MA Rule #27: There are no suprises in MA
By
dugfromthearth,
Posted on: 2009-04-26 20:32 in Mission Architect
Agree and disagree.
Disagree, in that most canon COH/COV arcs are designed to be slowly unfolding mysteries. You see the fringes of a situation, you start to learn clues, you uncover what's really going on, you maul the bad guy, you find resolution or a twist that you didn't see coming or what have you. If you do it right you can tell a great story without having to say up front "Here is everything that is going on and there will be nothing interesting or new happening, go fist the enemy."
Agree, in that COH players are keenly trained trope-sniffing bloodhounds who will NEVER say "It was probably just a coincidence" or "Did you hear something? Nah, must've been the wind." The instant anything out of the ordinary happens they'll immediately leap on the evil twin clone from another temporal dimension theory, and likely be right. Be aware that they're gonna be sussing you out the instant they're in there, so don't hint too strongly at the mystery in a way that'll let them figure it out on page one.
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I had an arc end with all the strange goings on really being a coincidence...
Does that count as a twist?
I pulled that one because, honestly, it was an unsatisfying resolution to the plot, in my opinion. 
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A plot "twist" of someone turning out to be good/bad is just as likely to be a typo as intentional - and we don't really care that much.
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"We" meaning you, because you don't actually speak for everyone, correct?
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Tell a good story - but just tell it straight. Don't try to surprise the player - you are likely just going to annoy or confuse them.
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You might as well just point out that every conceivable story has already been told thousands of times over throughout the course of human history and attempting to tell any one story again is meaningless. That would make about as much sense as trying to impose limits on what we write in order to satisfy a tiny group of individuals with narrow minds.
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go fist the enemy
[/ QUOTE ]I'm not sure that's something I'd be doing to my... "enemy" 
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/36641/My-Little-Exalt
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That would make about as much sense as trying to impose limits on what we write in order to satisfy a tiny group of individuals with narrow minds.
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You are correct - if you are trying to satisfy a tiny group of individuals with narrow minds please write whatever you want.
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go fist the enemy
[/ QUOTE ]I'm not sure that's something I'd be doing to my... "enemy"
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I think my brain just exploded from awesome. ^.^
Victory
Schattenbolt - Blaster Elec/Elec/Elec
Pierce Steele - Blaster Arch/MM/Munitions
Paragons of Victory
Do we get badges for that?
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Tell a good story - but just tell it straight. Don't try to surprise the player - you are likely just going to annoy or confuse them.
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I disagree. A good story can surprise the player.
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Do we get badges for that?
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Not sure, but I hear you get tickets for it, especially if you do it on an outdoor map.
There are no surprises in MA.
This is a superhero game. If someone can fly, turn into a werewolf, freeze people in ice, comeback from the dead - it's normal.
A plot "twist" of someone turning out to be good/bad is just as likely to be a typo as intentional - and we don't really care that much.
Tell a good story - but just tell it straight. Don't try to surprise the player - you are likely just going to annoy or confuse them.