Best posts made by egg

(I'm not putting this in the Hog Pit because I don't want it to devolve into that level of gripe, but this is a mild gripe. If you think it's better off in the Hog Pit or something, feel free to move it.)

When did it become so hard to find basic RP? Why does it take such work these days? I guess this might not be true on some large game I don't play on (Arx or something), but it's true on most of the small-to-medium-sized games I've played on over the last few years.

If I want to find RP on most games, I have to Hustle(tm): get to know people OOCly, maybe fake a few lifelong friendships, pretend our characters have stuff in common, and then maybe pencil in a date on the third Tuesday of the month at some obscure time to throw a few words together. (Note: unlike a lot of people, I don't always "app in" with my friends. Apping in with one's friends tends to render this problem null and void, but must I do everything in a group?)

Is this just me getting old or cranky, or is there some legitimate pattern here I'm picking up on? Have RPers become less spontaneous and more specific about who or what they will RP?

2020 Update: Trying to find RP is still extremely difficult and time-consuming!

The end.

I'm not shaming anyone here, just asking you to take a step back and think about things differently for a moment. For example: why do people love blue eyes? Is it just because they're pretty?

So, just to clear things up...

• I didn't start this thread to make you stop playing your alabaster-skinned, cerulean-orbed, lithe-but-toned PC.
• I didn't start this thread to get White supremacists to play POC.
• I didn't start this thread to police your behavior.

...in fact, I didn't actually start this thread at all! I originally posted this on MU* Gripes and Peeves, because that's what this is to me: a gripe and a peeve. It was then taken out of there and given its own thread.

I just wanted to talk about this because I was upset about something and wanted to vent. That's all.

#MU*sSoWhite - sometimes this really bothers me and it's particularly bothering me right now given the current climate. I'm gonna go on one of the games I play on and count the number of characters with blue eyes. I'm pretty sure it's 75+%.

Play a POC, it wouldn't kill you.

@SG As a person who plays "brooding strangers" and 'quirky' characters almost exclusively, I 100% agree with you that the onus is on the broody/quirky person to create RP in a public scene. But, I don't necessarily agree with the notion that I should have some idea what I'm doing before I even attempt to engage with someone. I'm a big fan of "let's put these hamsters in a bag with a mouse and see what happens." Or some other variant on that very strange choice of metaphor.

TL;DR: Yes, anyone playing an introvert needs to attempt to interact with others in a scene, or you may as well disconnect and go work on your novel. But I want my RP to feel spontaneous.

@silverfox The "easy answer" to this one = educate yourself before you play a POC. Read some books, watch some movies, talk to people. Many MU*ers do research for their "roles" so I don't feel like this is a completely wacky suggestion.

I loved the tabletop game I was in running Changeling: The Dreaming so much (this was 1997) that I thought, "Hey, I wonder if they make MUDs, but, like, for roleplaying? Then I could play Changeling whenever the hell I want, and I don't have to wait for my lazy friend to run his game." It turns out they DID make roleplaying MUDs! I liked RP MU*s so much, I wrote a college paper about them at a time when such things were pretty unusual.

I would love to see a historical MUSH set in a non-American/European setting. My fantasy is to create a game set in 1930s Shanghai (an incredible multi-national destination filled with intrigue! Spies! And great fashion!), but I lack the coding skills, and probably the patience...

@krmbm No, the thing itself isn't a problem. I just get bummed when the only way to find RP is to hustle in some way...if you are a more of a pantser than a plotter, as I am, you might not have an idea until specific characters are thrown together in a specific setting.

@surreality Love West Chester, though it reminds me of famous son Bam Margera. Ha.

@Jeshin Do you not think our culture idealizes blue eyes as a fancy something only certain white people can have? If you don't believe me, watch anything on TV that doesn't have a majority-POC cast. You will find an equally disproportionate amount of blue eyes, and not because someone is trying to represent some invisible blue-eyed minority.

Hi! My first post.

I'm looking for an ACTIVE sci-fi mu*. One set in space, or with the potential for space travel, would be ideal.

By active I mean: steady playerbase of at least 10 people and staff that cares (and interacts, preferably).

I am not picky about the universe (original ones would be fine too), though a super-complex RPG system is probably not for me.

Thanks for any help you can give!

@sockmonkey Crying. We miss you!

I am incredibly excited about the FF7 remake, despite all of the sour grapes FFVI fanboys and girls who come out of the woodwork every time a new thing related to FF7 comes along...something something opera...something something Kefka...you know, FF7 has musical themes for every playable character, too.

Anyway, as a huge fan for 20+ years I never thought this thing would actually become reality, and now I can't stop thinking about it. Makes me wish there was an active Final Fantasy mu* around...

@cobaltasaurus "Hey, where are the mobs?!" Yes, can relate.

I prefer to list games I play/have played on and not the PC names in the interest of maintaining a shred of privacy/dignity, but I'm always interested in reminiscing/connecting with players on these games, so say hi if ya want.

I'm sure I'm forgetting plenty.

1997-2008:
Legacies
Tartarus
Dark Wine and Roses
Due Rewards
Tempest
Persistance of Memory
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Paris: Le Fleur du Mal
Ashes to Ashes
Hogwarts Express
Metro: Toronto by Night

Took an enormous break. Missed out on Haunted Memories, The Reach et al.

Since 2015:
City of Hope
New Prospect (both versions)
Fallcoast
Fear & Loathing
Fate's Harvest

@Tempest Oh yeah, they'll probably do something dumb...but that gameplay demo got me legit excited. So far, they seem to be fucking it up less than I thought they might.

@Cupcake Oh yeah, that's me on every game. If you do find a solution, I hope you'll let me know. Lol.

Welcome back. I liked some of those games quite a lot, even if yeah, we were all crazy back then.

Hiatuses are never easy. I wish you much luck in your return to the fold!