POOHEAD189

A question for my beloved guild colleagues

This kind of falls into the “if you skim read or skip a post it is a fundamental issue” category in my mind. I can understand hobby writers might be strapped for time, but if they actually care about the project more often than not they will read a piece and if they have issues remembering all the details they will communicate that fact. It is not the writer’s responsibility to write a summary or synopsis. It is the reader’s responsibility to read.

@Inkarnate

I didn't say if they had memory issues. Why would they? The post isn't going anywhere. I said it's good to have it to help them concentrate on what is in the post.

Elitism seems to be a nice buzzword in arguments like this but I do not think myself or others are being elitist when we iterate that if you don’t respect the collaborative project and your peers enough to read their material then you probably aren’t suited to the medium. Role-playing is a collaborative medium and if you aren’t being actually collaborative then what really is the point? It might be pompous and kind of rude for me to basically tell someone to not bother, sure, but it isn’t elitism.

I believe that claiming elitism in this scenario can be a bit of a misguided claim. For instance the topic of this debate is "If it does not concern my character, or is not a GM post, it does not necessarily need to be read."

As I said before I believe this to be false. To back up that claim please keep in mind how the size of the post, whether it is 2 paragraphs or 20, should not not factor into this equasion, so that includes Free Roleplayers all the way through to Advance. The GM could have quite possibly given some important information to a player for them to write about in their post, so wouldn't you become the fool if you did not take note of something quite important. On top of all this I believe it's just simple respect, give and take, on the belief that your post will be read by your fellow players.

Also want to tackle the bad roleplayer comment and that connection to elitism... Someone can be both a great story teller and a horrible roleplayer. I know of some people that are bad roleplayers (like the player that edited out ALL my collab work from OUR collaboration without telling me) but for me to state that they are bad roleplayers may not be not an opinion, but a fact. Does this mean it is an elitist view? Not always.

@NuttsnBolts

Well, I agreed with you both initially that you should indeed read all posts. However I think it's the definition of words we're disagreeing on.

Roleplayer: Role-playing refers to the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role.

Roleplaying is made up of many parts. Being able to write in character, being able to make a good character, posting well, etc. Reading other posts is an adult, responsible thing to do. You should do it. But it doesn't make a bad roleplayer, because as above, they can be better than you at making a character, better than you a staying in character, better than you at posting, etc. That's why I think it's an elitist thing to say, because one peg of what they do you don't like, which means they're off the definition of roleplaying, which is just not factual.

Now, I think we're all in agreement that if someone just doesn't want to put effort into the roleplay you're in, they shouldn't be in the roleplay. But in our heads for the sake of argument, we see two different scenarios. If you're a GM, you see someone who missed something and thinks "this person does not put in the effort, gtfo."

I'm more talking about if someone gets overwhelmed and they have a bad day or something. As long as it's not a recurring theme and they don't mess up the RP I GM, then cool. They got overwhelmed, they'll do better next time. If they don't, then we have a problem. Although that's a very sympathetic view for a certain scenario, granted. But perhaps I RP with people who I trust more, I suppose.

At the end of the day, I am saying this:

Is it ok to not want people to join your RP if they don't read every post thoroughly? Of course.
If they don't, are they bad at RPing? No, it's not that black and white.

A question for my beloved guild colleagues

Ok, I see people on both ends of the spectrum, and for awhile I was thinking I'd withhold an opinion from this thread. But I'll give my 2 cents.

---

Should you read all posts thoroughly? Yes. What possible reason would you not? (Other than a possible meta-game, which most people above the free roleplay don't do anyway). The reasons why you wouldn't want to are 1) Time it takes to read, 2) Attention span, 3) outside stress, and 4) posting deadlines.

Now, a lot of people on here who are strict into the 'read all posts intensely' generally have a good grasp on all of these things that keep people from doing it. Not saying it's always easy, but they have a system or a mindset that helps them do it. A system that doesn't necessarily work for other people. Not all have/can do that. Those who don't have that aren't necessarily worse at roleplaying either. They could be really good at writing (posts), they could have a far better imagination than most, and do well with smaller interactions, just not the best at reading or keeping up with 8 people who also write 16 paragraphs and do 3 collabs in 10 days. (Also, some other people in the roleplay could just have shit characters that the GM allowed in for some reason, who do nothing and just confuse people) I don't think they should feel bad about having those issues. I think they should work on them, definitely. And do as Dervs said, with either trying harder or choosing different roleplays in the future. But I think to say they're bad at roleplaying is just plain elitism.

