The Harbinger of Ferocity

The GOOD, the BAD, the UGLY - Opinions on roleplay discussion.

Here are but a few I have to start off with as this topic builds in time.

The Good

There are many, many, many roleplayers within this community, some more at some tiers than others, but this is not one of those locales where you only find certain types of people and style. Diversity is plentiful, which in truth is rare to come by in the roleplaying world of old, wherein you very much had certain enclaves and nearly all were distant from each other. My experience, but others I know say similar things now.

There's no lack of talent, expertise or creativity, you just need find it and hope those people dedicate to the story at hand as well.

The Bad

The Guild is vastly overpopulated with anime, fandom and slice-of-life stories. There's nothing inherently wrong with roleplaying this way, but their trending nature makes them a siphon from original material and original content. Many require explicit and oft intricate knowledge of the scenario at hand to function and are not lacking in vastness, making any even remotely interesting idea too difficult to even approach normally even if one were not familiar to the series. With regard to the slice-of-life settings, there's tons upon tons of "school" environments with almost identical plots for example; they become so mired down in their own massive numbers that the particularly good ones get overlooked - but that is my experience.

The Ugly

The simple truth is that people vanish or become disinterested without rationale or explanation. One day the story and characters are moving along, then the next, a player does not post, continues to not post, then continues to be elusive, nonresponsive or they finally admit they are no longer involved. By this time, several days, other players begin to drop the roleplay, rather than making the more rational decision to stay and keep their numbers up. Even if the Game Master leaves, nothing changes in truth; the plot can go on, just with a player leading the front as a de fact Game Master. But such is not the norm here and people are content to let things die.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

There had been many long days and longer nights yet that were the travels throughout this land, that of which Brannor was not familiar to in even the slightest. As foreign as it was, he had found himself drawn to it with a distant but almost compulsive pull, subtle enough for him to not be wary or fearful of its strangeness, but respectful enough to know it had some importance. The reward for the wanderer's answer to the call was, at first, nothing. Nothing but wandering deeper and closer to this town of Greenest until he found himself into it, but even then that did little to sate his lust for an answer. There had been a week of time, maybe longer, that he had been out and about the area that surrounded it; plains, forest, both more familiar than the town itself, but not the answer in the slightest.

It nagged at him, irritatingly enough.

But now was the time to return for well deserved rest, drink and other finer things that were not plentiful in nature; civilization had certain comforts that they were regularly privileged to, just as he was granted certain blessings of the wilderness. In either case, this pursuit led him to follow in the wake of a trade caravan that he had caught sight of earlier in the day. Their steady pace was easy enough to gain on, after all.

By coming twilight, as Brannor followed with dusted boots in their tracks, the sky beyond had increasingly darkened and the air smelled of distant ash. Intriguing the broad, tall man, he paid more mind now to what was before him, rather than to his side or behind. He had thought it was smoke on the horizon, but until now it made little sense, so little that he had initially disregarded it. The thought was, admittedly, a bit absurd until his golden eyes fell upon it themselves; it drew his pace to a slow walk now at a slight angle rather than the tail end of the caravan itself.

Smoke and fire, just as he had witnessed, but the town itself was what found itself in cinders. That all was ignoring the presence of a dragon, of which circled what had been all their goal.

They went for some time more, but the caravan's master wisely brought the entirety to a halt not too long after. Circling the wagons, he then addressed the gathering that formed in the middle while Brannor drew in from the outside. Stepping between the horses, one of whom his sizable hand patted on the thick of the beast's neck, he edged the exterior of the crowd; leather-bound greatsword sheathed across his back clinking against his chain and hide garb. From here, he listened in, hearing out the man who had been leading this travel it seemed. From his call to arms, Brannor shook his head; he hated to agree that something should be done, dragon and all, but it was a risk someone better equipped for this should do.

A large, lone blade rose to the air in a quick thrust as a man of orcish blood rallied in excitement, providing a warcry.

"Waaaaargh! Fight dragons!"

Brannor had started to slip between the small gathering, drawing closer to the front while people murmured and muttered. Shouldering gently here and there, he found himself to the side of the orc, who looked around in eagerness for companions; the two shared a brief exchange of glares and there wasn't anything that needed to be said for both had the same intent. Regardless of that, the large man, dressed in wanderer's clothes, came to a halt, a silver pendant of a tiger's snarling visage upon his neck.

"I might not be part of your group," Brannor looked to Addio with a nod, "But I am willing to help you and them."

Cara's Originally Titled OoC Hangout Thread ♥ (Still)

I am unsure how well known the handler is overall, but he has enough of a record as does his organization for me to know who he is. Usually I just see people complaining on it like every YouTube video that it is "inhumane to the animals for them to be in cages" and that "they're not treating the animal right" or "they should be left in the wild" without so much as providing even cursory thought about the practicality of such statements in the age we find ourselves in and these particular animals. I have never had an issue with him - all of his cats seem to adore him and interact directly with him, which is impressive for all the reasons one can conjure.

As for having such an honor? That is one of several!

Castaway - OC Edition

I had assumed so based upon the delay, @Billsomething, but thank you anyway. For this still involved, tomorrow I will post to just before the introduction of Adrienne as a retcon.

If we do not continue from there, for those remaining and reading, the roleplay will be discontinued.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Because of the remoteness of my location and limited access to the Internet until tomorrow, I will need wait to post until then. I will make my own way into the caravan and or catching up to the party if things advance that rapidly all of a sudden.

Waeldeshore: The Wars Beyond [DISCONTINUED]

You will have my reply tomorrow night when I return with an actual means of posting.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

This is in some ways fortunate for me, but I do hope this roleplay begins soon enough. I have not found or had a decent forum based Dungeons and Dragons game to date as it is.

The Hand of Fate

You can expect a reply from myself this Tuesday once this extended cycle away from real Internet ends.

Cara's Originally Titled OoC Hangout Thread ♥ (Still)

Certainly appropriate, as I have seen other videos with this individual and their cats. They are always entertaining, the interactions within them.

Cara's Originally Titled OoC Hangout Thread ♥ (Still)

Wonderful find, @Carantathraiel!