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Storyboard: An event with a touch of plot
In tabletop games, the GM is sometimes referred to as the player who doesn't get to play. Running a plot-heavy event in an MMORPG is fairly similar -- you're still technically there in the form of a character, but the focus is on an adventure that you're presenting for your fellow players. That means a whole lot of extra work on your part because you suddenly lack the advantage of letting the game handle most of that pesky worldbuilding work. You probably don't need to be told that this can all go bad. No, what you really want to know is how to avoid going bad. And while some of the stuff that I've posted in the past about running in-game events is still entirely applicable, there are also some unique issues that you're going to have to deal with when your event is meant to be tightly scripted. Plan it right, and the whole thing can go off without a hitch. Plan it wrong, and... well, do I need to do another column on drama already?
The Road to Mordor: Kicking back with Ales & Tales
Every Friday, The Road to Mordor brings you the latest in Lord of the Rings Online news, guides and analysis. Massively's legal department has asked me to make a standard disclaimer here: I am not a role-player. Believe you me, I have tried. It's kind of like me with the guitar -- in theory, I want to play it and I like the idea of it, but in practice, I just have no innate talent for it. I like the idea of role-playing, I appreciate those who do, and I'm in full support of it -- but I really, really suck at it. Maybe it would be different if I grew up playing pen-and-paper RPGs, where the friends and rules were more defined. But for some reason, in MMOs, I never quite know the "rules" to role-playing, and subsequently always end up ticking people off and never fit in. I have tried, though... oh how I have tried. And I continue to try. So my latest endeavor in expanding my RP sensibilities came this past Monday evening, when I finally devoted an evening to doing something I've wanted to do ever since rerolling on Landroval (the unofficial NA RP server): I was going to go to Ales & Tales.
