Posts made by mietze

@Ganymede

Yep, I think it's was a great thing to ask for. Some people might not choose to participate but I think it's all valuable info.

It's just an invitation to give a blurb about your PC/goals, what you'd like to see, if you're willing to run prps with seeds given by staff, ect.

I'd have termed it a survey rather than homework.

So on Eldritch my PC's sister and friend were both having some problems with this vampire. It was really fun coming from a more super srs bsns vampire place to be totally dumb about vampires.

All her knowledge came from Twilight, and popular movies. I believe the line of questions started with "oh, is he hot?" And then "will regular garlic work or can you use the canned stuff in the store? Can you hit them with it or if you eat it can you like breath on them and repel them?" She stole holy water "out of that fountain thing in the church" and carried it in squeezy toiletry bottles. When someone finally said they didn't think that was how it worked, she just shook her head and was like "don't believe everything you read on the Internet, man." maybe I annoyed the shit out of everyone but I love playing and being around the pcs that know nothing.

When she finally met her first vampire, he was a fastidious dresser with gloves and she was disappointed he was a snob (not ooc, but IC) and didn't sparkle.

I have thought about it. But then honestly I look at some of the hyper entitled and just not mannerly behavior that's endemic in our community right now and I wonder why in the fuck should I only to have people scream and complain. As they did/do about every game ever.

I care about the product, I care about the community. And "good" is relative. What I would want to run is a single sphere, prp friendly but also staff run storylines, no alts game where the setting is very important.

I don't think that is especially wanted, given the bitching that usually happens. And if I was developing something I wouldn't want it out until I was ready, for people to scream about while it's still very much in development.

Given how games in development are torn apart by people who don't know what's going on even before they make it live these days, I'm not surprised at the silence.

I have really enjoyed playing with pcs that do fit the "stereotype" (honorable, stuffy invictus, scholarly OD, creepy scary Rahu). The people who tend to pick that rather than everyone wanting the exception do tend to stand out. Though there's a lot of wiggle room now esp in vampire so it's really neat to see what people do with the stereotype too.

I could see Ricky and Morty being fun where they run into other pcs after the same guys, or things like that. That might be fun now and then over time! But that's what I meant in my "off topic" deviation of pointing out that if that was played in a constant disruptive way very few people would be interested in playing and might be prejudiced against such concepts in the future. It only takes one time dealing with a spectacularly bad player for a lot of people to make assumptions about that concept every time going forward. In the right hands that could be super entertaining though.

Would I player like to see it? Sure, with the giant caveat that the players playing them aren't total ooc behavior blind asshats.

You should be proud of me for my PC not scratching Sofia's eyes out because she had a bigger pussy than mine, @silentsophia. I shall never forgive you!!!!!!!!!

That's what I'm saying though, Rick. Nothing is really done to death, if it's got someone with good manners behind it. I bet there is someone who can totally play the 18 year old raised by ninjas sekrit princess and have other players in their scene howling (intentionally, not with irony) at their hilarity, or who can make it work probably by being a little more subtle than their clothes flying off and reconfiguring into their costume while melodious sounds play in the background.

I think sometimes people in the name of Must Be Yoooneeeek do come up with some really out there or super specialized stuff, which then they become frustrated with because it's so defined that it's impedes RP or maybe people like it every once in a while but not all the time, or it's something that shows up once in a while as useful but what do they do with all the other time (unless they're time crunched--most of my more unique concept PCs I didn't play that often, because I was super busy, so people did not get sick of them.)

There's no concepts I roll my eyes at or cling to these days--but if I see a player who's mannered and write well and pays attention to everyone else in scene as well? Hell, I know that I'll always have a good time with that PC. No matter how "boring" the surface concept may be, because that type of player is adept at making me interested in their story, even if I wouldn't have chosen it necessarily out of a lineup of "types of PCs I love playing with." If that makes sense.

In an era of everyone needing to be an 18 year old ninja princess with PT5, being a veteran, jaded veteran cop is still a snowflake. In fantasyland OR real life. I

I wish people kind of got out of their minds that in order to snowflake on a MUSH, it doesn't necessary mean that you have to be The Best or The Only. I think that tends to lead to a lot of issues.

So I guess my concepts that I enjoy RPing with the most are people who are able to take on concepts who a lot of people turn their noses up at and make them dynamic and fun for the other people in the scene/in relationship with them. Because they are the foil, or you know, they do have the potential to get lucky. They're not going to be the one who knows everything. I love seeing people ham up their failures. I could just be weird though.

