Gwazi Magnum

Katawa Shoujo: School for the Disabled REBOOT

I read it all, and I'll repeat what I said in the PM.

"I'll probably stay subscribed for now and see how the RP goes. If it continues to look like something I can't keep up with I'll probably stick with my decision to leave".

defusing a bomb

Brovo said Except you should never bet on people being anything less than stupid, ignorant, bigoted, and selfish. Call that pessimism if you want but I call it practicality: When you plan for the worst and hope for the best, you're ready if shit hits the fan, but pleasantly surprised if it doesn't!...

Well at least I know you're not in agreement with Kestrel now who seemed to think all players could reasoned with and were reasonable people.

I would admit a GM less system is best reserved for a group of players who already know each other and their skills and maturity. Basically it's preferable in a closed/private group.
Such as say you started a Private RP with just Jorick and Kaga, there really shouldn't be any doubt on ability or skill. You're all familiar with one another, you know each others skills and limits and can plan and function around it.

In general though, I agree with your philosophy of it's better to prepare for the worst.

Brovo said Or because GM's simply and have since the 70's, but hey, what do I with my extensive 10+ years knowledge of D&D, Pathfinder, Rolemaster, and PbPRP knowledge know about these things?

A GM system working or your experience in RP's has never been questioned Brovo.

Brovo said I'm sorry, but... What? How is a person's creativity by having a GM? That doesn't make any sense. In fact, all having a GM here would do is help ensure that the world makes coherent sense as one person ultimately decides what does and does not fit, instead of a few or even several minds all simultaneously adding to the world and each potentially causing errors to one another's works ranging from chronological to physical to scientific and so on.

In my experience both as a GM and as a player the level of creativity a player has is not affected whatsoever by their GM. It's affected exclusively by themselves, because, uhh... It's creativity. If they wanna add a village, they can do that. If they don't, they wouldn't without a GM anyway. In fact I would almost wager you that if a group of people came together without a GM and a person just wanted to make a character, but felt they had to add more in order to look like they were contributing, it would actually be less creative and less fun than simply having the GM there who has all this stuff set up already, and is willing to take suggestions from those who want to add more than a character.

Pachamac already covered this but I'll repeat it because it was what I was going to answer with regardless. There are times a player can have an idea and it's simply shot down because it doesn't fit the vision or plan of the GM. And really if you want to prevent a lot of conflicts you just need make a system to help track it.

For example, on an old site I used to use we made a timeline system for RP's so there wouldn't be confusion as to which event happened before or after one another. Because it was a problem we started to mention, with references to events both in past and future as if someone was flying around in a TARDIS so we had to sit down and figure out how to fix this.

Also when I was in this system there was no standard or level of effort or production expected from players in terms in ideas or plot hooks. Everyone contributed when they had an idea and no one felt forced to add more or less than they currently were. Yes someone who is constantly paranoid about putting in effort is a potential problem, but like I said this system may not work for all players. But also many times this can simply be solved by explaining to them that they're fine the way they are.

Brovo said Except that (assuming the GM is not a railroading dipshit) you can probably just continue whatever it was you were doing anyway. Unless that thing is waiting on the GM to respond with an NPC or something, in which case if the GM was merely a player controlling the NPC, that would in no way magically make that person suddenly less busy or inept at responding in a timely manner to the other player's inquiries.

Again, this in no way is an improvement from the system of a GM. If anything, if this was a player holding up another player, the GM can simply step in and go "nope now this is fixed" and blam, it's fixed. If the GM disappears altogether, then you simply replace the GM with another GM, one of the players can step forward to take over. If that's not the case and the idea dies, the idea would have died if that same person was not a GM and abandoned ship anyway.

But the GM get's that responsibility/control over a lot more things than the typical player, so the progress and speed of the RP becomes far more dependent on that one person's time schedule than anyone else's. In all RP's you'll get cases where you can't do ________ because ________ isn't online at the moment. But generally the more even spread the control is the easier it is to find other means to keep the posts flowing when someone isn't available to reply.

And this also applies in regards to the GM clearing other players inactivity because the more you rely on them the more dependent the RP's pace becomes on if they're online at the moment or not. And if you're able to solve this just by changing DM's then the whole "Creativity/world of the GM" argument becomes a bit void because now it's another persons creative mind in charge. It simply becomes about ability to control and keep things going, where the more even spread it is the less room there is for stalling or restriction on the players.

