Kicking around ideas about my next ‘plot’

Zombie · Post by **Zombie** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 2:12 am

I am thinking of running a series of events slanted towards an ‘evil’ perspective. Im wondering if there is much interest from our players in this sort of thing and weather people would be able to be on during my normal play times. I would look to run it either once a week after I get home from work or once a month on my Sunday mornings.

I have a few ideas that I am kicking around and I want to gage player interest before I invest much effort into designing things. Almost everything I do is off the cuff and I think planning something more structured (but still reacting to character actions) will be a bit of fun and a nice challenge. I would look to get things started early next year.

Are people interested in a chance to develop characters (new or existing) who may end up doing unpleasant things to folk who don’t deserve it?
What if it developed into a situation where a number of good and neutral aligned PCs ended up pitted against a number of neutral and evil aligned PCs?
What if it were events aimed mainly at half ogres and goblins and the like?
Would people make new characters for something like this, or prefer to use existing characters?

But yeah, nothing formal right now, just putting out some feelers to see if people are keen in general and what sorts of things would be popular.

Akai · Post by **Akai** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 3:09 am

Aww, I've no evil characters, and already have all the characters I can handle, so I'd have to sit this one out. I bet the evilites would have a great time though!

The main problem I have with pitting PC's against PC's is that that dramatically cuts the opportunity for opposed PC's to interact in non-hostile fashion ever again. It would take a lot of contriving at this point, for example, for either of my characters to interact with Kyle longer than the minimum duration required to get away (Soleis) or pound him into paste (Egil).

Tremayne7 · Post by **Tremayne7** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 4:12 am

I have to say count me out too. I have partly not been playing on Hala because I do not like being pitted against another group of PC's. Yes, I know this is plain of eternal conflict, but the conflict doesn't have to be PvP.

I can't play evil to save my life and I already have a lot of characters to keep track of.

Rudiki · Post by **Rudiki** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 4:42 am

I'm in the same boat as Akai; two characters is one too many already.

I don't have a huge problem with PvP per se; the only thing I don't like about it is that it's necessarily no-win for all parties involved (or if it isn't it ought to be), which is not fun in big doses.

Zombie · Post by **Zombie** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 5:52 am

The CvC aspect of anything I was running in relation to this would only come about due to goodie goodies sticking their noses in where it isn't welcome

It certainly can be difficult to have CvC and still have characters be able to associate freely with each other, but I think most players of evil characters realise that. The fact that one side likely wins at the expense of the other is a bit trickier. Personally when I play I find it rewarding when the main opposition is another player, rather than an NPC. As long as the situation is fair (not necessarily balanced) and my characters actions can have an effect on who wins, I'm happy. IF my event came to CvC it would certainly be a case of 'may the best man/woman win' regardless of how I thought the story would play out. makes it harder for me as a DM, but if there isn't a fair chance of winning or loosing then it takes a bit of the shine off things for me.

What I mean by a fair chance is that the DM doesn't work against player actions to get the story they wrote, but rather changes the story to reflect player actions. To be honest though I do tend to slide towards being forgiving of player characters actions in my plots that are designed to run over several events.

Gosh I do go on a bit...

poizyn69 · Post by **poizyn69** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:38 am

when Shani was kidnapped..evil vs good...that was one of the best rp times I had. At first I thought it was a DM thing..I kept waiting for something..but even without a dm it was some really great rp. But then, Shani does like to talk.

Rudiki · Post by **Rudiki** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 8:31 am

What I meant was I don't mind losing a fight with someone in CvC, but if evil PCs do things my character needs to destroy them for (which, in fact, has happened), he can't, because they are PCs, and the same is true in the other direction for the evil characters; they can't destroy the good PCs when they do things either, so neither side can ever win, which is discouraging and, for me, not fun. And big DM-Run events are more likely to involve the evil PCs doing things my characters will feel the need to destroy them for (or incarcerate them forever for), whereas general run-of-the mill RP encounters with CvC are less likely to do that.

I'm not upset, and don't want to turn this into a big argument about CvC, just trying to clarify what I meant in my earlier post. I agree with you, Zombie, in pretty much everything you said in your last post.

Rali'vinee · Post by **Rali'vinee** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 7:42 pm

I love CvC; I find it a BLAST to rp.

... Especially with Tricks cause I can kick her ass. *

ducks*

Edit: Oh, and I love it because it makes me laugh... I don't think I have a pc that could actually win in a fight.

Edit again for clarity, and to answer question 2: I support your idea Zombie. I think it's wonderful and would play against your ebuls.

ambrosia · Post by **ambrosia** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 8:11 pm

Answering the questions posed and not getting off on CvC vs. no-CvC.. .

No, I don't have the time to devote for another alt, and no, neither Nerice or Bianca wouldn't be involved with that particular idea.

