Plot creation process

Overview

This page is designed to help the writers - and everyone involved with creating and running plot at Empire understand what the process is and how it works.

Producing plot for a large game is a difficult process. With thirty writers and 2000 participants, we need to have a single process for organizing costume, NPCs, props, ribbons for items, debriefs for NPCs. Ultimately the process is designed to help writers; otherwise when you come to run your plot requiring 40 NPCs to dress in Brass Coast costume for a quest - you will discover that all the NPCs are out, all the Brass Coast costume is out and all the quest slots are filled.

Ethos

The writer is central to the ethos for the writing and running plot at events. The plot support team are here to help, but the default assumption is that the writer will carry out all the steps needed to write and run their plot. As a writer, the responsibility for ensuring that your plot has been approved and timetabled and the right costume, props, and ribbons are ready lies with you. We don't necessarily expect one person to do all these things, we are here to help and we encourage writers to work together in teams - but the responsibility to ensure that it is done lies with the writer.

We've chosen this approach for several reasons. This approach will allow us to scale what we do to run more plot by adding more writers to our team over time. However it should also ensure that the key decisions taken about a plot, timing, budget, briefing, etc - are made by the writer who created it rather than by someone else. And finally it should mean that the writer is able to drive the plot process to ensure that their plot gets approved and run at events.

Teams

We encourage all Empire plot writers to get a team together if they can. There are many advantages to writing plot as part of a team - you have like-minded friends that you can discuss the plot with as you create it. If you can't make an event, or you're busy at an event when a question about your plot comes in, then a fellow team member can cover for you.

More importantly, running plot at an Empire event requires a wide range of skills. We don't assume that a single writer has all those skills, but if you have a team of people then they can cover the skills needed between them. Actually writing plot is just one part of what is needed to get your plot to run. The best teams will include people who are good with costume, props, briefing and debriefing, time-tabling and logistics, even if some of those people don't actually write the plot your team runs.

Wherever we talk about a plot writer on this page, we're also referring to their team if they are part of one.

Plot Support

The plot support team is a central team whose core job is to help the writers run the plot they have created. There are several steps involved in producing plot at an event and we realize that some writers or teams will not feel enthusiastic or capable of doing them all.

You can't divulge the responsibility for a plot - it's still down to the writer to ensure that their plot runs, but you can get help with any stage of the process. The plot support team includes people who are experienced with costume and props and can help advise you how to source the things you need for your plot. They are familiar with our IT systems and can help you get the ribbons and items your plot needs as well as brief and debrief your plot. Some members of the team may be able to brief a plot for you - or just help you find NPCs to play the roles.

Whatever you need to do to get your plot to run, then the plot support team are here to help.

Ten Steps

We've divided the plot creation process into ten steps and laid them out in a rough sequential order for ease of reading. All writers need to follow the process, but individual writers can work through the steps in the order that suits them best. Some writers like to buy a beautiful prop and create a plot around that; some writers will want to get the basics of their plot approved before spending time putting it on the wiki.

Stage 1 - Write Some Plot

Any member of crew who wants to get involved in writing plot for Empire events is welcome to do so. Experience can help, but it is far from essential and a good knowledge of the setting is likely to be just as useful as a decade of experience writing plot for other games. What is essential is to make sure that you read the plot style guide first. We hope that you will also find the plot tools invaluable for giving you ideas and showing you elements of the setting you can use to turn those ideas into plots.

The best members of the plot support team to talk to about your plot are Andy Rafferty and Matt Pennington. Both have lots of experience creating plot for large events and Andy is the ultimate authority for questions about the Empire setting.

Stage 2 - Put it on the Wiki

We have a single central platform for plot - the plot wiki. Before you can attempt to run your plot at an event, you must have documented the plot on its own page on the plot wiki. You can't get final approval for any plot until this is done.

Most members of the plot support team will be able to help you use the plot wiki. If you are having a specific problem then Aquarion (Nicholas Avenell) is the best person to talk to.

Signs and Portents

You might want to add a vision to your plot at this time. Signs and Portents is a commonly cast ritual that draws from a pool of pre-prepared visions. By creating a vision to add to this pool you can foreshadow your plot, and include clues for the players to interpret that might help them interact with it. This is a great way to provide plot exposition or some context or introduction for your plot.

Include Vital Details

If you have specific requirements for the plot - props, costumes, prosthetics, set dressing, manpower - anything specific that the plot needs to run, then make sure it is clearly identified in the page you have written for the plot. Use bullet points if possible - bullet point lists make everything better.

For Quests there is a template to help you provide the information the Skirmish Team will need to run your quest in the way you want. Two key roles for Quests are:

• the Hook - normally an NPC that tells the players when and where the quest is happening
• the Guide - an NPC that will liaise between the players and Plot Actuation or Skirmish Team i.e. the IC player wrangler (this could be the Nations Egregore or the Hook in many cases)

When you are happy that your plot is complete and you are ready for it to run then you need tag the plot.

