Subplot Registration Suggestion

I have been considering making a subplot for several months, but never really got to it for several reasons, including how much detail is often called for when registering a subplot, and just how it felt kind of boring to "play the game" when you know exactly what's going to happen. I was talking to Pally about this, and he had an idea. Here's the conversation:

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Grim: I'm currently working on a subplot for Machman.
Greco: oh?
Grim: yep.  Some of the other subplots are long enough to practically be books, but hopefully I can make a good one.
Greco: I can't. The best I'll manage is 'A day in the Life of ____'
Greco: nd then do missions
Grim: the only thing is, it feels wierd to make all this stuff, just to go through the mission myself.
Greco: I know.
Grim: It's not like I'm making this for someone else, where there is some element of mystery.
Greco: That's what's stopping me from doing my own subplot.
Grim: I would know exactly what kind of capabilities MachSpectre has, including his weaknesses.
Grim: and it's hard to not exploit them for the sake of the RP
Grim: But I don't know if anyone would approve a Subplot if I did not include the minute details of MachSpectre's stats
Greco: Well, you've definitely just seconded my thoughts on subplots
Grim: it just seems like a whole crap-ton of work for the lack of excitement and problem-solving that comes with moderator-run missions.
Grim: Facing Magnus D'aeon was great, cus we (Kenshin Trigger and I) were facing an enemy that could practically stop time, and we had to figure out how to take him down in a strict time-frame.
Grim: I ended up rigging Machman up like a walking trip-bomb to help defeat him.  You won't find that kind of reckless ingenuity when you know exactly what happens.
Greco: ....
Greco: HEY!
Greco: IDEAR!
Greco: What if we...
Greco: try something new?
Greco: lilke
Greco: erm
Greco: group plot planning
Grim: what do you mean?
Greco: I'm still fuzzy on how it'd work but
Greco: basically
Greco: you find a player or mod... doesn't matter
Greco: and you hash out your plot
Greco: but you leave it open ended
Grim: I was thinking the EXACT same thing.
Greco: And the other guy, the assistant to your plot, hashes out things like stats and
Greco: ......well cool beans
Grim: it may put a little more strain on the mods (with making the stats and stuff), but I think it would make a better RP for the player, and could bring about some unexpected benefits that the player never expected
Greco: But the guy helping you do this doesn't have to be a mod.
Greco: True, you still have to get a mod in on it.
Grim: so then the other person tells the mod the stats he/she created as a supplement to the subplot material submitted by the player.
Greco: Well, yeah, not just that but also...
Greco: how do I word this?
Grim: so the moderator him/herself would have the same "responsibility" as the older system, but the player won't know so much as to make the RP predictable and boring.
Greco: yeah
Greco: It'd mean you'd need to find someone to help you with it whom you know won't throw stuff at you waaaay outside the scope of your plot premise.
Grim: so, would the collaborator convey the information to the mod who accepts the subplot via PM/Chat, or should there be a "secret subplot info" section where all the mods can see, and then accept if they wish.
Grim: of course, the player would know about the section and just wouldn't look, cus I don't really know anyone who would purposefully make their "game" more boring.
Greco: I mean, honestly, I can't see a mod
Greco: doing all this collaboration work
Greco: they see it as work. XD
Greco: Not fun.
Grim: true.
Greco: That's why I think the plot collaborator would probably have to be a regular player.
Grim: I think the collaborator would likely be a "chat friend" or just an overly creative member
Greco: pretty much
Greco: It'd also give the regular members something else to do
Grim: very true.
Greco: yeah, it doesn't matter, since they're just collaborating
Grim: it may also help "mod hopefuls" get their feet wet when it comes to creating scenarios
Greco: That too
Grim: I'm probably going to quote this and put it in a suggestion thread.  Okay with you?
Greco: Go for it.
Greco: We already did something like this to Raikou
Greco: :'D
Greco: Not quite this, but it's close
Grim: true.  too bad he isn't on to finish his mission, but I digress.

In summary, though the player would submit the majority of the details of his/her subplot, some of the details (mainly boss stats, puzzles, etc.) would be created by a member, who has collaborated with the player enough to know what he/she is trying to accomplish.

This volunteer "collaborator" would create whatever stats/info required to complete the subplot, and would either submit the info to the subplot moderator via PM/Chat, or use a separate "Secret Subplot Info" thread where all the mods could see, before the subplot can be approved, and a moderator chosen.

PROS:
- Creates more excitement in the RP during subplots
- Having a volunteer "collaborator" would prevent the task from being put in the laps of moderators (who would consider it to be "work")
- May increase the amount of users registering subplots, which would give the RP less of a "grind" feel and more like an actual story.
- Gives members something to do while waiting for their threads to be modded
- Allows members and "mod hopefuls" to get more experience in NCP creation and scenario planning

CONS:
- No guarantee of voluntary "collaborators," but the current system can still be used if one cannot be found
- May lengthen the time-line from Subplot creation to ultimate approval (due to the "collaborator" being involved in the process)

I would like to hear your opinions on this issue, since subplots are one of the least-used features of this RP, but can foster a welcome increase in quality RPing and a more story-based experience.

I'm clearly for this. [/obvious]

I don't see any issues with this. Might be time consuming, but could also be good fun.

Subplots are already horridly time consuming, but at least this would make them fun/worth the wait.

new class of 'battle mod', the battle tweaker?

this wold be fun though, I'd love to mess with people on the sidelines like this...

Neutral on this, although I do recommend that collaborators be given a reward for doing a good job, as is the case with helping mod training.

Note that I said a good job.

No, this wouldn't be a new class of battlemod. That defeats the purpose. This is just really asking for permission to allow players to have other players collaborate with them on sub plot creation, so subplots are more enjoyable. It's also asking to allow the subplot entries to be a little more... loose on a few details so there is room for the unknown. Unknown stuff is fun, since the subplot isn't just entirely running by a script. That makes some of the puzzles, some of the battles, and maybe even some of the non-combat role play more exciting, at the very least.

If you're really concerned with being paid for it, the reward for doing a good job helping with a scenario would have to come from the person asking for your help, just like with art requests. Personally, the fun I'd get out of my own subplot, the fun I'll have making scenarios for someone else's plots, and then from seeing them go through those scenarios... That's a ginormous reward already, thanks. Besides, I'm assuming players would rather work with people they know very well to begin with, for many reasons.


Those are my thoughts, anyway.

Sorry to necro the thread, but what does the rest of the RERN staff think of this suggestion? If there are no disagreements with how this works, shall I "test" the system using my subplot?

Feel free. It's your subplot.

I'm all for it.
Maybe I'll use it for my part 2 subplot, though I have no idea who my partner's gonna be. XD