[DISCUSSION] Pride Plots and You

[Cajanic]

1. In metaplots, I like it when.. It involves ORPs or game-like activities that welcome the whole pride to participate. I REALLY like when it's a ORP but then random events pop up during it. >> I don't mind whether or not they have large or small effects on the pride, as long as metas are generally interactive.

2. In metaplots, I don't like it when.. Plots focused on one or two characters, generally played by the same two or three people, and we're all meant to just react to news. xD I prefer metas that are more about the pride itself than specific members.

3. The best duration for an ORP is.. Uuuuhhhh. I dunno! A couple weeks I think, though they can be faster/shorter depending on just how many people are involved. (Like an ORP that has 20 people in it should probably take more time than one with 4)

4. The best style of ORP is.. Interactive! As I said above, I love when little games pop up in RPs. But it doesn't have to be JUST games. Posts guiding the events are great, too.

5. The best duration for a whole metaplot is.. Um, I'm not sure. I guess it depends on the meta. Festivals and contests should be a month, if that, but plots meant to be more involved and alter a pride should probably last long, or at least be split into various 'sub metas'.

6. The best rewards for participating are.. Ranks/titles, though giving away SoA is ALWAYS a good inventive, too, especially if said SoA are connected to the meta.

Other thoughts/opinions: Cavi is pretty.  

[SilverLutz]

1. In metaplots, I like it when.. I like when there's some sort of change happening to the pride, whether it's a new enemy to defeat, strangers coming in that shake up the beliefs/customs of the pride, or if it's a specific celebration within the pride. Prizes are always a bonus for people, sometime I choose to opt out if I have a lot of members/won something recently, but I know it's a huge draw for most people. I'm also fond of interactive plots where there's either dice involved or the decisions of the RPers dictate the way the META pans out. There's an end goal, sure, but how we reach it depends on how the lion react. Also, having the possibility of a not-so-good outcome! FUN! I'm also SUPER fond of getting non-owners or people with 'normal' SoA in on the plots, rather than just being the dice rollers. Finding a way to work other people into the plot makes it more enjoyable.

2. In metaplots, I don't like it when.. There's no real direction given by the pride. If it's just a 'we're giving away prizes for people that RP here' it'll draw but not hold attention, I feel. Sometimes the large meet and greets don't go so well, like introducing new lions to a pride, unless there's some sort of conflict involved. As I mentioned above, getting more people involved is great, but then if too many people are relied upon to get replies in it can slow things down. So...use judgement biggrin

3. The best duration for an ORP is.. Depends on the ORP I suppose. If it's more open ended I"d say two weeks, if it's an ORP with an end goal in mind with some sort of interactive bit going on, whenever it finishes. People will usually jump on those and they'll be done within a week.

4. The best style of ORP is.. Hm...a mix of players making decisions for themselves and some chance. I remember one Firekin RP where what you rolled depended on what kind of damage you took, and in the most recent Bahari RP the players got to pick which direction they went in. Keep some randomness and luck to it, but don't rely completely on the dice. Some people have rotten RNG luck XD

5. The best duration for a whole metaplot is.. Depends on the META I suppose. If it's a long one, like with the Mwezi (you don't want the king to kill his family and then be immediately usurped), I'd say however long it needs to take its course. Some METAs are smaller and can just last a month, others can span a few.

6. The best rewards for participating are.. SoA! Winning semi-customs or premades are generally the way prizes are handled which I think is great. Also being able to get a rare or hard to get rank, or moving your SoA up within the pride is another good thing, too. Gaining fighting credit or some sort of IC prize for the SoA is great too.

Other thoughts/opinions: METAs are super fun! Some of them fall off the wagon a bit (I'm guilty of that, whoops), but for the most part they're super fun and I'd love to see more of them! They can really breathe life back into a pride. Maybe I should think about shaking up the Kikombe...  

[mouselet]

FINE.

1. In metaplots, I like it when.. there are multiple ways for players to be involved. Some people may have characters directly involved in the plot, some may participate in ORPs, and some just aren't online at the right times but can still do regular RPs as long as they relate to what's going on in the pride. This last allows people to RP on their own schedule with fewer time restrictions.

