[MUD-Dev] [MUD-DEV]: Stories in Multiplayer Online Games

[holding99 at mindspring.com]

Completely disjoint and random thoughts to follow:

I was recently reading Jessica Mulligan's most recent "Biting the
Hand" column (http://www.skotos.net/articles/BTH_38.shtml), and the
associated message board thread

  http://forum.skotos.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16695

about stories in multiplayer online games. While reading many of the
comments posted about the problems inherent in both static and
dynamic storylines, I was struck by the memory of an online essay
entitled "Folkspeech Among Roleplayers"

  http://www.upl.cs.wisc.edu/~woodelf/mystuff/essays/RPGlingo.html

More specifically, the following quote referring to the parallels
between the traditional pen-and-paper experience and the movie
"Monty Python and the Holy Grail":

  "...However, some [folkspeech derived from popular references] are
  more distinctive, and there is one subset, in particular, that
  seems to be extremely specialized to roleplayers: "Monty Python
  and the Holy Grail" references. In addition to a similarity of
  subject matter with a great many RPGs (a disproportionate number
  of which are pseudo-Medieval or swords & sorcery), I suspect this
  comes from a similarity of tone. "Monty Python and the Holy
  Grail", is, among other things, a deconstruction of not only the
  Arthurian mythos and the ideals of chivalry, but of the heroic
  quest in general. And, in a way, the bastardization of an epic
  that most RPG games turn out as is very similar. Therefore, I find
  it no coincidence that so many of the quotes and scenes from the
  movie are appropriated by roleplayers-both are drawing on the same
  heroic fantasy tradition, and have many of the same elements."

One of the things I have noticed about most role playing games of
any stripe (MMORPG, MUD, PnP, etc) is the overriding assumption that
"Epic Quest (tm)" = story, and !"Epic Quest (tm)" =
crap. Unfortunately, games with more than one player almost always
eventually become "Epic Quest (tm) Gone Horribly, Horribly
Wrong". Many of the stories I have read about MMORPGs (what actually
happened, not what was supposed to happen) fall into this
category. In fact, this disparity is the most damning evidence that
traditional storytelling doesn't work in a multiplayer
environment. To recap the entire argument, the players won't do as
the script says.

So, (after that long and laborious introduction), I wonder: perhaps
storytelling in multiplayer games shouldn't be based upon the "Epic
Quest (tm)" model (ie, players do this, then they do this, and then
they're the hero), but instead upon the "Murphy's Law" model
(players should do this, but they won't, so we'll plan for it). In
other words, since it will inevitably become the "Epic Quest (tm)
Gone Horribly, Horribly Wrong", why not write that in the first
place? Basically, if you know the story will not turn out to be Epic
(for whatever reasons), then why not build in humorous asides,
targeted towards the player (not the character)? Or better yet,
target some of your quests towards the player instead of the
character. I think it would serve to acknowledge the fact that
stories told in multiplayer RPGs aren't as much about the characters
as they are the players. The Real World (tm) will always exist as a
filter overlaying your game; the concept of RPG = "Epic Quest (tm)"
will always be quite familiar to the players. Why not capitalize on
it?

T.H. Cooke


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