Experiences Planning ahead in stories

[Unhandymanx46]

Hello, I'm new to rpn but I've done quite a bit of rping on other sites over the years. One thing I've always noticed is that what we usually call 'plots' are just premises, story hooks or even just pairings. Maybe this is just my incorrect understanding of writing as I haven't successfully written something longer than a short story, but when I think of a plot I think of something you could actually write a synopsis on. I understand why picking a place to start and then going wild is appealing, we all want to be creative geniuses! But in all my time rping with others, I've only had two stories not just go in circles, and I find this is especially difficult once dialogue starts.

I assumed all this was due to the younger and less mature audiences that the previous places I've rped catered to, but even on rpn (which seems to be 18+ or older highschoolers) I see this. Do people ever pick a place to start, a handful of events they want to work towards and a conclusion? Does it work? Does a simplified version that has no definite end or something else work better? Should I quit groaning and just write a story alone so I can play God with all the plot I could ever want?

Thank you for listening to my ramblings and let me know if anyone has experience or insight here!

 

[Onmyoji]

I think it comes down to the key difference of roleplaying vs writing a story alone: aside from you and your plots and ideas there is also another person (or people) who will also want to contribute.
So developing a plot that would be set in stone somewhat eliminates the contribution of the other person and might end in one of you (or both) getting frustrated. Even if the other person fully accepts your developed plot, there will still be times they'll want to introduce something you didn't account for.
That's why as far as roleplaying goes it's easier to have some sort of premise or starting point that you will build uplon with others.

Which doesn't mean you can't plan ahead. I believe that planning a rp is very important so that it doesn't stagnate or lose direction. But you will have to plan it out with your roleplay partner(s) to make it fun for everyone. And for that you need to catch that potential partner first with some vague premise that would be interesting to build upon.

 

[ashwynne]

Typically, I plan out roleplays the same way I plan out books: coming up with key points we want to get to, sketching out what those will look like very briefly, and being swept along on the journey to get there.

Nothing is ever set in stone and I never expect to rigidly stick to what’s planned. You never know what might change along the way from what you initially expected, after all!!

Only big ‘main’ difference I can think of is that generally with roleplays I never aim for an “ending.” If we stumble upon one, great! But I never go into an RP looking to complete a full story... not only because it rarely happens in general, but also because I don’t see a need for it to ever conclusively ‘end.’ Books require endings because they’re made for money, they’re consumable, and you can’t just stop a story midway through when people expect an ending. But even with that said... just because you read the final sentence of a book doesn’t mean the characters within it stop living their lives, it just means we are no longer directly party to watching them. So, for me, roleplays never having definitive endings is perfectly organic and acceptable, not something I strive for.

Ultimately though, people fall all over the spectrum in how they see and write roleplays. You’re bound to find someone who enjoys planning to the same as you

 

[Crayons]

As far as planning goes, I like a general idea of where things might be headed, a goal for my characters that they have in mind, and a few future scenes sketched in. Overplanning is a big problem for me. If I know exactly where the story is going and how then I just don't enjoy writing the posts. I need that element of the unknown and the room for spontaneity. I've found in the past that RPs just dry up if you're just following a template set down in the planning stage - if you know everything that will happen then why bother playing through it? A huge part of why I enjoy rp as opposed to just writing fiction is that thrill of the unexpected.

 

[CecilDMMasters]

Playing out a RP like it's a solid script is not really roleplaying. Trust me I've had the RP end quickly because my partner is like " . . . . Hey, I need your character to do so-and-so instead." Because well, my reason for RPing is to play my characters and if I'm being told what they should do then that is frankly pointless. The idea is both me and my partner write the story, not them telling me what to do like they are directing a movie.

Now on the other hand planning out basics and story points TOGTHER is certainly something that can be done in a story building RP. Like "Hey, I kind of want your character to see my character fighting with his boss as a revelation kind of moment." Or "I want my character to be injured badly and need rescue." Or talking of major events that will come up. Or adding things to the RP.

It's basic and leaves the other person to interact as they would in the situation.

Of course I've also seen a toxic attitude of someone who will talk of things to happen and then throw it out the window randomly or tease interesting happening while stalling. Which frankly is B***S*** to do to your partner. So yeah, if you suddenly change your mind about events then speak up.

 

[Minako]

Am... Am I of the unpopular opinion planning in an RP is a good thing? o.o;

I mean, of course too much planning is railroading and changing plans long anticipated a post or so before its supposed to happen is awful to do, but like...

Planning a few arcs? Character relationships, platonic or not? That's kinda preferable to me to be honest.. I like having some agency in things, naturally, but I also like not being totally blind going forward and knowing the RP has a slight plan to go somewhere.

Really, a good middle ground between spontaneous and planning is best in my humble opinion!

 

[Grey]

I treat roleplaying very differently from my static fiction, but not quite as you might expect.
I plan very little in my static fiction because I like seeing where my whims take me and it's not like it isn't getting a date with the editing shears.
For RPs- well, if I'm writing for a convention it's a bit more tightly plotted in terms of 'what needs to happen in this scene to drive the plot forward' with room for players to contribute. If it's on RPN, for example, I basically do in-depth worldbuilding so that I can set up some antagonists to suit what the players want to do, and then just let the situation evolve naturally based on player behaviour.
The plot, if they try to ignore it, will normally come and burn their house down.

But these things might only apply to GM-led RPs.

 

[Idea]

Whether roleplaying with planning or not will work depends mostly on
A) Where both parties get their fun
B) Both party's willingness to cooperate and genuinely have the discipline to limit themselves for the sake of giving their partner some space (note: this last part is a feature of any good roleplayer in my opinion, though this would demand a higher degree of this discipline)

The first part is largely the answer to "how important is the surprise factor to me/my partner?". If either of you really enjoys not knowing what's going to happen, gets their thrill less from the work produced but from the anticipation of what's coming next, then odds are planning isn't going to work out well. Of course, anyone can and will feel some excitement for what's to come, but for, from what I've seen, the majority of people it is a massive factor that easily be a deal breaker.

People, such as myself. who are bigger on planning, are less involved in the mystery or excitement of what might happen, and more interested in the wonders of why and how. I gain more from carefully crafting the narrative structure, developing a rounded character arc that really brings their potential to light, building up things with adequate foreshadowing, and I love to do it all alongside a partner.

Now the second point is, while more general, also harder. Not only will a planned roleplay easily fall apart if either player starts deviating to much, or otherwise needlessly creating obsctales to the plan's fulfillment. Furthermore, such a roleplay will also be a turn off if one party feels things are getting too skewed. If what my partner is interested in is a romance then my plan ought to account for romantic scenes and developments, otherwise my partner will simply be too bored to proceed. With planned RPs especially one needs to properly give players and their interests the spotlight.

Personally, the method I most typically use is laying out a planned skeleton which me and my partners then flesh out as we roleplay. The more leeway and interest I get from my partner regarding planning, the deeper I will go with that skeleton. My best RPs to date were with partners with whom I planned out individual scenes in fact.