2. In metaplots, I don't like it when.. things drag on FOREVER and there's not a lot of chances for regular pridemembers/players to do anything that affects the outcome.

3. The best duration for an ORP is.. under three weeks. Unless if things are VERY active, you probably want it to be at least a few days long. But after the second week, things get forgotten and people are bored.

4. The best style of ORP is.. one with RNG and dice to give the players something to do besides stand around and talk.

5. The best duration for a whole metaplot is.. a month for active elements. It's fine to have something that overall goes on for years (like Shangyue's reign) as long as the times when there's actually plot changes are only about a month. So when Shangyue first took over and such that was about a month long.

6. The best rewards for participating are.. special ranks that you can't normally get, pets, edits.

Other thoughts/opinions: Metaplots are hard, especially as the shop's membership has gotten older, started *gasp* real lives and just don't have as much time to devote to roleplay as they used to. I think keeping this in mind for planning events is important, as many people will not be able to make more than one post in an ORP a day or will need to do all their RP in a 1-3 hour period of time each day.

The other key element in a metaplot is for the pride owner(s) to be very active and accessible during the plot. The meta needs guidance, questions to be answered, etc. and it makes things very difficult if the owner wanders away in the middle. It's understand that sometimes RL happens, but that's why the owner should try to plan their meta for a month when they know they should have the time to devote to it.  

[nessiaing]

1. In metaplots, I like it when.. There is the ability for all pride members to play a part instead of just the "leaders" in the pride having a role. I also find fairly quickly moving metas to hold my interest the best. Of course having soa given away in the meta is always a nice bonus but I don't feel its absolutely necessary

2. In metaplots, I don't like it when.. Only the leaders in the pride have a role to play in the meta. When Meta's go on with no real direction, I find they need a goal in mind something that is being worked towards.

3. The best duration for an ORP is.. A little over a week, so there are two weekends included, like Friday through to the following Sunday (ie Jan 1 - Jan10)

4. The best style of ORP is.. One that has a bit of chance involved. Both Caj and Velvie did a good example of this with battles taking place in the rp. It gave a good structure and an element of surprise. You never knew how hurt your characters might get. The dice rolls also gave something to build your posts around. Caj Example Velvie Example

5. The best duration for a whole metaplot is.. Depends on the type of Meta if its a festival I would say perhaps a month or so, where as if it is something thats changing the structure of the pride like the ones in Elimisha'sombea, Suka'Fumo or Mwezi 6 months - a year is sorta nice because it gives time for pride members to interact and build opinions on whats going on.

6. The best rewards for participating are.. SoA (pre-drawn, semi customs, customs), Special Ranks.

Other thoughts/opinions: Nope XD. Hope this all helps  

[magnadearel]

1. In metaplots, I like it when.. I can affect the metaplot, like when Meshach tried to originally stop Shangyue from taking the throne. A meta that might open new ranks. I like metaplots that expand pride history, storyline, rp options.

2. In metaplots, I don't like it when.. It's really hard to follow. No one reacts/responds to my posts. XD

3. The best duration for an ORP is.. Depends upon what the ORP is focused upon? Some things can't be rushed. Maybe 2 weeks min to give everyone time to participate? SOA rps seem to be slower paced, just with time for everyone to get one. I know another Dragonriders of Pern shop, the Hatchings might be considered a meta, will take 3-4 days.

4. The best style of ORP is.. interactive. Stuff going on. Fights. Some that utilize dice.

5. The best duration for a whole metaplot is.. Depends upon what the meta is again.

6. The best rewards for participating are.. Prizes! Cubs, pre-mades, semi-customs

Other thoughts/opinions: I'd love to see more metas that try to pull the community of that pride in. Something that forms bonds and alliances, or enemies among the pets participating. Where my pet can say to another pet "hey you remember when..." or something like that. XD  

[Sabra Knight]

1. In metaplots, I like it when.. Pride members get to interact, RNG during ORPs are also very fun as well with the numbers dictating what happens for your soa. Also having the possibility of multiple endings is nice, gives an element of surprise and makes it feel like all pride members can have a chance to change the game up a bit. So I like to see changes, that the metaplots actually have an effect on the whole pride as well. c: I mean it doesn't always have to be super drastic even light rps like a beached whale bringing the members together in the Bahari have been enjoyable. Just something that gives the pride a chance to bond/grow.