However yes, at the end of the day, if you're responsible enough to not meta-game, you should read every post thoroughly. A roleplay is a shared experience, ideally. Not just your say. However, I will say

Personally, I can't stand one liners and I find really short and detail devoid posts completely uninteresting and it's hard to give a crap about a character if there's no development or personal insight.

@Dervish

that while I agree with the gist of this, small summaries are very good for NRP's. At least to put at the bottom of a post. Not so that's all they read, but it helps them focus on when they do read a post so they know what army is going where, or what political upheaval has transpired and they don't miss it through a typo or flowery wording.

If they don't read the entire post, they will miss subtle hints that my King is either a grim faced hard ass, or he is jolly enough to break bread with your faction, and if they miss that then it is their loss (and they deserve the loss). However, at least the narrative will continue easier and they'll know that my army of 10,000 northmen has crossed the border. (And again, it will be an incentive to read because they'll be wondering why they crossed, and what kind of troops are they, and who leads them, etc.)

Thank you for reading thoroughly :)

Into The Dark: Tales of Maroleth

Well, if Sypher aint gonna post. I s'pose it's up to poohead to keep it going! Prepare...after today.

WARHAMMER 40K: THE TARSON INCURSION

<Snipped quote by POOHEAD189>

@rivaan

Those are some blow up balloon boobs

WARHAMMER 40K: THE TARSON INCURSION

Herod's body shuddered involuntarily as the vehicle bumped and bounced along the ragged roadways that led to the complex, his armored hands fixed to the turret controls. He didn't know if it was fortunate or unfortunate that they met no Xenos along the way. Good they had a safe trip and found themselves in a defensive position, but he was never shy from slaying the enemies of the Emperor. Thinning the herd was never unwelcome either.

When it was time to step out of Taurox, a murmur rose among the guardsmen from all of the 'colorful' characters that exited. The Apothecary received the most praise, but many shied away from Herold's broad frame as his booted feet stepped onto the dirt. No doubt some of the guardsmen had witnessed Judges in their duties on their native homeworlds. The crackling shockmaul at his side certainly did not help ease their fear.

Lt. Nova should have been an odd sight to him, until he realized the majority of his squad was female. It bothered him none. Meat for the grinder.

He made his way toward the Heavy Bolter Turret at the front of facility. The heavy thuds of his boots reverberated across the stairway as he made his way up, and set his equipment down beside his chair as he began to man the turret. He flipped open the ready switch and placed his hands on the control, taking off the safety precautions and making sure the turret was loaded. Thumbs now on the trigger, his squared jaw moved as he spoke through the vox.

"Ready."

WARHAMMER 40K: THE TARSON INCURSION

<Snipped quote by POOHEAD189>

@Rithy

I said I'd post next. A guy's gotta sleep and eat first though.

The Lord of the Rings: The Age of Men

Dwarf

Name: Thurin Stonewrought III

Age: 112

Race: Dwarf

Sex: Male

Personality: Adventurous and passionate, Thurin's delved deeper and traveled further than any Dwarf in recent memory. He truly enjoys new lands and places to explore, and new foes to fight are always an exciting challenge. Of course, he's gruff and pragmatic, and shares his races stoic nature. He's fought against Orcs and Trolls in minor skirmishes, and has a soldier's outlook and manner, when the situation calls for seriousness. During his leisure time, he'll not shy himself from a story or a song.

Appearance: He's a tough and muscled Dwarf, with dark eyes to match his hair. Thurin's Beard reaches down past his belt, unbraided, though he has bronze fixings framing his beard to keep it a tad shorter so he could fight easier. His broad bladed Axe is finely crafted Steel, used as both a walking stick and his main heavy weapon. He had four throwing axes he can use as shorter weapons as well, if need be. His armor is made for light travel, though that still means he is clad in masterwork chainmail and half plate armor on certain areas of his body.

