Some thoughts...

[Yukon]

I've been very fortunate that I've found at least one shining soul out there who's been the best. He's been able to put up with my human failings and idiosyncracies since day 1 and for that, I thank him from the bottom of what passes for my heart. I'm not sure where I'm going with this post, but I needed to vent my mind somewhere. So if anyone wants to talk game stuff in general, I'm here.

i think it sounds like you're about to ask someone to dinner and a movie.

either that or marriage.

[Uncle Servo]

I've been very fortunate that I've found at least one shining soul out there who's been the best. He's been able to put up with my human failings and idiosyncracies since day 1 and for that, I thank him from the bottom of what passes for my heart. I'm not sure where I'm going with this post, but I needed to vent my mind somewhere. So if anyone wants to talk game stuff in general, I'm here.

i think it sounds like you're about to ask someone to dinner and a movie.

either that or marriage.

Gadzooks, but I hope not...

As for getting the 'right mix' of characters... I've found that there are some players who can easily accept a role that you have pre-written into the story, and there are other players who best fit in with a group by fielding what they want to play -- and then what you have to do is take their characters and figure out how they can fit into your story ideas.

I've said it before in my own Loralton campaign and I'll say it again here. A role-playing campaign -- particularly an online one -- is at its heart an exercise in collaborative story-telling. The GM and the PCs each contribute to the overall story with their interaction. It can be hard to keep this in mental focus at times, as we tend to get attached to our characters and it can be frustrating when the best-laid plans of mice and men go awry as they often do. The only advice I can offer is to maintain flexibility. If a player has his/her own agenda, let 'em go with it and see how you can incorporate his/her agenda into your own plans.

Flexibility is the key. Some people might look at this and say "Is it really that easy?" but I'd have to reply with "No, it's really that difficult."

[Uncle Servo]

The 'Mentor NPC' -- one of the great classic RPG elements.

Mega-plot arcs are great, and using NPCs to nudge characters in the desired direction is a tried-and-true method of GMs everywhere... but I still say flexibility is the key. After all, you're not the only one telling the story even if you do have most of the ingredients.


But then again, my philosophy with a stubborn player is to try and gently nudge him/her in the right direction... but if he/she keeps on his/her course of action/attitude long enough it'll bite them in the butt.

[Uncle Servo]

The 'Mentor NPC' -- one of the great classic RPG elements.

Yes, but make them durable. My HU group had a mentor for their young heroes, and it ended very badly. A supernaturally strong player grabbed up a magical blade and leaped to assist the mentor, who was grappling a vampire. Bad time to roll a natural one.......

ROFLMAO!

I, too, have learned the hard way that the most feared word in all of gaming isn't 'abracadabra...' or 'Balrogs...' or even 'nuke...' No, the most feared world in all of gaming is the word "Oops!"

But back to the topic...

I wouldn't say that having a pre-written story is a bad idea in and of itself. After all, when you get right down to it those ol' "Hook/Line/Sinker" campaign ideas are pre-written stories. The whole Siege of Tolkeen scenario from Rifts is a pre-written story. The trick though is taking what the players have given you (in the form of characters and their backgrounds) and successfully incorporating it into your storyline.

Also, there's really nothing with saying things such as "I'm looking for someone to play a jaded, bitter, cynical ex-supersoldier brought out of retirement" or "I have some specific pre-generated characters who will be vital to the overall story" when starting a campaign. You make that known up front and let people volunteer to take on those roles (maybe offering a bribe of XPs as incentive). I've played in games where EVERY character was pre-generated, and had just as much fun as I have in games where all characters were generated by the players themselves.

Again though, the trick is to allow enough flexibility in these characters that players who want to put their own spin on them can do so without wrecking your story ideas.

But again, that's just me. Your mileage may vary.

[ApocalypseZero]

"I'm looking for someone to play a jaded, bitter, cynical ex-supersoldier brought out of retirement"

Hey, I know that dude!-I had to say that.

As for the topic, the biggest thing it comes down to is knowing your players. And since everyone is different, you have to take some time and study.

For instance, I take every chance I can to notice my online players wherever I see them. Be it in Palladium Forums/Chatrooms, some other Forum, email, IM, PM, on a webcam, whatever. I use all that I see & read to help me determine what someone wants. It also doesn't hurt subtly communicating to that person. I have sent emails to people just to see the response so I know how they think. Call me crazy, but it works. And whatever works...