2. In metaplots, I don't like it when.. There's no real direction and it feels more like just a general ORP that goes no where. I prefer some conflict or for metaplots to hold some deeper meaning/changes for the pride. Even if it's two prides colliding, something more than just a meet-n-greet would be nice. Also when the meta plots only involve certain members or just a few high ranks it doesn't really seem to be interactive enough for the rest of the pride. Unless the changes in the pride comes from these character's involvement I suppose...even then other pride members should have some ability to act/react.

3. The best duration for an ORP is.. Depends on the meta/what the ORP is...I enjoy giving others time to respond, but anything over a month may be pushing it. Especially if it's meant to be just one ORP of many for a meta (in that case I would say 1 - 2 weeks)

4. The best style of ORP is.. Not going to lie I love RNG ones that help decide what is going on/what your lion does/finds etc...(even though sometimes the dice decide to troll and not let anything happen. xD )

5. The best duration for a whole metaplot is.. Depends on the metaplot again...if it's something huge, with a plot line that has to take time to develop, then I'm alright with it being over several months even a year...for a less drastic meta probably 1 month?

6. The best rewards for participating are.. Special Ranks, edits, and SoA.

Other thoughts/opinions: <3  

[Tanakako]

1. In metaplots, I like it when.. There are prompts/events to respond to. The Bonelands Mkhulu event was fun to participate in.

2. In metaplots, I don't like it when.. There is no direction to the plot/event.

3. The best duration for an ORP is.. Don't know really, for me it depends on how active RL is and how much time I can devote to online/Gaia stuff at the time

4. The best style of ORP is.. Something interactive, having the chance to affect the outcome of major events in the pride.

5. The best duration for a whole metaplot is.. Same answer as above

6. The best rewards for participating are.. Actual SoA to win/edits for existing SoA, limited ranks for participating soa. They seem to get a lot more participation and are more active.

Other thoughts/opinions: It seems that most of us are of the adult persuasion these days, and many have full time jobs, which makes time zones awkward. Having very short time frames to reply in can be tricky if you only have a couple of hours each evening in which to fit in Gaia, house cleaning, pet ownership, kids etc.

I'd love to see more plots that involve different prides. Like the Bahari/Kizi coalition and the Firekin outpost/Bonelands plot. They give both prides a whole new land and a bunch more characters to interact with.  

[Andranis]

1. In metaplots, I like it when.. There's dice/RNG games - Then, short of somebody simply missing out due to RL obligations, it feels like everybody has a fair chance to participate. If it's a long-stretching Meta that takes a year or more, frequent-ish updates are always a plus.

2. In metaplots, I don't like it when.. If it's a long-arching meta, there's stagnation. I can think of at least one long-running pride meta that's been stagnated a couple years at this point with no actual update, and from an RP standpoint of what my characters should be thinking/doing within the pride, that's incredibly frustrating.

3. The best duration for an ORP is.. Depends on what the ORP is aiming to accomplish - As mentioned before, a festival could go on a month or so, but if it's a hunt or 'dealing with intruders' type of RP, maybe a couple weeks at most? (I'm so guilty of failing that second one :'D )

4. The best style of ORP is.. One with mini-games within it, or is a minigame in and of itself. Otherwise, it feels like people are having their own private RPs within an open RP and it feels hard to get into the RP.

5. The best duration for a whole metaplot is.. Again, it would depend on what the metaplot IS. For the Bahari, metaplots so far have been kept to 1-2 RPs(Example: The whale on the beach plot. One RP to clean the meat off and essentially feast on it, another RP to clean up the bones), since there's not much changing the pride itself. That would be a very short metaplot that only takes a couple months at most(Barring my brain diddling off... *Cough*). For a much bigger metaplot, like the Firekin rebellion or Shangyue's usurping the throne, going on a couple years is acceptable as that's a LOT of RP to have happen and plot to have happen.

