Roleplay Plot & Conflict

[Circus]

In your personal opinion, what is the best plot idea or driving conflict for an RP? What I mean is, what is the best goal or motivator for RPers to achieve? I have yet to be a part of an RP to completion, so I was wanting some ideas from those that have been a part of completed RPs or long-running ones.


What works best? Do you journey to defeat some sort of evil? Or is the best RP left open-ended? What keeps people playing? What is the end goal? What conflict excites you the most?

 

[Chordling]

The best plot idea or driving conflict for a roleplay is something that makes logical sense. It could be anything, just as long as it makes sense. There should be a reason to all aspects of that conflict. Where did the conflict originate? Why? What happened? Why is this important? How does this affect your character? Why?


Those type of conflicts are what excite me most.

 

[Larry]

I feel having two sides to a conflict is always an interesting outlook - the reasons may be completely different, but nonetheless justifiable.


Could also lead to one, if not both parties taking part in said conflict rethinking their ideals.

 

[Bone2pick]

What keeps people playing?

A complete answer to the above will cover much more than plot, conflict, and what excites people.

 

[QuirkyAngel]

I think a conflict that will keep rpers interested is a specific one. Overarching goals are great, but often times rpers don't really have an idea of how to get there. Specific goals are much more achievable. I think a good rp will have a bunch of small specific conflicts that leads into an overarching plot. For example, Evil probably has henchmen. Make the rp clear...defeat the all the henchmen before you can reach the Evil boss. A specific conflict that has a clear path to follow is the one preferred by most rpers.


Personally, I like conflicts that are really thought provoking...ones that questions my character's moral decisions. This allows me to develop my character. However, I don't think this is for everyone.

 

[Chordling]

A complete answer to the above will cover much more than plot, conflict, and what excites people.

I think their question is more directed specifically to elements which relate to the plot. It is wise advice, none the less. (^.^)

 

[Larry]

Trying to take away my due praise are we?

 

[Fujihita]

In my past 3 years of RPing, I have seen only two complete RPs (both of the same GM).


The one I was in involved random characters from random roleplays sitting in a massive Star Trek-style spaceship, travelling across the multi-verse, visiting RP worlds in search of seven artifacts called "the McGuffins", ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, to stop the rising of a certain "Greater Evil". The adventure lasted 11 months and we came down to 5 core RPers at the end.


It has an overarching goal from the start (stop Greater Evil), broken down into smaller goals (find 7 McGuffins), and into even smaller specific goals (defeat the cthulhu, defeat the lizardmen tribe, snatch the tea set from the British diplomat, etc.). Okay, the entire business made no sense at all but it was hilarious (justified by Rule of Cool). That's certainly one valid way to go about it.


So to sum it up: 1) Be clear about the goals, 2) Make it cool and 3) Optionally, play for gags.

 

[TripTripleTimes]

I also think that checkpoints throughout the rp plot is important, but the people involved is very important to the rp. Someone who is organized and clear with the story is but at the same time is flexible with the rpers choices, I think is a good person to be GM. Communication is important to any rps. GM talking to the rpers and rpers talking to each other and to the GM. Figure out what people want, bouncing ideas, and what the GM going to do with the story line, asking questions and stuffs. Constant communication is not necessary (that can overwhelm some people), but i think just talking to others out of character is good for an rp.


Oh wait, am I going a bit off topic? Then, I agree with what other people said, having side quests and having something to strive for is good way to keep the rp interesting. I think having an outline of story and is causal is a good way to start an rp. If the rp starts to pick up, like characters interaction with each other and reacting to the GM's inputs, the GM then can start adding a bit more to the story line.

 

[Purple Kitti]

External conflict against common antagonists/ competitors interspersed with internal conflict, as well as minor or occasional conflicts against members who are generally on the same side (close friend, spouse, king of an allied nation, etc.). Playing as a character who inherently tends to create conflict is also a viable means. And not all conflict has to come from people-- even pets or nature can create conflict in a scene.

For example, I'm currently involved in a 1-1 superhero RP with my husband, and there are some striking differences between our two primary characters. His is a virtuous cop who hates strong language; mine can be foul-mouthed when she gets angry and is an underage drinker. His suffers from feelings of worthlessness when he is "unable" to protect other people and is jealous of my character's powers (since he has none) ; mine is fiercely independent and strong-willed and gets exasperated easily with his "whining". The two of them are in love, but his character suspects my character's father of being involved in illegal activity; he takes advantage of a blackout caused by a thunderstorm to search through her father's house without a warrant, and she catches him, kicks him out, and breaks up with him in anger.

