Viewpoint RP Preference: Plot-Driven or Character-Driven?

[Minako]

Uuuhhh...

 

[WINCE]

Uuuhhh...
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I framed the question the way I did to try and provoke discussion about the individual writing styles.

 

[Minako]

I framed the question the way I did to try and provoke discussion about the individual writing styles.

Fair enough! Haha!

Sorry, I don’t do the think good, so I don’t wanna add my two cents, but this is a good question posed

 

[BackSet]

Why not both. Sometimes I do one sometimes I do the other. Depends on the rp.

 

[Kylesar1]

Definitely character driven. It doesn't matter all that much how good the plot is if the characters are bland. All of the best fantasy RPs I've been in have pretty much the same plot: Ragtag group of heroes take down a powerful entity, whether it be a mad king or a powerful demon looking to bring the world to ruin. Very generic. What makes it worth it is the characters.

Why something happens is usually far more important than what happens.

• So you have to kill this person. Why?
• So you killed this person. Why?
• So you have to take down the mad king. Why?
• So you have to sneak into a heavily guarded barracks. Why?

If the why isn't explained or the emotions behind it, all you have is characters taking this entity down or doing this thing without a motive with nary a reaction in their brain. That makes it BORING.

• All-Might has issues with his body!.........ok? Why should I care? All-Might is the symbol of peace and the teacher of the main students at UA. He's the strongest hero in the world. If he dies, the crime rate may rise because the main deterrant for their villainy is gone.
• Oh, this big villain hurt All-Might!..........Ok? He fights evil. Getting hurt is part of the territory. You should care because the spot he got hit is his weak point and the source of why his body is failing.
• This guy is infiltrating this floating city to rescue this girl! That alone does nothing. It may get you to watch, but if the character sucks, it won't hold your interest.

Why do you think people STILL watch the Fast and Furious franchise. You KNOW the plot. Group of people get in fast cars to take down crime syndicates. It's GONNA happen. Homoerotic beefcakes fighting! Explosions! Fast Cars! Titties! The plot itself retains no one. Smack that plot with a different name and it'll fail. It's still a thing because people LOVE Vin Diesel, LOVE the Rock, Love Tyrese Gibson. They LOVE the camaraderie they display and how they have each other's backs, love the humor.

THAT'S CHARACTER, NOT REALLY THE PLOT

Godzilla. Movie got thrashed by critics but audiences loved it. Why? No one gives a shit about what the humans are doing. They don't care about the plot. They care about "big scary monster" destroying shit

That's the power of a character in a story.

 

[Crayons]

Homoerotic beefcakes fighting!

Did not know that was what Fast and Furious was about. Time to go watch it!

 

[BackSet]

They care about "big scary monster" destroying shit

I mean, it's a monster movie. Why would you go for the characters? There's a reason the trope is named Just Here for Godzilla.

And yes, I know they're usually supposed to be political commentaries about nukes or whatever but really, does anybody care besides analytical bloggers and college students who need to write an essay and also have an excuse to watch a Godzilla movie?

Edit: Oh crap I think I just started a fight.

 

[Sludge]

For sure it is the characters that make rps interesting. And if your players are proactive you probably won't need to worry about the plot at all.

But still I think that plot is just as important.

A lot of people design characters without any kind of goal or motive. Often they won't know what to do unless there is some kind of clear goal for them latch on. A simple plot built into the premise can help those players stick around.

 

[Crayons]

For sure it is the characters that make rps interesting. And if your players are proactive you probably won't need to worry about the plot at all.

But still I think that plot is just as important.

A lot of people design characters without any kind of goal or motive. Often they won't know what to do unless there is some kind of clear goal for them latch on. A simple plot built into the premise can help those players stick around.

Or just don't accept people's characters if they don't have goals and motive.

Doesn't really matter if they stick around if their characters aren't contributing anything. XD

 

[Sludge]

Or just don't accept people's characters if they don't have goals and motive.

Doesn't really matter if they stick around if their characters aren't contributing anything. XD

Oh wow, thats pretty strict. When I see a potential jellyfish Ill usually just nudge them towards making their character more inolved and, uh, less like a tree.

 

[Crayons]

Oh wow, thats pretty strict. When I see a potential jellyfish Ill usually just nudge them towards making their character more inolved and, uh, less like a tree.

Yeah I was only being half serious.

I can't expect everyone to live up to my draconian standards. XD

 

[BakaTheIdiot]

The best and most memorable Roleplay I ever did had no plot. It was just the interactions of two socially inept people living in London. One was involved in some mafia-esqe setting, while the other (my character) was a conflicted descendant of a war criminal trying to carve a better life for himself. There was no romance, there was no pressure. It was a depressing, almost sobering, and beautiful roleplay experience that I've yet to replicate, unfortunately.

 

[Dirge]

Both technically can’t live without the other. Characters with no driving goal never had a plot to begin with and a plot can’t advance without characters. Slice of Life is what a plot lacking story is, and even then SOL has a plot anyway even if it’s just the character looking for ingredients to make a sandwich.

 

[ashwynne]

Character driven. Always.
Well fleshed out, dynamic, characters can make a bland plot delightful. But bland, uninteresting, characters will kill even the most brilliant of plots.
Obviously the BEST is when you have both in perfect balance, but if I'm forced to choose then character driven will always win out.

 

[Melpomene]

Ooooh

I love character driven plots. To me the biggest thing that attracts me to a story is almost always the characters. I love writing characters and reading about them. So, I like looking at engaging character arcs (and writing engaging arcs) more than just making a cool plot. If I don't like the characters I won't like the story no matter how good the plot is. But as long as I like the characters, I probably will never let go of the Rp/story.

 

[Tove]

I favor both and almost always do both. I can't do one without the other, I don't want to do one without the other. I can't just create a character and focus on interpersonal struggle without having a plot or story to drive them forward to help them overcome their personal obstacles. It's all well and good to focus on characters but if there's no plot to go with them it just feels boring to me.