It's good to hear how other people think about it, for sure! Thanks, Rei.
A little late to this one but I really wanted to add to the discussion!
When I talk about plot in roleplay, I always like to go back to my Theatre training, specifically Stanislavsky. I find that RP is more like theatre, more like acting, than plot based prose, because there is a heavy sense of improvisation.
I go into detail about how Stanislavsky's method applies to prose here in a post designed to help fiction authors develop characters that feel flat and under-developed. But the basic principal, as I would apply it here:
In order to have exciting roleplay, characters need to have mutually exclusive, or mutually disagreeable goals, and they need to engage in a series of strategies to further their own goals, and undermine the goals of others.
The most exciting plot can get dull and boring if both characters are on the same page. Interesting characters clash over their identities and goals, even if they are friends and allies. Malleable characters that follow along inevitably become stale.
This doesn't mean that characters need to be fighting, or at odds, all of the time. It can occur in more subtle ways, and manifest in little changes to the trajectory of the plot depending on who is succeeding the most in a particular scene. Negotiation, argument, compromise, refusal to compromise.
When I talk about plot in roleplay, I always like to go back to my Theatre training, specifically Stanislavsky. I find that RP is more like theatre, more like acting, than plot based prose, because there is a heavy sense of improvisation.
I go into detail about how Stanislavsky's method applies to prose here in a post designed to help fiction authors develop characters that feel flat and under-developed. But the basic principal, as I would apply it here:
In order to have exciting roleplay, characters need to have mutually exclusive, or mutually disagreeable goals, and they need to engage in a series of strategies to further their own goals, and undermine the goals of others.
The most exciting plot can get dull and boring if both characters are on the same page. Interesting characters clash over their identities and goals, even if they are friends and allies. Malleable characters that follow along inevitably become stale.
This doesn't mean that characters need to be fighting, or at odds, all of the time. It can occur in more subtle ways, and manifest in little changes to the trajectory of the plot depending on who is succeeding the most in a particular scene. Negotiation, argument, compromise, refusal to compromise.
This idea of the characters having conflicting motives being critical to the motive of a shared storytelling experience, and not just an intriguing aspect in isolation, is actually really revealing to me. Thanks for the link and commentary; I'll be sure to see to applying this to my future endeavors.
Very happy to be of help! 
Not everyone is going to agree with me. What makes for good storytelling to me won't work for some people, and so it can be very difficult to hit exactly the right notes with every partner.
Not everyone is going to agree with me. What makes for good storytelling to me won't work for some people, and so it can be very difficult to hit exactly the right notes with every partner.
Agreed. But the food for thought is still appreciated; thank you.
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