Naturally because it is a superhero RP there are also villains for us to fight against, and some of them have recurring roles. Also, there is a huge mystery surrounding the question of how and why people in the story have acquired superpowers. There is even an antagonistic power-suited cop who has fallen in love with my main character (they eventually start dating temporarily), not knowing that she is his most-hated superhero. This is linked to another source of conflict, which is the fact that vigilante justice is illegal, which could get his main character in serious trouble if the power-suited cop can prove that he is involved with aiding the superheros (the leader of which is, as I said, simultaneously his most-hated superhero and love interest).

So here you see examples of each type of conflict mentioned above: the overarching external conflict (against super villains; the mystery of how they obtained powers), frequent internal conflict (the cop who questions his self-worth), conflict against loved ones (love triangle, my girl who sometimes disregards the rules or law), and environmental conflict (hello lightning, goodbye boyfriend).


Notice the biggest player in conflict in my above examples: secrecy. Secrecy is probably the best motivator for conflict in a story. The virtuous cop keeps his involvement with superheros a secret; the team leader keeps her identity secret from the power-suited cop because he hates her; her father has a secret which makes him appear to be involved in illegal activity; the blackout becomes a cover for the virtuous cop to secretly search for evidence. The source of everyone's power is kept as a complete secret.


And you know, my underage character doesn't blatantly drink alcohol in front of cops. (By the way, she gets caught-- and it's not pretty!)
​

 

[Bone2pick]

I think their question is more directed specifically to elements which relate to the plot. It is wise advice, none the less. (^.^)

I think that too, but it's very possible he's overestimating the amount of influence plot has over player retainment.

 

[White Masquerade]

In your personal opinion, what is the best plot idea or driving conflict for an RP? What I mean is, what is the best goal or motivator for RPers to achieve? I have yet to be a part of an RP to completion, so I was wanting some ideas from those that have been a part of completed RPs or long-running ones.
What works best? Do you journey to defeat some sort of evil? Or is the best RP left open-ended? What keeps people playing? What is the end goal? What conflict excites you the most?

Oh, Circus, I am so ready to go into this with you.

• (What I mean is, what is the best goal or motivator for RPers to achieve?) I don't believe in setting clear plot ideas or goals. I implore you to try and test this way out. What am I thinking about? I point to the movie Inception. Brilliant, brilliant and well-received movie. And you know what? Most people had no idea what was going on until the end. Shroud your role-play and plot in mystery. Keep Rpers on their toes. I myself, would rather play in something where I didn't know what the point of it was, rather than knowing, "OH! I have to beat this guy! Or, I have to successfully court this person!" <-----This is a very risky approach to an RP, but what's life without a little risk? Master the Inception-Method, and your players will love you. I'll love you ( ).
  

• (I have yet to be a part of an RP to completion.) This is where I'm a little confused about what you say. You haven't been in an RP to completion because most role-plays here, don't seriously plan on finishing. It was a curious little thing I ran into towards the end of last year. People have said they wanted to finish their RP, but realistically, it's the last thing on their minds. They don't make the RP intending to finish it. They make the RP intending to run it as long as people are interested. Then when people start to lose interest, that's when they suddenly want to end the RP. They say the RP was supposed to have an ending, but in reality, that's not how they set it up. You have probably been joining the latter. I once made a fandom RP with 2 scenes, intent on ending it after about 20 posts. I did. It ended; regardless of whether people wanted to do more. So you can complete an RP. You only have to find out whether the GM (1) is looking to end it, or (2) run on until it ends.
  

• (In your personal opinion, what is the best plot idea or driving conflict for an RP?) I am progressive when it comes to RP, so I am in the camp of not having a plot. Bottom-up role-play, Circus. I feel it's the next step of story-making for RP. Role-play is collaborative and separated from books because there is more than one person writing, so why are techniques meant for books being used in RP? Clearly, RP has to be organic. Set up a placeholder plot. As general as you can get. Give players the power to change it. Honestly, and I mean honestly. No changing one line a villain says. Make them the new antagonistic. The old one you carefully crafted and put your hopes on, throw them out. This is the ultimate test in patience, imagination, flexibility, and versatility. Do this, Circus, and you will be done with role-play. There is no level above this.
  

• Part 2: However, if you want a conservative answer, Fujihita's was perfect. Layers on layers.
  

