SWG Tales

The point I am going to present here to you all, is one that was touched upon in Islehs thread on tracking devices. The freedom to improv in a story, even one as large as the Slave event, vs being just an NPC that is not allowed to have the freedoms granted in normal rp.
I understand that a story has an outline. But in the story there should be point A and point B. Since we are all individuals that are not all thinking in the same box, there should be room for a point C.
We are all very curtious rpers, we discuss any major things ooc before we implement them. Not enough to where we can not rp them out, just enough so that we are all on the same page on what events have taken place or will/might be happening, as to prevent anything that would not flow with the facts in the story/rp. It's understandable that one wants to stay by his story, but if he can't bend or give on it then other RP suffer. Fighting a unstoppable impervious enemy is no fun.
Well, what I guess i am tring to say is, I need to know when I participate in an event, if I get to be myself, or if I am just some character in a story. Do I get the freedoms to move freely within the rules and binds of the rp, or can I have a script so i can at least follow along. If so whose writing my part in this?
(This is being submitted by: Tovaar, Dillion, Ehili and Loial')

*signed Vreese and Batak as well* Seems things keep getting foggy in certain arcs as to what is and isn't allowed. In the table top rpg world of gaming we call these 'Monty Hall' campaigns. "Let's make a deal...." Usually after the fact of an event that changes our perspective of what to do at a certain point.... uh-oh, your foung location A before you were suppose to... Incert unplanned emergency option plan B is what most GMs do at this point... and usually kills it for the players... or even the magic rewind button... your still left with... well, I know if I go this way this will happen. Which is hard to step out of context with your character at that point. Indeed, with some of these unplanned arcs we've been doing lately... we need some partial scripts for the bigger scenes... or at least some rules before we start the thing.

The improv is going full steam for me.. As Jabe has gone from NPC buyer, to "captured" status. I guess he was causing too many complications...

Jabe

Jabe Adaks wrote:The improv is going full steam for me.. As Jabe has gone from NPC buyer, to "captured" status. I guess he was causing too many complications...

Jabe

your welcome

When an event is planned, and there is a point A and point B there are some concrete things that have to happen, or point B is shot to Heck...

There were some things I did rashly, under pressure. There is no excuse for my personal actions, but I believed I had no other choice in order to preserve the storyline for the good of the many...

I appologized.

Novall wrote:

Jabe Adaks wrote:The improv is going full steam for me.. As Jabe has gone from NPC buyer, to "captured" status. I guess he was causing too many complications...

Jabe

your welcome

Yes Novall was busy tonight. Thank you

GM'ing is an art, and truth be told many of us here are trying it for the first time in this medium. If you give players total freedom, it is likely your event will spiral into total chaos. If the GM controls too much, the players feel a sense of futility.

It is a balancing act.

As a player in these events, I take the term role-player very litterally. I am playing a role. What role is that? Well, if I am in someone's event, it is the role that they give me. If I am playing my "normal" SWG routine, it is the role I have given myself. In some cases it is a little of both.

The tabletop ideal is not possible in this medium. In PnP, the GM is right there all the time. In SWG the GM is not always there, and even when he is he cannot handle all the things that are thrown his or her way at once. A typical tabletop GM is usually dealing with 4-6 players. A SWG GM has to deal with 12-20. You will not get the same experience from an SWG GM as you would from a tabletop GM.

Over time SWGM'ing will get better and better as we learn. As it is I feel people do a pretty darn good job all things considered.

I agree with Ekade, and Jabe on this one. I have not been able to participate in many events here in fact probably only 2. However in this most current event I'd have to say I've felt I've gotten to RP Hashum however I want. And was even presently surprised to run into several unexpected encounters and events last night, one of which as Jabe mention I think was not part of the original "script".

Now at the same time there are other things I would like to do in this event but will not because it just really screws up the overall theme. And maybe I have the luxury of always having the hunter perspective instead of the "must lose" role. In the case of my RP however in my capture of E-bo sevearl of her friends came to her aid and we "dueled" and so had I lost E-bo would have escaped. I don't think that's too scripted but maybe others disagree?

Hashum wrote: Now at the same time there are other things I would like to do in this event but will not because it just really screws up the overall theme. And maybe I have the luxury of always having the hunter perspective instead of the "must lose" role. In the case of my RP however in my capture of E-bo sevearl of her friends came to her aid and we "dueled" and so had I lost E-bo would have escaped. I don't think that's too scripted but maybe others disagree?

