I had some discussion about story and presentation, having just done Arah in GW2 this weekend for a couple people. So here are some sort of general thoughts... Now, it should be acknowledged that telling a player-driven story in an MMO and offering real choice may be a Sisyphean task. Offering real choice means more development time in making branches of the story. Making any story that centers on the PC involves some slight-of-hand in a multiplayer environment to be even remotely believable. And on top of that, opinions vary on what the best way really is. WoW : The game always kind of skirts the issue of player involvement. Big bad bosses are taken down by "heroes" or NPCs. Questgivers occasionally show recognition for the PC, but it's pretty trivial and interchangeable. With major bits of story "told" through raids, it's pretty easy to miss out on some things, too - though Blizzard has been more inclusive with LFR instances and such. Ultimately, I so...
Two posts in one night? Aiiieeee! But seriously, something came up that reminded me of a question I wanted to pose to those of you who read this: What, to you, makes a roleplaying game? I'm not looking for some textbook "any game in which you act out a role" unless that's really all that is important about it to you. When you play an RPG, what do you expect? What element of the game do you miss if it's not there? ... And so on.
As I'm pressured (and seriously considering) taking up the Star Wars RPG campaign that petered out several months ago, I find myself contemplating one of the more tricky and subtle aspects of running an RPG. How do you pace the bloody things? Stated simply, it's a factor in any game, but it's harder online. Whether in PBEM, PBP, IM, or MU*ing, just the fact that thoughts must be typed out makes everything take longer. In person, a simple yes/no question can be asked an answered in seconds. When everyone's at their keyboard, it can still take a minute online with typing, reading, and typing back. Add a little distraction of another window of something to fill the "dead" time between bits of text and that compounds. This is generally why I feel that organized/scheduled RP sessions online deserve top attention priority and I generally refuse to get into anything else which will affect anyone beyond me when I stop paying attention there (WoW dungeons, I'm lo...
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