Post by Shikeishuu on Aug 13, 2007 15:16:30 GMT -5
Important: this thread is for general discussion of RP guidelines, 'best practices' and suggestions to improve RP. It is not nor will the moderators allow it to become a mudslinging match or forum for criticizing specific events/posts in other threads.
Tinis posted some 'Tips for RP' awhile back. The information posted there is a highly recommended read and offers ample advice on how to contribute to a posiive RP friendly atmosphere. As Tinis' old thread is more 'helpful etiquette' than 'establishing guidelines' (even though some of the information posted therein mirrors what I've included below to a certain extent) I've kept the threads separate. The other thread is located at furfed.proboards36.com/index.cgi?board=info&action=display&thread=1117325508
I have opened this thread in response to the discussion and debate surrounding a thread in which a war which involved several members of our region. Our federation and its players actively encourage roleplay amongst our nations and while the greater part of this involves handling internal matters (amusingly or otherwise at the rulers' discretion) some of our activities include diplomacy and armed conflict on occasion.
As players (aka. 'OOC creators') we are all proud of and value the nations we have created. We sometimes have a tendency to think of our respective nations as being 'the best' in some respects and want to be recognized as such by our peers. That's where the potential for trouble arises: no RP deteriorates into an unhappy OOC stalemate more rapidly than diplomatic or military conflict between two (or more) nations neither of which will entertain the notion of conceding, sharing, and/or compromising their claim of dominance in one or more aspects of their nation (military, technological, agricultural, industrial, etc.).
In short: let's use the much simpler analogy of two knights jousting in a tournament. If the OOC creators of the two knights each claim their knight has
a) The most resilient armour
b) The greatest physical strength
c) The highest level of training and martial expertise
d) The fastest, strongest steed
e) The sharpest eye and surest aim
f) The finest lance
When the two clash all that will occur is a great deal of noise, the OOC result bearing uncanny resemblance to a train wreck within which the two knights are depending upon your outlook either both knocked out or both locked in an inexorable, eternal, and unresolvable conflict.
The most well-known answer to this age-old dilemma is the classic roleplaying game system whose mechanics, odd-looking multi-sided dice, and complex game mechanics resolve the issues concerning conflict between the two imaginary combatants. This form of mathematical system and its added element of chance is however labour intensive and impractical to employ over the Internet. Coding an online version can be even more involved.
In the absence of a 'formal' game system we as participants in a free form game must exercise more discretion and behind the scenes (OOC) cooperation than the players of a 'table top RPG' who can turn to their character sheets and some dice to resolve their differences. Our community of players is only as cohesive and only works as well as we allow it to. With this in mind remember that the spirit and intent of our guidelines matter most.
Let's start with a few definitions. While most of you will already know what many of them mean they're worth listing as a helpful guide for novice and expert alike:
RP: (noun or verb) Roleplaying. It's what we do when posting about our nations and their unique cast of characters.
IC: in-character. Something your nation and its people do.
OOC: out-of-character. If Shikeishuu sends a message to Tinis asking whether they'll meet at next year's Anthrocon they're not talking about their nations
Game: OOC term that is a synonym for 'the universe' or 'the fictitious world in which the roleplaying takes place.'
Player: The human who created the nation. Look in the mirror
Moderator: Officially designated members who have the authority to act as referees, resolve conflicts, and perform administrative functions to promote, preserve, and maintain the Game. Moderators in the Furry Federation have this status listed under their names on this forum. In classic RPGs such as 'Advanced Dungeons & Dragons,' 'GURPs,' and 'Vampire: the Masquerade' these are known as DMs (Dungeon Masters), GMs (Game Masters), or Storytellers.
Metagaming: when a player uses knowledge gained OOCly in an IC manner. If during an OOC conversation another player tells you a secret about their nation (example: all its inhabitants are vulnerable to marmalade) that you ICly use against them (example: your nation decides to drop marmalade bombs on their capital city) this is considered metagaming.
Powergaming: the act of deciding the actions and/or fate of someone else's character without their consent (and without Moderator status). 'Powergamers' are frowned upon.
Retrogaming: retroactively 'turning back the clock' to declare something 'never happened.' This should never be done without first obtaining the consent of everyone involved and the approval of a Moderator.
(Other Definitions): If you come across a term you believe should be included here PM a Moderator with the term and definition.
A Word About Powergaming:
Powergaming is to be avoided at all costs. It detracts from the 'spirit of out-of-character cooperation' which must exist for the Game to work.