Brovo said Then why bother? If it requires so much "maturity" to pull off, then there is no point when the GM equivalent simply functions better. Not to mention it's much easier to determine things like thread ownership in this way. Say a player starts to repeatedly flame in one of my RP's, I just have to call a moderator over. I made the thread, so they know that it's my RP, and I'm allowed to drop someone if they're misbehaving.

Again. It's not that it's impossible. It's fully possible... It's just incredible pointless.

If a certain therapy only works for say a small amount of people (mainly because only a small amount of people are in a position to need it) should we then simply not bother because it doesn't work with everyone?

The GM equivalent simply functions better only when the players lack the maturity to self-regulate. If you're with immature players or a group you don't know then yes it's simply better to have a GM. There's too many unknown factors to predict otherwise. You're free to disagree with that creativity can be hampered by a GM, or to say you simply wouldn't work as well in a GM-less RP. But that doesn't mean everyone feels that way, or that everyone functions better with a GM. There are people who simply perform better when someone else isn't given authority over them to regulate and approve or disapprove of their ideas and actions.

Thread ownership honestly doesn't count for anything, whose name is listed at owning the thread or having the original idea doesn't really matter much. It's the result and the collaboration of all the involved roleplayers that matter, and this is something that applies may you have a GM or not. If not there would be no point for a GM to gather interest in an Interest Check.

Even in a GM-less system for organizing the RP there will still be accounts with permissions to edit and alter features simply because that's how the engine works. The person who for example created the site would have those rights by default and this could be shared with everyone or simply those who felt like they wanted such access. In a case where a player is flaming it's just as easy to use those powers to get rid of them, or leave it to a group vote first. And if the vote honestly is not majority "remove the guy" then that's a clear indication it's not just one person causing trouble but there is an apparent conflict in the group that players need to be addressing and resolving.

It might be pointless for you, I can understand that. But there are players who do function better in such a system, or simply have more fun in such a system. Those are the players such a thing is meant for, I am not trying to prescribe this as the standard or 'better' RP system over all. It is preferable for a certain group of players, definitely a minority mind you. But just because it's preferable only for a minority doesn't mean it's pointless or should be ignored as a possible option.

defusing a bomb

Brovo said ... Because it . If you have a group of individuals attempting to decide the fate of player X you are more likely to encounter problems than just having the GM do it. Also most people who argue don't actually stop arguing long enough to really think about things and attempt to come to compromise.Oh, and you brought up "common culture", so I expanded on it for you and noted why it's a natural glove fit to have a GM & players: It matches how the rest of society typically functions. Yes, you can do it without a GM, but why would you? That's incredible pointless. The GM's role is to play God and make the world and plot, to manage the excess details so that the players can focus purely on their own characters and on each other. I mean, yes, you could distribute that responsibility over the whole, but... It's not like having a GM stops the players from making suggestions and requests... And it provides a central authority figure from which direction and rule can be established...

Issues can also be started by the GM giving a ruling on player X's fate though if it's seen to be unfair, or made with other influence/motivation. This and players stopping an argument long enough to compromise though both heavily rely on the player's maturity. And I fully admit a system without a GM should be reserved for those who are more mature, because those who are not mature need someone with a better head on their shoulders making and calling some of the shots.

Personally I find there are two main advantages to a lack of a GM.

1. More overall creativity. You have multiple minds going 100% out in creating a plot/story, not one mind with the suggestions of others. Assuming they're mature enough to allow their creativity to co-exist and not override one another's creations it can make the world that much more expansive and meaningful for all the players.

2. Simply more freedom and liberty. I think everyone here would of ran into that dreaded point where you want to keep roleplaying but you have to stop because something happens that only the GM is at liberty to make a decision on. If there is no established GM and everyone shares control that issue can be resolved there by the players present and roleplaying can continue unhindered.

Now, this being said. It's not for everyone, it requires a lot of maturity to pull off right, and it's probably not something most people find works for their group. But it is something that at least some players work better in, and have more enjoyable roleplay's as a result of it. It just comes with the extra requirement of the players being able to resolve and establish rule and direction without any one person being responsible to manage it.

Katawa Shoujo: School for the Disabled REBOOT

Hey guys, I'm thinking I'm going to drop out of the RP. :/

This is starting to become a bit too much reading for me to be able to constantly keep up in. Also when I made my OP I was despretely looking to find details describing any small thing possible just to keep up with post size and honestly I don't like having to do that when making a post. I prefer simply focusing on what's happening, not finding anything I can to pro-long the post because I need to reach a certain post size.

Sorry. :(

Romance in Roleplays: Yes or No?

Most the above post I agree 100% with. There's just a few specific points I want to touch on though. And some of it is just adding a footnote, not even really disagreeing.

