Character Arcs

This idea is implemented on a number of different forums in various ways. It's meant to promote and reward active role playing and interaction, and would serve as a means of accumulating experience outside of jobs.

A character arc is a series of completed threads that together tells a story and demonstrates a great deal of character development and accomplishments. These Social threads can be simply socials or events centered around your character that have nothing to do with jobs. Everyone has had a few amazing and exciting threads outside of jobs that they believe aught to be worth something. This system will reward your Out of Job efforts to expand upon our little universe.

My idea for this forum, is to set goals for members to achieve a certain level of activity out of jobs by rewarding socials with experience based on the level of the character. Once a member has completed a certain number of threads that meet whatever requirements the staff deems fit, the member can then submit a request to have their "Arc" reviewed and receive rewards, so that no activity goes unrewarded.

Keep in mind that this is no Easy Experience Grabbing idea... It's meant to promote activity but at the same time a member will have to work to actually complete threads. By implementing this, The character driven stories will flourish creating a much more rich Role Playing environment, permitting members to Role Play outside of Job Requirements. An Arc can be completed in many short socials, or a few long ones... as long as the requirements are met, there should be no balancing issues with fast experience grabbers.

Expanding upon this, Arcs can be made to include entire Guilds or Groups. Allowing Privately made Events to have an official reward system to fall back on when their banks are running low on funds to supply rewards.

The best way to implement it would be to create thread in which members can post links to all threads in their "Arc" that can then be reviewed to determine if they meet the appropriate standards of length and quality. This could also help with tracking member and guild activity.

I agree

Yes yes yes!!! YES!!!! YES!!!!!

I like this idea but I'd like to see more to this idea wrote up. Like what the requirements are and how many words/threads/posts will be needed. There was a similar idea in the past where we had non-job threads give exp but it was declined because there was no way of a person getting stronger through just having a thread where they spoke to people for awhile. This idea though can extend on that idea and have the person have to talk to people for an idea of something and then lead them to learning a spell or ability and training that or fighting something, etc.

I'm behind this idea but again I just want to see more of the mechanics written out because it has a lot of potential to be something good and cool.

Cirven wrote:I like this idea but I'd like to see more to this idea wrote up. Like what the requirements are and how many words/threads/posts will be needed. There was a similar idea in the past where we had non-job threads give exp but it was declined because there was no way of a person getting stronger through just having a thread where they spoke to people for awhile. This idea though can extend on that idea and have the person have to talk to people for an idea of something and then lead them to learning a spell or ability and training that or fighting something, etc.

I'm behind this idea but again I just want to see more of the mechanics written out because it has a lot of potential to be something good and cool.

If everyone else likes this, you can bet there will be a ton of detail in it *_*

Salrynn wrote:

Cirven wrote:I like this idea but I'd like to see more to this idea wrote up. Like what the requirements are and how many words/threads/posts will be needed. There was a similar idea in the past where we had non-job threads give exp but it was declined because there was no way of a person getting stronger through just having a thread where they spoke to people for awhile. This idea though can extend on that idea and have the person have to talk to people for an idea of something and then lead them to learning a spell or ability and training that or fighting something, etc.

I'm behind this idea but again I just want to see more of the mechanics written out because it has a lot of potential to be something good and cool.

If everyone else likes this, you can bet there will be a ton of detail in it *_*

It's not as much liking something as it is making a good system for it though. We had a invasion system in the past that people liked but it ultimately was a broken and unused system that only a few people got to use and used it as a loophole on site. Was a pretty crap experience but it happens so it just needs to be written up well enough to where it is good for everyone and isn't a waste of time while still being a challenge for people so its not too easy.

I like the idea personally because I like making my own stories over how a job has you locked into doing the requirements of the job, fighting predetermined enemies, etc. It is a big reason why I try to make all my jobs as open ended as possible and in the past made systems for jobs that made them more fun and easier to do.

I can also help with ideas on making this system if I am needed/wanted to do so.

Cirven wrote:

Salrynn wrote:

Cirven wrote:I like this idea but I'd like to see more to this idea wrote up. Like what the requirements are and how many words/threads/posts will be needed. There was a similar idea in the past where we had non-job threads give exp but it was declined because there was no way of a person getting stronger through just having a thread where they spoke to people for awhile. This idea though can extend on that idea and have the person have to talk to people for an idea of something and then lead them to learning a spell or ability and training that or fighting something, etc.

I'm behind this idea but again I just want to see more of the mechanics written out because it has a lot of potential to be something good and cool.

If everyone else likes this, you can bet there will be a ton of detail in it *_*

It's not as much liking something as it is making a good system for it though. We had a invasion system in the past that people liked but it ultimately was a broken and unused system that only a few people got to use and used it as a loophole on site. Was a pretty crap experience but it happens so it just needs to be written up well enough to where it is good for everyone and isn't a waste of time while still being a challenge for people so its not too easy.

