- Joined
- May 17, 2016
- Messages
- 1,518
- Reaction score
- 3,071
- Points
- 403
- Age
- 26
- Location
- Regalia.
- Website
- conflee.tumblr.com
Hello. Essayman returns. To get the preamble out of the way, I am Conf. Played for 4 years starting around 2016, took a 2 year break where I only came back for a few one-off RP scenes and to check out the Yearly Events, and now I'm returning because the RP Itch is an insatiable hunger that consumes us all. In the time over my break I became an RPer, Dev, DM, and Writer for a VRChat RP, so I've still been RPing, just over voice in VR rather than text in MC.
This thread is going to be some general thoughts on Yearly Events, their structure, history, and ideas for the future. These have always been the part of the server that I found myself the most invested in, for whatever reason. Perhaps the status quo being cast aside just feels more hectic and liberating, like the subconscious bounds we know we're all kept in are loosened for a time while we all suspend our disbelief and believe the City may change hands for good. Or the lore reveals and race introductions bringing in new perspective to the setting. Or maybe it's as simple as, I happened to end up leading a group the first time one happened after I started playing here, and my brain is forever tainted to associate them with those awesome memories. Or all of the above.
Regardless, before I start I'm going to call Yearly Events YE's for short because I'm going to type that so many damn times I bet.
What Purpose Do Yearly Events Serve?
In my mind, the purpose of YE's are to enable roleplay to occur that otherwise wouldn't, or is incredibly unlikely to. Different groups working together when they previously would be safely considered staunch enemies. Groups that are normally in one position, being in a drastically different position- such as guards on the run, oppressed groups in control, or both working together against something worse.
Some examples of this would be the Violet Guard operating out of the Sewers during the Deathline Occupation, or various Criminal and Government groups cooperating during the Bralona Takeover. The first half of the Return of Dragons is also a good example- entire districts taken over by turned cultists, turning the city itself into a warzone (before Real Life decided to be a bastard and fuck Marty over and the event had to end, that was rough timing).
YE's also serve to empower players, or embolden them, more accurately. Presented with a situation where bold, drastic action is no longer a death wish that will be cracked down on by others, IC. This lets them cut loose and have fun with it without as much fear for their character's lives.
Finally, they act as palate cleaners. Social RP, petty crime, duels and political intrigue are fun on their own, but with a Roleplay like Massive running 24/7 every day of the year for years on end, YE's provide a critical break from the usual pace. Something exciting, new, and kind of hectic to shake up the more predictable calm cycle of day to day roleplay.
Some players will always complain that their tea time rp is interrupted, but YE's need to be obstructive enough that people actually care. It's not an occupation if you can ignore it by hiding in a fort or estate or house rental.
The Lack Stakes
Generally the stakes in these events, counter intuitively, are fairly low. The way these events have been presented in the past has reinforced the fact that, on a grand scale, the status quo will always return. The greatest long term impact was actually from the Return of Dragons despite it having to end early, because it introduced Dragon Worship and cemented the old conspiracy theory of the Kades being Dragons. The rest however have always had a shadow over them, players knowing things will return to normal afterward.
This isn't strictly a bad thing- the Roleplay must go on, action that would end the RP isn't on the table. Things always need to return to something PLAYABLE by the end, otherwise it's just the end.
The issue this raises, though, is stakes. Players have always been very reluctant to side with the Antagonist force. They know the Antagonist force will lose, because the way they are always presented is that if they win, Roleplay will not be able to continue under their rule. So there is an understanding from the start that they will fail. Which results in players usually opting to not side with them.
The major exception is the Vampire Occupation, which was led by and composed completely of Player Characters, but it also had a pseudo mind control / side swap mechanic like the Return of Dragons, where people were magically turned en masse to fuel the Vampire force.
Illusion of Defeat
All this said, I think the main thing holding these events back is exactly that. Players won't side with the Antagonists. The solution is fairly simple to me. When an Antagonist is presented by the YE's, their 'Win State' should be a scenario that is still Playable and where Roleplay could happen and continue mostly normally. The status quo could still be very different- undead legalized, Unionism no longer the primary faith, even up to Nobility being deposed or Jakobinism coming to fruition- that those last two would still risk breaking the suspension of disbelief perhaps too much.
The point isn't that the Antagonists should win, it's that if they did win, the Roleplay could continue. If the choice is blurred, no longer a black and white binary with a pure evil Antagonist force, players will be less certain of their defeat, and may side with them. Or at least be more comfortable siding with them.