6. The best rewards for participating are.. Special ranks, SoA(Premades, mostly - Cubs, I find, are especially tantalizing)

Other thoughts/opinions: I don't think every pride could do a meta the same. What works for the Mwezi or Firekin won't work for the Ela or Bahari. ORPs can be pretty universal, though, with minigames held. Also, inter-pride metas are fun, since that means the potential for new bonds to form between two prides, or for new conflicts to pop up. It'd be challenging, for sure, but it'd be worth it in the end if open borders turns into a Thing That's Had.  

[Annchen]

1. In metaplots, I like it when.. There's some kind of conflict or driving force to the meta and RPs. It doesn't have to be anything big, just a purpose to the RP. A group of lions going for a hunt. A pride of lions relocating for the season. A group traveling to trade with another pride.

Giving different characters in the meta different goals is also fun. Especially if you don't tell the players that their goals clash. (But I know that some players would rather know exactly what's happening even if their characters don't. I like a few curve balls thrown in, however.)

I also like super involved metas where a bunch of characters are given away and then get to play set roles, IF it's done right. There needs to be enough characters to go around to make sure many players can get a role, and the meta will have to be quick enough to avoid fizzling out. Many of the RPs should probably be at least semi-scripted with the participants getting prompts beforehand.

There should also be opportunities for existing members to join some of the RPs and interact with the plot. I don't know if I could pull off organizing something like that, but it's super fun to be part of when it works. I enjoyed this very much...

2. In metaplots, I don't like it when.. It's just a glorified meet and greet situation without much purpose. "Here, have some kind of scenario. Now play!" is no fun to me. (and yet, I'm guilty of starting RPs like that myself...)

I don't like it when there are too many closed RPs between the same 2 or 3 people. There has to be things to do for the regular characters in the pride besides reacting to or talking about whatever happened to the "main" characters in closed RPs no one else could play in. Especially if there's no ORPs set up and "regular" members are just supposed to create their own RPs. Nothing wrong with creating PRPs to react to what's happening, but the pride owner should give at least some opportunity for those who'd rather join an ORP than come up with their own RP.

3. The best duration for an ORP is.. 1-(2) weeks. Too short and only those in the "right" timezone or with the "right" time off will be able to play. Too long and it might lose steam.

4. The best style of ORP is.. One with some elements of RP prompts where players make choices and/or dice rolls to randomize the outcome. However, if there's just dice rolling and not much else going on I'm not as interested. So I guess I like a balance. (Roll once after this prompt = good. Roll once, and then if 2 more people posts you may roll one more time = can be good. Roll as much as you like, this is pretty much a dice game = not as fun since the actual RP posts tend to get short or repetitive after a while)

I also like it when the pride owners/ORP-leaders makes an effort to interact with others with their characters. It's thoughtful when they use one of their characters in the pride to approach another players character and make sure they aren't left out of the fun. Some players in the ORP will find each other and start bouncing RP posts without intervention, but it's a nice touch when the one(s) managing the RP keeps an eye out and makes sure no one goes without interactions.

If it makes sense for the RP I think it's nice to give rogues and/or non-lined characters a chance to play.

5. The best duration for a whole metaplot is.. Depends on the plot. If the plot relies heavily on a set of characters it's important to keep it short enough to avoid the risk that one of the key players is hit by life razz

If it's the kind where characters are handed out to fill set roles it helps to have a plan and try to stick to it. Give deadlines for when RPs should be completed and so on. But in my experience it's hard to get everything done in time...

I kind of like when there is no massive plot season for X months, but instead things happen now and then in the pride, with maybe 1-2 ORPs to go with it. And then a couple months later something new happens. That way players can participate and have fun, but if they miss this batch of "meta" ORPs it will not be too long to wait for the next.

6. The best rewards for participating are.. Making memories for my characters.

I also like IC rewards, especially when they're tailored after the RP result and not announced ahead of time. However, RPs tend to be busier if there are SoA or familiars to win...