Deadline

You must submit your plot for approval 10 days before the Friday that the event begins. Plot submitted after this date will not be run at that event.

Stage 3 - Add Next Event and Awaiting Approval Tags

You need to add two tags to your wiki page.

The first should have the name of the next event - or the event that you want your plot to run at. The event names are defined by their sequence in the year and the year they are running. e.g. first event in 2013 is "E1-2013". The third event in 2014 is "E3-2014"

To create a tag you add the following text anywhere to your page:

{{Category:E3-2014}}

This tag is used by the Plot Actuation team to find plot that may be running at the next event - so they can prepare a timetable - allocate NPCs, sort costume, etc, etc, etc.

You can set this by changing the "Status" in the PlotThread text you added earlier, and you should change it to "Awaiting Approval", like this:

{{PlotThread|team=Team Farscape|author=Chris Edwards|name=Deal with the Devil|status=Awaiting Approval}}

This tag is used by Matt and Andy so they can find your plot and check it for consistency with the campaign.

Stage 4 - Push for Approval

You need to get your plot approved by Matt Pennington and Andy Raff. This process is driven by you, the writer.

You need to drive this process as both Matt and Andy are scatterbrained and unable to manage time or projects. Basically just prod one of them repeatedly until it happens. An email to Matt is a good place to start, but regular prompting on Facebook is even more potent and difficult to ignore. The plot facebook group is a good place to poke Andy Raff who spends too much time on Facebook. If you don't get a response, wait a day... then poke again. Feel free to cut and paste the link for the wiki page with your plot on it - and post that at Matt until he does the job.

Matt is busy and responds to problems based on how much he is getting harassed to get them done. This description is not efficient or optimal but it is true. You will not annoy Matt by harassing him with "Check my Plot" requests - you will simply get your plot checked and approved faster...

Once Matt or Andy has approved the plot - they will change the tag from "Awaiting Approval" to "Approved".

Plot Approval is a conveyor belt process initiated by you.

• Request Approval - Email or PM Matt and Andy.
• 24 hours later - send a second request if you have not had a response.
• 48 hours after second request - issue Matt and Andy with a final demand.
• 48 hours after the final demand - plot automatically approved.

If you drive this process by prodding Matt and Andy then your plot will be approved within 5 days of being submitted. If Matt and Andy can't get their shit sorted and get you a response after your third message - then your plot gets automatically approved.

Bypassing the Process

If you have a good source for costumes or props or a specific NPC you'd like to use then talk to the relevant member of the plot room about your ideas. Plot actuation is a difficult job and they will appreciate the help.

Please don't bypass the process and do it yourself - that causes major problems for other members of the team when they try and allocate NPCs, quest slots, ref ritual outcomes, etc. Talk to the plot actuation team - they are there to help you run your plot.

Stage 5 - Plot Actuation

The Plot Actuation team will read through your plot and check it for missing elements that they need to run the plot. Potential missing elements are:

• Item Ribbons - If a plot needs a ribbon they need the precise details of what goes on the ribbon.
• NPC Stats - If an NPC needs notable stats they will need specifying.

Once the Plot Actuation team have checked your plot and are ready to run it they will change the "Approved" category tag to "Running".

When you see this tag appear then you know that your plot is timetabled to run - and that plot actuation team are going to ensure that sufficient costumes, props, and NPCs to run the plot. The plot actuation team have to balance the demands of all the plots being run over the weekend. They may discuss the requirements with you - but ultimately they have the final say on what resources can be allocated to a plot. If you are concerned that their estimation is not sufficient then discuss that with them.

The Plot Actuation Team will finalize all the logistical arrangements that are required for your plot to run. If your plot needs resources, coin, cards or ribbons then they will prepare them. If the plot needs props, costumes, prosthetics or set-dressing - then the plot actuation team will sort them.

Stage 6 - Preparing the Timetable

The Plot Actuation Team will prepare a timetable for all the plot that we are running out for an event. This will be a google document spreadsheet.

Creating the spreadsheet is enormously hard work and takes a lot of time. There are a huge number of different variables that have to be juggled as plots are being sanctioned. At present the goal is to deliver the timetable for the 1pm Friday that the event starts. As the system improves, the Plot Actuation Team will endeavour to deliver the timetable earlier.

Stage 7 - Briefing NPCs

You need to be ready to brief your NPCs for your plot. The plot actuation team prepare the things you need for your plot - but they will not brief and run your plot for you. So you will need to be present in the plot room 20 minutes before your plot is due to go out - otherwise it will not go out.

