Storyboard is a roleplaying-in-gaming column by Eliot Lefebvre. Previous entries published on Engadget. [Follow this column’s RSS feed]
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Storyboard: Dealing with the things your MMOs characters can’t do (but still can)
In the middle of Final Fantasy XIV's post-Stormblood patches, there's a scene where the characters need to purchase a specific katana. An exact price...
Storyboard: How do you roleplay in MMOs that don’t want you to roleplay?
Readers, I am about to blow your minds. Are you ready to have your minds absolutely blown? It's going to be a huge shock,...
Warframe of Mind: The day Warframe’s story broke me
I am not someone who is an easy mark for breaking down as a sobbing mess with a sad moment in a story, which is why it surprised me when Warframe made me sob with its storytelling. If you've ever thought it's a narrative-light game that's just space ninjas shooting weird dudes, this is a refutation of that.
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV’s story does not know you are playing a video game
In Rich Burlew's long-running webcomic Order of the Stick, there's a moment early in the comic when a fire has engulfed the inn the...
Storyboard: Yes, there really is actual roleplaying happening in MMORPGs
It started with my character saying one word. "No."
Both men on the bridge were surprised to hear it, least of all from someone who...
Storyboard: Understanding character goals in MMO roleplaying
Not everyone who enjoys tabletop roleplaying enjoys roleplaying in MMOs. This is fine because they are different things and you are under no obligation...
Storyboard: Who gets to be the hero of an MMORPG?
When Guild Wars 2 launched, there was a contingent of people who were very, very annoyed about Trahearne. There were a lot of players...
Storyboard: Roleplaying in MMORPGs is much more common than you think
Back around the time when the game's first expansion was a going concern, there was a post on the World of Warcraft forums about...
Storyboard: The fine art of letting your character fail in MMORPG roleplaying
Do you know why tabletop roleplaying games use dice? Every game designer ever will lie about the reason. The reason cited is to create...
Storyboard: Managing the escalating stakes in MMO storytelling
Everyone who has at least passing familiarity with stories, whether they be in MMOs or elsewhere, roleplayed or canonical, realizes that stories need stakes....
Wisdom of Nym: Everything is broken – a tale of Final Fantasy XIV post-Calamity
"Marise? Are ye up there, girl?"
The answer was yes, but she didn't much feel like answering. Actually, she didn't feel much liked doing anything...
Storyboard: When is an MMO story ‘real’?
So we've had some fun with talking about MMO stories that are player-driven and MMO stories that are pre-scripted. Both of them have advantages...
Storyboard: Pros and cons for scripted narrative stories in MMOs
Last week, we looked at the pros and cons for stories in MMOs that were purely player-driven, or at least using player actions and...
Storyboard: Pros and cons for purely player-driven story experiences in MMOs
What is the right way to tell a story in an MMO? That is a silly question, like asking what the right way is...
Storyboard: The fatal flaw of overreaching villain plans in MMOs plotlines
So the other day, a friend and I were talking about villainous schemes in MMO storylines. Specifically, we were talking about why World of...
Storyboard: The back-and-forth of roleplaying
The other night (Tuesday), I had a pretty terrible roleplaying experience. I don't want to go into too much detail, only note that it...
Perfect Ten: A small sampling of literary offerings from MMOs
Salutations are in order once again for our most literate and eloquent readers of Massively Overpowered! I bid you welcome to our numerical column...
Storyboard: Making fights matter in MMOs (and in roleplay)
You know what's fascinating about the original Guild Wars release, later redubbed as Guild Wars: Prophecies? The Prince Rurik fight works.
Yes, these are spoilers for a...
Storyboard: The future of MMO roleplaying in the new decade
Here we are in a brand-new decade! (If you feel the urge to pedantically correct this, you are wrong, it's a new decade, hush...
Storyboard: Never forget that all MMO lore is made up
Let's take a trip back to the dewy slopes of June 2006, when Chris Metzen addressed the question of how the lore of the...
