Plot & Continuity Work Group

Plot & Continuity Work Group
Terminology
Term Name:	Plot & Continuity Work Group
Description:	Plot and Continuity manages the Game Masters and handle all elements of the game's story and gameplay.
Abbreviation or Synonyms:	Plot Work Group, 'P & C'
Rule Type:	Out-of-Game

Keeping players entertained is an important job.

Purpose

The Plot & Continuity Work Group is in charge of the Game Masters who tell the story of Kingdoms of Novitas. They oversee each shift and send Non-Player Characters out on plots that the Player Characters then interact with. Plot also oversees collecting the Post Event Letters (PELs) from players after each event, they answer Lore questions and write the details for Player Initiated Plots (PIPs). Twice a year the Plot Work Group also oversees Role-playing Skill advancement windows.

The marshal for the Plot & Continuity Work Group is Ryan Green and the second is Donald Tyson.

Volunteering

If you are interested in joining the Plot Work Group the best thing you can do is to demonstrate your ability when working as a Lead Non-Player Character. Lead NPCs guide groups of Non-Player Characters in the field while the Game Master is behind the desk in the Logistics building. Demonstrating that you can handle unusual situations and maintaining the spirit & identity of the game will make you stand out as a candidate to be a Game Master. There are other ways to help out as well, periodically Plot & Continuity will take submissions for filler plots so that the Game Masters have something extra to draw on when they are out of ideas, this is a good way to help the game, flex your creativity and demonstrate what you can do.

Post Event Letters (PELs)

After each event each player who attended may submit one Post Event Letter (PEL) summarizing what they did at the event. The Game Masters use these as reference material to find out what happened with certain plots or what player's did for the event.

When you are an NPC keep in mind the GM's don't know exactly what happened, and in the middle of running a shift are not going to remember all the details of anything you report. A good PEL gives us the records when things are calmer to understand what took place so we can grow a story from it. When you write a PEL be sure to include details about plots you think players are likely to write Lore requests asking for more information. Often Lore requests talk about an NPC they encountered by name, but if you named the NPC, the Game Masters are stuck guessing at which plot the Player is actually talking about.

Details about what fights you participated in (if that fight is unlikely to have a followup) are not useful in a PEL. We want these to be good for reference so anything that adds extra length without adding substance is undesirable.

Please keep PEL's as factual as possible. Writing in a narrative format is not helpful for the GMs.

As a player include anything that GM's might need to know about what happened, if you know the real world names of any major NPC's you encountered this can be helpful later as often everyone forgets this kind of detail months down the road when we really need to figure that out.

PELs are due the Sunday after each event.

In exchange for writing a PEL player's are awarded with 2 experience points. You must NPC or PC for at least one shift to qualify to write a PEL.

You can submit a PEL using this form.

Lore Requests

Players gain the ability to ask a Lore request from the Scholar role-playing skill, and items like the Library. A Lore request is an opportunity to learn more about a plot taking place or to have some element of the world given a bit more definition. Lore requests are an excellent way of giving Game Masters feedback on what plots you are interested in by asking for follow up information. If you encountered something that you want to know more of the story to, a Lore is an excellent way to find that out.

Players must submit Lores by the Sunday following each event. A player may only submit Lore requests if they attended the previous event. Once submitted the Game Masters will determine who is answering each one, and if they need any clarifying information (such as when no one recognizes who's plot you are asking about) they will reach out to you to get it. Most Lore responses will be sent back to players the week before the next event. Sometimes Game Masters will get inspired by Lores and give you a response in the form of a targeted plot during the event.

You can submit a lore using this form.

If you do not hear back from a Game Master with a Lore response by the day before game please reach out for more information. Lores that slip through the cracks and don't get answered by an event are rare but they do happen. When this occurs you will have the option of carrying the question over to the next event or asking something different.

Please keep in mind that although we will do our best to answer every Lore request submitted, some subjects are simply out of bounds on what we want to define for the game, assuming your character even has a means of finding that information out. When a player asks such a question the Game Masters will steer the response into the realm of something similar they can answer instead.

Plot Lores

Sometimes a Lore may be referenced as a 'Plot' Lore. These Lore requests can ONLY be about a Plot you encountered (ideally recently) and should not be about anything of larger scope than that. By limiting the scope of the lore it makes it easier for the GM's to answer it.

Each player who attended an event may submit one plot lore afterwards for whatever character they played. If they did not play a character that weekend (such as NPCing all weekend) they may submit a lore on behalf of any of their characters.

Player Initiated Plots (PIPs)

A Player Initiated Plot (PIP) is an opportunity for players to suggest what they would like to encounter during an event. They are not an opportunity to write your own plot for yourself.

A good PIP tells the Game Master what style of story you wish to encounter (Drama, Comedy, Fighting, Intrigue, Mystery, Problem-Solving). Many different players get many different things out of the game, and that's a great thing. PIP's are a great opportunity to get the thing YOU want out of the game, so telling us what that is helps us deliver it.

The PIP can say what kind of thing you want to do (for example: 'I would like to get into a fight with an inquisitor' or 'I want to convince a merchant to join my caravan'.). Not every PIP needs this. Some PIP's might simply say 'I would like to have a big fight', and that's is a complete PIP. You are allowed to write PIP's seeking out rare items, keep in mind though that you may not get exactly what you want or it may take time. A PIP asking for Ritual Paper, or some other scarce item is reasonable.

If your PIP is related to your backstory you should include some details of who the important NPC's involved are, and why they are related. There are many active characters in the game, Game Masters are not expected to know everyone's backstory by heart. Backstories also change and evolve over time, so simply reading what you wrote 2 years ago may not be accurate any longer. Letting us know who is involved and what their deal is helps save the Game Masters a lot of time, which they can then spend making a cool plot for you.

Much like a PEL please keep PIPs brief and to the point. The Game Masters have a lot to read through, and saving them time is appreciated. Be clear in what you are asking for. Start with what it is you want, then include the details. If you put the details first we spend the entire PIP trying to figure out what it is you actually want.

Submitting a PIP does not guarantee that we will run the plot you request, we'll work with you to make a plot we can run, but sometimes we can't or don't want to fit certain things in. Just because you request a fight with an incredibly rare and powerful monster doesn't mean we want to put that creature into play for example.

Players shouldn't expect more than one PIP per event, you are allowed to submit more than one, but the Game Masters need to spend time entertaining EVERYONE and that means sending 5 plots for one person or group is monopolizing the Game Master's attention. Groups submitting multiple PIPs may also get restricted for the same reason. Generally the game masters will try to split PIPs so that one shift isn't burdened with all the PIPs at once.

PIPs are due by the week before each event, and should only be submitted if you plan on attending that event. While having forewarning about things you are planning in the future can be useful, PIPs for future events shouldn't be submitted until such time as the event in question is the NEXT event scheduled.

Categories: Out-of-Game Rules | Work Groups