of the story, it will rarely go exactly as planned because of the different writers involved, so you have to compromise a bit.


That isn't to say that setting goals is bad, but you have to go about it in a way that works best for everyone involved, not just you and what you want the story to accomplish.


Some tips:


Give characters deadlines, not players. If you set an In-Character time frame, it's a lot easier to accomplish than asking players to accomplish something within a real life time frame. In-Character time is a lot more flexible, and accounts for events that happen to specific characters in addition to the whole RP.


--For example: If you tell a character that something is going to happen soon, the player won't get a sense of how soon that will be, so they will be just writing with the flow, and waiting for you to define when that event takes place. If the character is told something will happen in 15 minutes, however, an aware player can relate that to real life time, and how much their character can accomplish in that time frame.


Use time skips, but sparingly. Time skips are a valuable and common plot device to advance a storyline forward. In roleplays, they are equally so, but using too many can really dampen interest. Also, every character needs to be ready for a time skip, if they're in the middle of a conversation or fight and you implement one, the player will be stuck wondering what the heck just happened while everyone else is on their merry way. On a similar note, don't use a time skip to advance too far into the future. One of the points of RP is the relationships between characters, and environments, and both can change a lot over time, even in just a few months. Keep them reasonably limited, to usually no more than a few days to a week.


Good luck with your story! I'm sure whatever you decide, it will turn out well. ^^ The important idea is that RPs are for everyone, not just the person who created them, so keep that in mind, and I'm sure you'll figure out what to do~

 

[Lady Sabine]

As the GM, it winds up being your job to move things along both OOC and IC. I find that it's usually useful to tell players if you think the pace needs to change, since most people will work with you. However, the big thing that needs to be done is using your own characters to push things. If there are too many conversations or times when people are lingering, your characters should be saying things like "We don't have all day over here" or "Hey, let's go do X!" to prevent the RPing from getting bogged down.


Timeskipping is also a good tool, but you need to make sure everyone's on board. Some people, like me, like to timeskip around so that things never get boring. Other people hate it. Juggling the balance takes practice and feedback.