Other The Driving Force of a Story: Plot vs Characters

[flapjack]

While both the plot and its characters are essential parts in a story/roleplay, I've always wondered (no im more confused now actually after months of inactivity lol) which aspect of the roleplay needs more attention and effort when planning for a roleplay. The plot, the story's setting, lore, theme or the characters, the storytellers?

Which one outweighs the other?
Does a plot-driven rp last longer than a character-driven rp or is it vice versa?
Is it more efficient to develop the plot as the roleplay goes or is character development more prioritized in a roleplay?
When should you stop working on the plot and let the characters take over and vice versa?
How can roleplayers and gms make the two work hand in hand and complement each other nicely?

 

[Bone2pick]

While both the plot and its characters are essential parts in a story/roleplay, I've always wondered (no im more confused now actually after months of inactivity lol) which aspect of the roleplay needs more attention and effort when planning for a roleplay. The plot, the story's setting, lore, theme or the characters, the storytellers?

In terms of what GMs should be responsible for and invest the most work (aka planning) into, yeah plot and setting hands down. Character driven story arcs are amazing - all things being equal I prefer them - but they should be designed by the players. It's up to them to develop personal/emotional character goals, not the GM. Good GMs just provide the space and narrative opportunities to pursue them.

Which one outweighs the other?

It depends entirely on the preferences of the participants. Adventure tabletop/dice-based RPG participants tend to heavily favor plot, while romantic slice of life RP participants tend to heavily favor character. Different roleplay types have different player wants and expectations.

Does a plot-driven rp last longer than a character-driven rp or is it vice versa?

See above. There are dungeon crawl campaigns that last for years with very little or no character driven moments, and there are plenty of character driven fantasy and modern roleplays that have similar lifespans.

I'll stop answering your questions here because imo, plot driven vs character driven emphasis is dependent on expectations. In order to make a suggestion for one over the other I'd need more information from what you and your players want out of the roleplay. It's not one size fits all.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Yeah pretty much what Bone says. It honestly depends on what the people your roleplaying with and what you yourself are looking to get out of the roleplay.

For instance world building is super important to me. I like to have a very solid foundation of setting and decent plot outline before I start.

Many of my partners have been the - pick your character and go types.

So it really just depends on what your looking for in terms of the roleplay. Pick any combination of plot vs. characters vs. setting and you'll find people that feel the same way as you.

 

[flapjack]

Thank you for the responses! Actually, I don't have a concrete roleplay in mind, I was just really wondering what most roleplays now tend to lean towards as reference for future roleplays. I guess it does depend on the type, though. That slipped my mind.

I get that high fantasy, futuristic, fandoms, among most themes, require more attention or research (specially on a fandom setting) on world building, hence it is usually more plot-driven (I think). However, as a person who's more inclined to realistic/modern rps, I think this type of setting gives more free room for development on either aspects, which raises a debate in my mind. In this section, I've seen roleplays that invest attention on characters and their relationships before it starts and leave the plot to unfold by itself as the roleplay progresses. On the other hand, there are also those who get into world building and let their characters develop themselves over the course of the roleplay.

I guess my questions lie with the realistic/modern theme in mind, because I think it's flexible enough to either have a plot-driven or a character-driven rp. Also, to add, I get that the slice of life theme is tied mostly to character-driven rps, so I'm excluding that from the picture. I'm changing the first question, though. Rather than choose the best (as it depends), I'm just gonna ask for a comparison. What does a plot-driven, realistic setting, bring onto the table? Likewise, what does a character-driven, realistic setting, bring onto the table? Is it still dependent on the goals and expectations of the rpers? What if the rpers have none and let their choice shape their goals and expectations instead?

Oh gosh, I'm sorry if I replied with more questions.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Yeah a roleplay is going to be driven by the people in it. Neither type is inherently better as it all ultimately comes down to personal preference.

So your best off figuring out what you want, clearly stating it in your search or interest check, and cultivating a group or picking a partner from that.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Even if what you want is pretty much : we’re in the real world, make a character and start posting.

There are plenty of people that are totally fine with that.

Just as there are plenty of people that are going to want you to come up with a world building wiki. Flesh out the setting, make arcs for the plot, give some clear guidelines for character creation.

This a big enough site that you can find a player for just about anything really. I mean you might need to have some patience and you definitely need to be clear on what you want.

But otherwise yeah it’s just find what works for you and roleplay that

 

[flapjack]

Oh, okay. I guess it does boil down to that. Thank you so much for the advice!