((Rails))
Alright, now from our discussion of features, I was reminded of Rails. Now rubyonrails.org/ Good! Storyline on rails… bad.
I’m sure someone just asked: “what do you mean by on rails?”
Think of a rollercoaster. You know where you began, and you’re quite positive that you know where you will end up without anything given by you, the idle participant. No matter what you do, attempt or accomplish, it doesn’t change the final outcome. That basically all your hard work is flavor and nothing else. So I present a few more questions.
Do you prefer to know the outcome of a story before beginning?
Do you feel a story should be organic and grow of its own accord?
Whose story is the most important and how far are you willing to negotiate those ends?
What is a fair and reasonable outcome to such negotiations?
When do you get to pull the red lever and say “STOP, I want to get off?”
Now, I love organic storytelling. It’s incredible. You look up one day and go “wow, look how far we’ve come.” This is an incredible experience. Just the other day, I was speaking to V about our story (V is not from RTA, sadly). How it started and how it involved into the penultimate moment where everyone is out saving the world and we decided instead to start a life together that they never would have allowed until the end of the story (cue curtain). It was sweet, and appropriate. But the story was completely organic. We never set out for our characters to fall in love. Heck, we BOTH designed, and went out of our way to make them incompatible with ANYONE… or so we thought. Until one day we looked up… and there we were.
Our GM’s fostered organic (individual) storytelling, but sadly they had a tight rein on theme. One that had jumped the shark once, and had done so a second time right before I handed in the ole’ armor. Now before you say “but we’re rigid to theme,” we had to hit the reset button twice. Why? Because people had damaged a part of the theme… badly, and the staff (and players) did not wish for those ‘dark’ days to return.
Now, I see a story as a symbiotic relationship. Where it is a give and take and… it’s wonderful. No, you don’t always get what you want from the story, but it isn’t a complete bust either. I don’t hide the fact that I came to RTA because someone accosted me daily and who brought an OOC grudge IC. It’s the truth, I’m hate to say. But! I was taught that even the conflict these two brought was merely a growth opportunity. Don’t get me wrong, I had that best friend who hugs you and tells you not to take it personal… even when you want to. But he got through to me, and I’m rather stubborn. Point to remember: Fun Factor.
Sometimes we don’t always like what the other person may be bringing to the story, or have opinions as to why they may be attacking. But I believe that in any story, you do have all the power. You may not like the choices or consequences, but you got the power (cue bad 80’s music). In the end, we can either let it defeat us (and there has been times I’ve considered letting such overtake me) or see it as an opportunity to take the character in a new direction.
Peril had this morsel of advice: “You are the puppet-master.”
And to that, I agree as well and jump the tracks whenever I get the chance - save, Six Flags or Dollywood (Yes, you may now mock me for having been to DW).