I like the idea personally because I like making my own stories over how a job has you locked into doing the requirements of the job, fighting predetermined enemies, etc. It is a big reason why I try to make all my jobs as open ended as possible and in the past made systems for jobs that made them more fun and easier to do.

I can also help with ideas on making this system if I am needed/wanted to do so.

Point taken :)

But yes, of this works id love to see it get used pretty often tbh.

Salrynn wrote:

Cirven wrote:

Salrynn wrote:

Cirven wrote:I like this idea but I'd like to see more to this idea wrote up. Like what the requirements are and how many words/threads/posts will be needed. There was a similar idea in the past where we had non-job threads give exp but it was declined because there was no way of a person getting stronger through just having a thread where they spoke to people for awhile. This idea though can extend on that idea and have the person have to talk to people for an idea of something and then lead them to learning a spell or ability and training that or fighting something, etc.

I'm behind this idea but again I just want to see more of the mechanics written out because it has a lot of potential to be something good and cool.

If everyone else likes this, you can bet there will be a ton of detail in it *_*

It's not as much liking something as it is making a good system for it though. We had a invasion system in the past that people liked but it ultimately was a broken and unused system that only a few people got to use and used it as a loophole on site. Was a pretty crap experience but it happens so it just needs to be written up well enough to where it is good for everyone and isn't a waste of time while still being a challenge for people so its not too easy.

I like the idea personally because I like making my own stories over how a job has you locked into doing the requirements of the job, fighting predetermined enemies, etc. It is a big reason why I try to make all my jobs as open ended as possible and in the past made systems for jobs that made them more fun and easier to do.

I can also help with ideas on making this system if I am needed/wanted to do so.

Point taken :)

But yes, of this works id love to see it get used pretty often tbh.

I'd plan on using it a good amount.

I personally love this idea for two reasons really. One, I despise the fact that progression is somewhat locked behind mindless grinding of things that may not be something your character would do, and two it allows what people have been wanting for awhile to be a thing. To be able to progress with their characters through their story. Though I do hope we'll be able to get this nice, and clean without having to write a novella for each arc, and have a small reward tossed.

Marceline Anicetus wrote:

I feel like this is something someone can do on their own free will, just without the rewards. I mean, not everything needs to be rewarded; at least, roleplaying shouldn't be focused on getting rewards, it should be more driven toward enjoyment. To me, this is just another way for people to get rewards for silly things and this is coming from a person who came from forums that didn't give out rewards for activity or otherwise.

Let's not forget you can easily MAKE custom character jobs as well. Nothing stops you from doing solely character jobs and bringing along people on those. Add some socials for plot points, as well as using exams for plot, and you'd be good to go.


Extra edit; There's no reason to be rewarded on top of your rewards for jobs/exams/extras/mentor bonuses just for actually partaking in what an RP forum is supposed to be about.

I've been on forums where there were no stat systems, no shops, just RP'ing everything. Those were some of the most fun, and were they not deleted and gone I'd still be on some of them to this day, even though I started on them back in 2003.

Marceline Anicetus wrote:

I feel like this is something someone can do on their own free will, just without the rewards. I mean, not everything needs to be rewarded; at least, roleplaying shouldn't be focused on getting rewards, it should be more driven toward enjoyment. To me, this is just another way for people to get rewards for silly things and this is coming from a person who came from forums that didn't give out rewards for activity or otherwise.

I agree that Roleplaying shouldn't be focused on getting rewards. However, on this forum ranks do matter a great deal and so does progression. Or at least a lot of people I know feel that way. Sure, you can create jobs for yourself but that is a process in of its own. A character's plot is not written in one thread, with just the people involved in that one job. It's a series of stories with many different members. Certainly we can do the same threads with no rewards, but the job system retracts from that priority and limits how diverse a story can be.

Stories change in a Role Play based on who you're Role Playing with. If you're in a job with someone, things tend to go one way no matter what because the goal for the RP is set in stone. The Invasion system was an attempt at making things more interesting, but that went sour because people still need the jobs to progress and it became nothing but a thing in the way of that.

This system will allow for absolute freedom, while maintaining a structured leveling system. I'm not hoping to phase out jobs entirely, only to convert the focus of role playing to a character's personal story line.

Let me just step right in and try to see this from both points of view.

The main argument for this is that people find jobs too confining and thus not a good way for their character to improve. I disagree that jobs are too confining. Yes there are set enemies to some extent and a set 'end goal', but other than that the way you RP is pretty much up to you.

Let's look at strange vulcans. The goal is to beat up a bunch of vulcans and the dice rolls give you those vulcans. Simple enough and seems kind of boring. However, you could easily incorporate this into a plot. Don't just have your character pick up the job and go to the location. You could do something like this.

