[MUD-Dev] Ray Feist interview

[Lee Sheldon]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: mud-dev-admin at kanga.nu
> [mailto:mud-dev-admin at kanga.nu]On Behalf Of
> Travis Casey
> Sent: Wednesday, January 03, 2001 11:21 AM
> To: Brian 'Psychochild' Green
> Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] Ray Feist interview

> Paper RPGs can offer the same challenges; you definitely have lack
> of narrative control if you're doing them properly, since the
> players also have some control.  You can have multiple simultaneous
> stories, since again, you have multiple players.  Some GMs run more
> than one group through the same world at the same time
> (conceptually, not literally -- they might have two groups that each
> meet once a week) and let events "leak" from one to the other, which
> allows for even more simultaneous stories.

> Something I've done as a paper GM and enjoyed is run the same group,
> with two different sets of characters, in the same world at the
> "same time".  This lets both them and me see the same overarcing
> events from very different points of view, which makes for a very
> interesting experience.

> Some groups have multiple GMs, who may each have their own
> individual storylines.  For example, I played/GMed in a Star Trek
> campaign where a friend and I took turns as GM; like a mud, this
> requires giving up more narrative control (since you're sharing it
> with someone else on an equal level) and creates more simultaneous
> stories (since we each had our own subplots).

> There are even some paper RPG groups who use what's called a
> "troupe" style of play, which is close to what many MUSHes and other
> heavy RP muds do; in that style, any player is allowed to come up
> with an run plots, so that everyone (or at least, everyone who wants
> to) takes turns as GM.

Travis,

I'm not really disagreeing here.  Your examples just reminded me of
the following.

Trying to apply the paper RPG analogy to larger scale MUDs is
dangerous because in online games you sit side by side with strangers.
We carefully police our RPGs at the kitchen table, making sure that
the other participants are of a like-roleplaying bent, and have the
necessary level of savoir faire to contribute to the entertainment.
It's easy to throw somebody out of your MUD for sexual harrassment.
It's harder to throw them out because their role-player or
storytelling instincts aren't all that great.

Lee

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