Making Story - Player or GM responsibility?

Community Larp discussion
#1

I’ve been having a number of interesting discussions recently about different opinions on whose responsibility it is to make story happen for individual characters - does the responsibiltiy lie with the GM to run events personally for the character, or should the GM merely provide a world with many plot hooks for the player to latch onto, or should the GM just provide the world and leave it to the individual player to forge their own story?

Conversely, is it the players’ responsibility to interact with the plot and the world in order to make things happen for themselves? Is it better for players to interact with what is provided, or is it better for them to contribute by reacting and furthering what is given by the GM? How do you, as a player, make your character’s in game* story awesome?

I’m really interested in hearing both player and GM views on what the balance is in the GM-Player paradigm when it comes to giving your character an awesome time.

  • in game vs. what’s on your character sheet - I’m only interested in in-game developments because character sheet writing is really a solitary exercise.
#2

Both, but I prefer it to be player-led. A good game world has plenty to do, and it responds in a way that amplifies players’ creativity. It should lend itself to “story” and perhaps have a recent history that puts its players in the middle of a current story. Story should develope without them, but I think there should also be private story (some of the best bits) that the GM doesn’t know about (and doesn’t need to know about) at all.

#3

I agree with exquire, the gm can only provide so much in the way of story arc and plot development, without the input of player driven plots and goals.

Though as a gm i prefer to at least have some warning about personal story development just in case it impacts on the metaplot of the campaign.

#4

I’ll just chuck an additional discussion question in here - how do you, as a player, go about making story for yourself?

#5

As a GM, my ideal approach is to create the world for the players to interact with & interact within. Planned things may or may not be in play & this is simply the level of plot in play.
Player development may or may not be possible in a given setting depending on how much detail has been provided, both to the player & vice versa, to the GM by the player. How your character interacts, in general, with the setting & other players & characters, is how one creates ones character, whether its egocentric by design or not.

#6

Some games and characters are more suited to making plot than others.
Personally, I prefer to play characters that make plot. I’m happy to pretty much ignore whatever the GM(s) serve up just play my character, because I like to be proactive.

I think that players are often more reactive than proactive, preferring to react to encounters rather than seizing the bull by the horns and trying to get the baddies onto the back foot.

#7

I would very much agree with Derek on players description.
But I’m a very shy person, so it’s difficult for me to act proactive, which means I usually stay outside of the plot, unless another player involves me (and after that they get surprised why so many women love Megilindir :unamused: ). Also, I may have been mistaking it, but the often appearing phrase “the sooner you submit your character sheet, the more GMs can plot for you” (italic is mine) suggests that there will be personal plots for the players created by GMs. Correct me if I’m wrong.
Oh, actually, I know that I’m wrong, but it took me 1,5 year to understand that. Sorry for being stupid and expecting something.

#8

At TNC we tend to create a setting and story, and then when the players create their own, and they always seem to, we run with it. in fact one of the story arcs we created was changed because of what was happening with the characters.

R

#9

My interpretation of this as a GM, is that if you write something good on your sheet and send it in nice and early there is time for the GMs to set up for it. However, it doesn’t mean it will be thrown it into your lap, you will have to take some action IC for it to happen e.g. you have amnesia or memory loss/block. If you send this fact in early the GMs will write up something for you. Although don’t expect to go to sleep and then wake up the next morning with it fully restored. You will have to work to get it back.

#10

Some people have better plot hooks than others so not everything gets used. That said, the chance that something somehow linked into your story will happen is proportionate to the amount of time left before the game.

#11

I was also told once, the plot will hold true until first contact with the characters (& crew or monsters for that matter). Hence no matter what a GM plans, it is characters that make the game what it is.

So many times I’ve seen crew (monsters) spontaneously create backstory & purpose & flavour, when the sheet they’ve been given says only “Orc, 4hp, territorial & like gold”

Characters spontaneously generate story & do so whenever they interact with any situation. Throw that in with monsters (crew) that are doing the same thing & who knows what will happen?

#12

I’ve learnt a long time ago, you write a module and the characters will do what they want anyway. I feel Gms are responsable for the overall game world, with foldback from the players and the players are responsable for their own interactions with that world.

Also I discovered a long time ago, once a module is in motion you can’t change it. LRP is just to dynamic and the players have such a large impact on the game. Writers can suggest plots, but players make them .

#13

Actually I believe it was Alista who said that the plot will hold true until first contact with the characters :stuck_out_tongue:
He’s right too

#14

Depends on the larp. In my opinion, the organisers of the larp should have a play style in mind that will suit the larp and get across to the players what it is. Some larps will rely more heavily on players inventing reasons to interact, some less. It’s especially important to communicate this clearly if you’re running a larp that requires a different approach than what the players are used to.

In some larps players inventing reasons to interact is quite inappropriate. For example in a freeform larp like Flight of the Hindenburg the characters are all pre-written by the organisers to have a web of interacting goals, secrets, resources, etc. If players start inventing a lot of extra backstory to create other reasons to interact it will act as a red herring, and detract from the designed plots, which other players are relying on because they’re written into their characters.