Deviced Improvisational Storytelling

[Gnash]

A thread by Quintilius of Scarshield Legion that I felt like sharing with you. It's quite interesting. Have a read and share your thoughts.

DIS RP = Deviced Improvisational Storyteller RP! (Kek at name, but it looks fanceh, dunnit?)
Oh, and thoughts on Rp events are based ont he conditions on my server, SSL.


This wall of text is about a new(?) aproach to create RP events where the brainstorming phase is boiled down to one hour before the actual event takes place, so noone knows anything about the event before this. How can this be done and is it a good alternative/ way to fill up an evening with RP that is not your generic campfire chat about the weather? Basically a different approach to create an evening of hopefully entertaining RP, without spending days discussing it on some forum first. . Interested? Then read on.

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Roleplayers on average seem to want RP events. There seem to be alot of different ideas on what makes a good RP event, but in general RP Events seem to be considered a good thing, especially if they seem to be "sucessful". RP events is something that usually brings RP'ers together to reach a common goal and it pulls the RP'ers away from the oh so dreadful everyday RP that so often descends into mindless, boring chatter about the weather or wether or not X race is cool or not.

However, RP events are often looked upon as a hassle, something that takes way too much time and effort to contruct and that's probably why good RP evetns are so few and far between. Well, I'd like to try something that -perhaps- could serve as a quick and fun way to have an event happen without all the long hours of debating on forums about how and what to make. And to do this I'd like to adapt some principles used in the world of theatre, often in things like "Art under pressure" events. These are events where a gang of actors and maybe a director meet up and all they know is that in X amount of time they have to perform soemthing on stage, be it in one week or in two hours.

There's a certain way you can use to approach this way of creating a play and that's using some principles from what is called Deviced theatre. In deviced theatre you basically ask yourself "where is this going to happen?", "For who is this going to happen?" and "what do we want to Say / what message would we like to give" and based on these answers (and some other basic questions that may seem unrelated, but are there to stimulate creativity) you start constructing a framework for a play.

Now methinks that a similiar aproach could be doable in RP to create a one evening event for a bunch of RP'ers who'd like to do some RP that's just not hanging around the campfire and chat about pimples.

So let's say a bunch of us rp'ers gather up in either a custom channel or raid chat and we say "Ok, in about an hour we will have created the basic setting for an RP event and will have executed it". And by gradually working up a concept by putting one brick down at the time you end up creating an RP event that is location specific and created upon the desires and preferences upon those who participate and what characters they are going to enter the event with.

How to exactly do this must probably we worked out on a trial and error basis as there's too many variables to really do it perfect fromt he start just based on thought and theory, but I have a fair idea on how to lead the brainstorming phase to at least come up with something fairly interesting to do.

So to clearify how this looks like:

1. Brainstorming lead by the Storyteller. This is where all people's ideas and preferences for what makes up a good Rp event is considered by the storyteller and with cold hearted effieciency tries to just take whatever is said and construct it into something that might seem interesting. This should not take more than an hour tops.

2. Execution of the actual event itself where the narrative or the Facts which makes up the framework is maintained by the Storyteller who can use an IC raid chat to convey important information to the participants. The event in itself should probably not take more than two hours, three hours tops.


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This sort of event does not nessescarily need to be linked up to the greater scheme of things, as in it can be completely independant from any other plot line that may be in progress on the normal IC world. So the event in itself is lie a single packaged fast food RP event that's only there to give you 2-3 hours of fun RP event. It can be completely seperated from everything else, though the characters will ofcourse stay the same. This may be changed later on when we've tried this concept out so when we're more comfortable with it we can actually use this for events that -are- tied up to the real IC world (not sure what terms to use here )

Examples of initial questions to start the brainstorming process may be;

"Okey, where would be a cool place to RP?" Tie it down to a specific location before we know anything else.

"Name one or two things that you'd think would be cool to have in a RP event" This could be anything from a specific item to "love".

"Should the event revolve around one specific character played by one of you, or should it be some exterior goal that drives the narrative?"

"Should it involve PVP"

and etc. and based on a series of questions like this the Storyteller quickly gets an idea on what the event should build itself upon and somehow, inexplicably one hour later everyone has started on a RP event that hopefully everyone will enjoy.

Do bear in mind that the first attempt at this will be highly experimental and failure is a very viable outcome, maybe even welcome, as
something to learn from and to tweak the next attempt.

Anyways, it's a way to get RP. An event, and I think that it should be possible to do without the RP'ers constantly falling back on the "but my char wouldnt do that" or "that seems illogical" etc etc. So many Rp'ers seem to come up with so many reasons -not- to do RP. This is just RP. simple as. Enter, do it, exit. Fast served single packaged RP in event form that aims to entertain the player.

Doable? Me think so.

What I'd like is some feedback if this seems to be a good thing to pursue or not and has this approach been tried allready perhaps, if so, experiences? What be yer thoughts, if any?

[Gruulg]

Well you could leave out the thinking and plotting and take peeps on an adventure them being in the blue whats happening at all.Yes offcourse you could start rp anytime anywhere you want using /g and /redorc to specify if you must.I did some patrols in wetlands and hamerfall as a spontanious thing.In priciple oyu could rp about everything even use alliance ooc-ers as skirmishers in your rp battle.The possibilities are endless and only require online activeness.So if you want to start something anytime just describe your IC problem in /g

for example: Gruulg says;,,Oi me is in dem trubles 'ere ork'z!Get mi sum' help''.

I could than explain my intensions in redorc for participation,ideas and we're off.

I think initiatives like these are always a good thing.

Think we're used to improv rp sometimes but not really like Deviced Improvisational Storytelling.Sounds great though and we sure should try it out^^

[Claws]

Well not wanting to put it down but this is very much how it used to be in
Red Blade.
Good days and good fun.

Spontaneous  RP / events, dungeon runs, questing.
Someone would of just said “going to such and such place join in whoever wants too”
And before you knew it you had a full raid party from all over joining in for fun and laughter.