A Cloudstone OOC Statement
Mar 4, 2021 12:22:58 GMT -5
StabbingNirvana, ShadowCatJen, and 12 more like this
Post by Plotter on Mar 4, 2021 12:22:58 GMT -5
Hello everyone,
Last Saturday, the 27th of February, a very major event happened in Cloudstone, that not only changed the Barony, but also caused a ripple effect through many different subplots. Baron Duncan Hornbow, his wife Eleanor, and many other NPCs were poisoned and died. The palace then sank into the ground once more. Duncan’s son, Fergus Hornbow, claimed the throne and the palace rose back to the surface.
I have seen some great roleplay all around the server since then. People are discussing, investigating and theorizing, or making blatant power grabs. It's awesome. I love it. Keep up the great RP! You all deserve a round of applause.
Cloudstone has become bigger than I thought it would, and it can be hard to understand what it's all about. I've spoken with several players over the last couple of weeks, and more so recently, regarding a few different concerns or issues I'd like to address. Hopefully I can clarify my intent so everyone can get a better understanding of my DM style, and what I want with this story. I will be as vague as possible to avoid spoilers, but I think it might be good to say a few OOC words after a "Red Wedding" type event like this.
Last Saturday, the 27th of February, a very major event happened in Cloudstone, that not only changed the Barony, but also caused a ripple effect through many different subplots. Baron Duncan Hornbow, his wife Eleanor, and many other NPCs were poisoned and died. The palace then sank into the ground once more. Duncan’s son, Fergus Hornbow, claimed the throne and the palace rose back to the surface.
I have seen some great roleplay all around the server since then. People are discussing, investigating and theorizing, or making blatant power grabs. It's awesome. I love it. Keep up the great RP! You all deserve a round of applause.
Cloudstone has become bigger than I thought it would, and it can be hard to understand what it's all about. I've spoken with several players over the last couple of weeks, and more so recently, regarding a few different concerns or issues I'd like to address. Hopefully I can clarify my intent so everyone can get a better understanding of my DM style, and what I want with this story. I will be as vague as possible to avoid spoilers, but I think it might be good to say a few OOC words after a "Red Wedding" type event like this.
Firstly, I must ask you all to please keep plot speculation to yourself. I know, it can be fun to speculate with players, but it can very easily turn into IC rumours and "truths". IC speculation is fine, but if you really want to speculate OOC, then please PM me so I can respond with "that's interesting."
We all make mistakes sometimes. I messed up ticket events, forgot to make food items (thanks, Hawk!), constantly speak through the wrong NPCs (or PCs), or forget plot threads, and so on. Mistakes happen, especially when the plot gets big and complicated. Please don't think I'm punishing anyone who makes honest mistakes. Just be careful with the information you get and share with other characters, as characters may act on false information, and it could have unfortunate consequences, or cause more confusion. It happens, but please be careful, and take notes! Now, if you want to intentionally give false information, that's an entirely different matter...
Running events with dozens of players and NPCs is always a challenge. This was one of the most multi-task intensive events I have DMed, and I didn't make the final moments any easier by having an incident on the dance floor at the same time as guests started getting poisoned. And then to just mix it up a bit I threw in a sudden last minute visitor with dire news. Naturally many NPCs did not respond as much as they should have as I was jumping back and forth between events. Likewise, I fully understand if player characters also struggled to keep up with what was going on. Since we were at least an hour behind schedule, I just wanted to keep things moving forward at that point (around 3 AM my time), and perhaps the last part of the event got a bit rushed. Despite the late hours and large amounts of PCs and NPCs, I think we did pretty good.