As an example, I adored @lordbelh grizzled old-ish cop. Lonnie was just the right mix of Fuck This Shit, funny (both intrinsic to the PC as well as the writing of the the player, not afraid to write to situations that weren't all good/heroic/emo all the time), realistic without being anal about it; and I really felt that when he and my PC were partnered up in scenes that both PCs were getting something out of it. I love it when people play concepts that don't know it all or do it all.

I have played with other PCs on other games in a similar age/role/concept, but there wasn't the chemistry or the /giving/ from the other PC, and the portrayal was flat/one dimensional. Clearly, Lonnie had had a rough road, and there were always elements in play you could pick up on, but he did not run around posing LOOK LOOK LOOK AWESOME CHARACTER BACKSTORY OF WOE AND MYSTERY HERE DON'T YOU WANNA LOOK?!?!

I love seeing people play things that spur their imagination, so that they can pull others into their play beyond just an audience for their crazy antics. If someone is a dynamic (again, I make that a separate distinction from nutty PCs that are kind of more there in a Look At Me I'm So Crazy scenery chewing way) RPer, who includes reactions to others' poses in their own, allows their PC to be impacted as much as they wish to be memorable to others...then I'm down with whatever.

Concepts in and of themselves don't excite me too much, since the perfect concept can be played really really really shittily or in ways that make me want to gnaw my own leg off to escape the trap. Though I really do enjoy folks who have PCs that are a little more subtle (though man I am sure that can be frustrating, if you're playing on a place where people showboat whatever SuperSpecial stuff they have), as well as masquerade play, where you know OOC what someone is/to what group they belong due to wiki or whatever, but there is a lot of clever IC dodging and lie avoidance while also not disclosing things, until and unless there's something that prompts it.

I've really enjoyed the odd PCs I've played (my favorite was my psychic automaton creator, I got to spend time with folks in my shop and then make commissions/gifts; was starting to really get into my brash young car crazy mechanic too). Most of the unique concepts by others that I have really enjoyed were more about the inclusive writing of the player though, and the enjoyment to be had from peeling back layers on a PC whose player was just as invested and eager to get to know mine.

mmmm drunk gummy bears, not bad.

There were a few 16 and under people there that I knew of. That wasn't James by any chance was it? There were even child/under 18 teen PCs on Seattle on occasion, at least in the mid-90s.

@Arkandel said:

@Coin said:

I think high character death/turnover would help a lot with the last bit.

Do we have an example of a high death/turnover MU* which worked? And I define 'work' as in 'retained an active playerbase of more than a handful of people'.

It's not a rhetorical question, I don't know if we do. The successful games I can think of in this context were all ones the same characters were often played for more than a RL year each and involuntary PC death was infrequent.

Shadowrun Seattle had been around for at least 3ish years before I found it in '96, and continued on long after I stopped playing, even with all the spinoffs.

Different crowd though. It is my experience that for whatever reason, the WoD (old and new) games I've played on have had players that are extremely, extremely adverse to uncontrolled PK.

TR I would term as a high turnover game in many respects (might depend on the sphere), though less due to death and more to Fuck It I'm Going to Recycle this PC into a New 9000 XP one. And it doesn't quite fit because some of the times even though they might be coming in with a new PC, there was quite a bit of old /players/ vaulting over newer ones because people were familiar with them, ect.

Re: Policies

I dunno, I think I would just take out the first one. If you mean to encourage a climate of adults treating each other with respect, I don't think that's a very good start--the tone isn't the same as it is with the other two bullet points. Also, I think the people you really wish would take that kind of thing to heart are the ones that read "unnecessary attitude and general douchery" as something that of course doesn't apply what they're doing, and you may cause the nice/more timid people to worry about saying anything at all/asking for an appeal, ect, for fear of triggering it. (Just an observation over many years staffing/playing). It feels good to have pithy comments like that in your policies, it's tempting, but I think it's kind of a waste of space.

I think it might serve your purpose instead to state simply, "We want to make this a place where the broad spectrum of players feel welcomed and respected. If you behave in a way that diverges from that towards staff or other players, we will have a discussion with you about your fit in the community. Please remember even when you are upset or annoyed or have had a bad day that there are other people on the other side of the screen who may be dealing with the same. If you're angry, take some time out before you throw something down in a request, channel, or other communication. Ask for clarity before you assume what other's intentions are. Verbal abuse or harassment of any kind will not be tolerated." Or pare that down.