If you want me to expand on anything, just ask. Always up for a good talk.

 

[Lexielai]

In my past 3 years of RPing, I have seen only two complete RPs (both of the same GM).
The one I was in involved random characters from random roleplays sitting in a massive Star Trek-style spaceship, travelling across the multi-verse, visiting RP worlds in search of seven artifacts called "the McGuffins", ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, to stop the rising of a certain "Greater Evil". The adventure lasted 11 months and we came down to 5 core RPers at the end.


It has an overarching goal from the start (stop Greater Evil), broken down into smaller goals (find 7 McGuffins), and into even smaller specific goals (defeat the cthulhu, defeat the lizardmen tribe, snatch the tea set from the British diplomat, etc.). Okay, the entire business made no sense at all but it was hilarious (justified by Rule of Cool). That's certainly one valid way to go about it.


So to sum it up: 1) Be clear about the goals, 2) Make it cool and 3) Optionally, play for gags.

Definitely agree on the goals with @Fujihita . Some RPs are "freeform" and encourage players to do whatever they want to in the world. Problem is, the social dynamic makes a lot of people hesitant to take the initiative, then the roleplay ends up going nowhere. Having a general goal to push them in a direction is what gets them into action and start moving. If you're GMing a roleplay, Circus, create a simple objective to get the ball rolling. Considering that a roleplay is so dynamic, that objective is constantly changing: sometimes the goal is reached and you move on, or you find something even more pressing along the way.


Don't worry about sticking to one goal or another! Feel free to change it depending on how your players respond to the situation. Make up new things as you go and add on to what you already know. A lot of plot in good roleplays is improvised by wily GMs who see a good direction and opportunistic grasp for it, even when it detracts from their original strategy.


If you just want to practice getting a feel for it, I'd recommend going for a short roleplay with a quick, decisive end. One of the biggest downfalls of new GMs is overextending beyond what they know how to do, and while providing posts and passion at first, forget the social, communicative, and persistent elements of longer roleplays. I have a few examples I can give you if you need it xD

I also think that checkpoints throughout the rp plot is important, but the people involved is very important to the rp. Someone who is organized and clear with the story is but at the same time is flexible with the rpers choices, I think is a good person to be GM. Communication is important to any rps. GM talking to the rpers and rpers talking to each other and to the GM. Figure out what people want, bouncing ideas, and what the GM going to do with the story line, asking questions and stuffs. Constant communication is not necessary (that can overwhelm some people), but i think just talking to others out of character is good for an rp.
Oh wait, am I going a bit off topic? Then, I agree with what other people said, having side quests and having something to strive for is good way to keep the rp interesting. I think having an outline of story and is causal is a good way to start an rp. If the rp starts to pick up, like characters interaction with each other and reacting to the GM's inputs, the GM then can start adding a bit more to the story line.

Like @TripTripleTimes said, communication is vital. It becomes more and more important the bigger in scale, scope, of length your roleplay is. If you don't communicate with your players or vice-versa, someone's going to get confused, forget, or any manner of things, and it ends up dragging the roleplay down with it. OOC chatter is particularly important. If you can hook your players to invest by hanging out in the OOC with you, your roleplay automatically becomes more memorable, and you'll be able to get them participating more in discussions of their ideas and thoughts. So, make sure to let your players in and talk with you! It lets them feel more important, more involved, and more comfortable in the RP. This is more of a GMing tip, but keep it in mind if you ever do start a roleplay ( )

@Purple Kitti[/URL] brings up some good points too! There's two essential elements in a collaborative roleplay that keep it interesting. The first is conflict: nobody wants to play in a perfect world where everything goes right, everyone agrees, the it's all just fine and dandy. That's BORING. Create a conflict of interests. As you're probably aware, there's a couple types: Internal and External conflicts. Internal conflicts are struggles within a character, while external conflicts are struggles from sources other than just within a single character. As a GM, you'll tend to be in charge of creating external conflicts, whether it be pitting the players against each other, uniting them against a common foe, or some combination in between. The easiest form of conflict in plot tends to be the "Us vs. Them" mindset, in which the players are established to be in one group and antagonists in another, naturally putting them at a conflict of interests.