The issue would always be "Genre-Savvy" players who know Regalia will always win, and will refuse to side against it in any situation, and the fact that a large portion of characters are hardliner supporters of the Empire for obvious reasons. There might need to be a YE's or two where a situation like this is presented and the Antagonists CAN actually win, to brush off the dust and wake people up, so they actually consider which side they pick in the future, I'm less certain on this.
Aftermath
The other struggle is aftermath and consequences- always. I believe these events will be more engaging if characters are actually siding against one another, forced to weigh both sides and analyze the pros and cons of each and pick who they support in character properly. But there is always the issue of, if this system is performed ideally, the split should hopefully be something like 60/40 or 70/30 (with the Antagonist always having less, I'm being kind of realistic here).
This means that there will always be numerous characters on the losing end- which shouldn't be an issue, it's roleplay. The Win Condition of Roleplay is Having Enjoyable Roleplay.
Line break for emphasis.
The only issue really arises in the aftermath. The defeat needs to feel like a defeat, but it can never be so total that players are scared of being on the losing side. If their characters face exile or execution following the YE's, then no matter how even we make the two sides, people will always side with Regalia by default.
Because of this, there needs to be some understanding OOC that the punishments following these events are going to be pretty muted. After all the goal is, again, to just have fun Roleplay. As soon as players fear defeat OOC, they start Power Gaming. Losing IC should not be Losing OOC.
Another line break for emphasis.
Player Run Occupations
A lot of emphasis has been put on Player Run Occupations being the way forwards, I've seen it brought up a few times by Staff in the RP Discord even. And I love it- I've longed for it for years. I do think perhaps some outline, or general guidelines, or just an 'ideal scenario for this as seen by staff' being publicly out there somewhere might help players know how to progress, however.
I've always wanted to attempt a united crime takeover, but have been put off of it for some of the reasons above, but also because the general repeated stance that Regalia will always win, the Kades won't be overthrown, Rebellion is Cringe, etc. I've known and accepted that the change would always be short-lived, like my rambling above goes on about. But having it reinforced so often always gave me the impression that this meant this sort of occupation wasn't wanted or would not be approved or would not get staff backing.
I've had enough time to think on it that I no longer think this is the case, I think Staff were just being cautionary to temper expectations. But it has also tainted people's willingness to join up with these sorts of attempted Player Occupations and made them even harder to get rolling.
So something of an outline for what Staff see as an "Ideal Player Occupation" with expectations outlined may help. It would make me more comfortable anyway, lmao.
That is, more or less, my loosely organized thoughts on Yearly Events. I love them, I'm probably biased in favor of them due to positive interactions my first 2 years in this RP. And I have a lot of thoughts on them because I think about them often.
This thread is going to be some general thoughts on Yearly Events, their structure, history, and ideas for the future. These have always been the part of the server that I found myself the most invested in, for whatever reason. Perhaps the status quo being cast aside just feels more hectic and liberating, like the subconscious bounds we know we're all kept in are loosened for a time while we all suspend our disbelief and believe the City may change hands for good. Or the lore reveals and race introductions bringing in new perspective to the setting. Or maybe it's as simple as, I happened to end up leading a group the first time one happened after I started playing here, and my brain is forever tainted to associate them with those awesome memories. Or all of the above.
Regardless, before I start I'm going to call Yearly Events YE's for short because I'm going to type that so many damn times I bet.
What Purpose Do Yearly Events Serve?
In my mind, the purpose of YE's are to enable roleplay to occur that otherwise wouldn't, or is incredibly unlikely to. Different groups working together when they previously would be safely considered staunch enemies. Groups that are normally in one position, being in a drastically different position- such as guards on the run, oppressed groups in control, or both working together against something worse.
Some examples of this would be the Violet Guard operating out of the Sewers during the Deathline Occupation, or various Criminal and Government groups cooperating during the Bralona Takeover. The first half of the Return of Dragons is also a good example- entire districts taken over by turned cultists, turning the city itself into a warzone (before Real Life decided to be a bastard and fuck Marty over and the event had to end, that was rough timing).
YE's also serve to empower players, or embolden them, more accurately. Presented with a situation where bold, drastic action is no longer a death wish that will be cracked down on by others, IC. This lets them cut loose and have fun with it without as much fear for their character's lives.
Finally, they act as palate cleaners. Social RP, petty crime, duels and political intrigue are fun on their own, but with a Roleplay like Massive running 24/7 every day of the year for years on end, YE's provide a critical break from the usual pace. Something exciting, new, and kind of hectic to shake up the more predictable calm cycle of day to day roleplay.
