thoughts on plots
Posted: Mon May 23, 2022 8:47 pm
events (including DM events) ought to be,
non-punitive. if you are running the event to punish players because they are not playing or doing the thing you want them to do. stop. reflect. maybe you need to have an ooc conversation with them instead. punitive events teach players that dm interactions should be avoided, because bad things happen for participating or going off script. players should also avoid being punitive in their thought process with other players.
fun and exciting for everyone (even the dm). in game design there is a theory that if its cool, the player should be the one to do it. you want the player to feel like the protagonist who saved the day or blew up megatown. its ok to gass people up to win. for the storyteller its all about being the one to enable that kind of magic and excitement to happen by building the set up for the adventure to take place.
opt-out-able (for the most part). its important to be able to say, no thanks, and do something else. good to consider when to cut your losses and let it go. grudges IC can sometimes transcend to real life ooc grudges that never get resolved and remain some kind of toxic miasma of angst about beef that happened years ago. so be cool with working small and letting things go. that idea is cool, but it can be done when the time is right with people who will be into it.
welcoming. players should be excited to participate in the event. it shouldn't feel like a punishment, or like they're being talked down to or unwelcome because they aren't doing it right or whatever. build people up, don't tear them down. you're here to tell a story and entertain.
be open to constructive criticism. some people are always going to be negative nancies and never be happy, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't ever listen to criticism. its important to be able to hear the hard stuff so you can reflect on what you do and think about how you can do better. always be willing to look at your writing critically and listen to feedback. this is a collaborative story telling game. work together!
i felt this needed to be said. for legal purposes, my thoughts on plots can relate to player or DM stories. lets keep forward conversation positive. what do you like the most in your plots? dm plots? what works for you and why? what sort of things make you excited to be involved?
non-punitive. if you are running the event to punish players because they are not playing or doing the thing you want them to do. stop. reflect. maybe you need to have an ooc conversation with them instead. punitive events teach players that dm interactions should be avoided, because bad things happen for participating or going off script. players should also avoid being punitive in their thought process with other players.
fun and exciting for everyone (even the dm). in game design there is a theory that if its cool, the player should be the one to do it. you want the player to feel like the protagonist who saved the day or blew up megatown. its ok to gass people up to win. for the storyteller its all about being the one to enable that kind of magic and excitement to happen by building the set up for the adventure to take place.
opt-out-able (for the most part). its important to be able to say, no thanks, and do something else. good to consider when to cut your losses and let it go. grudges IC can sometimes transcend to real life ooc grudges that never get resolved and remain some kind of toxic miasma of angst about beef that happened years ago. so be cool with working small and letting things go. that idea is cool, but it can be done when the time is right with people who will be into it.
welcoming. players should be excited to participate in the event. it shouldn't feel like a punishment, or like they're being talked down to or unwelcome because they aren't doing it right or whatever. build people up, don't tear them down. you're here to tell a story and entertain.
be open to constructive criticism. some people are always going to be negative nancies and never be happy, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't ever listen to criticism. its important to be able to hear the hard stuff so you can reflect on what you do and think about how you can do better. always be willing to look at your writing critically and listen to feedback. this is a collaborative story telling game. work together!
i felt this needed to be said. for legal purposes, my thoughts on plots can relate to player or DM stories. lets keep forward conversation positive. what do you like the most in your plots? dm plots? what works for you and why? what sort of things make you excited to be involved?