I find in communication online (and with teenagers and children in the flesh) you get more of what you want by saying what you do want "I want you to address me in a respectful tone of voice/not to yell in the house/avoid saying "fuck this shit" in front of your grandparents" rather than vague things that are highly subjective such as "Don't be a little bitch." I mean, everyone is going to slip up and go there, but when you are attempting to get out in front of things, and have an opportunity to be clear/calm rather than throwing around things that make people glaze over "who me, acting childish? No way, this is IMPORTANT and only a fool wouldn't see that!" or be on the defensive.

My mom became a realtor in the late 80s and had a car phone. I knew a handful, not many, of other people that had them. We did not know anyone with a true mobile phone though I know they existed. At that point in the late 80s-through the 90s my dad had a "brick" which was more like a walkie talkie than a cell phone for military stuff (though that may have been for appearances, I am pretty sure it operated sort of like one, but the thing weighed like 10 pounds).

At the toddler's parent/child class that we go to, they have a shelf of old phones for the kids to play with, it's actually pretty funny that they don't mimic using those at all as phones--but they will pick up calculators and other smaller devices and talk on them. I wonder how long before memory of flip phones and phones with cords will be extinguished. I think it's happening quickly, except for in toys/old picture books. My older kids, all teens now, have never owned a cassette tape (and when they found my old collection when they were all under 10, they were like what the hell is this stuff?). I showed them a floppy disk (the small/hard kind, not the giant ones) and they had no clue as to what it was. It is pretty hilarious to show them stuff like that. Though all of them knew vinyl--I think that must be back in again, since my oldest has been combing thrift stores and the like for record players, and was interested in saving a bunch of albums I was going to dump o goodwill.

I too have tried spawns. For whatever reason, my brain just cannot seem to attend to them. I'm not sure why. (This may be why I also struggle with/rarely try to multiscene unless one person truly doesn't mind prompting me and/or wants a very very very slooooooooooooooooooow scene. I do have some favorite people who due to work/otherstuff pose in the 30-40+ minute range). Someone was very super sweet and walked me through setting up spawns on potato and it was a disaster because I totally lost channels and ooc communication for the night.

Maybe this is an acquired taste thing though, and if I trained myself to "see" it better it would be helpful. In theory I love the idea. In practice I think my brain is scattered enough that separating things out futher just isn't helpful to me. I do however really love and make use of name/phrase highlighting.

Sorry, I don't know who Manu is.

An idea was expressed, someone expressed some concern about it, they were promptly told they just were expecting the worst of their fellow players and there would be no concern, I'm expressing my understanding of why/how it could be a concern.

I don't assume what the policy will be on a game that hasn't opened yet and where staff there has said hmm interesting/maybe/IF we do this.

I don't see the harm in the discussion.

Well, yes. As I said before many people bring in old pcs in concept, or elements, in plots. It's fun for the runner, you don't have to invent something wholesale that's frankly a bit part meant to be an avenue for the pcs to grow/rp/do things, ect.

The proposal was specifically for people to offer up their old PCs from elsewhere to be used as NPCs. That to me seems riskier in terms of heartstrings attached for some people. But it is a new idea! And one I have not seen. I think just about everyone recycles concepts and pcs they have played and met for /inspiration/. That isn't a new proposal and agreed, it can't be (nor should it be) policed by pcs or staff. There's a recent example here of what can happen when you think no one should ever make anything remotely similar to anything you might have done or else they are purposefully stalking/seeking to ruin your fun.

I just wonder if allowing PC "transfers" even if they are to temporary NPCs doesn't then shift the focus from the mortals to the old familiar monsters and ending their stories. Maybe that's okay? I'm neutral--but I do understand the concern.

Yes. I agree with those concepts, but while I do not assume the worse of other players, I do think it's not stupid to take a very clear eye as to potential, logical pitfalls based on past experience and to be aware and prepared for how to deal with it if it arises.

Years of reading in this community as well as direct game experience tells me that people being truly able to let go of pcs to npcs can be very problematic, even if they walked away/didn't even want those pcs anymore and later find out they were used in a way they didn't like.

While there would be a certain element of release in someone ceding their old PC to a game I do think that there are some potential focus issues that are worth looking at without assuming those concerned are spoilsports who don't want to try anything new.

I often recycle old pcs of mine into prps, but I don't think anyone would know because they are not named/meant to draw in old associations/stories. If that's all this is eh, don't most folks do that in part to flesh out personality/motivations/flavor *for the people they are storytelling for?
I think however "my pc's story will end here!" is a different thing that may imply more ownership and reaction. I don't think that be an invalid concern to keep on the back burner.