The second is tension. That's the uncertainty that builds up when the players, and sometimes GM, aren't sure of what's going to happen. It's the electric excitement that sparks in collaborative stories like roleplay. If you knew that the hero was going to win in X way at the very beginning, it's not as exciting, is it? You want to create this tension in your plot as your players move along, unsure whether they truly will win or if it'll all be for nothing. If you're a bit more experienced and confident, you can start playing in a way that's truly dynamic: when you're as clueless as the players themselves. I'll talk about that next.

@White Masquerade[/URL] (you'll always be Kin to me xD ) has some good points here, but don't get intimidated by her strong demands. I'm going to qualify some of this for you, Circus, so it doesn't seem too one-sided.

#1)

First off, the

Inception-Method

she talks about requires a few circumstances. One, you must be keenly aware of your setting. You must know it well enough and confidently enough to adapt and spin on a dime to the opposite direction at a moment's notice, knowing how your own setting and your non-player characters would act in the same vein. Now, I disagree on having no goal at all here. Your setting should present some sort of objective so players aren't confused about what the hell is going on. You need to give them an antagonist, a situation (such as the sky randomly falling!), or any matter of action to spur them into the story, even if it's just a stepping stone to the real objective.


Like with freeforms, you can't be so objective-less that your players are too confused to write anything. Yet, it's similarly not necessary to be clear-cut with your objectives. Keeping them hidden can be fun! Maybe you're constantly changing your plan as the story goes, pivoting from one idea to another, and it feels as if you were just another player in this grander storyline.


Sound difficult to wrap your head around? That's because it's more advanced than your normal, bread-and-butter roleplaying. This is a lot of fun and intuitive, but something I don't recommend doing it first if you're new. Try to do something conventional or clear-cut until you're comfortable with being in an authority position before you do this!



#2)

White's addressed most of the good points regarding ending roleplays, so I'll leave that particular tidbit. However, I do want to clarify that just because people are losing interest, doesn't mean you should just give up! The line that separates a dying roleplay from a long-lasting one is effort, dedication, and persistence on the GM first, and the players second.



#3)



In regards to plots, there's two things I like to do. The first is to create a story with a definite beginning and ending. Players come in, and together you can them create something exciting, and have it all come to an eventual end. The second is to take it, and expand that contained plot to be a smaller element of a larger one. Like with the

Inception-Method

White suggested, it's something a bit more complicated, so you'll probably want some help if you're going to do a large-scale plot like that.


White's style is very flexible and very dynamic, but something you should be doing solo unless you are extremely communicative with your partners. The issue with it is that it gives power to the players, yes, but it doesn't put you on the same page as your co-GMs. You might interpret something differently from your partner, and unless you communicate and TALK about what you think, there's going to be a lot of frustration involved. Keep that in mind if you take on her style, it requires the leading body to all be on the same page with every change and new idea that comes up.

That's not to say it's bad. It's great! Doing what she does is what got her Roleplay of the Month, and you'd be in good hands with a GM as creative and adaptive as she is. But, her style was inevitably born from experience, so a new GM probably wouldn't grasp it very easily or quickly.


(Unless said GM is a lunatic like her, anyways.)










1. To wrap it up, plot is very flexible. It can be done in infinite ways and a whole lot of different styles, from strict novel-style to extremely adaptive White Masquerade-style and everywhere in between. It's important to create conflict and an objective with it, both of which are often tied together.


2. How so? The objective of a story might be implied, like surviving when a meteor crashes on Earth. The conflict would be fighting through all the explosions and debris as you try to make it to the nearest safe-location you see. In this example, the objective and conflict are linked and related to one another.


3. If you're new to executing a plot and being a GM, I'd recommend you start with a clear-cut series of just a few events for a short plot. That doesn't mean the players have no impact; it just means that the core events will stay the same, but the how and the details of why it comes to that are directly changed as a result of player actions. You'll still have to improvise a little, but you have enough structure to be comfortable with it. Alternatively, if you're a bit more confident, have a few alternate endings in mind that you may bust out depending on what the players do with the setting you present them.


4. When you're more advanced, you can add more detail and intuitiveness to your plot. It then becomes a collaborative, ever-changing mold, that could do a complete 180 with a casual remark by one of the players or shift into a different result with the early death of a major villain. The key to this is knowing your setting well enough to confidently adapt it based on your observations of the players' actions.


If you'd like any more clarification, Circus, feel free to ask

 

[Circus]

Great points, everyone! Thank you for your input.


In all honesty, I created this thread as more of a discussion on plot ideas and conflict in a general sense, not intended for personal use. Along the lines of my other thread, Why do RPs Fail (https://www.rpnation.com/threads/why-do-rps-fail.60880/ ). I think everyone has great points that go beyond helping me create an RP and is great advice for anyone.


