RP Plot Help

[awa1997]

So, I have an RP on a few other sites, but I try to mix the main plot up with every incarnation. It's meant for a large group, or at least a small group that can play several characters each.

The basic idea is that it's set on earth, and the world is nearly exactly the same, with one major difference: there is a smallish group of people known as Mages. (Smallish being around 40 total compared to the entire population of the world.)

Mages are a group of people who have near immortality and complete biological immortality (meaning they cannot die naturally, and are not easily killed, but are capable of dying and being killed under the right circumstances).

The Mages each control one element and that element is exclusive to them. The powers of the Mages may, however, overlap, such as Life and Nature both having at least some ability to create life, and in some versions there are hybrid mages, such as Madness and Love creating Obsession or Madness and Death creating Wraith, where the hybrids have some powers of each parent power, but with varying strength comparatively.

So far, we have three plots in progress, a war amongst the Mages, a war between the Mages and the mortals, and the Mages monitoring the interactions between creatures on different planets, but in all of them we have no defined stopping point, even when the current plot ends, because it could go on forever if we come up with new plots. I would like to discuss any plot ideas for this.

I'm also not sure about where to put this in because I personally have trouble doing even somewhat long posts, but I would also like to make a timeline of the universe eventually (though not right away) and that kind of character building would probably fall under advanced.

[BrokenPromise]

This sounds like a discussion you should be having with your players. Find out what makes them happiest and go with that.

[NuttsnBolts]

Flip it up a bit and maybe incorporate something that leeches their powers away and they have to go explore to find out how to regain them. Or you could have a powerful object of desire stolen from an ancient temple that has the ability to amplify the powers and it can become an object that everyone is searching for.

Really all your plot ideas at the moment are based around conflict and exploration, so branching into other stuff may help.

[awa1997]

@BrokenPromise

Thanks for the advice. But I have a couple questions if you have the time and inclination to answer them.

1) Do you know of any way I could get people's attention for it? I've got one friend on this site who will definitely be in it, but I posted an interest check almost a week ago, with no replies, and it has left the first page. In my experience, few people look past that page. (Though I could just be being too impatient for it.)

2) Where do you think it would fit best? I sometimes struggle to make RP posts that go past the 'free' section, but the kind of character depth I like with it is much more towards advanced. Would that put it essentially in Casual?

3) What is this site's rules for bumping threads, since I haven't seen it in the rules?

@NuttsnBolts

Thanks for those ideas. They sound great, and could work very well.

[BrokenPromise]

@awa1997

1) I'd like to see the interest check, I'm sure I could give you some advice to help make it more appealing. Honest;y, I made 1 interest check on here and I got 5 people to join it. But It was a Danganronpa RP and a new game was dropping in japan that same month. So I was able to take advantage of that rush.

2) If you like short, daily posts, stick with free. people post slower in casual, but they write a lot more.

3) I've never had to bump a thread, but once every other day seems to be okay. Maybe instead of just bumping though, you could add an update or work something out before bumping it again.

[awa1997]

@BrokenPromise

Thank you, and I'm sorry for bothering you with all of this.

1) Here's a link to it: (link)

2) Thanks. I think I'll go with Casual then, because I like longer posts, I just have a lot of difficulty making them, and I can use it to get better without sacrificing the story to endless one-liners.

3) Ok, thank you.

[Dion]

1) Here's a link to it: (link)

@awa1997

I'll give you the answers and then Broken can elaborate a bit more.

