So you're working on a really cool character concept, but you're not sure if you have the space in your roster. Perhaps you're considering adding a plot character... but what's the difference between the two?
The answer is a little hazy, and it lurks in one of those gray areas of moderation for us. There are a few things that decidedly make a character lean one way or the other, though, and I'll highlight those points for you below.
Plot Character Features
- The character is only used in roleplays that further a plot
Example: Mimi Muccino was only ever played when the scene called for a bully, or Tony needed a sidekick to do his dirty work.
- Little to no personal character development is written
Example: A big bad might be written into some kind of current events or CD that specifically fuels a plot, but we probably won't see their diaries on the forums any time soon. Similarly, we probably won't read about their day to day speculations of the world around them. Ghost had CD monologues, but we didn't read about him shopping for cloaks.
- They may be part of a family, but family and relationships are not the emphasis of their roleplay
Example: Walter is a former main who has become a plot character. He has a son, and it's known OOCly, but he is primarily only ever RPed when something is happening with Hellfire. He doesn't have a lover or wife, and family RP is not the focus of the character. Conversely, much of the roleplay done with Artimus Monjula was family-oriented or among allies, yet every single encounter fueled an agenda for one plot or another. Thus, he was still a plot character.
- They further a plot that affects the majority of the continuity, as opposed to a personal side-plot that may only affect a couple of people.
Example: The High Operators working for Operation Unity while pretending to be good guys were only being roleplayed to push a major plot. The corruption in OpU was an aspect of Identity's scheming, which affected almost every character in the continuity in some way, shape or form.
So, then, what can we pull from this right off the bat? Well, first and foremost, you'll note that it's possible for a character to jump from one "slot" type to another. Clio has bounced back and forth between being a main and being plot for me as her level of activity and involvement has waxed and waned. When she was only ever being RPed for Hellfire, I'd ease her into Plot, but when I started playing her heavily, she was very obviously a main.
I use her in this because she is a classic example of a character who is very deeply involved in developing plots, but I roleplay her as a main. Just being involved in a plot does not a plot character make, just as some character development in a villain or plot character does not make them a main by default.
There is some overlap, but a good way to define the difference is to simply examine your roleplay and ask yourself, "Am I planning out their life, or am I planning out a storyline for the dream?"
We do have some folks who have blurred the lines as they've come up with some very cool concepts that they want to play. We love to see enthusiasm, but the strict limit of three main characters and two plot characters is in place to prevent us from churning out characters and alting with alts against alts like we see in other continuities in this game.
If a plot character becomes a main and your roster is full, we'll ask you to rotate someone out in order to keep playing them. Please try not to take this personally. The rule is in place to regulate, and even mods have to abide by it. We ask that you all do the same.
But what about NPC's? What are the rules surrounding them?
There are no hard and fast rules for NPC's except that they are only to be RPed for very specific situations. They may be an NPC that only one person uses (such as Tom playing Gary the Promoter for mutant fight club), or they may be a communal NPC (such as Carl the Bodyguard for the Lyons-Monjula family). There's also NPC alts that we make just for one event, such as when JD and I made GSLDR alts when Identity was more heavily controlling Operation Unity. Some are never actually played, but only referenced, such as George Lohman, the apartment complex slum lord.
Either way, NPC's should have a small bio posted in that subforum so that other players have some information when they choose to reference the character. Information posted there can be specified as publicly known, or only known to a select few. You can limit who controls an NPC as well.
But ultimately, NPC's are just backdrops for the greater scene that we set, and they are not characters. They're personalities serving a purpose!
When in doubt... ask a mod!
The answer is a little hazy, and it lurks in one of those gray areas of moderation for us. There are a few things that decidedly make a character lean one way or the other, though, and I'll highlight those points for you below.
Plot Character Features
- The character is only used in roleplays that further a plot
Example: Mimi Muccino was only ever played when the scene called for a bully, or Tony needed a sidekick to do his dirty work.
- Little to no personal character development is written
Example: A big bad might be written into some kind of current events or CD that specifically fuels a plot, but we probably won't see their diaries on the forums any time soon. Similarly, we probably won't read about their day to day speculations of the world around them. Ghost had CD monologues, but we didn't read about him shopping for cloaks.
- They may be part of a family, but family and relationships are not the emphasis of their roleplay
Example: Walter is a former main who has become a plot character. He has a son, and it's known OOCly, but he is primarily only ever RPed when something is happening with Hellfire. He doesn't have a lover or wife, and family RP is not the focus of the character. Conversely, much of the roleplay done with Artimus Monjula was family-oriented or among allies, yet every single encounter fueled an agenda for one plot or another. Thus, he was still a plot character.
- They further a plot that affects the majority of the continuity, as opposed to a personal side-plot that may only affect a couple of people.
Example: The High Operators working for Operation Unity while pretending to be good guys were only being roleplayed to push a major plot. The corruption in OpU was an aspect of Identity's scheming, which affected almost every character in the continuity in some way, shape or form.
So, then, what can we pull from this right off the bat? Well, first and foremost, you'll note that it's possible for a character to jump from one "slot" type to another. Clio has bounced back and forth between being a main and being plot for me as her level of activity and involvement has waxed and waned. When she was only ever being RPed for Hellfire, I'd ease her into Plot, but when I started playing her heavily, she was very obviously a main.
I use her in this because she is a classic example of a character who is very deeply involved in developing plots, but I roleplay her as a main. Just being involved in a plot does not a plot character make, just as some character development in a villain or plot character does not make them a main by default.
There is some overlap, but a good way to define the difference is to simply examine your roleplay and ask yourself, "Am I planning out their life, or am I planning out a storyline for the dream?"
We do have some folks who have blurred the lines as they've come up with some very cool concepts that they want to play. We love to see enthusiasm, but the strict limit of three main characters and two plot characters is in place to prevent us from churning out characters and alting with alts against alts like we see in other continuities in this game.
If a plot character becomes a main and your roster is full, we'll ask you to rotate someone out in order to keep playing them. Please try not to take this personally. The rule is in place to regulate, and even mods have to abide by it. We ask that you all do the same.
But what about NPC's? What are the rules surrounding them?
There are no hard and fast rules for NPC's except that they are only to be RPed for very specific situations. They may be an NPC that only one person uses (such as Tom playing Gary the Promoter for mutant fight club), or they may be a communal NPC (such as Carl the Bodyguard for the Lyons-Monjula family). There's also NPC alts that we make just for one event, such as when JD and I made GSLDR alts when Identity was more heavily controlling Operation Unity. Some are never actually played, but only referenced, such as George Lohman, the apartment complex slum lord.
Either way, NPC's should have a small bio posted in that subforum so that other players have some information when they choose to reference the character. Information posted there can be specified as publicly known, or only known to a select few. You can limit who controls an NPC as well.
But ultimately, NPC's are just backdrops for the greater scene that we set, and they are not characters. They're personalities serving a purpose!
When in doubt... ask a mod!
Moderators: Remy LeBeau (played by RemyLeBeau) MutantExodus
