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thelenian · 06-19-2002, 06:05 AM

So far I've seen the best player-run RP going on within the context of feudalism.

1) Build some castles.
2) Put cool stuff in the castles.. forges, mineshaft, kitchen, rooms with good locks and permanent save chests.
3) Put in a portcullis.. owner of the castle specifying who is to be admitted (exclusivity == good).
4) Owners of castles and their appointees get fancy titles.
5) Owners of multiple castles get even fancier titles.
6) Throw in at least one pickable back door... allow skilled people to climb over the walls.
7) Make only enough that maybe a quarter-half of the MUD can have one
8) Add a dose of players and let sit.

As long as you make it so that all administrative aspects of castles (including coups! ) can be handled by the players without IMM intervention, the above recipe is guaranteed. Players will form groups that try to take castles.. castle leaders will plot to remain in control - and possibly conquer their neighbor. Politics will run rampant, and the plot thickens.

In more general terms usable on any MU*:

1) Create a valuable resource
2) Make sure that that resource has practical in-game value that players can use for in-game benefit.
3) The resource must be usable by a group of people who are selected by a single person who has sole administrative control of the resource.
4) Owning the resource should be an ego-booster.
5) Make sure that even for those who own one of that resource, owning more than one == better.
6) It must be possible for other players to wrest control of the resource from the current owner.
7) The resource must be fairly limited, so that only a minority benefit from it at any one time.
8) Let the players run with it.

Valuable resources tend to create a motivator for players (damnit, I want one!! ). When the resource is usable by many, we get group dynamics (lets work together to get one!! ). Allowing a single person to own more than one of the resource, we get full-scale campaigns (I shall rule the world!!! Bwahahahaha! ). If the resource is cool enough, and a limited commodity, it will be enough to motivate people who lack it to seek it, even if they must take it by force. If you have all this, and allow it to be run by the players alone, you'll see a thriving society spring up around just this one resource. It will be self-regulating, and the plots will be provided by the players themselves.

06-19-2002, 06:05 AM	#2
thelenian Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 122	So far I've seen the best player-run RP going on within the context of feudalism. 1) Build some castles. 2) Put cool stuff in the castles.. forges, mineshaft, kitchen, rooms with good locks and permanent save chests. 3) Put in a portcullis.. owner of the castle specifying who is to be admitted (exclusivity == good). 4) Owners of castles and their appointees get fancy titles. 5) Owners of multiple castles get even fancier titles. 6) Throw in at least one pickable back door... allow skilled people to climb over the walls. 7) Make only enough that maybe a quarter-half of the MUD can have one 8) Add a dose of players and let sit. As long as you make it so that all administrative aspects of castles (including coups! ) can be handled by the players without IMM intervention, the above recipe is guaranteed. Players will form groups that try to take castles.. castle leaders will plot to remain in control - and possibly conquer their neighbor. Politics will run rampant, and the plot thickens. In more general terms usable on any MU: 1) Create a valuable resource 2) Make sure that that resource has practical in-game value that players can use* for in-game benefit. 3) The resource must be usable by a group of people who are selected by a single person who has sole administrative control of the resource. 4) Owning the resource should be an ego-booster. 5) Make sure that even for those who own one of that resource, owning more than one == better. 6) It must be possible for other players to wrest control of the resource from the current owner. 7) The resource must be fairly limited, so that only a minority benefit from it at any one time. 8) Let the players run with it. Valuable resources tend to create a motivator for players (damnit, I want one!! ). When the resource is usable by many, we get group dynamics (lets work together to get one!! ). Allowing a single person to own more than one of the resource, we get full-scale campaigns (I shall rule the world!!! Bwahahahaha! ). If the resource is cool enough, and a limited commodity, it will be enough to motivate people who lack it to seek it, even if they must take it by force. If you have all this, and allow it to be run by the players alone, you'll see a thriving society spring up around just this one resource. It will be self-regulating, and the plots will be provided by the players themselves.