Scripting, Freeform, Goals
This page was imported from a forum post dated May 20, 2014 in the category Chatterbox by Dylan Locke. Its content is likely to be out of date!
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Tue, 05/20/2014 - 14:18
A brief discussion on tips and tricks of scripting, freeform, and setting goals for players to reach in your story.
If you are a new player and have spent more than a few days in rp you might have noticed that every player has their own certain play style they follow while role playing. For this forum topic its good to keep in mind that there is no /wrong/ or /right/ way to rp. Everyone has their own style that they feel most comfortable in.
Two styles we are going to talk about are Scripting and Freeform, and then talk about setting Goals for your rp.
Style 1. Scripting.
Scripting in a nut shell is as it sounds. You follow a script. The rp has a clear cut beginning, middle and end. Characters may even play a certain role in the rp. There are varying degrees that players may script themselves to the plot, usually however characters have a role to play down to what they do, act, and say.
The good part about scripting is that you know where you are going and its generally easier to further your idea along. The down side is that it can stifle creativity, since people are afraid of doing something that would break the script, which is the other down side that its easier for things to also end up completely different from what you were expecting.
Style 2. Freeform.
Freeform is in a nut shell, scripting free. A good example of this is any time players meet up in a tavern and just role play with out a clear cut goal in mind. The good side is that pretty much anything can happen. The down side is pretty much anything can happen and with out some measure of structure rp winds down as people run out of ideas and just kind of stalls.
Me, I prefer a mixture of both. Freeform with some structure to it to keep it from stalling out over time. Basically there is a begining event to spur the characters into action, and a goal to keep them moving. Something simple works best, like get from point A. to point B. or Defeat Bad Guy. Along the way I will toss out the occasional obstacle to over come but in reality I am just reacting to what people post. In essence they write the story themselves, i just provide plot points to keep the story moving.
Another option you could try is giving players options, just like in video games where your character is given multiple options to change the story. They can be simple options, like choosing which inn to stay at, choosing to work for one of two completely different employers. Choosing to save the villain or tossing him from a cliff. For example in one rather long story arch the hero had a chance to kill off the main bad guy in Arundal. He chose not to and leave his fate up to trial. To keep things interesting we each rolled dice to determine the outcome of the trial. The heroes lost. The bad guy went free and is now back in power. The end goal of 'stop bad guy' still applies. The players just have different options to defeat him now.
There are plenty of styles that people follow, one thing for certain, I am always surprised by what people come up with for posts in both scripted or non scripted rp...or both! How about you forum goers. Which style do you prefer? Why? How much scripting is too much, and how much free form is too much? How do you keep your players on the path towards your stories goal?
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