Chasing Plot

A guide by Heather Halstead

Today I want to talk about CHASING PLOT.

I love it. I live and breath to chase plot at LARP. My fun comes from figuring out the stories of the world I'm playing in. I’ve been doing it for a long time, and like to think I’m pretty good at it. But I see many people who also want to do that, but aren't sure how, or even where to start.

An "in" to a story isn't always easy to see. Staff work very hard to provide opportunities for every player to access the plot. It's not always perfect, but that is the goal. So... how do you recognize and grab on to that opportunity when it arises?

I will be talking about this in two parts. Part I: What you can cultivate internally to you, your character, and your playstyle. And Part II: We’ll talk more about how to cultivate things externally - how you interface with others to maximize your plot chasing.

So first, what is plot? And why chase it? Chasing plot means you want to be involved in the story. Whether that is the story of the weekend, the season, or just one particular group or faction. How do I get to help tell the story of the Grave Council? How do I get to affect how the Prison interacts with the town? How do I get to help defeat the Big Bad of the weekend? There are a ton of different plots of different sizes and complexities running all the time, and you want IN to make choices to drive more STORY!

And that’s pretty rad.

How is it some people always seem to know where to look for the plot? I'm glad you asked, hypothetical reader. Because I have some tips for you in your hunt to make big waves.

Have Overarching, and Specific Goals that Engage the Setting.

Having a specific and overarching goal for your character lets you continue to feel like you're making headway on a story even if there's no mods, ZOMS or NPCs being sent out about that particular plotline. It also gives your character a motivation to take the risks needed to advance the story-- to wander into the dark alone in pursuit of a goal, even if that isn't the "smart" decision a real survivor would make.

For example, when I first started playing DR, I decided that my character goal was to find out as much as possible about a particular thing. I made it an obsession. It was one of my overarching goals. Then I did SOMETHING every game (specific goal) to move in that direction. Even during events where that thing I was obsessed with wasn't featured, I was still asking and learning about it. Doing research, asking NPCs pointed questions. I checked every morgue at the beginning of every event (we had three, at the time.) -- so I was more likely to notice when something was different, off, or "weird". Most games, it just meant getting more steps in on my FitBit. But occasionally... it paid off. But either way, I was telling a story. This did a couple things: A: Let the people around me (players and staff) know I was interested in that thing, and B: Meant that I was more likely to know when content including that thing was happening, because I always had my ear to the ground.

The goal of all plot content is to engage the people who want to be engaged in it. If you're constantly talking about taking down Killhouse, or going to every criminal meeting (even the ones at the wee hours of the morning when you’re bone tired), you are more likely to get tapped when that plot content appears in the playspace, for multiple reasons: the people around you know you’re interested, the staff probably know you’re interested, and you just are actively listening for it. (disclaimer: some character goals might invite IG consequences if shouted about too loudly.. but consequences are story too! More on that later.)

In the same vein, choose one or two goals to focus on. Sometimes people feel they're not super involved on any plots because they're trying to be on all of them. Focus your enjoyment so your time isn't spread so thin, and you know what to prioritize. Min/Max your plot chasing.

This also applies to skills, you can build your character, mechanically, to be a plot magnet. There are several skills that can help you be involved in plot by their nature. Any skill that has an aspect of requesting a mod can help you find plot, because these mods are often tied into whatever is going on for the weekend. Master Criminal, Master Sailing, Master Financial, Master Hunting. If you are a newer player, and know you won’t have the build for these for a long time, find folks who already have them, and let them know you’re interested in going on those adventures. Most master skill mods allow for those people to bring others who have lower levels of the appropriate skill. Find which aligns with your character goals, and move your XP in that direction.

Recognize What Plot Looks Like

This is a big one... because often, what people are thinking of as plot is only the very tip of what plot can actually be. Plots build on themselves, and often the main parts that are visible are the BIG FLASHY moments. The big finale mod where the Big Bad is defeated (or isn’t). The moment people hit the ON switch on the terrifying and grotesque device. But what we don’t see as much is the multiple games of hustling the LCs did to GET to that moment, because it is, by its nature, not as obvious. But it is still essential to getting to those big cool moments, and can be very fulfilling in its own right.

Plot can look like:

Sitting in the library brainstorming research.
Running around town gathering resources.
Building/crafting specific items/ tracking down people (LC or NPC) for information.
Staying up way too late on the off chance an important NPC appears
… and much more.

Don’t avoid these less glorious tasks if you want to be eyeballs deep in plot! They are the stepping stones. They are your “ins” to the story. The people who seem the most embroiled in plot are often the people who are hustling to get these less obvious aspects of plot completed. At the climax of the story, the people who are most likely to be involved in it are those who did the grunt work to make the climax happen.