Other thoughts/opinions: I feel like I rambled a lot... And possibly contradicted myself a few times ;D  

[Eos Galvus]

b]1. In metaplots, I like it when.. There is room for character development and individual plots. I like story driven meta with an opportunity to plot based on prompt, and a few ORP as well as a blend of prep landed and impromptu results- some things need happen, but how, why? How does that affect players? Shake status quo, and if someone's character doesn't act as expected, flow with it!

2. In metaplots, I don't like it when.. Little or no character opinion happens to affect anything, or there's no room for characters to take away an experience. I also dislike pride stagnation; if there is no change, the pride can not be considered living.

3. The best duration for an ORP is.. 1-2 weeks with frequent posts by the pride owners to keep things going.

4. The best style of ORP is.. STORY! I love letting everyone contribute, and see how it affects characters. RNG or Dice mechanics for events! Delicious interaction.

5. The best duration for a whole metaplot is.. 1 month for thinks like the Sky Festival, 1-3 months for normal plots that introduce pride lore or change, 4-6 months for a war. Any longer is ffffff.

6. The best rewards for participating are.. SoA, new ranks, perhaps rank changes, CHARACTER RECOGNITION.

Other thoughts/opinions: I like storytelling and interaction and groups. ;_; I just want to see more story - driven short plots- not drawn our plots like the Fire kin had/has? or simple 'the pride found food. Chat and eat'. O like to see things evolve and grow based on events and unexpected changes. SURPRISES PLS.  

[Princess_Feylin]

1. In metaplots, I like it when..
There are opportunities for characters to take part in activities, even if they don't have an influence on the pride as a whole, since they still contribute to the individual characters' stories. I also like it when I know what the timeline is in advance so that I know how much time I'll have to set aside if I want to participate. I also like when there are chance-based aspects to RPs, or RPs that introduce some sort of game aspect. And updates so that I know what's going on are always appreciated (or at least collected links to relevant RPs).

2. In metaplots, I don't like it when..
There isn't any obvious reason for a character to take part, other than because the player wants the prize. This includes metas where it's just standing around watching a few main characters interact and reacting to what they're doing and saying. I'd rather that kind or RP be done privately, then linked to as, say, background information in a more participatory RP. I also don't care for things that drag on forever, because my life gets busy and I'm not so invested in pixel lions that I can spend months and months on them.

3. The best duration for an ORP is..
Between a week and two weeks, but including as many weekends as possible, as that is when most people have more time to RP. Any longer and it's difficult to maintain interest, but if it's less than a week it's nearly impossible for anyone who isn't on the same schedule to keep up or participate at all.

4. The best style of ORP is..
Things involving chance and RNGs or dice rolls are awesome because they introduce an uncontrolled element to the whole thing and can produce very interesting outcomes and character development opportunities. (Like coming up with a reason for a usually coordinated lion to fall into a pit as the dice command, and later being able to go back and have people tease them for having done so). That said, it's best if a player won't be ICly penalized for non-participation in an ORP.

5. The best duration for a whole metaplot is..
Between two weeks and two months, depending on the complexity and extent of the plot, so that people who have a busy couple of days don't miss the whole thing, but more active participants aren't kept waiting for too-too long for results. All of this is with the caveat that there has been advance warning leading up to the start of the metaplot so that would-be participants can make plans.

6. The best rewards for participating are..
I like when there are IC benefits to participating in metaplots, as that gives owners something to aspire for with their existing pride members and doesn't deny new owners the opportunity to have their characters attain interesting ranks (so like a plot that opens up a new rank, even if it's extremely limited). Practically speaking, though, putting SoA on offer tends to encourage more participation.

Other thoughts/opinions:
I always kind of feel like my metaplots don't provide enough opportunity for pride members to influence the events or changes in pridal attitudes, so that's something I'll have to work on, although as a participant and not a pride owner, I don't much care if my characters don't get to make an impact as long as they get to take part in some way.

Also, thank you for putting this up (sorry it took me so long to get to it). The responses are really helpful.