My character decided to stay in this village to get some rest after their previous job doing blah blah blah. During the night screams were heard and suddenly a vulcan was in my room preparing to attack me. I struck out at them in self defense and fought them off, but the battle sound attracted other vulcans in the town forcing me to fight. Eventually the vulcans got scared and ran off shouting that they'd be back with tougher people who'd make me pay. The villagers in their gratitude rewarded me with some jewels and asked me to stay a few days, all expenses paid, in case the vulcans returned.

That is more 'plot' then 'job'. You can twist the job conditions to suit yourself.

'Oh but what if I don't want to keep fighting the enemies it produces' Well that's the thing. You don't have to. Beat a few vulcans and then when you roll for them maybe have some other enemies turn up. Or have an npc villain for your plot turn up. You won't get rewarded for beating them, but it does give you some variety and allows you to build your plot.

Then of course there are custom jobs which you can build as one time things for your plot and even keep a lot of it pretty vague. Perhaps the custom job system needs tweaking a bit.
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The next point is that a lot of stuff someone does in an arc won't help them grow as a mage and thus shouldn't help them rank up. This is true. Jobs provide exp because you are using your magic and physical body in a situation that should provide you with some growth because you have done stuff.

This is different to just rping with people.

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Those are the two points that could argue against this idea. However, a character arc is different than just rping.

A personal storyline that promotes growth could and potentially be rewarded. The issue of course would be making this system balanced, fair, and making sure all the members and staff understand it well enough to reduce arguments.

Perhaps your idea for an arc should be graded before hand and then the staff give requirements to reach certain things? THough i'd rather it not be based on word count as that isn't the same as quality and a lot of players aren't able to write as much as others. I'd also hate it to be by post count as post count is meh

My only real problem with making character jobs are the word counts are a bit too high depending on rank, especially if you plan on doing jobs solo. There comes a time when doing a job solo has you run out of ideas to keep the story cohesive and flowing properly. Like a job I'm soloing right now with my alt. The story is no longer cohesive and a person is forced to make things up just to fill space. So you can create all the stuff you want, but if a job is too long (causing you to shit-post), it isn't a good medium for telling your character's story in my opinion.

I do like the idea of RPs for your character for development, but I also don't believe it should come with a stat or jewel reward. The fact that you are progressing your character should be reward enough, allowing you to progress and realize your character's backstory/future story is something that any writer should thrive for.

However one could make the argument unlike socials or even jobs actual character arcs that are structured with 3 or more parts would a really give more experience for a person then a job would not to Mention that while more and more jobs are being created there is some lack Of variety in that. I was also once on a site that had this sort of system implemented and it was a lot of fun if you could get people to actually commit and stay commit for having a three or more longer thread count.

Except, as said previously, unless that arc involves your character developing magically via extensive use of magic in situations that are going to push them then it doesn't make sense to reward exp or jewels. The custom job system has the potential to be less generic with some thought. Perhaps we should think more on job chains. If a job chain is built correctly then it could be fun.

You could build that into your character arc bit. Like build a bunch of 'jobs' (which might not be stuff like beat the monsters), but the more jobs in the chain you complete the bigger a bonus you get at the end? So encourage the people to finish a chain of jobs rather than just one or two (as strange vulcans has five parts and I don't think anyone has beaten anymore than 3 including me who made 3,4 and 5)

To your first point it could easily. Sig spells personal boundaries with magics could all be covered in both arcs and jobs. And to the last point a string of custom jobs with a bonus at the end is a rough idea of how it worked on the other site I was on but there was an actual system
For it to where you made an app that had the details of the whole arc and all
It's part's mapped out. Something like strange vulcans takes place over different ranks this would not be the case of the arc idea

Except that an arc wouldn't have to be stuck to a single rank in my opinion. At one point in the arc you might get stronger for some reason and thus that could be part of the arc. You could even have your exam(s) as part of the arc if it was arranged properly. Lots that can be done.

We are debating semantics at this point. Point is an arc system that rewards could be a pretty fun idea if explored by the dev team.

If push comes to shove, maybe the dev team could put it on a trial for a month or such. If it works, great! if it doesn't work, then it could be scrapped.

I think I tried to propose something like this a very long time ago but it kind of never happened. If it happens I'm very happy, mainly because missions frequently feel arbitrary and in many ways forced when you'd much rather get maimed by women for calling their chests dinner plates or cutting boards and do long story arcs where your character is forced to realize the reality of his feebleness and improve as a person.


This best means of doing this would be through approval checks, where you'd ask for approval and a trained administrator would 'grade' the work based on quality and depth, with things growing more difficult with each time you try and get exp through this matter, demanding improved writing as you progress.

We're really not. Its more me expanding on the idea of an arc