Here is a hypothetical example of powergaming. Assume that the people involved are not Moderators:
If I as Shikeishuu's creator post 'Lady Mariko swings her katana, slicing Izixs in half' I can legitimately state my character's actions (in green) but have no right to post what happens to Tinis' leader (in red) without the consent of his player.
In short, posting "(My character) hurts/kills (your character)" is powergaming unless you agreed in advance to let it happen.
How to Avoid Powergaming:
a) Always construct your nation and its cast of characters in a balanced fashion. Include flaws with their merits! Remember that the nations who earn the most respect do so by OOCly dealing fairly with their fellow Federation members. It's also a very good idea to try mirroring much of how your nation is ranked economically, diplotmatically, and militarily on the NationStates site.
b) Consider each post a 'turn' just as you would in most video games and/or RPGs. However certain you are that what you're attempting to do will work, always give other players and their characters the benefit of the doubt. Good RP is all about giving others a chance to influence the Game.
Bad: (Shikeishuu posts) Lady Mariko swings her katana,slicing Izixs in half.
Good: (Shikeishuu posts) Lady Mariko swings her katana in an attempt to slice Izixs in half.
The second example gives Izixs' player a chance to react: perhaps Izixs will dodge, parry, block, attempt magic, or even get hurt or killed. Then again something totally unexpected might happen ...
c) Planning in advance: If you wish to post a whole series of actions involving more than your character(s) and/or nations, get the other players' involvement and consent first. It's also helpful for the others who are involved to post soon after to show (either directly or not) that they approve.
Example: (Shikeishuu posts) The Shikeishaan Empire and the Union of Tinis released a joint declaration today condemning the recent atrocities committed by the military regime in Underwehr. (Tinis Posts) Further to this, The Tinisian government has instructed its UN Delegate to formally call for economic and diplomatic sanctions to be imposed against Underwehr.
d) If all else fails, request Moderator intervention: if you find yourself facing 'UberInvincibilistan' and its army of invulnerable, immortal, omniscient and undefeatable soldiers and repeated efforts to avert powergaming by fostering cooperation have failed we will lend a helping paw. When in such situations remember not to delete private messages and the like.
In closing I cordially invite friendly discussion concerning established and suggested guidelines for our forum-based RP. I recommend checking this post occasionally for additions and updates.
Tinis posted some 'Tips for RP' awhile back. The information posted there is a highly recommended read and offers ample advice on how to contribute to a posiive RP friendly atmosphere. As Tinis' old thread is more 'helpful etiquette' than 'establishing guidelines' (even though some of the information posted therein mirrors what I've included below to a certain extent) I've kept the threads separate. The other thread is located at furfed.proboards36.com/index.cgi?board=info&action=display&thread=1117325508
I have opened this thread in response to the discussion and debate surrounding a thread in which a war which involved several members of our region. Our federation and its players actively encourage roleplay amongst our nations and while the greater part of this involves handling internal matters (amusingly or otherwise at the rulers' discretion) some of our activities include diplomacy and armed conflict on occasion.
As players (aka. 'OOC creators') we are all proud of and value the nations we have created. We sometimes have a tendency to think of our respective nations as being 'the best' in some respects and want to be recognized as such by our peers. That's where the potential for trouble arises: no RP deteriorates into an unhappy OOC stalemate more rapidly than diplomatic or military conflict between two (or more) nations neither of which will entertain the notion of conceding, sharing, and/or compromising their claim of dominance in one or more aspects of their nation (military, technological, agricultural, industrial, etc.).
In short: let's use the much simpler analogy of two knights jousting in a tournament. If the OOC creators of the two knights each claim their knight has
a) The most resilient armour
b) The greatest physical strength
c) The highest level of training and martial expertise
d) The fastest, strongest steed
e) The sharpest eye and surest aim
f) The finest lance
When the two clash all that will occur is a great deal of noise, the OOC result bearing uncanny resemblance to a train wreck within which the two knights are depending upon your outlook either both knocked out or both locked in an inexorable, eternal, and unresolvable conflict.
The most well-known answer to this age-old dilemma is the classic roleplaying game system whose mechanics, odd-looking multi-sided dice, and complex game mechanics resolve the issues concerning conflict between the two imaginary combatants. This form of mathematical system and its added element of chance is however labour intensive and impractical to employ over the Internet. Coding an online version can be even more involved.
