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PLOT ENGAGEMENT (ARCHIVED)
What is Plot Engagement and how does it work within Meadowlark? This is the page where players can come discuss with us how to facilitate plots within the setting. However, there will be occasions where a plot doesn't work within Meadowlark's world, and we'll suggest alternative routes. For small worldbuilding or gameplay details, please direct your question to the FAQ. If you're ever not sure if you're at the right page, don't worry—we'll help you get it sorted out. We know we have a load of info!
WHEN WILL YOU HEAR BACK?
◉ All Plot Engagement answers go out on Sunday, except during events.
◉ The deadline to submit a question and ensure you'll hear back from us on Sunday is 11:59 PM UTC on Saturday.
PLOT ENGAGEMENT INCLUDES
◉ Player plots! If you'd like your character to become a mafia boss, this is your place to start. Typically, this involves anything that could impact the setting or other player characters.
◉ Character career advancement that gives the character additional power or status within the setting.
◉ Metaplot exploration and information! We plan all events to give characters something to explore after the event ends. This is the place to do it!
SUBMISSION TIPS
◉ Specify what your character is looking for when they're investigating. What questions are they asking and what angle are they trying to explore?
◉ If you have a specific goal in mind but don't know how to reach it, please let us know.
◉ If you link a thread to us, please summarize it! That helps us process the plot in question.
◉ Don't worry about not knowing the setting like the back of your hand before you submit the plot—that's up to us! We're here to help you with any adjustments to get you on the right track.
NOTES & THINGS THAT YOU CAN HANDWAVE
◉ Characters always start out in entry level positions. Characters can update their skill sets to the 2512 standard through paid apprenticeships or internships.
◈ If a character is advancing within a major corporation (as noted on the Setting or Locations page) or one of its subsidiaries, we will need to approve this advancement.
◈ If a character becomes a supervisor at a local bar or other small business, we do not need to approve this advancement.
◉ Joining the police force within a city requires three months of IC training (six months OOC).
◉ We'll approve whether someone has social media fame, but we will not be providing social media follower counts. Once you have a plot for how to use those followers, that's where we step in!
◉ All Morningstar business goes on our Morningstar page. Please feel free to discuss specific plots here (including joining), and go there for signups and anything else.
◉ Characters getting jobs, finding apartments, participating in the fighting rings, getting married, making workplace friends, the creation of minor NPCs, etc. do not need to be run by us. Please let us know if these expand into player plots or other plot bits!
QUICK LINKS
◉ FAQ: For small worldbuilding or gameplay details.
◉ Setting: Our setting page! We'll update as needed.
◉ Jobs: A reference for who's working where!
◉ Locations: Both major and minor locations within New Amsterdam, as well as outlines for other megacities.
◉ Mod Contact: For wider game concerns.
◉ The Story So Far: Gamewide plot events up to current (your CTRL+F best friend!).
◉ NPC page: Includes NPC blurbs and inboxes.
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no subject
The easiest lie to tell is the one closest to the truth, so he'll be frank with them in that he used to do "complicated acquisitions" for powerful people, which is a contribution he can make to their enterprise if they want to utilize it. What he wants is information on mercenaries, which he knows will raise both eyebrows and suspicions. They're capable of doing a background check on him to determine if he's a cop (or the New Amsterdam equivalent thereof) if that's a concern.
He'll claim he's looking to hire. He has private interests and it's easier to go after big scores with a small army backing him up [gestures to recent monster attack], but he's relatively new in town [gestures to every other recent disaster] and doesn't have the connections yet, so he's looking to build them and make interpersonal investments.
He'll conduct himself professionally (will either button up if they have a uniform or keep his collar breathing if they want him to potentially use Whatever He Can Do to intimidate or be a Present Reminder, that's up to y'all). No idea what kind of assignment or detail they'd put him on so if y'all have some ideas let me know and I can give a more concrete explanation of how he'd handle himself!
no subject
If he mentions a background check to make sure he's not a cop, he'll get a good laugh from the capo. He'll earn the nickname "funny boy."
The mobs are inherently isolationist in nature, don't take well to Displaced interference now that there's enough information about them out in public about them. They work from low level up, and part of proof of loyalty is ensuring that whoever they recruit will be working in favor of the mob, itself. It's a unit. That means they won't take favorably to Nate recruiting from their ranks—or even outright saying he'll recruit from their ranks. He'd be seen as a usurper who'd be disrupting their business if he intends to use mob resources for personal reasons. While it's certainly possible for him to do so in the future (depending on how he works his way up), he'd need to first earn his keep and then approach that claim in a way that would benefit the Riverside mob.
If he does go ahead and say he wants to recruit from them, the capo will send the message up and not take kindly to the insinuation. The backlash may even hit Red Wings, as it'll be seen as the Displaced trying to infiltrate the Riverside mob. While we think this is interesting, we're also not certain that this is where you mean to go with this plot! So we'll leave it to you. If you want to change his response to what he wants, let us know, but if you want to move forward with it, please make sure to loop the Red Wings' gang (Gee and Alison) back into it so they know that what Nate does at the casino may potentially have some outreaching effects on the business!
