I'd guess that most of us have at least heard of games that had truly terrible metaplots, but has it ever been done right?  Has a game ever had a continuing plot advanced in supplements that wasn't bad?  Let's hear about the games that, even if they didn't do it right, at least didn't do it horribly wrong.

I'm not familiar with it, but Tribe 8's metaplot was often held up as being very well handled.

In fact, I think Dreampod 9's stuff generally got a good review on that front.

And Pendragon, the metaplot in that is kind of the point of the game.

But generally I am not a fan of metaplot.

Only very low-key metaplots that didn't force players to be in the epicenter of massive events yet powerless to stop anything.

I would suggest that Mystara's metaplot was marginally good.  Most of Shadowrun's metaplot has been good according to people I know and have some confidence in.

But on the whole, metaplot is garbage and should in principle not be used. Most game designers just can't pull it off.

RPGPundit

Didn't Torg use a metaplot that involved having the players send in their results from running various adventures to define where the plot went from that point forward?

Quote from: RPGPunditOnly very low-key metaplots that didn't force players to be in the epicenter of massive events yet powerless to stop anything.

I would suggest that Mystara's metaplot was marginally good.  Most of Shadowrun's metaplot has been good according to people I know and have some confidence in.

Considering it has been running 17 years, and the difficulties it faces given the original premise, I think it has produced very little suckage.  Not to say it is perfection, but it is probably as good as you'll get.

QuoteBut on the whole, metaplot is garbage and should in principle not be used. Most game designers just can't pull it off.

It is hard, hard work.  Going back to Shadowrun, they now how over 100 rule books, source books, novels, etc. written by a raft of different folks to check consistancy against. They only pull that part off because of the huge amount of effort to do so.  Because that sort of stuff you can't just wing, and you certainly aren't going to be able to slide it past the really hardcore fans.

I'll toss another example out here, and that is Star Wars.  Sure that is metaplot first and foremost, with rules put underneath. But the same applies, and oddly enough a lot of the Star Wars mythos has flowed out of the WEG RPG, and it is my understand that how WEG's contributions were made has roughly become the model for all licensees to use and extend Star Wars.

Quote from: VellorianDidn't Torg use a metaplot that involved having the players send in their results from running various adventures to define where the plot went from that point forward?

Shadowrun did that once, and they ended up with a dragon as president of the UCAS (United Canadian American States) for their trouble.  Even though FASA then proceded to kill the dragon off** within hours of being sworn into office, I will say though that that one decision has had a huge infuence on the direction of the metaplot.

Spoiler

** Sort of. Not dead dead, but effectively out of the way.