In the absence of a 'formal' game system we as participants in a free form game must exercise more discretion and behind the scenes (OOC) cooperation than the players of a 'table top RPG' who can turn to their character sheets and some dice to resolve their differences. Our community of players is only as cohesive and only works as well as we allow it to. With this in mind remember that the spirit and intent of our guidelines matter most.
Let's start with a few definitions. While most of you will already know what many of them mean they're worth listing as a helpful guide for novice and expert alike:
RP: (noun or verb) Roleplaying. It's what we do when posting about our nations and their unique cast of characters.
IC: in-character. Something your nation and its people do.
OOC: out-of-character. If Shikeishuu sends a message to Tinis asking whether they'll meet at next year's Anthrocon they're not talking about their nations
Game: OOC term that is a synonym for 'the universe' or 'the fictitious world in which the roleplaying takes place.'
Player: The human who created the nation. Look in the mirror
Moderator: Officially designated members who have the authority to act as referees, resolve conflicts, and perform administrative functions to promote, preserve, and maintain the Game. Moderators in the Furry Federation have this status listed under their names on this forum. In classic RPGs such as 'Advanced Dungeons & Dragons,' 'GURPs,' and 'Vampire: the Masquerade' these are known as DMs (Dungeon Masters), GMs (Game Masters), or Storytellers.
Metagaming: when a player uses knowledge gained OOCly in an IC manner. If during an OOC conversation another player tells you a secret about their nation (example: all its inhabitants are vulnerable to marmalade) that you ICly use against them (example: your nation decides to drop marmalade bombs on their capital city) this is considered metagaming.
Powergaming: the act of deciding the actions and/or fate of someone else's character without their consent (and without Moderator status). 'Powergamers' are frowned upon.
Retrogaming: retroactively 'turning back the clock' to declare something 'never happened.' This should never be done without first obtaining the consent of everyone involved and the approval of a Moderator.
(Other Definitions): If you come across a term you believe should be included here PM a Moderator with the term and definition.
A Word About Powergaming:
Powergaming is to be avoided at all costs. It detracts from the 'spirit of out-of-character cooperation' which must exist for the Game to work.
Here is a hypothetical example of powergaming. Assume that the people involved are not Moderators:
If I as Shikeishuu's creator post 'Lady Mariko swings her katana, slicing Izixs in half' I can legitimately state my character's actions (in green) but have no right to post what happens to Tinis' leader (in red) without the consent of his player.
In short, posting "(My character) hurts/kills (your character)" is powergaming unless you agreed in advance to let it happen.
How to Avoid Powergaming:
a) Always construct your nation and its cast of characters in a balanced fashion. Include flaws with their merits! Remember that the nations who earn the most respect do so by OOCly dealing fairly with their fellow Federation members. It's also a very good idea to try mirroring much of how your nation is ranked economically, diplotmatically, and militarily on the NationStates site.
b) Consider each post a 'turn' just as you would in most video games and/or RPGs. However certain you are that what you're attempting to do will work, always give other players and their characters the benefit of the doubt. Good RP is all about giving others a chance to influence the Game.
Bad: (Shikeishuu posts) Lady Mariko swings her katana,
Good: (Shikeishuu posts) Lady Mariko swings her katana in an attempt to slice Izixs in half.
The second example gives Izixs' player a chance to react: perhaps Izixs will dodge, parry, block, attempt magic, or even get hurt or killed. Then again something totally unexpected might happen ...
c) Planning in advance: If you wish to post a whole series of actions involving more than your character(s) and/or nations, get the other players' involvement and consent first. It's also helpful for the others who are involved to post soon after to show (either directly or not) that they approve.
Example: (Shikeishuu posts) The Shikeishaan Empire and the Union of Tinis released a joint declaration today condemning the recent atrocities committed by the military regime in Underwehr. (Tinis Posts) Further to this, The Tinisian government has instructed its UN Delegate to formally call for economic and diplomatic sanctions to be imposed against Underwehr.
d) If all else fails, request Moderator intervention: if you find yourself facing 'UberInvincibilistan' and its army of invulnerable, immortal, omniscient and undefeatable soldiers and repeated efforts to avert powergaming by fostering cooperation have failed we will lend a helping paw. When in such situations remember not to delete private messages and the like.
In closing I cordially invite friendly discussion concerning established and suggested guidelines for our forum-based RP. I recommend checking this post occasionally for additions and updates.
