Big Plot

[SlyViolin]

I'm going to do the cop out here and just say it's one of fundamentals axis of conflicts the game is based : Mages vs Davites/Order/Knights.

I'll also go out so much to commpare King Dav to Hitler, he went out to commit genocide of a people (Mages). Mages are persecuted because of the uncontrollable fact that they are born with magic in their blood. Some will continue on, trying to hide in plain sight and pray they won't be found out, tortured and burned alive while others might actually take a stand to try and stop the persecution.

If you look at the census you will see a great number of awakened mages, but the actual membership in the Manus Guild is severly lacking in comparision. To me, this indicates a vast majority of mages are doing what you say, pretending to be normal people. Now, if a group of mages came out and said "We are mages, we come in peace. We bring only benefits to you." the only response will be "TAINT! BURN THEM ALL!" Any mage outed meets the flames quite quickly, any charity given by them met with suspicion to downright refusal for the pure fact that they are a mage and in the eyes of the ruling religion will taint all it comes into contact with.

At the moment, I think we have to many nice people in game, mages in hiding, people being pleasant and getting along. I was talkign to someone about it last night that it's all getting a bit boring. We need a more antagonists. More people to rub against the grain of social politeness. I think Cullen at the moment is the only real actively 'badguy' we have going for us and there is only so much conflict a man can generate. I know it's shit to ask for bad guys and not take action myself, so be on the lookout for Gwenith's Evil twin sister, coming to a city near you soon.

My vote is between 2 : Internal politiking/southside rebellion and crime syndicate. I think both of these can easily include all the guilds in their plots.

To point out a thing I particularly enjoyed in the plots I've been apart of is the terror attacks such as the newt jeweller, dock explosion and fire in the Russo general store. Each one basically put our characters on the spot right there and then and we were left to do what we could. The plots were short, tension filled, and punchy.

I admit being a little offput by the merchant NPC's storyline. Personally, I felt very left out of it, I would have loved to help but when I went to enquire with of what I could do, they were all in bed/the admin had logged off. I did get to see one of the NPC's active but was interrupted by a burning, then the admin had to log off. I also think that excluded a few people not just with time frames the NPC's were active, but also characters with certain traits that would probably think that such servitude below them (nobles/court) or people bent their characters persona's slightly just so they could be part of a plot/quest. Again, personal preference, if I was to run this, I would set up a NPC that would react to certain keywords, when the admin can't be around.

Given that we have lost a couple of titled nobles lately, and if the admin were thinking of replacing them, I think a internal politiking event would be ideal. Getting each canidate to try and swing the population in their favour to make them look more seductive a choice to raise them into nobility. In the same 'nobility potential' line of thought, a great disaster, city-wide peril could also be used to sort the mice from the men and a person might be raised due to examplary handling of the situation in the name of the crown.

Sorry about the Novel. I think that totals by 92cents.

[SlyViolin]

I don't recall any helpfile which explains "you are tainted so every now and then you lose control and kick a puppy" or anything like that. I simply don't get where from should come "kick the puppy" factor, and how should it be incorporated properly.

Then you believe the Order is wrong. There's no inherent "kick the puppy" factor to being a mage. Puppies don't hurt you, society does. If that translates to hide in shadows forever, so be it. But that's more being nothing than being good. Performing good or bad acts presumes interaction with society, and this society wants you dead. So the real question is still "why would a mage be good?"

If it's just in his heart to be good, then that's fine, but he should not be surprised when he ends up at the stake, turned in by the same person he helped.

Then how the "bad" should come by? For thiefs it is simple - stealing, maybe even murdering - their goals are pretty clear. But mages? What are their goals for "baddies"? Kill inquisition people? Annoy anyone they can? That is the piece of puzzle I am missing - what is the goal.
Is their evil supposed to come from simple frustration against society? If so, that is a pretty weak line since for most of their lives, they didn't even know about powers and if some even awakens them, they still don't have any ill will toward people (they didn't hurt them yet in any way).

This got posted while writing my novel so I'll respond to it as well. The potential to be bad or good is in everyone, mage, theif or noble. I disagree that stealing and murdering are clear goals, they are merely tools to a deeper goal like 'I don't want my identity revealed' or 'Why should he have so much money while my brothers and I starve?' Noone is saying you have to be a bad mage, noone is saying you have to be a bady person in general. But it's the thought processes a player can put behind the character to turn them bad. "Order (falsely/in truth) burnt my parents for being mages, I'll bring those bastards down," "My lover scorned me for another woman, I'll make her regret she ever lived!" "I.. I don't want to die.. I .. I don't want to kill either, but I know when it comes down to kill or be kill, I guess I'm just going to have to kill them," is enough of a pretense for a person to rebell against society and rein anarchy down on their heads.

Basic summary :
Mages aren't inherently bad or good it's what the player puts behind them that turns them either way. The same implies to non-mage characters, they aren't bad or good until a player decides to take them down a specific path for whatever reason.

[Leech]

Yeah, mages don't have to be bad. If you want to be a mage who goes around giving charity to people, that's completely your boat. Just don't be surprised when people still burn you once they find out you're magely.

[Dice]

Well, if there's one thing I see some clear consensus on in this thread, it's that people want a political plot, and that's actually what I was leaning toward before I started it (albeit with some elements of other categories as well.)

I am considering running a smaller plot as well involving a natural disaster (not one anywhere near the scope of the Flood) first, while gearing up for a truly Big Plot around political events.

[Bennie]

- I like the idea of religious-related RP. Not a crusade against Daravi, though (been done). Once we're fully satisfied with fleshing out theology, I'd like to see the emergence of a real heretical sect, one that's less batty than "worship raccoons and enjoy free love in the forest." Maybe the quest could conclude with either burnings or some religious conclave that updates or interprets theological points!

Might I just say that this is probably the one thing I'd like to see most.

As a player who lives and breathes religious RP, I've wanted something genuinely challenging to arise in the religious part of the game. The religious theme of this MUD is one of the single most important and fundamental themes of it, in my opinion.

Getting religious conflict that is something more than "Meh. I don't really believe in the Church" and "Free all the mages!" would be a Godsend (no pun intended). Having a really nuanced, really serious heresy to contend with would be a very enriching, very interesting plot.

(I get this is a bit of an old thread. I just saw this and got really excited. That is all!)