There is nothing wrong with not having interest in doing any one of these particular tasks. The staff try to include several modes of play in every plot to optimize engagement. Find the one you DO enjoy. Admittedly, not every plot can hit every mode. But that’s okay! Some will, and that’s where you can focus your energy.

Be Bold!

Be willing to take risks with your character. Go meet with the shady NPC alone in the dark. Sure they might stab you, but they might also give you juicy information.. Then also stab you. But the stab was probably worth it. Confront the Big Bad and encourage people around you to jump in. Make a deal with someone that you KNOW will probably end badly for you. Let your character make “bad” (read: non-optimal) decisions. The more you put your character out there and take risks like these, the more plot you'll find yourself involved in. Consequences are there to drive story. Don't try to avoid them. Steer into them! Use them to make cool moments, and drive your own character’s internal development.

All of these things will help you find those oft elusive plot cookies. And they are all things you can do with your character right now.

In Part II, we’ll talk more about the collaborative aspect of chasing down plot: How to chase plot with your other LARP buds and tell cool stories together, how to be in the right place at the right time, and what to do if the issue of plot gatekeeping arises.

Happy Hunting!

Time to once again visit the topic of Plot Chasing!

In this post I will focus more on what it means to chase plot in a collaborative storytelling environment, by providing even more Hot Tips(™).

So you’ve developed your goals, and you’re doggedly pursuing them. You know how to spot plot from a mile away, and you’re ready to put your character through grievous bodily or emotional harm to get it… but what’s next?

What’s next… is to involve yourself with your pals!

Join a Crew or Faith, and Form Relationships

Playing the lone wolf in LARP is hard mode. It's a valid playstyle, but it comes with drawbacks. One of the biggest, in this writer's opinion, is that you have fewer avenues for plot. Crews share plot more naturally than individuals (because you're already under a common playstyle banner) and it gives you something/someone to care about. Having a faith means that you have faith members who you can roleplay with. And that’s like an ‘in’ for faith related plot. If Final Knight plot gets sent out... the Final Knight players are more than likely going to grab the other Final Knights. If you find yourself struggling to feel involved in story, join up.

If a crew, faith, or faction isn’t really your speed though, not all is lost. I highly encourage this kind of roleplay, but I also know that some people just want to play that loner. More than just joining up is investing in other people’s stories. If you care about other characters and their goals, and you form those relationships, you’ll be more likely to get hit up when they have a Cool Thing happening. You can achieve this without a faith or crew on your sheet, but it will take more footwork, so just know that going in. Because the more you invest in other characters, the more they’ll care about your story in return.

Be Present, and Be the Champion of your fun.

Be present! Instead of sitting in one place for most of the event, go looking for trouble. When the Shit Goes Down™, there often isn't time to go round up people all over town. If you want to be involved, be present at the places it seems like plot things are happening. The library, if there is a flurry of research. The med tent, if there is a flurry of disease curing, the Depot, if there's a Big Meeting… etc. If you see a group of people engaged in something, go up and ask to join in. Be Proactive! The majority of the time, people will be amenable to including you. And if you know that a big thing is happening but you can’t make it (maybe you’re on NPC, or maybe you just REALLY need to sit and eat this damn sandwich because god knows you’ve had NO calories today…) ask a friend to go in your stead (this is where those relationships come in)!

Everyone will miss out on some content in game. You can't be all places at all times. FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) is real. And sometimes being involved is a 'right place, right time' situation and you can’t plan for that, but hopefully these tips can help you be in the right place more often.

Everyone has off games. Sometimes you get out of 'rhythm' with the game and always seem to be in the WRONG place at the wrong time. It happens to everyone. It's frustrating, but try to shake it off and know that's not going to happen every game.

You WILL miss a mod related to the plot you want to chase. It’s inevitable. That's okay. But if you're proactive, you can stay updated on the outcome and hit the next one. If you want to be updated on the status of a plot during game.. go ask the characters who seem in the know. Don't wait for someone to come to you. Take the initiative to get updates/stay involved. Be the champion of your own fun.

Share The Wealth

The more you involve other people, the more plot you will find yourself in. The more you invest in OTHER people's stories, the more they'll invest in yours. When you do find yourself in a position to involve others. Do it. This doesn't mean you have to give away every plot cookie you get. Every player is allowed a spotlight from time to time, but LARP is collaborative, and if you are known as someone who frequently involves others, that will flow both ways.

Sometimes, this requires some steering. For example, If you play a character that is very protective of others, you’ll need to find a way to rationalize allowing others to take on some danger (read: plot). But we are people before we are our characters, and it's more important to involve people than it is to play our character concept to the letter. Allow for some flexibility. People are complicated, and often contradictory. It’s okay if your character is too.