As for question 2 on if we were working against each other, I think that could be a lot of fun too. Working against each other doesn't have to be -only- CvC. It could be a solution to a puzzle, race against time for something, solving a mystery, etc. etc. which could be a lot of fun. That said, count me in for CvC too if the story calls for it.

I think your idea sounds like a lot of fun Morgan and I hope you have enough people interested to give it a go!

JD Smith · Post by **JD Smith** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 1:38 pm

Personally; I largely dislike CvC and would prefer to never have it happen ... with the exception of a war. The only CvC I have ever enjoyed had taken place with my Avlis PC inside the M'Chek/Droitid War Zone; and that was mostly due to the resulting RP later on. (Getting blind-sided by a PC Warlord while already engaged in combat with an NPC chief that is easily a match for my Avlis PC wasn't exactly fun ... but the RP later - hilarious.)

Also; I personally feel that a DM does not need to set PC's against PC's ... it seems to me that the PC's can do that quite nicely on their own.

For me; the most fun type encounters are those of recurring NPC's with fascinating plot lines. Fair plot lines; as Zombie said, where the PC's have a chance to affect the outcome. Plots that are scripted so that "X event happens no matter what the PC's do to prevent it" are a major turn off. And it doesn't even have to necessarily be an evil NPC. Some of the most memorable PnP sessions involved a Baron Sarmium manuevering our group of PC's into an armed conflict with orcs invading his country.

As far as the question of PC's doing things to others that they may not deserve - Ro's already done that; and will likely do it again if she feels it necessary to be done. It may not exactly make her happy doing it; but she would.

New characters - I generally don't like running more than one character on a world at a time. It gets to be a pain in the ass trying to remember which PC knows what from whom with just one; adding a second or third ... eh ... I know others exault the benefits of alts ... I just don't see it.

Hope this helps.

GumbyCat · Post by **GumbyCat** » Mon Nov 23, 2009 10:32 pm

Are people interested in a chance to develop characters (new or existing) who may end up doing unpleasant things to folk who don’t deserve it?

Yes! Though my character has a made a commitment elsewhere, so it would depend on the timing.

....but if it involves stabbing Rali I'll drop everything and be right over!

Verandis · Post by **Verandis** » Mon Nov 23, 2009 10:40 pm

Are people interested in a chance to develop characters (new or existing) who may end up doing unpleasant things to folk who don’t deserve it?
Not even my evil characters qualify too much for this, unless there's something they seem to gain from it?

What if it developed into a situation where a number of good and neutral aligned PCs ended up pitted against a number of neutral and evil aligned PCs?
Depends. This tends to get messy due to the lack of permakilling PCs and the small size of the server. If it were sneakily stabbing each other in the back, maybe!

What if it were events aimed mainly at half ogres and goblins and the like?
I don't have any of these. I can offer a kobold.

Would people make new characters for something like this, or prefer to use existing characters?
Existing, I have too many characters.

Samhaim · Post by **Samhaim** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 5:48 pm

I too can offer a kobold. Rest of my characters are good. Save for a Xenophobic drow that I will likely never leave the Underdark with again.

orvarg · Post by **orvarg** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 6:53 pm

i would play an exzisting char (guess who?) as hala is his home but he is somewhat involved in arkaz at the moment but does come back to check on things . he would definitly fight for the spread of evil just for evils sake esspecially if it involved a profit!!!!

luminance · Post by **luminance** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 8:59 pm

Samhaim wrote:I too can offer a kobold. Rest of my characters are good. Save for a Xenophobic drow that I will likely never leave the Underdark with again.

Ditto to all of that. Though, the kobolds are pretty hilarious when you get three or more of them together.

ambrosia · Post by **ambrosia** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 9:11 pm

*fails her will save vs. kobold creation*

Drat it all you three.

luminance · Post by **luminance** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 9:41 pm

And thus, kobolds took over Hala.

I'm Dez Thram, maybe we can meet up for kobold adventure some time.

</topic derail>

Zombie · Post by **Zombie** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 9:52 pm

Ok, well it looks like there is enough general interest to start putting something more formal together. It is going to take a fair bit of planning etc for what I have in mind so I won't look to be runing it untill early next year.

Are people keen on kobolds? I can certainly sort some kobold fun if there is going to be several of the little yappers. I will also plan to involve existing characters.

ambrosia · Post by **ambrosia** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 10:17 pm

Early next year is best for me.

Proof From Our Already Existing Friends:

http://i50.tinypic.com/fmjluq.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/154c9ip.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/15q6ws9.jpg

..now to just find them... and plot... scheme...cavort ..

Moonyju · Post by **Moonyju** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 11:21 pm

Dangit. Now I wanna make a kobold!

luminance · Post by **luminance** » Fri Nov 27, 2009 9:40 am

OMG you posted my dorky screencaps! XD

Kobold plot would be ~HILARIOUS~ but probably annoying as hell due to the pretty much constant flood of "Yip!"s from them. However, I would totally log for something like that, haha.