I like the idea of having an overarching plot with layered internal and external conflict to accompany the larger idea. I think an issue comes down to execution in order to retain players, but that comes down to more personal style. In the end, I think it comes down to how an individual runs the game rather than a specific idea.


Again, thanks for the input!


Circus

 

[Grey]

Ask my Fallen or Darkening Skies players - they would have better answers than I, because I have no idea how they've lasted so long.


@Silvertongued @Teh Frixz @PixelWitch @Cirno

 

[Silvertongued]

You mean us as players, or the characters themselves?


But in terms of the best kinds of conflict, I'd consider both personal and overarching, as personal moments ripple outwards from characters and have caused additional conflict between them, the overarching conflict has caused some serious hassle between them as well. Sometimes they feed each other.

 

[Grey]

As players. I don't do anything different with those games, so I'm not sure why they're doing better than others.

 

[Silvertongued]

It's quite long running, people are genuinely invested in their characters, the setting is interesting and fully fleshed out, the characters themselves are varied, quite fleshed out, and have their own motivations, and it has a semi-regular influx of posts that can be relied on from everyone.


 
But simply put, I mostly think it's just that everyone posts pretty often.

 

[Cirno]

On conflict and making things interesting for players, agreeing with Silvertongued. Grey gives interesting, fleshed out settings which in turn let players make fleshed out characters to get invested in. I like the opportunity to stretch and try someone else's perspective, another culture's perspective. The cool setting lets us play established archetypes with a unique take and lets us players own 'em.


The setting and tone suggest external conflicts and tangible things for our characters to want. I may have some idea about some internal conflict for my character upon creation, but there's opportunity to build that along the way too.


If the question is more "What keeps RPers going?" then for me, the motivation is that there's scenes that have a defined beginning and end. Plot is moving and both GM and players post with the intent to move the plot. Meaningful activity. For that, I'll keep coming back to a thread.


The awesome writing styles don't hurt either.

 

[Bone2pick]

...both GM and players post with the intent to move the plot. Meaningful activity. For that, I'll keep coming back to a thread.

In terms of plot and player retainment, I support the above comment. Of course that would make plot progression both the player's and the storyteller's responsibility, rather than just the storyteller's, as some might argue.

Grey gives interesting, fleshed out settings which in turn let players make fleshed out characters to get invested in.

Here I'm unconvinced. Fleshed out settings can be an excellent resource; and Grey puts in a great amount of creative work, that's undeniable. But my characters, regardless of GM or world, will always be thoroughly developed. If the setting is sparse, then I'll use the space to bring in whatever I can dream up (assuming it's aesthetically appropriate). For me, and I imagine many others, world lore is only a shaping tool for character creation, not a quality enhancer.

 

[Cirno]

Hrm. Point. I gravitate toward fantasy and sci-fi and don't like hand-waved explanations though, so setting is a big draw. I like genres that explore the world or examine how the world works, so that certainly influences my answers on what draws players in and keeps them posting.


Setting also helps set up the rules of the world as much as mechanical dice do. They both describe how much influence and agency players have. A degree of agency, or at least the illusion of it, lets players make posts that contribute to the story.


Potential Derail: Yeah, I'm not a fan of sparse settings. Describing setting helps keep things cohesive between players that grew up with different influences. Ex. Recently my friend mentioned inventions of misunderstood genius, and I defaulted to imagining sleek modern Apple technology. He had meant that aesthetic from the 1930s when people were imagining life on Mars. Or Girl Genius comics.

 

[Bone2pick]

Potential Derail: Yeah, I'm not a fan of sparse settings. Describing setting helps keep things cohesive between players that grew up with different influences. Ex. Recently my friend mentioned inventions of misunderstood genius, and I defaulted to imagining sleek modern Apple technology. He had meant that aesthetic from the 1930s when people were imagining life on Mars. Or Girl Genius comics.

To counter derail, I'm not a fan of RPing over developed settings. I stay away from Exalted and VtM for those exact reasons. In Exalted organizations, locations, and mechanics are covered ad nauseam. The south, the north, the past, the present, magic, the underworld... It's a turnoff.


I pass on similarly detailed settings because I want more room. If lore is character shaping, which I believe it is, I don't want it so tight that it ties my hands to the point that no one is surprised by my character's direction or history.