Interactive Storytelling
14 years ago
"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."
-William Shakespeare
Well, I recently had an idea that I figured I’d throw out there, just to see what happens. As some of you may of surmised (and I may have said in the past), I’m a fan of RPGs. In the past few months though, I’ve had great difficulty getting into any, or at least, ones of any quality. I recently left a game because it was no longer fun, as the guy didn’t seem to understand the point of an RPG and ironically seemed to actively discourage it. Doesn’t help that he seemed the type that believes that screwing over your players and having bad things happen to them all the time creates “adversity” and “challenge”.
But that’s another matter entirely. The point is, while single player games are fun, there is simply more entertainment to be had when interacting with other people, something that I just don’t really get/do on a regular enough basis. And so, seeing as how I’ve seen it here and there here on FA, I thought I’d ask you all if any of you would have any interest in participating in an interactive story, where you, the watchers, have a say in how the story unfolds, as it unfolds. Unlike the ones I’ve seen here, mine isn’t likely to have any sort of art attached to it, but if you’re watching me, you’re doing so more likely than not for the literature.
The basic premise is that I’d write a portion of the story, in short segments, up to certain key points. At that point, I leave it open for suggestions as to what happens next, mostly in the form of what actions the characters should partake in, both physical and social. I’ll look over all the comments, look at what’s popular and what strikes my fancy, then write the next segment, and so on. Mind you, I may not take specific suggested actions each time; they may be variants on suggestions or combined for multiple suggestions. At times, however, I may like a suggestion enough to just use it straight. The whole thing is going to be a rather loose, very fluid plot, where everyone has equal potential to influence what happens.
I’m still sorting out the details of how exactly it’d go down, as I plan to make it kind of a hybrid of freeform RPG and “choose your own adventure”, but for now I’d just like to see if this idea seems interesting to any of you. It’ll get me posting more for sure so you’ll have something to read from me, and this will be another change from the rut for me.
Any suggestions at this stage, if you are interested, are welcome. At the moment, I’m thinking that the plot will revolve around a group of people and not just an individual. The ideas I have for setting/plot include:
The as-yet-unnamed setting I’m working on, for which “A Short History of the Divine Game” was written for. This setting is based on a traditional fantasy setting where vore exists as an ordinary part of life.
Secrets of the Frontier, though likely using different characters then the ones I have posted here.
Something Sci-Fi, as there just doesn’t seem to be enough Sci-Fi in this fandom.
Those are just the ones that come to mind, and though I'd like to stick with them, I am still open to suggestions. As for the central characters, I’m debating whether or not I’ll make them myself or let those who wish to participate have a hand in their conception. While giving the players such control allows them to have more of a connection with the characters, it might lead to some less than satisfying moments when characters act contrary to how the participants think they should act. There are pros and cons both ways.
So that’s the basic premise. If you have any questions or have any interest, just post here.
But that’s another matter entirely. The point is, while single player games are fun, there is simply more entertainment to be had when interacting with other people, something that I just don’t really get/do on a regular enough basis. And so, seeing as how I’ve seen it here and there here on FA, I thought I’d ask you all if any of you would have any interest in participating in an interactive story, where you, the watchers, have a say in how the story unfolds, as it unfolds. Unlike the ones I’ve seen here, mine isn’t likely to have any sort of art attached to it, but if you’re watching me, you’re doing so more likely than not for the literature.
The basic premise is that I’d write a portion of the story, in short segments, up to certain key points. At that point, I leave it open for suggestions as to what happens next, mostly in the form of what actions the characters should partake in, both physical and social. I’ll look over all the comments, look at what’s popular and what strikes my fancy, then write the next segment, and so on. Mind you, I may not take specific suggested actions each time; they may be variants on suggestions or combined for multiple suggestions. At times, however, I may like a suggestion enough to just use it straight. The whole thing is going to be a rather loose, very fluid plot, where everyone has equal potential to influence what happens.
I’m still sorting out the details of how exactly it’d go down, as I plan to make it kind of a hybrid of freeform RPG and “choose your own adventure”, but for now I’d just like to see if this idea seems interesting to any of you. It’ll get me posting more for sure so you’ll have something to read from me, and this will be another change from the rut for me.
Any suggestions at this stage, if you are interested, are welcome. At the moment, I’m thinking that the plot will revolve around a group of people and not just an individual. The ideas I have for setting/plot include:
The as-yet-unnamed setting I’m working on, for which “A Short History of the Divine Game” was written for. This setting is based on a traditional fantasy setting where vore exists as an ordinary part of life.
Secrets of the Frontier, though likely using different characters then the ones I have posted here.
Something Sci-Fi, as there just doesn’t seem to be enough Sci-Fi in this fandom.
Those are just the ones that come to mind, and though I'd like to stick with them, I am still open to suggestions. As for the central characters, I’m debating whether or not I’ll make them myself or let those who wish to participate have a hand in their conception. While giving the players such control allows them to have more of a connection with the characters, it might lead to some less than satisfying moments when characters act contrary to how the participants think they should act. There are pros and cons both ways.
So that’s the basic premise. If you have any questions or have any interest, just post here.
Another note (which I might soon ammend to the journal) is that there will likely be scenes of combat as well in the adventure. Such segments are likely to be much shorter than other segments so that players can react to the quickly changing circumstances and I make as few "key decisions" without player input as possible.
By the way, is there any particular setting/genre type you'd be particularly interested in seeing, or do you have no particular preference?