Backstory: Thurin III was born in Khazad Dum, one hundred and twelve years ago. His father was Thurin the II, one of the initial reclaimers of Khazad-Dum, who led one of the contingents of Dwarves into the deep as they slew the foul Orcs that infested the mines. Thurin I, his grandfather, fought in the Battle of the Five Armies as a young lad, having made an acquaintance of one Biblo Baggins, and later served in the War of the North. Thurin was born in a line of proud and admirable Dwarves, and he does not intend to besmirch their legacy.

When he came of age, he took to the Axe and tried his hand at exploration to aid in the Dwarves as they delved deeper into the earth. Ever reaching for veins of precious metals, Thurin was given the task of leading a few incursions into the lesser known roads of the underworld. At times they found nothing, having to come back empty handed other than fixing the ever increasing maps with dead ends. Other times, they found veins of ore. Mostly Iron and Silver, though they did find a Golden vein at one point. Thrice, they came upon pockets of Orcs in the deep places of the world, fighting their way in and slaughtering the foul Goblins with their finely crafted weapons. And indeed, there was one instance where they found a beast they had not seen before. A nameless creature they merely caught glimpses of, and decided to delve no further, for its bulk was massive and its very presence befouled the air, having become rank with Dwarven fear. It raked into solid rock as if it were dirt, and screeched as it fed on slain Goblins.

From his experiences of the vastness that is the deep, Thurin the III decided he very much wished to see what was upon the surface as well, and was given leave to travel the lands as long as he sent back word to his father of useful places to colonize. The Blue Mountains and the Ered Luin, the Iron Hills, and even into Beleriand for a short period, his heart filled with yearning for treking into the unknown. He was gone for 23 years, and returned back with many great tales and more than a few scars. Once he had returned (age 97) he had gone back to his previous life of delving into the earth.

In between his expeditions, he would go back to mining, for he had worked as a miner as a mere Beardling to hone his muscles and, as his father claimed, teach him a good work ethic. He tried smithing a time or two, and while no slouch, it wasn't his calling. His greatest love was adventuring, and because of his successes at finding minerals and new realms to conquer, as well as his family lineage, he was chosen among a throng of Dwarves to find the lost secrets of the silent colony.

Reason for investigating the silent colony?: Thurin's second cousin, Thorgig, was one of the Dwarves who oversaw much of the preparation of Dôr-min-Taur. When the colony went silent, Thurin's ageing father sent his son the adventurer to investigate the disappearance of their cousin, and the wealth that had once flowed from there.

Other:

WARHAMMER 40K: THE TARSON INCURSION

P.S. Who is going to post next? =[

@Andromedai

Me

Dogs of War: Old World Mercenaries

Truth be told, Cyrdic was as hungry as a starving bear. The drama from earlier had made him forget his appetite, but now he was quite famished. As the serving maid made her way off, Cyrdic stopped her for a moment and asked for some trenchers for he and his companion. For some strange reason, the Witch Hunter seemed disapproving of his request, but said nothing of it further.

Moments later, Cyrdic had the distinct feeling that he didn't trust this Von Koneinswald. Nor the place they now resided, even if it was feeding his grumbling belly and looked quaint enough. There was something in the air, and the hairs on the end of his neck stood on end. He'd been ambushed before, and flashbacks of those terrifying memories threatened to shatter his reserve. He shook them away, and focused on the present.

"The Graf does not know," Cyrdic said, not wanting to bring suspicion on someone like Boris Todbringer. Personally, he had felt bad enough lying to the man's face, and he wouldn't dishonor him by making claims about him. Strategically however, he also did not want to be responsible for starting a conflict, or Sigmar forbid, a war, all under a misunderstanding. Honorable though he may be, Boris Todbringer also had a fearsome reputation.

Vivvienne and I are acting on our own. We've heard...disturbing rumors lately, of strange gatherings of men and women in the more abandoned parts of Middenheim. I've fought the Northmen before on campaign, and Vivvienne here is a capable swordswoman. We merely thought to have a look, before-" Cyrdic glanced at Camilla, and shrugged. "Well, that is when you showed up. But when we were struck in the building, I've not felt such a way since facing a sorcerer of the dark powers on the coast of Nordland. I cannot stress enough that I believe this is a serious infestation of heretics, herr Koneinswald."
@Penny

What Are You Listening To?