[ToxicWrench]

Pushing Plots, Storylines and Agendas without a DM

Many new players have been joining our server lately and with that there are now a lot of plots, agendas and character story-lines floating around. Which is great to see! However, we thought it was due time to define ways for you all to push your plots in ways that can help shape the server and tell some great stories, without needing to wait for a DM to help you progress. These tips are by no means a “fix-all” for everyone. If after following these tips you are having issues getting traction with your goals or plots, talk to a DM about how you may be able to adjust your plans to get things moving once more.

Tell a Story

The first thing to keep in mind when playing on a Roleplay server is first and foremost you are here to tell a story. This includes a beginning, a middle and an end. Imagine you are reading a book, and your PC is the lead character. Would you be bored reading the story? That’s what other players and DMs are essentially doing, reading the storybook your writing. With that in mind remember that there should always be an end! Don’t get too attached to your character. When their story ends, even in a way you didn't foresee, just see it as a chance to begin writing another story.

Be open to change

As soon as you’ve decided on the story you wish to tell, understand that you need to be open to change. The moment you start involving others in your story-line it should be shifting, fluid to the actions of others. Be open to your ideas being twisted, changed and moulded by other players. Of course how much so depends on the character but playing a cookie-cutter character that will achieve X by doing X no matter what happens to them in game is a sure way to end up with a stale character.

Take an Interest

Take a genuine interest in other player’s characters. When the server is quiet you’ll be relying on these connections to keep busy and invested in each other’s stories. This by no means you must get along with everyone. In fact being on opposing sides or a rival with a particular character can make for great interaction whenever you log on. You shouldn’t be waiting on DMs to show an interest in your character because at the end of the day, your closest RP connections will always be your fellow players.

Use Initiative

No not the skill. You wish to train as a weapon-master, find a special relic or hunt a mythical beast or perhaps gather reagents for an experiment? Don’t wait on a DM to hold an event for you. Perhaps you decide your character thinks there is an ancient relic out in the Swamps, sure you know there’s no DM on and you just made this idea up so there’s likely nothing there to do with your plot, but that doesn’t matter. Gather others for the event! By involving them you’ve another chance to continue our previous points of telling a story and taking an interest in other characters. 

And maybe in time a DM notices that you’ve made this a regular thing and involved plenty of others. Then they may in fact place the relic you seek despite the idea coming from nowhere but the intention of RPing with others. Some of the best stories are formed by improvisation. And that brings us to our last point..

Keep DMs informed

When it comes to things such as Prestige classes or other applied for backgrounds, you'll need a DM eventually. But there’s no use in coming to a DM and saying “I’ve done X and X and now I am ready to become a Weapon-Master” and waiting on them before you do anything else. It's not going to work especially if no one has ever seen nor heard from your character before and you're haven't earned the "prestige" of a Prestige Class. Prestige classes especially are all about the journey, not the destination.

Keep DMs updated whenever you manage to progress your story, even if nothing came of it. A simple “My character believes that he can cheat death by consuming the blood of a wyvern, today I spoke with X mercenary group about scouting the area for sightings of the beasts”, would work wonders. Straight away DMs know that you’re progressing your story and you’ve already started involved others. Plus we now can spawn a Wyvern infront of said mercenaries and progress not just your story, but others as well. Plots that involve others will always get priority over self-involved ones. Whether involving other players by opposing them or uniting them it doesn’t matter. It’s all about the story.