Kaga said Then go ahead. Otherwise... if your character is doing things it doesn't make sense for them to do, then that's just not good roleplaying.

To be fair, relationships do tend to make people do thing that don't normally make sense for them to do. Love or even simply attraction has a way of getting in people's heads and effectively turning off the logical side of their brain. :P

Kaga said 3.) Too often I see people, especially in 1x1, seem to act like they think their partner's character is actually their partner, and when their characters develop a relationship, the roleplayers develop a relationship.

I've actually had an experience kind of like this about 4 years ago. We had initially met on the Guild in an interest check for 1x1 romance roleplay (I was in still in the phase of going romance RP heavy cause at the time it completely foreign territory for me it was giving me both insight on how they work and simply allowing me to experience something I couldn't in real life) but unlike most of the other RP's I was in this one slowly grew past that. I can't recall exact dates but it took a few months after that RP took off before we actually ended up in a relationship. And during my time in this I had ran into several other people on the Guild who were in similar situations.

However, just to clarify now I think there's a huge difference between a relationship that happens between two roleplayers over time, and a relationship where people confuse the character with the player. I mean the RP in my case I was playing a guy from a gang who basically kidnapped the other player's character to act as a ransom. Totally unlike me in real life, and no rational person should be attracted to a guy who would actually do something like that in real life. But for those are simply are relationships that develop between players overtime, it's open to all the time benefits and con's of a usual relationship (though normally with the extra challenge of distance) and is just as likely to work well and flourish, or work terribly and destroy people internally depending on how both people go about the relationship.

Kaga said Honestly I find it... a bit disturbing, and probably rather unhealthy - especially if your partner isn't on the same page as you in all this.

I can see why, and assuming this is a case where what you're in love with is the character but not the player then I agree.

But otherwise, it's really just a case that's not for everyone. You need a certain amount of (The best word that comes to mind of focus or discipline) that you can make it work through the emotional bond and partnership mainly rather than physical contact (and I don't just mean say making out, or sex. I mean stuff as simple as hand holding, cuddling, have your arm around one another etc.).

Kaga said You want to hook up with someone online while the two of you are both acting under the guise of characters? That's creepy, and you should probably ditch the masks and go to a real dating site where you won't confuse and disturb your potential mate when s/he realizes what's going through your mind when you RP with him/her.

Assuming that was their main intent/goal though, rather than the relationship simply happened naturally over time.

Halo: WE ARE ODST, Part One: Spooks, Ghosts, and the Devil.

That is awesome! O_O

Are we allowed to pick our helmet and armor highlight colors for the image, or would that be asking too much?

The Online world of Zion

(OOC: In the meantime I'm going to write two different posts. The first one assuming people would rather I scrap the post that basically ignored any posts on Page 2 and re-doing that part.

The second one assuming people would rather carry on as currently is so Trent would still be back in the classroom).

Trent nodded at Gerry and went "Yea I know, it's just up ahead. Thanks". Once he got to the Nurses office and receptionist recognized instantly why he was in and left to go get the Nurse. Right then Trent once again heard the familiar voice that helped him in the classroom, and after turning around sure enough it was Alyssa. She asked what happened and then Gerry replied saying Trent had ran into a wall, to which he immediately replied "I didn't run into the wall, I made a sharp turn". Though in reflection that probably didn't help his case much.

---

Trent once back at the classroom heard Alyssa whisper to him, asking if he was ok. He nodded and whispered back quietly "Yea I'm fine, the nurse was able to stop the swelling".

The Online world of Zion

Uhhhh....

I swear I didn't mean to ignore your guys posts about the discussion and visit in the nurses office.
I completely forgot to check if there was a page 2 to continue the posts...

So I'm just going to delete my last post and then re-post it considering there's a number of them that I missed. :/

The Online world of Zion

I know, that's just how I RP the character. :P

It's very easy in High School to dislike all popular kids simply because a good amount of them let the popularity get to their heads and become assholes over it.
Especially if you're one of the people that those assholes of popular kids like to target.

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EDIT: Also pre-warning cause I caught myself doing this several times in my last post. Back on the Old Guild when I used to RP I often named my characters Gwazi Magnum. So referring to my person as "Gwazi" just comes very naturally to me in RP. If you catch me randomly referring to someone named Gwazi in a post please note that's not on purpose, that's simply a slip up on my part of accidentally typing down the wrong name and not catching it.

The Online world of Zion

-Completely forgot to check if there was a page 2-

Herp...

Derp.