[Uncle Servo]

"I'm looking for someone to play a jaded, bitter, cynical ex-supersoldier brought out of retirement"

Hey, I know that dude!-I had to say that.

As for the topic, the biggest thing it comes down to is knowing your players. And since everyone is different, you have to take some time and study.

For instance, I take every chance I can to notice my online players wherever I see them. Be it in Palladium Forums/Chatrooms, some other Forum, email, IM, PM, on a webcam, whatever. I use all that I see & read to help me determine what someone wants. It also doesn't hurt subtly communicating to that person. I have sent emails to people just to see the response so I know how they think. Call me crazy, but it works. And whatever works...

So that's the reason you've been cyber-stalking me, eh?

I feel so much better now.

That's a good point though... the longer you game with people, the more you tend to develop chemistry with them. Makes for a better gaming experience.

[KillWatch]

sword through the mentor? why would you want to change that? that makes for a GREAT story?!?!?!?!

the horror of realizing you've just killed your leader/mentor
wondering if the other team members believe it was just a tragic mistake
was it a subconscious murder-did you really hate or distrust him

c'mon that isn't a bad thing in game sure but for story lines that's a whopper

anyhow
no
My method of storytelling is letting the players tell me

I give situations, clues, npcs and the world
They have to go look for it or it may just come for them

several deaths in the city: not itnerested
one of your close friends now missing: not interested
soemthing making grumbling psychotic laughing noises in your closet: not interested
not many people showing up to your funeral: hello still not interested

I only know what is going on in the world and what connections the player might have to what is going on in it. If no connections are made then things will continue as normal until there is
there are things going on in africa right ow that may or may not hit on the characters in a few months

I react to the players, they don't react to me

a story line of mine might be

Sound Wave is building the super cannon outside the city
what might the characters notice
bank robberies
radio shack robberies
and that's IF they seek it out
if they watch the news or read the paper
or even if they happen to be shopping next door or soemthing but if they are locked up and no where near the stores and just not interested in the world events then so be it

something small can turn into soemthing HUGE for the players
good or bad so they know to watch out for things like that or suffer.

soundwave will have it finished on day X
if the players don't stop or impede it's building jet liners will begin crashing into the city.
I have no qualms about destroying npcs or even PCs if the story warrants it or a plane crashing itno their living room warrants

the world will continue as planned unless the characters intercede

[Larsen]

As for preconctructed plots when I make them I tend to try and make their be multiple options the characters could do because in the game just like in real life you might not always think of the same thing as the other person.
example I once had a GM that made this great plot where I was supposed to save this guy from being blown up by a bomb made from an evil demolitionist merc. Well I found all the clues and knew where it was and everything. The difference was the person I was supposed to save was a mobster so after I found that out I went back to my hotel and let it happen.
The GM wasn't prepared for that so he had to take a break to make more plot because the rest of what he had made went along with me joining forces with the mobster (I was diobolic that time). But what the GM didn't know was I was trying to make my character take out the crimebosses ne way. I had been going after the demo guy bc it was quick cash not bc I cared about what he was doing.
I ended up teaming up with the demo guy and owning most of organized crime until another PC killed me while I slept.

[KillWatch]

dude that is why I don't PLAN for anything I just know what the villains are doing and what they know.

if the guy was a mobster and you let him blow up there are questions
-who did it
-why
-who else knew about the bomb
-who knew you knew
-did anyone see any suspscious people lurking about (you)
-will an investigation lead to you
-will a new mob boss be find out about the merc or you
-will the merc end up coming to you for help if they do
-etc etc


just know what they villains will know and do what the villains will do
everything will fall into place

just as players can't play OOC neither should the NPCs

[Uncle Servo]

dude that is why I don't PLAN for anything I just know what the villains are doing and what they know.

If that way works for you, then of course it's all good. However, some GMs have specific plots in mind when they whip up a campaign idea and as long as they maintain enough flexibility to account for PCs not following anticipated courses of action then there's nothing wrong with that either.

To use myself and my Loralton campaign as an example, I have mega-plots that involve the PCs both directly and indirectly. That's one of the reasons I require well-written backgrounds/bios from the players -- so we can better integrate them into our story ideas.

For instance, I have one particular player character who tends to... well, I better not go into too much detail. Never know who's reading along wanting a bit of insider information.