As far as the mercenaries go, getting base information on them may not be terribly difficult, but it depends on what Nate's looking for! Even the low level goons at the casino will know that Simone Durcell is looking to tie the mob to the mercenaries, but with the current state of things, there's no way that they can afford them. There will be some gossip about Durcell's "big movement in the mob," but there won't be any solid details on who the mercenaries are or how that would move forward. It'll be up to Nate to take some direction there depending on what he wants.
His assignment will be pretty boring for now—working in the casino and making wins for the house two nights a week. He'll be able to keep 10% of his earnings, so the better he does the more money he'll make.
Let us know if there are any questions, or how you'd like to move forward!
no subject
- Wanted to make it clear/clarify that this casino thing definitely has not happened yet - we were waiting on the okay on details from y'all before committing, and in addition to that when I first posted in here I did not yet have a castmate-and-fraternal-conman.
- Totally understand that this kind of enterprise requires working your way up, so he's not expecting any helpful information immediately!
- Re: recruitment, there might have been a misunderstanding there. He's not recruiting (not that he's 'recruiting' at all) from the mob, but hoping the mob will have connections with independent mercenary organizations, as they might sometimes contract out for other work. Making a referral, as it were? So like...don't worry about upsetting the Displaced apple cart! That's not gonna happen. The criminal underbelly is a relatively small sphere, hence starting somewhere he knows he can probably get a foot in the door. By no means does he want to make it look as though the Displaced are trying to infiltrate, and would actively make an effort to avoid giving that impression.
ALL THAT BEING SAID, since none of this has happened yet (with the lack of event for September we wanted to do this in the upcoming month), I wanted to throw a tiny wrench in here and add one more person to the Thrilling Interrogation docket: Sam Drake. Two idiots for the price of one! Their explanation as to what they want from Riverside will still be the same (they're treasure hunters, they run jobs with scores they want to protect with mercs), but again: they're new in town, happy to work their way up, et cet. Heck, they could even lend their expertise in protecting Riverside investments. To catch a thief, and all that.
I am really sorry for this change in plans but I a.) was not anticipating getting an older brother when I first posted here in plot engagement and b.) the idea of them sitting at a table together while Sam says he "feels good about this" and Nate unintentionally gets lucky and they both glow is just. Really quite funny and par for the course.
If this is okay, please rest assured they will be (mostly) polite employees who are fine with whatever grunt work they're given until they move up.
no subject
A few quick follow up notes:
• Since even asking for resources before he has a chance to prove himself would be taken unkindly (because of the aforementioned isolationist nature of the mob), we'd like to know if Nate will be going ahead with that! We weren't clear from your response.
• Would the circumstances surrounding this change at all now that Sam's included in the scenario? They'll definitely be more keen to rough them up once they see their chests glowing and because of the following point.
• As this is happening following the monster attack and Red Wings being a whole headquarters thing, the mob will see the Displaced as a faction of their own. Sam and Nate showing up, glowing, and then trying to join their mob would be seen as them potentially infiltrating. They'd need to prove themselves, both by working in the casino and by taking on a few meager jobs. Otherwise, the mob would actually be interested in having a hand in that pie, even if they might doubt Sam and Nate's loyalties.
• Will Nate have some way to prove that he's a treasure hunter? Obviously he has his gates trips, but he might want something on hand to prove that he's done it, even if he doesn't have a point of reference. (This is to say, relics from the gates are fine proof for this purpose.)
Thanks!
no subject
- No, let's say they'll work up a reasonable reputation there before asking for anything. They've been in this particular field long enough to know better. :')
- I'll say yes to the glowing, if only because we're framing it this way: they're not going in with the intention of showing off the glowing and getting carted off, they're going in with the intention of having a swell Boys Night at the casino and maybe feeling out what the mob vibe is. Nate's power is not well-defined (nor well-controlled) so both of them glowing is completely accidental.
- It's a fair assessment and one they'd agree with. It doesn't look great. They're keen on proving themselves if it means they might eventually establish some connections in this particular realm.
- ABSOLUTELY THIS DUMBASS IS ALWAYS CARTING AROUND SOME ANCIENT SHINY TRINKET so yes! He'll probably have one of the Nepalese artifacts he found back during the Everest expedition on him.
Hope that helps!
no subject
This sounds good.
Just to be certain, when you say "reasonable reputation," we'll assume that both Sam and Nate will go about their menial mob tasks (casino hands) as asked after Nate has proved himself to be a treasure hunter. He'll have to make sure that both Sam and him play nice (for now), or it's possible for consequences to fall back on Red Wings, and the mob will definitely make it clear.
They'll both be stationed under that capo. His name is Rion.
Let us know if there are any other questions.
no subject
Thank you!