Posts made by Sovereign

@Ghost

It's completely true. I'm comfortable saying the only time I RP - which admittedly has been "basically never" for years now - it's to entertain myself, no one else. Out of pure self-interest it's good for me to be entertaining because it encourages others to play with me, but it's ultimately a selfish generosity.

@tragedyjones

Cool to see progress. Hope it all goes smoothly and y'all have plenty of fun with it.

I've found there are simply too many personality types in games for e eryone to get along and play together. I don't think I've ever felt welcomed by a game at large; rather, I feel welcomed by my small slice of it, and largely ignore the rest.

@Soresu

Well now I want to play just so I can fill my poses with fruit and fruit-related words.

pose mutters, his face darkening as he radiates watermelon rage

@TNP said:

I've always found it depends on the game's genre. Certain games have way more women than men, and it flips the usual assumptions we have re: nerdy gaming spaces on its head. World of Darkness, for instance, is for some reason White Wolf's lady RPG.

I've never read Kushiel's Legacy and only just googled it, but my first impression would definitely go with "yeah, this is probably more popular with women".

edit: okay I read more summaries. My takeaway is "it's France, but the nobility have the blood of angels and everyone fucks. yay hookers".

This is definitely a chick setting.

@ThatGuyThere

No two people have the same idea of what being a dick constitutes.

See, I don't think that's true. Rather, I think it's more untrue than it is true. All my experience tells me that, barring a great cultural gulf (say, Americans vs Syrians), everyone has an approximation of what's rude, assholish, acceptable, etc., etc., that's close enough. Is it perfectly identical? No. But their individual outlooks are far more similar than different.

Now, people often say they didn't think they were being a dick! Those people are lying. They knew. But playing dumb can get people to let you off.

Oh, okay. Psycho Hose Beast, not Pointy Haired Boss. You let me down, Google. I haven't heard the term before but I have a pretty good idea what that type of person is like.

@surreality

What does PHB mean? Google calls it a Dilbert reference.

I don't think it matters if you're male or female, provided you're willing to exercise the power you have. If someone disrespects you for having ovaries, that disrespect lasts only so long as you'll tolerate it; I'm sure after the first temp-ban people would get the message. It's about boundaries more than genders. Indeed, calling in another Staffer, to me, sends the message that you won't establish hard boundaries and can be pushed, and this encourages certain types to push. You'll always have a subset of people who, out of deviant curiosity or impulse, see how far they can go and don't know how to quit while ahead.

As for policy-wording, my experience is that the wording is almost entirely unimportant. While a legal system has (double-edged) requirements that encourage especially legalistic writing, a game can get by with more open-ended policies. "Don't be a dick" is a bad law; too nebulous. But it's a fine game rule, because these are small, purpose-driven communities. And, yes, while you'll still get people who will argue about what constitutes being a dick..

.. those people are usually dicks. People know what's appropriate and what's not. They use ignorance as an excuse or simply assume they won't be called out. They're correct with disappointing frequency.

@Ganymede

And there's a reason we have judges despite people liking mediators more. We're unlikely to ever agree on this matter; I know my position will not change. I don't believe I can change yours.

@surreality

I find the best way to communicate with a player base depends entirely on your function within the staff. The person in charge, who handles punishments, dictates policy, and is the End of the Line, so to speak, should have minimal contact. They should engage primarily in imperatives, not conversations, and be polite, firm, and concise.

On the other hand, a lot of games can benefit from someone whose job is entirely to mediate and manage PR. This should never be the same person as the first, as "authority figure who dishes out punishment and is the one to tell people No" conflicts immensely with "friendly person I like and trust and can confide in". To many, authority is inherently intimidating. A person who exists to connect authority and player in a more comfortable and removed fashion is handy.

This person could use image macros! It wouldn't be the worst thing. They're inherently lighthearted and that's comfortably disarming.

@surreality

Haha. Those make me laugh. I love drama, myself- so long as I'm an uninvolved third party. Watching people's meltdowns and seeing them bring the thunder is great. But I'm also the sort of person who would marathon Jerry Springer and love every second.