This thread is to help us (OK, me!) think through how best to develop and disseminate the story of Devokan without leaving stranded those who are obviously following it on the MOUL forum -- i.e. I'm not sure they would hop over to the blog, which would be a shame.
If I understand the 'IC/Roleplaying vs. OOC thread' correctly, it means that any roleplaying dialogue through forum posts (e.g. between myself and/or Nalates and/or Quinquifid) should not take place on the MOUL forum. Such a dialogue CAN take place, however, either on the DRC forum in the 'Share your journey' section or on a fan-run forum such as GoMa or OpenUru.org.
I find such IC/RP forum dialogue helpful and stimulating. I would like to retain it -- but where?
I don't think the DRC forum would be appropriate for Devokan story-telling for the following reasons: First, Devokan does not involve the DRC -- it is outside that story strand, and is not aiming to restore the cavern in any way. Second, the story is wider than than just Uru -- it can include elements from other RP games (as Nalates showed with her NoR storyline). Third, because it has explicit links with areas in Second Life and the OSgrid -- worlds that have attracted hostile comment from particular quarters -- I doubt it would be welcome there.
So that leaves using a fan-run forum. Now, I know we would be very welcome on OpenUru.org to work in this way (thank you!). However, I would feel a little inhibited about doing so because this is a businesslike site, focused on developing an infrastructure for the future open-source Uru. Having said that, this place is great for discussing behind-the-scenes issues such as the practicalities of hosting sims from home, or broadbrush OOC storyline discussions, or puzzle development, or ...
On the other hand, on the GoMa forum I already have an established (U-r-u) character, and have included that as part of the storyline of Devokan. One or two other members of that forum have recently expressed an interest in what is happening among the Uru communities in SL and on the OSgrid. Nal regularly posts there, and Quinquifid has on occasion too. So GoMa would probably be the best place for this asynchronous type of forum roleplay.
Roleplay can also take place in world -- this is enjoyable and often fruitful, particularly when it happens spontaneously. However, given the different time zones involved, it is not always possible to use this to carry the story forward.
The other avenues for story-telling are journal and blog entries, which are used by Paislee, Mat, and others. These are necessarily monologues, so while they move the story forward (and the blog, with dated entries, is essential for this), they might not have the dynamism of a discussion involving several individuals. They are good, however, for summarising discussions or dialogues after the event.
So, to sum it all up, what do you think about the following?
- Develop broadbrush story outlines in OOC threads here on OpenUru.org, in the Myst/Uru-Style Story subforum.
- Use threads in the Devokan subforum on GoMa for short, everyday-gossip-style posts, focusing on stories that involve GoMa inspections of Uru:CC ages, cavern events like the guilds/groups fair, events from SL (Winterfell and/or D'ni Refugees), other RP games, etc.
- For OSgrid events and story, and deeper personal reflections, develop it within journal entries inworld and/or as blog entries.
- Attempt to weave all the above into a coherent narrative reported on the blog AND as a labelled fan-fiction thread in the Creativity section of the MOUL forum, perhaps once a week.