I also want to address a less positive thing under this point: Plot Gatekeeping. It happens. It’s probably what caused you to get a little skeptical of me when I said you could just ask to be involved. Because let’s face it.. Sometimes that doesn’t work. As much as we try to avoid and discourage it, Plot Gatekeeping comes up occasionally in every LARP. Gatekeeping can happen for many reasons, and not all of them are malicious. It can happen due to fear of losing out on a plot you’ve worked hard on, stress of the pressure of the event/story (we’re not at our best, and chose the easy and fast option instead of the inclusive option), perceived responsibility for the direction of the game, fear of someone dropping the ball on an important plot piece (“If I don’t do this, it won’t get done”), etc. EVERY player needs to take time to self reflect to make sure they’re not falling victim to these mindsets/actions, because they’re not inherently malicious and can creep up unexpectedly in your play even if you have the best of intentions.

With all that in mind, I want to encourage everyone reading this to do the following:

SHARE. And not just the small things. Share the important things. Even if you CAN open the box without help, doesn’t mean you have to. If it takes five skills to do a thing, and you have all five…. Use One and then do the work to find other people for the rest. It’s one thing to grab people for skills you don’t have, but it’s way more inclusive to go find people to help with ones you DO have. If you make a real effort, and come up dry.. That’s Fine! Be a big damn hero and pop that box by your lonesome.. But make the effort first to include more folks in the cool thing before you resort to One-Person-Army tactics.
Do it together- if there is a task on the sheet you really want to do, but there is someone who also wants it... Tag team it! Just because a ZoM says it only needs One techno savant to rewire the radio tower doesn’t mean you can’t use two (or one and an intern!) and work together in roleplay to do the thing. No ST alive will be upset if you guys OVERspend mind on a ZOM ;P
If a part of a plot thing doesn’t happen, remind yourself it’s just a game. Sometimes these things feel SO important in the moment, because we are very immersed and they are very important to our characters, so we hesitate to pass it off to someone we might not know well. But in the grand scheme of things, if the plot thing falls through, staff will adjust, and it will be fine. If you struggle with this (hell, I do! Hello, Anxiety), pass it off but ask to help on it. Let that person take point, but help them out and support them in getting it done. Be their Gofer, rather than asking them to be yours.
If you’re on a mod and you had a big hero moment, take a step back and let someone else do the next cool thing. It doesn’t matter if your character CAN do it, or even if they WOULD do it. Or even if they’re the most logical choice to do it. Involving others in this beautiful collaborative storytelling art we all love means steering. And steering often means making a less optimal choice for the sake of including someone else.

You aren’t expected to involve every single character in every single plot, but when you have a chance to involve someone else in a meaningful way, do it. Even committing to go a LITTLE bit out of your way can make a big difference.

For those who feel they’re on the other side of the gate: Don’t give up. If you ask to be involved in a plot and it doesn't work, or you feel otherwise blocked from it, find someone else involved, and try again. Sometimes it may not be a gatekeeping issue, sometimes it’s just that you need to try to interface in a different way. Not every plot can be accessed the same. Or utilize one of the other tactics above to try to make your own In, if you feel pushed out. If you’re still struggling then you can always talk to staff about what you can do to be involved more.

I also encourage you to not assume malice on the part of the other players. I know it can be rough when you feel pushed out of a space, but the vast majority of the people playing don’t want to intentionally harm other people’s fun. Give grace where you can, everyone makes mistakes sometimes.

Ask OOG

Previously I mentioned asking in character.. But you can also ask out of character! If you want your character involved in a plot, go ask the people who seem to know what's going on to point you in the right direction. No player is obligated to include everyone in everything, but if you ask, you'll often find it easier to get involved because they will often steer to involve you when you are present (see point above) or give you an idea of how they got their foot into it, so you can do the same. You can also reach out to staff, as mentioned above, for some tips.

Finally, its always good to know that not every plot is written for every type of character. I will, by default, not ask a character whose concept is to uphold the law to go with me on a crime plot. If it's a stealth mod, I'm not going to ask the loudest guy in town to sneak in (you know who you are). If your character is known to have loose lips, some more secretive plots probably won’t be pitched your way. And this is okay. There are a ton of plots out there, and just like these aren’t focused on some character concepts, others will be all about law and order, getting the word out, and brazenly and loudly sacking the enemy encampment. It’s just about finding the right ones for your character concept, and diving in head first.

I know that there is some nuance to this that I didn’t touch on. There are exceptions to some of my points and examples. But overall, these things will help you get more involved in plot in game. If you have any questions, or want to talk about it further, hit me up. I love talking plot.

Happy Hunting.

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