So, you’re here to learn the basics of creating a roleplay plot! In roleplay in particular, ‘plot’ is often used to refer to the initial scenario that serves as the starting point of the story -- a set of events or circumstances that give you a point from which to work forward. It can also be used to refer to the continued events in the roleplay, ones that are either planned or foreshadowed by the authors. When RPers refer to ‘plotting’, they are usually referring to planning elements of the story out of character, or planning out the initial circumstances from which to start the roleplay.
How much plotting to do and when is entirely up to you and your partner or group. Some people like to do a lot of plotting while others prefer to keep things a little more ambiguous. Plotting can help give you direction in (and investment in) the story, reducing the amount of moments you are stuck thinking ‘now what?’ or ‘why are we doing this?’
While plotting for a roleplay has many of the same elements as building a plot arc for a story as a solo writer, roleplay differs in two major ways: 1) your co-author is also your intended audience, 2) you won’t always know what’s going to happen before it ends up on the page.
Below are some of the main, basic questions to ask yourself while beginning to plot specifically with roleplay in mind.
Who is your cast and why are they here? (AKA: The basic hooks.)
In one on one roleplay, this can be: the two ‘main’ characters between both partners, a broader cast of side-characters, or even multiple main characters. In group roleplay, this should include the characters of all of the players planning to participate in the plot.
A basic understanding of these characters’ motives will be extremely helpful when crafting an initial scenario. A ‘hook’ is an element of the plot specifically designed to cater to the motives of the characters, allowing them to come together or get involved in a way that doesn’t feel contrived -- all good plots should have at least basic hooks for the main cast. For instance, if your partner’s character is a detective, a hook might be a crime or personal matter that your character needs to hire them to investigate; or if your character is a politician, your partner could create a hook for their character by becoming a wealthy donor who they need to impress for their campaign. Hooks can be created through occupations, political or religious alignments, pre-existing relationships (families included), economic interests, personality clashes or compatibilities, and unexpected events. The sky really is the limit here!
Don’t expect your partner’s character to show up and stick around for no reason. Ample motive or obligation to get and keep the characters together will serve you and the storyline better in the long run. Are your characters here by choice? Are they forced together by circumstances or orders? Are there any holes in your initial setup which might result in the main characters parting ways before you are finished with the story (such as two who don’t get along finishing the ‘job’ before they have a chance to develop other involvements or bonds to each other)? This is a good time to consider these possibilities and try to build your initial scenario accordingly.
What is the problem/central conflict/obstacle?
Typically, a plot centers around a central conflict or obstacle which the main characters grapple with over time and strive to overcome. A few basic premises for the main conflict in a plot are:
Character vs. Character
This sort of conflict is between people in some form or another. This might be individual characters, families, factions, organizations, nations, etc. It’s scalable depending on the scope of your story.
Character vs. Nature, World, or Circumstance
This sort of conflict involves the main characters struggling against something outside of their power at the beginning of the story. This might be natural elements, technology, world events, their economic or social strata, something they are obligated to do but don’t want to, etc.
Character vs. Self
This sort of conflict centers on the characters being confronted by their own shortcomings as people. Rather than be held back by others or the world, they are held back by parts of themselves, and the struggle is against falling short of their own goals or desires due to personal obstacles.
Often, what the initial conflict in a plot is will shift over time, and bringing more than one conflict to the table over the course of the story can give you more to work with. For instance, a story that begins as character vs character (say, a personality conflict within a family, or a hero/villain setup) might evolve down the road into character vs self (as they realize how they personally are contributing to or creating the problem). A story that is character vs nature might include some mini-plots or side stories which involve some character vs character conflict simultaneous to the main conflict.
How will solutions to the problem be attempted? Success, failure, or in between? What is at stake, what happens if they fail?
This isn’t something you have to work out in full at the beginning, but consider a few paths that your character might take towards solving this conflict. Unexpected things often take place during roleplay (as opposed to solo writing where one author has complete control). Having more than one option that makes sense for your characters will help keep you from getting boxed in later on. If your character’s motives are fairly narrow, be prepared to use other elements of the story (circumstances, side characters, etc) to help move things along.
