OOC Potential Future Plot Discussion

[iaincarter]

Hey all!

I figure that in a few months time there is a good chance I will be looking into running a plot or two of my own. As market research is usually a smart investment before launching a new venture, I figured hey, why not ask the target audience directly?

So, what do you feel SA needs, plot-wise? What does it not need any more of? What factions would you like to see explored in more depth? What kind of things do you enjoy writing about/would you like to see in a game? Any characters you really would like to play but haven't got a home for yet?

This is all highly subjective and I'm sure we'll see some controversial opinions being stated and while I am hoping for some healthy discussion, let's please not turn this into an argument.

Finally, if you aren't comfortable replying here, please feel free to reach out to me via forum or discord DM!

 

[Yuuki]

Civilian Plots: Independent, SSS
SAoY Plots: Something Different™, but you'll need a good creative angle to find it

 

[Kai]

Piggybacking on what Yuuki said, definitely more civilian oriented plots, independent or exploration type plots. The majority of plots right now are in the SAoY (which makes sense because this is StarArmy.com after all)

I've been doing a lot of background work on starting up a new civilian 'Meta' plot with Origin's Beyond fleet projects, which despite being headed by Origin, has room for literally anything you'd want to run in it, with the added benefits of support from Veteran players and a ton of stuff to draw on in terms of ships, equipment, and even existing characters that could be brought into the fold, benefiting both a GM and the players that would want to play them.

I kind of feel like I'm hijacking your pitch with my own, but it boils down to; civilian plots are the least prevalent thing right now, but there should be a lot of support for a GM, even a new one, to run a Civvie plot.

 

[raz]

So, what do you feel SA needs, plot-wise?

Nothing, and that’s the most important thing to remember. Now is not a moment on Star Army where we’re scrambling for plots players can join, or where introducing a new plot ship is needed for the health and endurance of the community.

While I can definitely acknowledge you’re fishing for ideas to drum up potential interest, the most important thing is that you as the GM are interested in what you’re running.

There have been some good ideas about civilian RP posted above. I think it’s important that some kind of action is involved, though, so exploration/scientific study on an unsecured frontier is probably the most engaging possibility for civilians. There don’t have to be enemy soldiers charging down at the player characters but it’s essential that there exists some danger and action in a roleplaying story.

Ultimately, plots are only ever successful if the people running them are committed and won’t get bogged down with boredom or burnout. I’ve seen “if you build it they will come” said about running SARP plots and it’s really the golden rule.

Go with what you will enjoy foremost. Start roleplaying it, maybe in partnership with one or two others. More players will join and fall away and join again, but only as long as you’re having fun keeping up with the plot’s longevity

 

[iaincarter]

Thanks, Yuuki & Kai (don't worry about hijacking the thread, lol!) for the suggestions!

Thank you for your thoughts Raz and, believe me, I get where you are coming from - but I don't know enough about the SA setting yet to know what I might enjoy the most. Part of my hope for this is to have avenues of research suggested - as an example, I didn't know the SSS was a thing until Yuuki mentioned it above and Ametheliana explained what it was an acronym for in discord. While I anticipate reading everything in the wiki/archived on the forums eventually, I fully expect that to take years. Hence, the looking for some short-cuts!