Plot Fatigue Poll

[Niamh]

As we've started planning out how to structure the upcoming plot header, we wanted to gauge the overall energy of the playerbase - if everybody's worn out and sick of it we'll try to keep things concise, but if everybody's still raring to go we'll try to draw it out into a longer and more complex scenario. So! Lets get a poll going... should be open for 7 days.

[Satoshi]

I answered background, but I feel the need to clarify that, for me at least, I don't want this to just have a pushed through solution, but I feel like since most of this plot's been forefronted by plots and rolls and mustering up armies, that that be the focus--at this point ICly, the progress of the plot's surpassed what a single character can do--a civil war shouldn't be something a single character *should* be able to influence unless it's via cunning plan or stroke of luck. I feel like all the effort currently gone into it should influence the outcome more than, say, an IC event, and I am utterly biased because I'm more likely to miss said event.

I also feel like the little hiatus did sort of push the pending war from the forefront of lots of people's minds, and it wouldn't hurt to bring the tension back up before coming to a conclusion, either. Just my two cents!

[Myrella]

I didn't vote because there's not a relevant option for me to select. Plots have neither affected my character at all, not has my character been involved, soooo... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Kuzco]

There has been a massive amount of PC resources spent towards various efforts (the royal army, the palace siege) which appears to now be ready to be wrapped up, just as this very plot was started with calculations of troop numbers and force multipliers being defining. I regretfully confess I feel a bit miffled that the combined efforts of the richest and most powerful PCs in the game have achieved more or less the same as (in broad terms, and from my POV) not doing anything at all.
The loss of momentum has kept many people in a sort of limbo, the same for their agendas -- mages halting their evil plans, reeves not conducting certain arrests, celebrations being cancelled or halted, and so on.
In addition, I personally feel that I don't want another Baronial Council similar to the one we had last year. It's draining, so I'd rather keep this in a bit of a lower profile. I've burned a giga amount of money and QP and I'm ready for this to move on at a more background level.

[galaxgal]

Definitely more of a slow background burn if at all.

My ideal scenario would be something that can be checked up on and nudged now and again over, maybe, weeks or so, without being so urgent or catastrophic that it halts big chunks of personal RP. This is where I think a lot of the fatigue seems to be coming from. In a similar vein to what Kuzco says, the most time-stressed players already have to hold up their personal plots, holiday events, or other long-term plans, which has felt draining for the game overall . Guild and city leaders get too busy bookkeeping QP and money and keeping each other in the loop and yes - even delegating their usual duties - that it becomes very difficult to open new threads of RP or fool around in public to keep less-influential players engaged.

It also makes it harder to justify opening newer or smaller conflicts or events. Not only is it tonally awkward, I think it can feel unsporting to dump event organizing duties, jailtime, or cast shade (figuratively or literally, if that's your thing, I guess,) when a foreground crisis is already eating up so much attention, which leads to reluctance to do those things.

[Helena]

It's hard to get involved in this plot if you don't have the QP, IP, wealth. Even some guild leaders felt unable to compete. Yet plotting became the center of the game at some point, with people disappearing from the grid. -> the game shifted from live RP to asynchronous RP, with many players barely able to involve their character.

Yet, the atmosphear the event gives is great. Even the feeling of helplessness is good and thematic.

I'd rather see the plot in the background, as a staff managed plot, with attempts to involve more people, and atmospheric events affecting the grid from time to time.

[Whateverosaur]

I've been running over my feelings about this plot for a little while, and I find myself agreeing a lot with Kuzco's post. We're in a pretty similar boat - playing city leaders with a fair amount of wealth and influence to swing around that have both lived through the first part of the Second Succession crisis. I'd like to preapologize; I don't know what goes on behind the scenes, calculating or determining story progression. I certainly don't mean to disparage staff or other players.

But I'm tired and I'm frustrated. I am keeping in mind the time, creativity, and other associated storytelling services the game staff are pouring into these stories - none of that goes unappreciated. While some of my fatigue comes with having played the Grand Inquisitor for a fairly long time (with all the demands that role requires), the chaining together of world-altering plotlines (Urth-destroying demon, kingdom-shattering assassination, contentious succession determinations and war) and the seeming disparity in ability to effect the storyline have really worn me out. Ideally I would have retired to the Vavardi delights of art, hard drugs, and an ocean of alcohol, but the pace of these events don't make me feel comfortable ICly stepping down.

The demands of GLing are an entirely different topic. Some stories are stressful. Sometimes stories come on the heels of one another. Sometimes PCs may feel like their contributions are ineffective or undesired; this particular story has combined all three, with the added 'bonus' of it being very similar to the Second Succession Crisis about a year ago. I cannot muster the energy to gather more IP, more silver, and more politicking with so much frequency to so little apparent effect. There has been no apparent value to longstanding approval from the city; to appealing to the thematic pressures of religion and excommunication; or to channeling silver and influence into raising forces to combat a threat on Lithmore's doorstep. If I had done nothing, what could I point to that would be changed?

Again, I want to emphasize 'apparent'. I don't have a backchannel to how any of these effect my individual and the overall push on behalf of loyalist forces. I don't think staff are singling me out to uselessness. Indeed, I want to marvel and thank staff for having the energy and the drive to continue to push out interactive stories as volunteers and enthusiasts. The above just represent my feelings on the matter with my limited understanding of the cumulative effects of my and others' actions.

[Buzz K[ir]ill]

My two cents:

If we feel the need to institute a policy that requires a TL;DR line at the end of IC Event notes because of how much stuff is happening off-screen and/or needs to be reiterated to the pbase, then there's probably too much stuff happening off-screen and/or out of sight of most of the pbase.

[wimple]

My two cents:

If we feel the need to institute a policy that requires a TL;DR line at the end of IC Event notes because of how much stuff is happening off-screen and/or needs to be reiterated to the pbase, then there's probably too much stuff happening off-screen and/or out of sight of most of the pbase.

Agreed.

I'm normally all for throwing my hat in and getting involved in city-wide situations even if my character is an outlier, but things were moving so quickly, suddenly, and seemingly playing off of events I didn't know about that I didn't get involved on this one. My time has been limited lately and I just found I couldn't really understand what was going on because so many things were happening off-screen or in response to each other.

[Taunya]

How would people feel about turns and rounds for header plots?

Basically like the combat code but slower and staff overseen. The end of each round would have the staff determine the results of the participants actions. New people can jump in at any time, but if you've acted in a round you'll have to wait until the next round to make another action. You would be limited to one action in a round, and your public action is automatically shared to all. Any behind the scenes actions could be added to a note. Reactions to actions another player has made cannot be done in the same round, but can be done in the next round, after staff have determined success or failure.

I think this could be implemented with the existing plot system, simply by staff opening a plot for each round for people to put actions against, rather than each person creating a new plot.