Heyo! I was just curious, to see as more of a community thing, about how many people actually read, or are invested in stories in hacks around here. My hack is pretty story oriented (since thats what im best at heheh), so naturally, im curious about how much people care about it.
And if you do like to read through the stories, then what are some things you really like in a hack plot or setting? :>
I pretty much always try to get invested in a ROMhackās story whenever I play one (which isnāt often and i have SO many unfinished playthroughs but bear with me). While simple stories of good vs. evil are always nice, I like when there are twists from what vanilla FE brings to the table or when thereās interesting character writing and/or worldbuilding to sink my teeth into.
I pretty much shill for Barryās Bandits when I can because I love its characters and premise to death. Who doesnāt love when you get to play as bad guys in a ROMhack? And its raunchy humor and comedic characters are right up my alley.
And on the other end of the spectrum, Vision Quest has been praised highly, and for good reason. tbh Iāve only played through the very first chapter, but what I saw of the characters and the setting was very promising.
As a pretend writer myself, half of my gaze is diverted towards the story of a game (and whether or not I enjoy it, flows well, or remains memorable), with the rest being placed on āhow much are you going to crush my bones if I donāt read the attached guideā
But if you ask about āwho reads hereā - ever since FEH released, nobody. 
(Blame gacha)
I pretty much swing from setting to setting and plot to plot on my list of wants, but Iāve been yearning for a short-scale story recently - no massive war, or at least a war that the player party is not a massive decisor of, no secret dragon, no fire emblem - just people having to fight for a more ādirectā need - being safety of their village, coin, or personal causes.
A little peopleās story, somewhat.
Iām definitely interested in deeper and more serious stories. Iām personally not the biggest fan of meme hacks because of that.
However, finding a good balance between too much story and too little is also important. Get me invested into the characters and the world. But donāt overdo it with the worldbuilding, for example at the start of the game.
Keep it short, let me hop into the first chapter, see what everything is about and who are the characters. Donāt give me a longass introduction on every single country - better do that on the go, if it adds to the story.
I have a hard time finishing hacks when the story doesnāt get my attention, whether that attention is good or bad. For most people, an acceptably good story will NEVER be a detriment, unless you, like, have very badly evented story segments lol
I never really take the time to read the story. For me, I just usually double speed on the emulator, skim the text, and press A. I never really take the time to enjoy the story.
I always read the story. Thereās even a number of hacks here that didnāt grip me gameplay-wise but definitely had me interested story-wise. A good story can really elevate a hack for me.
I will always read the story. It doesnāt have to be amazing. I just want something to latch onto and to care about the characters, and to feel like itās a campaign, not a map pack. Just donāt bog yourself down with an excess of world-building for its own sake. Please. Itās to serve a campaign, not to fill a fanwiki.
I ran a survey a while back and writing was at least fairly important to most people.
there is one universal truth
the people crave supports
Thank god I have a giant cast with many supports to write.
Ha. Hahaha. Ha (I actually enjoy it)
Also good to know! Glad to see most people care about story a bit at least heheh. Advice on the world-building stuff, I have a tendency to add a lot randomly during dialogue that I should be leaving as side content
Story matters. I think I speak for many when I say that without characters or plot to latch on to, itās hard to maintain the motivation needed to keep moving through a game that presents itself as a narrative.
Personally, story and lore and setting cohesion are huge deals to me. If youāre just making a gameplay experience, why bother with a story?
Some things I like in a hack plot or settingā¦
Fantastical locations! Fantasy needs more places like Thunderwave Cave.
Commoner turned Noble not due to random chance but great heroic effort! That trope always gets me.
I like a good story with cohesion between the characters(meaning alot of dialogue to show the connection between characters not necessarily support only but talk conversation in a chapter also work). The hack also need a clear ending A story would take about 3 out of 10 total points when scoring a hack.
Also what is your hack name? I would like to check it out when I have time.
Fractured powers! Just posted it recently, heheheh
great will check it out when I have Time especially now that I know you are a story focused hack maker 
Absolutely nothing is more important to me than the writing of a romhack.
If I just wanted to play a good video game thereās countless others, but hacks offer people who otherwise wouldnāt be able to tell stories a chance to tell excellent ones.
Itās just my way of looking at it, and I totally understand people who value story less, but for me the base FE games are all fun because they feel driven by their narratives, and that enjoyment translates directly to hacks as well.
I donāt play rom hacks but story is what makes these games half of what they are. They are strategy/RPG w/ plot (even though most vanilla titles do not have great plot).
Itās why, despite loving Advance Wars, I played much more Fire Emblem in the old days. What is the point of having characters with names and faces if there is no story to involve them?
Yea I think ppl said it pretty well. I am first drawn to the gameplay premise, but a good story is the thing that motivates me to keep engaging with the gameplay loop past the first few chapters.