Whether or not your character succeeds or fails is entirely up to you! Some people like to go into a story with a specific arc in mind for their character, while others prefer to let unplanned events guide where their character ends up. In either scenario, you should think about what is at stake for your characters. Additionally, consider what will keep you and your partner invested in the story, and what makes you both care about the outcome. What are the potential consequences for both of your characters should they fail? Is there any path this story might take that will leave either of you feeling short-shrifted (if, say, they stumble upon a very simple solution to the central conflict too early in the story, or they never get an opportunity to question themselves/complete their personal arc)?
What’s the theme or genre of your story, and what is the setting? What are your interests?
Do you have any particular themes you want to explore in this roleplay? Politics, suspense, action, romance, loss? Discuss the types of story elements you enjoy with your partner, listen to the story elements they enjoy, and try to think about how they can be brought together in your story. For instance, if you and your partner decide to pursue a story that’s highly political, you would want to make sure any side-elements of romance or personal relationships can fit logically into the political scenario you’ve crafted (e.g. you wouldn’t expect politics to simply ‘not matter’ in such relationships) -- or if you’re writing a story focused on psychology or inner emotions, you might want to keep your workload in worldbuilding from becoming onerous in a way that might distract from your main goal (e.g. spending an inordinate amount of time detailing technology or clothing may not be your partner’s favorite activity for such a narrative).
Having a mutual understanding of the type of setting you and your partner are working in is essential to plotting. For instance, ‘medieval fantasy’ as a genre is extremely broad and can cover a great many different types of settings. Not every plot is transferable from one medieval fantasy world to another. Take some time to discuss with your partner what the politics, history, public figures, magic/paranormal elements, morals, geography, technology, and other limitations of your shared world are. This will prevent you from ending up in a situation where one of you introduces a story element that the other might have thought was impossible in the universe or genre that you’re working in.
You and your partner having different strengths or interests isn't necessarily a bad thing. If you find a way to mesh them together or delegate story work accordingly, it can add a lot to the plot, as mentioned in the next point. Having at least one or two main themes in common will help guide the story in a productive direction.
Who is running the plot?
There’s a wide level of variation in how plots are managed. Some people like their partner to take equal responsibility in coming up with and executing plot ideas alongside them, while others prefer to be in charge of the plot and only have their partner’s characters react along the way. Some prefer their partner to take charge of plotting entirely. For instance, in a plot that’s mutually run, one partner might imagine a turn in the story (such as a major setback in the main characters’ mission), propose it to their partner, and allow their partner to ratify the idea and/or come up with a counter-suggestion until something can be agreed upon by consensus -- whereas in a plot with a designated DM or ‘plot-runner’, they may simply write an event into the story and allow their partner to react however they like.
In any type of plot-management system, you should make an effort to clarify how much information your partner wants to have about the plot and when. Does your partner like surprises or do they want to be told about potential events ahead of time? Do they want to be warned about consequences for their character or do they enjoy taking blind risks? It’s best to discuss rather than assume.
Do you and your partner both enjoy worldbuilding or is one of you more into worldbuilding while the other is more into brainstorming ideas for character arcs? Having a mutual understanding with your partner OOC on who is contributing to which parts of the story will help you both meet your goals more easily. You can rely on each others’ strengths to help flesh out a story you will both enjoy. In matters of plots, communication is everything!
Limits?
You should both be clear on what your limits are as you are building your plot. If, for instance, your partner doesn’t enjoy writing or reading stories with lots of violence or character death, you should avoid building up to a scenario where these things are a logical inevitability or consequence (such as a main character committing a heinous crime in a country where the death penalty is common or starting a war in which the main cast absolutely must participate).
Choose or build a setting and story in which you and your partner’s limits are going to be reflected in the logical possibilities of the world. Knowing what the limits are at the beginning of the plotting process will help prevent you from getting caught in a scenario you may have to back out of or retcon further down the road. It will also help you know where you have more freedom to explore in the narrative by knowing what isn’t off-limits, too.
Remember: plots can be evolving creatures!
Plotting is a great way to ensure that you and your partner start off on the right foot, but any of these questions can be continually considered throughout the course of the story or re-worked later on. Subsequent articles on how to let your plot evolve and deepen will be forthcoming, but the previous points should help you find a place to get started!