• Title is too bland. I remember scrolling past this. I didn't click it because 'a single element' doesn't tell me what the RP is about. Try including a tagline like 'A single Element: an RP about mages, elements and (insert something that draws attention, like 'chaos' 'war' 'bloodshed' 'expanding knowledge').
• It's a 'wall' of text. It's not really that long but there's nothing that catches the eye. Compare to this which is a random RP interest check I found that did have interest. There's a nice header, a clear distinction between IC, OOC and other info. Overall more pleasant to read and while I wouldn't join it purely for this, it definitely makes me more interested.
• You did't bump it. Yeah, it's that simple sometimes. Just sitting back and waiting won't work in casual RP on RPG. You might need to bump. Once or twice. Anything more than that and you'll know there's no interest.
• Bad luck. I guess you just had bad luck too. Sometimes it's just not the right moment to post. It happens.
• To be honest I don't rely on interest checks to get me the interest I need. OOC's usually work better because people barely read the interest check subforum.

That's just what I thought on the matter. Hope it helps you, somehow?

[awa1997]

@Buddha

Yeah, that helps a lot.

explanation for each point you made

I wasn't sure on the rules for bumping, so I included that in this. As for the title, that was enough for a lot of people on other sites, so I didn't think about it. Same thing with the 'wall of text', aside from separating the story, the character sheet form, and the rules of the RP with an hr, I didn't do much to make the wall fancy, so I didn't think to do it here. The lack of people checking interest checks probably did it too, but I was under the impression that it would be the best route to take, so that's why I did it. And, yeah, bad luck tends to be a thing that follows me around.

In other words, if you didn't want to read that, I just didn't think to change anything from what worked on other sites, didn't know how things worked here, and usually have a lot of bad luck. I will try to fix all of that, and thank you.

[BrokenPromise]

Alright, here's what I see. You can feel free to take and do whatever with the advice I'm about to give you, but this is how I would address your interest check one part at a time.

Hello all, this is my first interest check, so please inform me if I do anything wrong in it.

@awa1997

It is not necessary to tell people "this is my first time." Even if it's true, people will think you are inexperienced and not show interest. You don't have to lie, but you don't have to tell the truth either. Your honestly won't net you any extra interest in this instance.

I don't have a plot for this yet, but I do have enough information to get it out there before the plot. It's made for a larger group, but could be split among a smaller group. IT honestly depends on how many people want in.

@awa1997

You sound a little unsure of yourself here. "It's made for a large group, but could be made for a smaller group" sounds like "It's made for a large group, but I'm not confident enough my idea will generate enough interest." If you're indecisive about something, don't mention it. I also wouldn't tell people you don't have a plot for this yet, because that makes it sound like you don't know what you want to do. Instead, you could say something along the lines of "I'd like to brainstorm a plot for this," which sounds like taking player feedback is all part of your master plan. And you DO have a master plan.

This RP will be set on earth, the time frame will most likely be modern day, though this is not set in stone. The world is inhabited by beings known as Mages. Mages are people that have magic powers, but each Mage is limited to controlling a single element, while each element also has only one Mage. The powers of the different elements can overlap, but no two have the exact same power set. Mages are nearly immortal, and cannot die of natural causes, but there are things that can kill them. They try to stay out of the public eye and work behind the scenes. If they die, their powers can be taken, but are usually given to someone else by another Mage to pick up where they left off. A side effect of this type of reincarnation is that certain personality traits can be passed on through reincarnation, such as one Mage feeling obliged to protect another even though there's no real reason to, or two Mages falling in love over and over throughout different incarnations, or even two characters hating each other over and over.

@awa1997

I tend to break things down into sub categories and use pictures and such to make things more fun to look at, but there isn't anything wrong here really. It just looks a little boring for an interest check.

Eventually I would like to have a full timeline of the Mages to put up, including all mast incarnations' birth and death dates, but to start with that's unnecessary. What I would like is somewhat of a degree of historical accuracy with your characters, but it doesn't have to be perfect accuracy, after all, these are characters that work behind the scenes to keep the world in order, so they may have tweaked some circumstances over the centuries.

@awa1997

I would not reassure my players that they didn't need to have perfect accuracy after suggesting you want historical accuracy, etc. I think what you're trying to say is "I want to have some lore."