I think that is perfect. The more dynamic an event can be the better. I think the event role players should use all the latitude they have and exercise their creativity to the fullest while participating in an event.

When an outcome is not predetermined, it add tension and immersion to a scene. I thing the "duel" idea is great, as is leaving things to random chance. Nothing adds excitement like a critical fight, or a dice roll to determine an outcome.

Dueling works but with a few Jedi joining in on this event you would find that a unbuffed duel was very unfair since Jedi can heal. How would you all like to address this?

dillion wrote:Dueling works but with a few Jedi joining in on this event you would find that a unbuffed duel was very unfair since Jedi can heal. How would you all like to address this?

Well.. I would think a Jedi in the SW universe should win a duel.. however, a Jedi may want to avoid tipping his hand as well. It is up to the Jedi, but only whip out the saber when absolutely necessary.

(pokes his head in)

Just saw this post and to any one that felt that they were forced into a situation I'm sorry. Not exactly knowing what happened here I'll comment on what I think did happen.

The use of the non-confritational capture of potential slaves was meant to be two things. First it was to help ensure that there would be at least one person there to be auctioned off and second it was meant to be a way to roleplay a non-combat capture. I had suggested that the Bounty Hunters tell the target that he or she is under survaylence then ask a serries of questions that would be blantently ovious to some one watching him or her. It was up to the target to answer what he or she wanted and how truthfully they wanted to do that. Me and Yala had an extange where she told me more than what was needed and I came up with IC reason why Jerrel would notice those things. I also told her what one would not notice just by looking at her. This was a new system that I came up with cause I always had a thing against the /findfriend thing. If this system I devised made you feel you where forced into the situation I'm sorry I should have added the option for the slave to say that the Bounty Hunter see's no ovious pattern to his or her activities. That would have given the target an out if he or she wanted a combat capture instead.

I was not so much refering to the slave event, as much as in gerneral. Although the slave event did spark this debate between Dillion, Loial Ehili and myself. I understand keeping to the over all storyline, and try to so. But when things like one of you bh capture someone. The person you captured after no previous knowlege has been able to slice their way through your controles and free themselves. Maybe it was a lucky break for them, or you shouldnt of left that learn at home manual on slicing laying around. Its just odd things where people just go to over the top in order to controle the situation around them.
The situation that sparked this debate is not important, things got straightened out. But I still felt that this is somethin we can chat about to see how others felt, or if this is only an isolated incindents.

I've posted this info for the GMs already but, indeed, I think what happened was a misunderstanding and a desire to make absolutely sure that this thing arrived from Point A to Point B.

For the Improv vs Pre-planned I made the suggestion that we do basically this for our events to help clarify matters:

1) Make a Public Post stating the nature of the event and what/who is needed along with any clarified rules before starting the event. (I think their may have been some rushing once there was a hint that we might've had Nym there). In your first event post be sure you cover the basics and any 'special' rules you want followed... ie, use limited rp powers, abilities, or stress that weapons can't be used in certain areas.

2) After you've updated Post 1 so that all players and rules are at least mostly known to the players involved post the Event start date and start a new thread which will focus on our in-game playing at this point. I suggested that we post in Episodes along the story arcs. So a GM can cut into more than one thread at major breaking points and continue on the forum much like the movies are laid out. I think after a thread gets so long we tend not to want to trudge through it and the result is, "I didn't read that" in game.

3) The thing about Pre-planned and Improv is... an Event Date is subject to change if you don't stress what pre-planned things have to happen. However, scripted and rp doesn't necessarily have to be that rigid. Let's just keep in mind that improv by it's very nature can change the outcome of our story arcs and, indeed, the time table of our events. I think that's what has some of us kind of under pressure in these situations. The idea is that if things don't go as planned, we've failed in some way. On the contrary, that simply gives us a new story to work with.

4)Making the best of Failure. So, let's say we'd discovered the bounty hunters out before they got everyone. And we'd had Pex not get ousted out of playing Nym on us for the Event Auction. Well, what we would've had then is an opportunity to play out a much different campaign. The hunters would've become the hunted. Thus 'Slaves for Sale' would've turned into 'The Folley of Bounty'. My point here is, don't be afraid to veer from the Point A to Point B when allowing improv within an Event.

Just thought all the readers might like to ponder about this.

Batty