". . . over-reaching plots like this that should have a greater impact on everyone irk me greatly."
You know what irks ME greatly? People butting into conversations they have no business in. So yesterday, I had an unpleasant experience wherein a Twitter TSW in-character (IC) friend was spinning a story through tweets. The scenario centered around a fictional disaster at a hospital in London. Someone responded out of character (OOC) that he didn't like the yarn for various reasons and felt that we should stop spinning it.
When several people defended the original poster OOC, the offended party refused to "discuss" it without resorting to Direct (private) Messages.
". . . I would not spread this stupidity any further. It makes zero sense."
As it turns out, the story my friend was spinning was based on RP activity that actually happened in The Secret World game environment, much like the Twitter traffic surrounding the encroaching Filth in Agartha. Who's stupid now, Mister Fussypants?
Much like my post yesterday about race/class limitations, this is someone telling the rest of us how "all good" RP is conducted. However, unlike Geldarion, this guy had no sense of humor. Beyond the Veil host Xander recently related an incident that occurred when he and some other BtV mates were sitting around the Horned God in London. He had his weapons displayed, and someone had the nerve to approach him OOC and say he shouldn't have them displayed. My immediate response was to ask if Xander had threatened the priss IC. I would have said something like, "How about I display these weapons on your face!"
I'm relatively new to this RP thing. I've never really sat around in a bar or tavern and roleplayed. I have sat and "listened in" on the conversations occasionally, like in Argent Glade in Rift. They are quite a performance. I still haven't really done it myself, though. I mean, if someone wants to chat IC while we're questing, I'm game; though generally I find it hard to type on the fly, as anyone in one of my guilds can attest.
". . . inconsiderate and ill-thought-out play . . . but I'll say no more on it."
There are plenty of guides for doing RP out there, if you and your friends want some pointers. If you think you've got it all down, maybe you should offer up your own guide. If, when you're roleplaying, someone tries to engage you in a manner contrary to your style, walk away. If a third party is doing something you don't like or maybe even offends, every game I know of has a /ignore command of some kind. On Twitter, you have the option to unfollow or block. If necessary, you might even get a GM involved. However, do not EVER approach a complete stranger unsolicited and tell them they're RPing wrong. They'll laugh in your face—at best. And well they should; for you, sir, are an ass.
RP can be a blast. The stories woven by RPers can really bring the game world to life—for some. Others don't care, or at the very least don't care to play YOUR form of RP. Trying to force it on them does not win you any friends, and it hurts the already dodgy reputation of Roleplayers.
What do you think? Should there be RP rules that everyone has to abide by? How would you get everyone to agree to them?
You know what irks ME greatly? People butting into conversations they have no business in. So yesterday, I had an unpleasant experience wherein a Twitter TSW in-character (IC) friend was spinning a story through tweets. The scenario centered around a fictional disaster at a hospital in London. Someone responded out of character (OOC) that he didn't like the yarn for various reasons and felt that we should stop spinning it.
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| NerdyGaga.com |
". . . I would not spread this stupidity any further. It makes zero sense."
As it turns out, the story my friend was spinning was based on RP activity that actually happened in The Secret World game environment, much like the Twitter traffic surrounding the encroaching Filth in Agartha. Who's stupid now, Mister Fussypants?
Much like my post yesterday about race/class limitations, this is someone telling the rest of us how "all good" RP is conducted. However, unlike Geldarion, this guy had no sense of humor. Beyond the Veil host Xander recently related an incident that occurred when he and some other BtV mates were sitting around the Horned God in London. He had his weapons displayed, and someone had the nerve to approach him OOC and say he shouldn't have them displayed. My immediate response was to ask if Xander had threatened the priss IC. I would have said something like, "How about I display these weapons on your face!"
I'm relatively new to this RP thing. I've never really sat around in a bar or tavern and roleplayed. I have sat and "listened in" on the conversations occasionally, like in Argent Glade in Rift. They are quite a performance. I still haven't really done it myself, though. I mean, if someone wants to chat IC while we're questing, I'm game; though generally I find it hard to type on the fly, as anyone in one of my guilds can attest.
". . . inconsiderate and ill-thought-out play . . . but I'll say no more on it."
