Oh no roleplaying forum is dieing!

How we can save it?

 

Employ more Bards!
or maybe, Ask Oyarsa for paypaling us (creators) money! I would like a 100 goldpieces for starters

 

I don't think its dying. I think its improving, sort of.

 

improving by being almost silent?

 

???????????? improving???????

 

You rang?

Roleplay?

This forum was created because most of us at Terra-Arcanum had enjoyed roleplaying on Sierra's board, at the Arcanum Inn, or both and there was a desire to offer that opportunity for others in a distinct area rather than having random roleplaying threads pop up in the other topical forums. If there is an interest (and it has never been very strong on this board) to make this forum work, you, the users can make it work.

There have been some good personas started and a couple of hopeful starts at collective narration. Sadly, they didn't go anywhere. I wish they had as that was why I volunteered to moderate this particular forum. However, I am the moderator, not the enabler. It is up to the board community to use this forum or not. I would suggest, though, that anyone serious about using this forum should work to discourage spamming.

 

<looks around>
Can I say something? Thanks.

The things I noticed that keeps roleplaying forums alive (though most of them ARE dead now anyways) are a number of very important things.

1) Responsible people who will post things that are: a)long b)co-operating with other posts (not like: I stabbed him in the arm/ Not you didn't! It bounced off my super strong skin!) c)stay in character of not just your own character but other characters (which by the way, you shouldn't use other characters that much since it isn't yours) d)on-time (meaning they will keep posting to a thread that they posted once before in (yes... I understand there are things like Real Life that get in the way)

2) Posts that keep the story moving. Again, It doesn't have to be very fast, but don't just stand there with a group and talk for two pages.

3) In a story thread, keep the number of people involved steady. Doesn't mean you can only have a small number of people, just means you shouldn't have many people coming in in the middle/end of the story (unless it is needed or obviously fits the story-line).

4) I'd like to talk about people's player characters, if you don't mind (obviously those of you who are still reading this probably don't and the others must have already left). a) Characters should be interesting (I haven't seen any problem with this on this thread. Arcanum is such an unlimited world). b) Characters can be very powerful if you want, you (the person writing about the character) must be even more responsible to control your overly powerful apocolyptical monstrosity (ie make him have a problem/conflict so he can't kill everyone in the blink of an eye). This is one of the hardest things to do, but I have seen in done well, and it's great to read. c) characters have to stay in character (wow, like I haven't heard that one before, wangus)

That's all I can think of. No, this forum doesn't have all of these problems, they are just problems I have seen. No, I don't care if you yell at me or make disparaging remarks about my mother.


Wangus

_________________


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Wangus on 2002-01-03 04:55 ]</font>

 

I agree with you.Especially that the story shouldn't go by slowly.

 

All of the thing I am in are not going to to well because no one is giving it too much interest

 

I kinda wanna start a thread where you put a warning saying serious roleplayers only. Kinda like "I we find that you are not serious, we will flog you and hang you by your toes!"

 

Actually Quethim, I hate to say it, but several people (you included) tended to make the threads more and more ridiculous as they went along (i.e. you're characters killing of several hundred town guards with a single spell). That, and people start spamming the thread with short, meaningless posts. That's why it has almost died again after a rather spectacular, but short-lived, revival.

 

Wangus' advice seems pretty sound to me, and fits with my own experience. Maybe a sticky thread with some role-play guidelines would help?

I wouldn't like to discourage people by being too restrictive/draconian, though. I've experienced that end of the spectrum too, where people set themselves up to police whether people are "in character enough" and it takes all the fun out of it.

Also, maybe the players (Queth, Maniac, Feldon, Pentalope, Jarinor, Wangus and myself - at the moment) could use a bit of discretion when posting and try to be sensitive the desires of the other players. I was enjoying myself in both threads we had going, but I was hoping the scroll of resurrection one could be less of an "action hero thread." The other thread, The End, seemed great for jumping around, hacking, slashing and frying, but the Scroll thread didn't seemed quite so suited to being one long battle.

I realise that many people use RPG's primarily to roll dice, play at combat and be an action hero, and I enjoy doing that myself, but I also like to have the sort of RPG where we build a less action-based story together.

It's like, imagine a detective movie where they do that classic thing at the end by rounding everyone up in a room for a tense confrontation. A showdown like that can be fun with people just pointing fingers, making accusations, or offering clues. It's not necessarily improved by someone saying "Ahhh! I cannot take such and insult!" and ramming a nearby poker through their accuser's eye.

 

I think the sticky post with guidelines is a really good idea.

On the note of non-violent RPG threads. I just finished a really nice one. About seven of us started a very very well written rescue mission. Based on an online anime comic world. It was one of the best non violent RPG thread I've participated in in a long time. Of course there were some small fighting scenes, but the main focus was moving from place to place and learning where the captive was. Sadly, four new characters entered randomly near the middle and end of the story and started shooting everything. It was no longer fun. Three of or original seven dropped out and the thread quickly died.

I guess my point of this little quasi-random story is that when you make a thread with writers who are willing to put time into making nice long pieces, you start to write better yourself. You get in tune with the other writers and you seem to start to understand what they want without them telling you. It becomes a very co-operative effort.

You know what? I think I'm going to go read that story now again.

Wangus

[edit] minor changes in grammar. English is my second language, so sue me why don't you?

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Wangus on 2002-01-04 07:48 ]</font>

 

Aside from language, I've tried to be hands off in my role as moderator. If you, the users, really want some guidelines laid out I can do that. Some good ideas have been put out in this thread. The fact is there has to be sufficient and sustained interest in this type of forum for it to survive. The users on this board differ from those members in the early days of the Arcanum Inn or the official boards where there was robust roleplaying without dedicated forums. If you want some explicit policies confirm such and, as the Governor-general, I shall strive to enact legislation.

 

No offense and all (as it's always bad to offend moderators who hold the power of your very existence on a board), but I don't think putting a sticky on how to make RPG threads more interesting would be considered interfering with anything.

Looks like I got this game a little late, huh (X-Mas gift from my girl. Sweet isn't it. Most people get their girlfriend's candy and stuff from X-Mas, I got her a huge anime poster and some other small stuff, and she gave me arcanum and other small stuff). <Was going to put a smilie here but I can't think of an appropriate one. Feel free to imagine your own.>

Wangus

 

Oyarsa, I meant to ask this before: do you no longer hold an interest in making role-play posts yourself, or is there some other reason you're not role-playing.

I'm just curious, and don't want to pry. I completely understand that there are plenty of reasons (not having the time, not being inspired by current threads) that might be the cause, but just wondered what the possibilities for your future involvement are.

 

S_F,
I generally post from the place of my employment and we've been having some hierarchy upheavals of late which translates into increased responsibilities for me. In other words I have neither the time nor creative resources to contribute currently. The home front has a 3 year old and a 4 month old who I delight in. Heck, I haven't finished Arcanum once through yet.

When I can the house of Buckland will reassert its adventurous nature, but first there are orchards to harvest and beverages to distill.

I will mock up a 'rules of conduct' to sticky post for the settlement, though.

Now to the vineyards, the grapes are at their peak!

 

One reason y the scroll one went bad was because I joined.But I would not have attacked if Maniac attacked me.And whoever said that I had an amulet?

 

YOU did. Someone else ran through the door, and you took it to mean you. Hence, you placed yourself in the role of scapegoat, and we were forced to beat up on you.