Once you get to the plot room, liaise with a member of the plot actuation team and they will tell you who is monstering your plot. You must then brief the NPCs.

This includes NPCs that are the Hook or specific NPCs on Quests. The Skirmish team will stat generic monsters and brief them with any details on your plot doc but you will need to give more detailed briefs for any specific NPCs in your Quest.

Note the Hook for a quest is timetabled separately to the Quest and go out hours or even days before the quest, you will need to be there to brief both parts. If the Guide is not an Egregore or the Hook then they will need to be briefed at least an hour before the quest is due.

Stage 8 - In The Field

When your plot is in the field, it will be interrogated by the players. They will use the tools at their disposal to find out more information about your plot. There are various rituals they can perform to find things out or to cause things to happen in response to your plot. These requests will come to a field ref - who will process the request and then refer it back to the plot actuation team.

The plot actuation team will attempt to answer the question. If you are available (in the plot room or on a radio) - then they will pass the request to you. If you are not available then they will attempt to respond to the player action using the details provided in your plot brief. The more detail here - the easier it will be for them to respond in the way you want.

Common Rituals that the players will cast to find out more are:

• Swim Leviathan's Depth - Allows them to ask Leviathan why something is happening.
• Bright Lantern of Ophis - Allows them to analyze a magical effect.
• The Eye of the High Places - Allows them to analyze magical effects in a large area.
• Eyes of the Sun and Moon - Tells them about military forces in a territory.
• Shadowed Glass of Sung and Clear Lens of the Eternal River - Analyze an area for clues. These rituals are most useful on a quest but might be used to explore any location or 'scene' where something has happened.

Stage 9 - Debriefing NPCs

When your NPCs return to the plot room they will be asked by plot actuation to put a debrief on their plot on to the plot wiki. The debriefs are added using the debrief button provided by the plot template which appears on your wiki page. If you need specific questions answered by the NPCs then you will need to ensure that you are there when the NPCs get back and debrief the plot.

For Quests the Skirmish Team will provide an overall Quest debrief in addition to any specific details provided by the NPCs

Debriefing is important because it allows us to track what plots ran and what the outcomes were. It is critically important for game consistency that we get good quality debriefs. Everyone involved in the plot process, writers, plot actuation, and NPCs should be aware of the importance of getting good debriefs.

Stage 10 - Player Follow-up

The Empire campaign specifically prohibits free text downtime - players are prohibited from trying to follow up a plot in downtime. It is worth bearing this in mind when writing a plot.

However there are things the players can do to chase a plot has left the field. The most common are:

• Call Winged Messenger - Send a message to a named NPC.
• Create a missive to an Eternal - Send a message to a named Eternal

These requests will come to a field ref - who will process the request and then refer it back to the plot actuation team.

The plot actuation team will attempt to identify the plot writer best suited to deal with any player follow-up. Messages set to eternals and letters sent by winged messenger will be put in the post-board in plot. There is a box for each plot team where they can collect their post from. Unidentified plot will be added to a single box marked "unknown".

If you find a piece of plot follow-up in your box that is nothing to do with any of your plots, then please move it to the "unknown" box. Plot Actuation team will empty this box after the event and try to chase it up with the whole plot team using the Facebook writers group.

Players may also commission a historical research request through the Imperial Senate. This results in a report collated by NPC civil servants who spend the period between events trawling archives and libraries all over the Empire. Some research requests will find no useful information, but you may be asked to write a research request result related to one of your plots, or to provide enough details that someone else can write one. A research request is a useful tool because it allows you to help players drive your plot forward, and can be used to reveal additional information about the background; point to a quest or unexpected avenue to pursue the quest; or even provide leads to an entirely new plot, depending on the nature of the research.

Summary

The following summarizes the division of responsibilities in the process of creating, approving and running plot at Empire.

• Write plot - the plot writer
• Add plot to wiki - the plot writer
• Make requirements clear - the plot writer
• Request appoval - the plot writer
• Approve plot - Matt and Andy
• Source costumes, props, prosthetics, set dressing - Plot Actuation Team
• Allocate NPCs, quest slots, vision tents - Plot Actuation Team
• Source resources, cards, coins, ribbons - Plot Actuation Team
• Timetable plot - Plot Actuation Team
• Brief NPCs - the plot writer
• Run Quests (including statting monsters) - Skirmish Team
• Respond to player action - the plot writer if available, otherwise Plot Actuation Team
• Debrief NPCs - Plot Actuation Team
• Debrief Quests - Skirmish Team
• Allocate player follow-up - Plot Actuation Team

Contact Details

• Facebook Matt Pennington or matt@profounddecisions.co.uk
• Facebook Andy Raff
• pru@profounddecisions.co.uk (costume and props)
• liza@profounddecisions.co.uk Lizas liza@profounddecisions.co.uk (plot actuation queries)