There are plenty of guides for doing RP out there, if you and your friends want some pointers. If you think you've got it all down, maybe you should offer up your own guide. If, when you're roleplaying, someone tries to engage you in a manner contrary to your style, walk away. If a third party is doing something you don't like or maybe even offends, every game I know of has a /ignore command of some kind. On Twitter, you have the option to unfollow or block. If necessary, you might even get a GM involved. However, do not EVER approach a complete stranger unsolicited and tell them they're RPing wrong. They'll laugh in your face—at best. And well they should; for you, sir, are an ass.
What do you think? Should there be RP rules that everyone has to abide by? How would you get everyone to agree to them?
People like that were the top reason I left LotRO. I like character play but I can't be doing with Role Play with Capital Letters. I also can't stand roleplaying-by-emote (which you see a lot of in Argent Glade) whereby several people attempt to give their roleplay some kind of novelistic texture.
ReplyDeleteGood roleplayers are improvisers. They work with what's going on around them, not against it.
Emotes like gestures? Or Using /emote and telling a bit of story? I think that's kind of cool.
DeleteHaving never been involved in Tabletop RP I have no basis for comparison. I understand what you mean by improvising. One of my only experiences with RP online was in Rift in Gloamwood(?) another player did a couple quests with Scooterz and me, conversing in character the whole time.
Not a fan of anyone telling anyone else 'how' to rp. If they want to Role Play (with capitals), then that's their thing. If they like emotes to flesh out their scenes beyond the pixels (I do this), then that's their thing. It sort of sounds like you're saying here that you don't like being told how to do things... but then telling us how 'good' rp'ers do it?
DeleteIt's so easy, I think, to fall into that trap, for everyone... equating our own dislikes with bad behavior. Just to walk away if a scene/story isn't for you seems like the best of advice. Someone below here said it well too... 'pet peeves' and personal preferences... these don't define good/bad. Someone who prefers/needs to script their stuff can be as fun for others who prefer that (I don't usually) as spontaneity. I suppose it's like books. You pick the writers who tell the stories the way you prefer to hear them.
Why would anyone define good/bad? Fun/not fun on an individual basis, sure... but who's got the authority to define good/bad? *looks over her shoulder for the rp police*
-Jennet (in case my google account looks wonky in here)
Welcome to the blog, Jennet, and thank you for commenting.
DeleteYour statement about scripts reminded me of one of the best experiences I had WoW, where a couple guildmates "got married" with just about the whole guild in attendance at teh Cathedral of Light of Stormwind (Prior addition of the wedding garden). They found a Priest who had her entire ceremony scripted, and it was fantastic. The fiance used the occasion to propose IRL, which is part of what made it awesome.
Heh, I agree with this. Ironically, the only rule with RP that I believe in is that there are no rules. Everyone does it slightly differently.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, I RP every time I play. I just do it in my head. It is after all an MMO _RPG_.
There are some people that join strict RP guilds, and that is awesome. Their rules are something you sign up for, that you agree to in the first place. To force your RP rules on someone that has not consensually agreed to your rules is unfair. Telling random people they are doing it wrong is, in fact, doing it wrong.
Heh. Stuff like this existed since MUDs and probably in tabletop roleplaying groups too (except in a RL group, if you disagreed with how they did it, you simply wouldn't get to play with 'em.)
ReplyDeleteI've always thought that was one of the biggest obstacles to an organized roleplayer playerbase representation - RPers seem to have a tendency to clique up and develop little house rules and prejudices against how other RPers are playing.
Just play how you like and play with the ones who seem to match your style, ignore the rest if they get too annoying for whatever your particular pet dislike is.
(Fer instance, I used to like RP by emote, mixed in with some /say. And for my RP to be at least a sentence or longer. Pet peeves: descriptions and emotes that tell you how you're supposed to feel, or people RPing wildly lore inappropriate or godlike characters. But not everyone shares these personal tastes.)
Yeah, the ladies at i-like-pancakes linked in the paragraph above the video, mention that descriptions that "control" the other player's character (without prior consent) should not be used. Always convey intent regarding other PCs, never result. Let them control their own reactions.
DeleteWait, I'm not sure I understand this right. You were RPing, and someone else just waltzed in and disturbed with the incredibly important message that you were RPing the wrong way?
ReplyDeleteWhat is... I don't even... I... what?
On Twitter, no less.
DeleteSome days, I just give up understanding people around lunchtime.
Delete