Some players will always complain that their tea time rp is interrupted, but YE's need to be obstructive enough that people actually care. It's not an occupation if you can ignore it by hiding in a fort or estate or house rental.
The Lack Stakes
Generally the stakes in these events, counter intuitively, are fairly low. The way these events have been presented in the past has reinforced the fact that, on a grand scale, the status quo will always return. The greatest long term impact was actually from the Return of Dragons despite it having to end early, because it introduced Dragon Worship and cemented the old conspiracy theory of the Kades being Dragons. The rest however have always had a shadow over them, players knowing things will return to normal afterward.
This isn't strictly a bad thing- the Roleplay must go on, action that would end the RP isn't on the table. Things always need to return to something PLAYABLE by the end, otherwise it's just the end.
The issue this raises, though, is stakes. Players have always been very reluctant to side with the Antagonist force. They know the Antagonist force will lose, because the way they are always presented is that if they win, Roleplay will not be able to continue under their rule. So there is an understanding from the start that they will fail. Which results in players usually opting to not side with them.
The major exception is the Vampire Occupation, which was led by and composed completely of Player Characters, but it also had a pseudo mind control / side swap mechanic like the Return of Dragons, where people were magically turned en masse to fuel the Vampire force.
Illusion of Defeat
All this said, I think the main thing holding these events back is exactly that. Players won't side with the Antagonists. The solution is fairly simple to me. When an Antagonist is presented by the YE's, their 'Win State' should be a scenario that is still Playable and where Roleplay could happen and continue mostly normally. The status quo could still be very different- undead legalized, Unionism no longer the primary faith, even up to Nobility being deposed or Jakobinism coming to fruition- that those last two would still risk breaking the suspension of disbelief perhaps too much.
The point isn't that the Antagonists should win, it's that if they did win, the Roleplay could continue. If the choice is blurred, no longer a black and white binary with a pure evil Antagonist force, players will be less certain of their defeat, and may side with them. Or at least be more comfortable siding with them.
The issue would always be "Genre-Savvy" players who know Regalia will always win, and will refuse to side against it in any situation, and the fact that a large portion of characters are hardliner supporters of the Empire for obvious reasons. There might need to be a YE's or two where a situation like this is presented and the Antagonists CAN actually win, to brush off the dust and wake people up, so they actually consider which side they pick in the future, I'm less certain on this.
Aftermath
The other struggle is aftermath and consequences- always. I believe these events will be more engaging if characters are actually siding against one another, forced to weigh both sides and analyze the pros and cons of each and pick who they support in character properly. But there is always the issue of, if this system is performed ideally, the split should hopefully be something like 60/40 or 70/30 (with the Antagonist always having less, I'm being kind of realistic here).
This means that there will always be numerous characters on the losing end- which shouldn't be an issue, it's roleplay. The Win Condition of Roleplay is Having Enjoyable Roleplay.
Line break for emphasis.
The only issue really arises in the aftermath. The defeat needs to feel like a defeat, but it can never be so total that players are scared of being on the losing side. If their characters face exile or execution following the YE's, then no matter how even we make the two sides, people will always side with Regalia by default.
Because of this, there needs to be some understanding OOC that the punishments following these events are going to be pretty muted. After all the goal is, again, to just have fun Roleplay. As soon as players fear defeat OOC, they start Power Gaming. Losing IC should not be Losing OOC.
Another line break for emphasis.
Player Run Occupations
A lot of emphasis has been put on Player Run Occupations being the way forwards, I've seen it brought up a few times by Staff in the RP Discord even. And I love it- I've longed for it for years. I do think perhaps some outline, or general guidelines, or just an 'ideal scenario for this as seen by staff' being publicly out there somewhere might help players know how to progress, however.
I've always wanted to attempt a united crime takeover, but have been put off of it for some of the reasons above, but also because the general repeated stance that Regalia will always win, the Kades won't be overthrown, Rebellion is Cringe, etc. I've known and accepted that the change would always be short-lived, like my rambling above goes on about. But having it reinforced so often always gave me the impression that this meant this sort of occupation wasn't wanted or would not be approved or would not get staff backing.
I've had enough time to think on it that I no longer think this is the case, I think Staff were just being cautionary to temper expectations. But it has also tainted people's willingness to join up with these sorts of attempted Player Occupations and made them even harder to get rolling.
So something of an outline for what Staff see as an "Ideal Player Occupation" with expectations outlined may help. It would make me more comfortable anyway, lmao.
That is, more or less, my loosely organized thoughts on Yearly Events. I love them, I'm probably biased in favor of them due to positive interactions my first 2 years in this RP. And I have a lot of thoughts on them because I think about them often.