Everyday Storytelling

I'm looking to open up discussion on player storyrunning (i.e. a way for players to facilitate RP scenarios that create activity & consequences), with the disclaimer that I'm unsure whether staff have something in mind - or in progress. With all of us coming from different games, it feels like we have a unique opportunity to crowdsource ideas on how to keep the world feeling dynamic.

At the highest level:

• What kind of RP system would best help you have frequent & meaningful interactions with other players?

Then:

• Is it important to you to be able to progress your own characters' storylines?
  • If yes, what features & mechanics would you like to see to facilitate this? (e.g. the ability to create mechanically-backed plots)
• Do you find it important to be able to drive or contribute toward a dynamic & growing world?
  • If yes, what features & mechanics would you like to see to facilitate this? (e.g. the ability to emote atmospheric flavor text)

(I have my own opinions, but come from a specific set of MUDs and think that it'd be cool to understand what else is out there, and to hybridize - if staff finds any of this interesting - to get to a US-unique result.)

Thank you to Dice @bonefidenubbin for noodling over this with me!

Playing in other games, I did enjoy the ability to step into a non-character shell to just run ambience/VNPCs as well as push instanced plots + adventures following a narrative prompt, etc. But if we wanted to go the prompt method, there would probably need to be a crowdsourced effort to come up with enough variety to keep things interesting, with a second pass by devs to make sure everything's appropriate? I admit this is a largely borrowed idea, just one I really enjoy.

What kind of RP system would best help you have frequent & meaningful interactions with other players?

I think accessibility is a big part of this. I'd love to see a system that encourages people to create opportunities for RP without making participation feel like an obligation. Personally, I'd be more interested in stories that give the community something to interact with, rather than constantly revolving around individual character drama. There's room for both, of course, but I think there's a difference between a story that invites people into the world and one that requires people to invest in someone else's personal storyline.

Is it important to you to progress your own characters' storylines?

Absolutely. I think characters naturally grow through RP, but personal plots have their place too. I've also seen how easily they can become sources of OOC drama, exclusion, or deliberate disruption, particularly when they involve heavier subject matter. I think having some boundaries and expectations around how these plots are handled would be important.

Do you find it important to drive or contribute toward a dynamic and growing world?

Yes! I'd love to see an overarching storyline that affects the Spire, with its general direction or premise voted on by the community. Something players can choose to engage with at their own pace, rather than something they're expected to follow.

Smaller player-run stories could then branch off, intersect with the larger narrative, or exist completely independently. I think this gives players a shared world to influence while still allowing them to tell their own stories.

I do not really trust players, as a whole, with the elevated permissions required to run plots of any sort. Fortunately, I do not think they are needed to have "frequent & meaningful interactions with other players." All you need for that are mechanics for characters to make meaningful decisions that can put them into conflict with other players. Resources, organizational politics, etc.

With how players have handled game lore so far, and how I've seen this going on other games, I'd rather plot tools like these remain in the hands of staff.