There are difficulties when it comes to GMed threads, GMed live events, and writers playing chapter NPCs. Most of these difficulties are self-evident, but they are quite extensive. GMed events will always come with a degree of suspected bias, and these events can only host a certain amount of people each time (which will be even more problematic in future, as our player base is once again increasing). As far as players playing chapter NPCs, yes we will consider that again in future, but again there is a degree of impartiality introduced, particularly if the writer playing the chapter character is of a certain alignment with another of their characters.
There's also the difficulty balancing making the consequences too obvious, and making them too vague. I had thought that, combining rumours, secrets uncovered in game (the evidence you'd randomly find), and the visions given to the Yao Gen sages, that the consequences of the chapter were perhaps too obvious, and even patronising. We wouldn't want to create a chapter which has two or three very clear cut objectives and outcomes set right from the start, as all that would happen in such a case would be the largest concerned faction would always win. I rather liked the idea of having to roleplay to find secrets, but we only received 3 submitted impact threads in the 3 months the chapter was running.
It's true that most people aren't into politics, but we had assumed that they would see the possible consequences and rally to get involved regardless. We decided to go with a chapter this time which was not overly focussed on the vampiric secrecy ("masquerade") issue, in order to give writers a chance to flesh out their characters' personalities and opinions a little more, and offer a wider scope for things they might wish to fight for. However, the lack of roleplay involvement and Bancroft dominating right from the start made the chapter fall even flatter than it might already have done (which, in retrospect, it probably always was going to do, lol).
Mkvenner wrote:
Someone running for office is going to have a platform - what was theirs? They're going to have a comprehensive campaign that goes out to all forms of media, not just 'secrets' that can be found with roughly the same amount of regularity as a hacking raid (or, y'know, once in a blue moon). There was no real information, that I could find, on how each choice would effect what would happen in the next chapter, or in general, other than their political leanings (and two of them are 'conservatives' anyway).
On that note - two of them are, presumably, anti-vampire and the other one is a masquerade violation waiting to happen. I really can't see the upside of any of them getting into power.
I think many people might have missed the starting update thread, which outlined all of the candidate's major talking points, and what they promised to try to do with the city if elected. The chapter's immediate outcomes were obvious from this day 1 thread alone.
However, thanks for the input everyone. Some good points, and we'll absolutely use the feedback regarding mistakes made in this chapter going forward to the next.
