Homebrew Metaplots?

[TheAuldGrump]

Hmmm, going over comments made about published settings, and comments made about homebrew settings, and my own homebrew settings got me to thinking...

It seems that some people do not like metaplots in published settings, but others seem to think that metaplots are what drive their own settings.

The campaign metaplot(s) is one of the first things that I do in world design, what do thers do with them?

A poll is coming soon.

The Auld Grump

 

[Shemeska]

I like metaplots.

I like metaplots in my own material, because that's simply the style of game that I run: sprawling, incredibly complex little webs of intrigue. Both of my storyhours have metaplots at their heart, and there are other, longer term metaplots that run through them both, and which I'll ultimately pick up on, or just hint at, in future campaigns.

I like metaplots in published settings, in that they prevent stagnation and encourage development and complexity within a campaign world. You don't have to use them as provided, by good metaplots within those published settings serve as inspiration for me as a DM regardless of what capacity I use them in.

 

[el-remmen]

Can you explain what you exactly mean by meta-plot?

 

[Crothian]

I like my meta plots. I beleive in figureing out what is going on the world and allowing that top happen. The players are free to participate in the meta plot or go their own way.

 

[The Levitator]

I honestly don't know if I could even prepare campaigns without a meta-plot. The way I write campaigns is timeline-based with major and minor events that the players can choose to react to, prepare for or ignore completely. I have always done my best to avoid leading my players by the nose and while it's more work for me to write in a timeline style, it helps make the world not only feel more immersive and tangible, but I think it also helps give the players a sense of free will. I think it's important for any great story to have a beginning, middle and end, especially if you and your players hope to develop their characters into epic heroes. My motto has always been, "write it like a movie, play it like a game".

 

[Glyfair]

Can you explain what you exactly mean by meta-plot?

Indeed.

One definition I've found online is "A widely-used term for an overarching plot which appears over many published books in a series." Which pretty much makes the term "homebrew metaplot" an oxymoron.

Another definition I've found online is "The metaplot is the overarching storyline that binds together events in a role-playing game." Which pretty much sounds like any RPG plot that lasts more than one event is a "metaplot."

 

[Ibram]

Meta-plots can be a usefull tool, allowing a DM to run multiple campaigns in the same campaign world. Yet when using a meta-plot its important to remember that the actual plot (and the actions of the characters) are more important then the metaplot. This can be best served by keeping the meta-plot from becoming to focused and defined.

 

[Imruphel]

I love metaplots... but I hate. loathe and detest (is that clear enough? ) watching them resolved in novels.

Of course, since I stopped reading the novels that has become less of a problem.

 

[Nifft]

The way I'd use it is:

Meta-Plot (n): A big thing that's going on in the background. It's "meta" in that it's not impacting (or being resolved by) any one particular plot-line, but rather is the context in which all plot-lines exist. The context is "plot" in that the context itself will change over time, perhaps altered or even resolved by PCs (especially high-level PCs).

-- N

 

[TheAuldGrump]

The way I'd use it is:

Meta-Plot (n): A big thing that's going on in the background. It's "meta" in that it's not impacting (or being resolved by) any one particular plot-line, but rather is the context in which all plot-lines exist. The context is "plot" in that the context itself will change over time, perhaps altered or even resolved by PCs (especially high-level PCs).

-- N

Pretty close to my own definition.

For me a meta-plot is a major plot arc that is built into the fabric of the campaign. The Reckoning in the old World of Darkness setting is an example, despite there being several seperate games in the series they all led to one cataclysmic ending. A similar theme is found in Deadlands.

A television example would be the war between the Vorlons and the Shadows on Babylon 5, where events that were alluded to in the first episode had impact throughout the series.

If you were running a Middle Earth campaign the Dark Lord and most likely the One Ring would be a metaplot, even if the PCs never interacted with it.

The Auld Grump