Lolkje
10-20-2004, 04:07 PM
I wanted to elaborate on a variant of Ignoring the Plot that I've seen. I call this solution "Plot Fork."
With a Plot Fork, you:
a) Pick a time in the original plot.
b) Keep everything that happens prior to that time as "official." (i.e. Loving the Plot)
c) Throw out everything that happens in the original plot after your particular starting time, and let the players write history from that point forward. (i.e. Ignoring the Plot)
A couple of cautionary notes about using a Plot Fork, based on one game I've seen that is still running 7 years ("in character" time AND "real time"!) after the plot fork originated.
* Think about occasionally/sparingly interjecting major world-shaking events from the original plot, to keep players oriented in the overall journey of the world.
* Document the player-driven history as well as you can, so new players coming into the game know how the current socio-political-historical status evolved, and players stepping into "leadership" roles know how they relate to the previous historical context of the game. I know from experience that it can be frustrating to "fly blind."
With a Plot Fork, you:
a) Pick a time in the original plot.
b) Keep everything that happens prior to that time as "official." (i.e. Loving the Plot)
c) Throw out everything that happens in the original plot after your particular starting time, and let the players write history from that point forward. (i.e. Ignoring the Plot)
A couple of cautionary notes about using a Plot Fork, based on one game I've seen that is still running 7 years ("in character" time AND "real time"!) after the plot fork originated.
* Think about occasionally/sparingly interjecting major world-shaking events from the original plot, to keep players oriented in the overall journey of the world.
* Document the player-driven history as well as you can, so new players coming into the game know how the current socio-political-historical status evolved, and players stepping into "leadership" roles know how they relate to the previous historical context of the game. I know from experience that it can be frustrating to "fly blind."