The Anniversary Ball should be seen as an example of how quickly the tables can turn in Cloudstone. In one moment Duncan was Baron, the next Fergus is Baron. This kind of sudden turn of events can pretty much happen to anything and anyone in Cloudstone. If you gain something, be it a council position, a house, an office, an item, retainership, an NPC relationship, remember that it can also be lost just as quickly. Pretty much any NPC can die at anytime, and the story will still move on (this does not mean I'll accept completely random murder attempts). As a less dramatic example, the Unicorn's Door Inn has the title of Master Bard that can be won by simply challenging the current Master Bard to a bardic duel. Whatever happens, I will always strive to have an IC explanation for it. Even if you were to get kicked out of Cloudstone, that does not mean your Cloudstone story necessarily has to end. Things can change, and with good RP you can climb your way back up again.
I want the Cloudstone story to be an emotional roller-coaster with highs and lows, with moments of happiness and sadness. I want Cloudstone to have a narrative that builds toward a dramatic climax, but still with plenty of sandbox elements for player characters to manipulate. The Cloudstone story that is now playing out will not go on forever, and eventually things will stabilize, and turn into something more open ended. I'm not sure how long it will go on, but it is moving forward, and there's still room for many twists and turns.
The noble houses has always been at the heart of this story, and it will continue to be that way. Some players have pointed out to me that the current noble house set up has some flaws, as the houses risk becoming irrelevant if neutral characters can get as much influence in Cloudstone without joining a house. This is a good point, and while I think the houses do have more influence, there could be some improvements to make them more interesting and attractive (suggestions welcome in PMs). This does not mean that neutral characters outside of the houses are not welcome. In fact, I think neutral characters who are outside the houses are a very important part of the story, specifically since they can go between the different factions. This is true for stories in general, as these kind of characters can be a great source of reveals and plot twists, when they eventually do have to make a choice, or choose which side to share information with, and so on. Will they or won't they? Or will they always stay neutral, and at what cost?
I also want this to be a story with hard choices and consequences. Joining a noble house is one such choice and consequence. By joining a house you gain influence with one family, but it locks you out from two other houses. Staying neutral is also a choice, but it will come at the cost of less influence with all three houses. For most noble NPC interactions, an oathsworn retainer will have more influence than a friend outside a house. Some PCs may be able to work around this (and they have), but it may take a lot of time and effort... or some good leverage. It's a tricky balance to maintain benefits of retainership with inclusivity for those on the outside.
The noble houses has always been at the heart of this story, and it will continue to be that way. Some players have pointed out to me that the current noble house set up has some flaws, as the houses risk becoming irrelevant if neutral characters can get as much influence in Cloudstone without joining a house. This is a good point, and while I think the houses do have more influence, there could be some improvements to make them more interesting and attractive (suggestions welcome in PMs). This does not mean that neutral characters outside of the houses are not welcome. In fact, I think neutral characters who are outside the houses are a very important part of the story, specifically since they can go between the different factions. This is true for stories in general, as these kind of characters can be a great source of reveals and plot twists, when they eventually do have to make a choice, or choose which side to share information with, and so on. Will they or won't they? Or will they always stay neutral, and at what cost?
I also want this to be a story with hard choices and consequences. Joining a noble house is one such choice and consequence. By joining a house you gain influence with one family, but it locks you out from two other houses. Staying neutral is also a choice, but it will come at the cost of less influence with all three houses. For most noble NPC interactions, an oathsworn retainer will have more influence than a friend outside a house. Some PCs may be able to work around this (and they have), but it may take a lot of time and effort... or some good leverage. It's a tricky balance to maintain benefits of retainership with inclusivity for those on the outside.
If you have any OOC concerns or are uncertain of your role in the story (or how to get involved), then please reach out to me, and we can discuss our expectations to try to find some common ground. Keep in mind things are very busy at the moment, and responses may be slow.
The Anniversary Ball was one of the darkest moments of the story so far, and there's a possibility it's going to get darker still. Just remember; the darker the story, the brighter the heroism.
The Anniversary Ball was one of the darkest moments of the story so far, and there's a possibility it's going to get darker still. Just remember; the darker the story, the brighter the heroism.
- Plotter