The Mages will be overpowered by nature, but the majority of powers should only affect mortals, and the majority of characters will be Mages, so the strength of their powers probably won't be too much of a problem, but if they are, I would let you know.

@awa1997

I don't think this part is necessary. We all know you're going to GM the RP.

Sorry for the wall of text, but hopefully it's enough to give you an idea of if you'd enjoy the concept. If you have any questions, I will answer as best as I can.

@awa1997

You do not have to apologies for writing an interest check smaller than some casual posts. Nor should you hope about things that you know you did a good job explaining. You will not answer as best as you can, you will answer, full stop.

---

Overall, your problem is that you're too modest and you don't know how to write interest checks. Don't tell people about your inexperience or that you don't know what to do. People will automatically assume the worst and not join. while you shouldn't act like a smug dick, there's nothing wrong with expressing a healthy amount of confidence and excitement for your idea. When I read your interest check, it's almost like you're not sure if anyone is going to be interested in it or not. And if you aren't sure of yourself, why should I be sure of you?

The interest check that Buddha posted is an example of how you can make a decent looking interest check with just a few effects. If you want to see more that you can do with BBCoding go here. Do not be intimidated by the word coding, it's all very simple, and you don't have to use all of it. Word of the day is "production value." If it looks like you've spent a lot of time on the interest check, that tells people you are dedicated to the idea and will continue to put a lot of work into it going forward.

Buddha makes some good points. I wouldn't have thought to address the title, but that's very important for original RPs.

[awa1997]

@BrokenPromise

Thank you so much, I will correct all of that. Though, the issue with me being too modest will probably take a lot of work, because I try as hard as I can not to come off as overbearing in any way, shape or form.

Would you mind double checking it for me once it's done?

[BrokenPromise]

@awa1997 Being a GM means making hard choices and being the driving force behind your story. You need to have a goal, and realize you need people to achieve it. sometimes you need to be overbearing in order to get things done. It is a balance, and one that changes moment to moment. But don't confuse arrogance with confidence. "I'm a pretty damn good GM" sends a much different message than "I'm the best damn GM."

Sure, I would love to look over it again.

[Lady Absinthia]

@awa1997 Not going to repeat what others have said here since they covered it already but a few things that might help you with Rps here. In my signature are links to templates and tutorials. Might give them a look and see what could work for you.

[awa1997]

@BrokenPromise

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.

I've updated it and added some information. The only three things I feel like I haven't done yet is make it colorful, add pictures, and change the title.

@Lady Amalthea

Thank you, I'll check them out and use them moving forward.

[Lady Absinthia]

@awa1997 Quick, note about the coding on the forum. I didn't get the notification, just checked the topic. If you edit in an @mention on this forum it won't notify the person. (It's a glitch)

[awa1997]

@Lady Amalthea

Oh, ok. Glad you got the message anyways, and thanks for letting me know about that.

[Lady Absinthia]

@awa1997 Sure thing, it was one of those things I learned the hard way
Kept editing and wondering why people were seeing it LOL

[BrokenPromise]

@awa1997 Night and day difference my friend. I can't believe this is the same person who wrote that other interest check.

I think I would flesh out the setting a bit more, in terms of how the mages have actually affected modern society. Especially if you are thinking of making lore a high point for the RP. But it looks so much better than what it was. You can continue to improve it of course.

[awa1997]

@BrokenPromise lol Thanks.

I'll see what I can do, but I like to try to leave the exact effects of the Mages to the owners of the characters involved, so I'm not sure where that line would be drawn.

Thanks for all of the help, I really appreciate it.

[NobleJanobii]

Well glad to see this RP is getting a lot of feedback because that's definitely what we need. Hi I'm the other person AWA mentioned. Usually I'd be the one driving this but I've been busy with finals (so many freaking papers dear God) so I haven't had time to sit down and really work with him on it. I'll definitely try to keep in mind what has been mentioned here when we work on this together, but for now I just wanted to thank everyone for their tips, as they're greatly appreciated.