Homebrew Metaplots?

[The Shaman]

Your puny poll cannot contain MY answer!

I like metaplots when they describe what is going on as the backdrop to the adventurers' actions - I don't like metaplots when they become "the story."

For example, for my Traveller campaign, the metaplot is an invasion of K'kree space by something from beyond the trailing borders of the Two Thousand Worlds - the K'kree respond by fleeing toward Imperial space. (I'm calling this "The Stampede" in my campaign notes.)

While this sudden incursion of K'kree into the Imperium is a potential source of dozens of adventure hooks, there is no "adventure path" by which the player characters encounter the K'kree, journey to the Two Thousand Worlds, encounter the alien invaders, and turn the tide, saving Charted Space. The adventurers may follow hooks that lead them into the Two Thousand Worlds, or the Hiver Federation, or one of the client states along the trailing margin of the Third Imperium - they may encounter the aliens, and could possibly learn important secrets about the enigmatic invaders. On the other hand, they may choose to ignore the whole thing and pursue completely different goals, bumping up against this massive migration in the course of their travels only to the extent that the effects of the Stampede are felt across the Imperial frontier region.

This is my approach to metaplots: a sequence of events that affect the setting directly but the characters indirectly, events in which the characters may or may not choose to involve themselves and which may or may not be afffected significantly by the adventurers' involvement or lack thereof.

 

[Tonguez]

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

Nice definition

IMC the Metaplot helps to provide context for some of the major BBEGs, important Artifacts and defining McGuffins.

The PCs may or may not interact with one or more of the BBEGs, they may come across one of the artifacts and thus attract the attention of the Metaplot, they may encounter a mcguffin or they may just go on and do their own thing and never interact with the Metaplot at all.

 

[Aus_Snow]

I like metaplots in my own settings. In published settings, I don't mind either way, because I'll likely alter things beyond recognition anyhow.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

I like metaplot in some settings. They work for, for example, Shadowrun and Heavy Gear, because the PCs are unlikely to do things that shake the setting in its foundation very often, and thus metaplots make the setting dynamic and give lots and lots of interesting adventure hooks. And when the PCs do something spectacular, it is still possible to adjust the setting to make room for these incidents.

I like them less in others where the PCs eventually get so powerful that they will alter the setting in major ways. This is true for most D&D settings. I dislike the one in the Forgotten Realms less than most others, since frankly the Realms are so huge that things that happen on one end are unlikely to affect the other end much, and thus the metaplot can give them a sense that other things happen elsewhere, too.

I don't create metaplots as such for my own games. Instead, I come up with major villains or other major forces, think about what they want to accomplish and what their resources are, and then work out how the PCs can interact with all those. The villains frequently adjust their plans depending on what the PCs do, so there isn't really a clear chain of events that happen no matter what...

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I never metaplot I didn't like!

 

[Gothic_Demon]

I have to say that I like metaplots, but with one caveat:

I hate it when the campaign books I buy contain a metaplot that develops across the series of books.

Why? Because I often don't want to play with that metaplot. Especially the second or third time we restart the campaign world. I want my own metaplot, to guide my own games as I see fit. I don't want the designer pushing their overarching ideas on me. They do great work getting a setting ready for me to pull apart and use as I see fit, why make me follow their storylines?

The worst example of this was WoD,

Spoiler

when I opened a new WoD book and found out the Tremere had all been wiped out

. All books after that assume this is the case, and it makes it quite awkward to use them. That said, one of the best metaplots was Orpheus (although those books were as much adventures as campaign settings and rule books).

 

[The Levitator]

Generally speaking, my players initially have nothing to do with the metaplot, because they are beginning characters who wouldn't have much impact anyway. As they grow and develop their characters, they have the option to become more and more involved with the metaplot. They can work their way up the bad guy tree and hopefully become the heroes that save the world, movie style.

In our current campaign, I am running an extremely edited FR world. The metaplot is that the Zhentarim have teamed up with the Church of Bane and are poised to also include an alliance with the orcs, orogs, ogres, goblins, etc. to overthrow the largest governments of the Realms and establish their own world order. It's the classic "evil sorcerer and his minions try to take over the world" plot. The characters, being 1st level right now, have only heard rumors of Zhent merchant attacks and strongarm tactics against smaller merchant companies. In my world the Zhents have a sort of a mafia personna. They have basically taken control politically and economically in Scardale and plan to move west to Cormyr, after taking over Sembia. The only impact this really has on the players at this point (who are currently in Archenbridge, miles from all of this) is higher prices for gear as a result of Zhentarim control of the markets. In one of their first sessions, they uncovered a small Bane sect in an abandoned church outside of Archenbridge. I developed the backstory of each player to have a personal hatred for either followers of Bane or the Zhents, to give them some common ground and sense of purpose. Rather than just kill the low level priest and his followers, they captured them and turned them in to Sword Point, becoming local heroes. Right now they don't know about any connections between the Church of Bane, the Zhents, and the humanoids. They are sort of becoming a group with their own personal agenda that just happens to be with those who are trying to take things over. It's going to be fun to see them peel back each layer of corruption and start connecting the dots as their characters become more powerful players in this story. I give them plenty of options to go in different directions. The metaplot will continue, with or without their involvement. They can choose to just deal with those who personally get in their way, or work their way up the food chain and become major players in putting this evil threat down. Either way, the large events will continue to happen around them and the stories and rumors will trickle down to them. At some point though, they will be forced, like everyone else in the region, to deal with this threat. They can either side up with those who want to fight back, or they can leave the region. It doesn't matter to me as a DM.

The metaplots, for me, help make the Realms feel more like a real place. Having lots of things going on around the players that affect them indirectly gives a deeper sense of immersion. When their friendly neighborhood trader started suddenly charging them 25% more for gear, they wondered what they had done to make him do this. Too scared to talk for fear of the Zhents, he mumbles something about tough times. The trader failed his Bluff against the cleric's Sense Motive, so the party knew something was up. At that point it can just be a flavor thing to give the party a sense of their characters living in a worsening economy, or they can try to connect with their friend to find out what's really going on. I think metaplots are good as long as you let the players decide whether or not to be a part of them.

 

[Gold Roger]

There's no way for me to answer this poll. The word of Metaplot, even with the given definitions, encompasses to many different aspects and my feelings to them range from loathe to love. Like so often it's case by case for me.

 

[Yair]

I like metaplots, BUT.... the plot needs to be either general and pre-agreed ("this is a campaign about a war between the human lands and the orcs. You're on the human side."), or subjcet to change according to where the characters steer the action.

 

[amethal]

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

My post count would be a lot higher if Crothian didn't keep keep getting in first and saying what I wanted to say, thereby making it pointless for me to post anything.