Share your favorite Metaplot

[Mark]

I had a group of PCs who were elves in one campaign and we would jump a bunch of years in between adventurers. This was in an earlier edition and basically elves could live a natural life and never expire. In this game I had an ice age creeping up on them and they didn't put it all together for quite a while. I didn't leave them any options for stopping it so the best they could do was help the world prepare for it.

 

[Desdichado]

You're right. That's a bad example.

But a lot of DMs do use metaplot in their homebrews. An over arcing story that hosts campaigns.

I still think that's just plot. Metaplot implies some plot that exists outside the construct of the game itself. By that definition, anything that the GM schemes up, whether overarching or not, wouldn't be meta-; it'd be internal plot. Otherwise simply known as plot.

But I think that's one of the difficulties of this kind of discussion. Exactly what is meant by the term is not univerally understood. It'd be nice if there was a standard encyclopedia, dictionary or glossary of gamer jargon around to help us figure out what a munchkin is, or a metaplot, or whatever other somewhat nebulous term that gets used a lot, understood from context, and thus used with subtle variations by all kinds of people online.

 

[ThirdWizard]

My metaplot right now is probably best described as "Paying for the crimes of the father." Which is itself metaphorical. All the PCs in my game are finding themselves linked to things that their ancestors/mentors/etc did before they were born. The sorcerer is going to find his powers stem from sins of his ancestors, the barbarian's grandfather made a deal with a devil, the ranger's mentor made a mistake long ago that the ranger will have to pay for, etc.

That is what I consider a meta-plot, though I don't know exactly how to define it. I think of it as more of a theme than an actual plot, though it has more to do with events than a theme would, instead of a feeling or idea... hrm...

EDIT: It has to go beyond the PC's perceptions or it isn't meta, I think.

 

[Tonguez]

The think confusion arises as to the meaning of Metaplot because story comes from a variety of factors including setting, metaplot, uber-plot and local plot. The new caegory of uber-plot differs from metaplot in that uber-plot is big but the PCs are likely to be 'involved' by design whereas with Metaplot PCs are merely incidental.

Um to explain if I look at my curreent campaign which is set in Mythic Polynesia (Hawaiki) we get:

A. Setting:
Hawaiki Raro* is a region of islands which humans (includes half-orcs and half-elves), giants and goblins are gradually beginning to settle, The native population is made up of gnomes and fey who are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain the barriers between encroaching civilisation and the 'wild places' where the Spirits yet dwell

B. Metaplot:
The god of Fear and Darkness (ie Evil) is seeking five great artifacts which will allow him to unlock the gates of Kuwatawata (the barrier between the Mortal World and the Spirit World where he is trapped) and unleash his reign upon the Mortal World, He currently has a number of Agents in the Mortal World searching on his behalf. (5 of these Agents are known and, 3 are currently active as the BBEGs (they also have cohorts who were minor BBEGs.

C. UberPlot:
The Cult of Orometua (a Bloodthirsty War god) has risen to power in the northern islands of Hiva (amongst the first settled in Hawaiki Raro) and the Zealots of Hiva are beginning to expand out to conquer the other islands subjecting the conquered peoples to their doctrine of cannibalism and human sacrifice. NB the god Orometua is an agent of the god of Fear and Darkness

D. Local Plot:
The PCs are the advance guard of a new settlement established on the unexplored island of Nukutea.

Now The PCs are directly involved in D (the Local plot) and likely to be affected by C (Uber-plot) soon since they know that the Zealots of Hiva are approaching and have already been involved in conflicts indirectly caused by the Zealots

The Metaplot will only affect them if they happen to
1. acquire one of the five great artifacts (quite possible)
2. Become powerful enough to attract attention (like say if they manage to destroy the Cult of Orometua)

The Setting of course exists whether the PCs do anything or not

*Hawaiki Raro is one half of the Hawaiki (Polynesian) Region and is seperated from Hawaiki Runga by 5000 miles of open ocean. Hawaiki Runga has been long settled and that Setting is more about Dynasties and Empereal expansion than new colonisation (as in Hawaiki Raro) - the PCS might go there one day. And of course the Metaplot involves both area's of the setting, 2 of the BBEGs are resident in Hawaiki Runga