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BattleMaster => BM General Discussion => Topic started by: pcw27 on August 15, 2013, 03:58:13 AM

Title: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: pcw27 on August 15, 2013, 03:58:13 AM
So the roleplay forum is locked. I was thinking, maybe it should be unlocked with a new premise in mind. Instead of a place to post roleplays it can be a place to discuss roleplay in general. Discussing a living character or their actions will be strictly forbidden. However it is acceptable to discuss dead characters when its useful for discussing how to role-play.

People can talk about character motivation and story arks in a broader sense. They can go there to get a better idea of how medieval people's value systems and reasoning work (It gets on my nerves when I intentionally use a logical fallacy that was widely accepted in the middle ages and no one accepts it). In addition discussion of the greater cultural sphere would be welcome there too (although those will remain primarily part of the Background forum).
Title: Re: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: Anaris on August 15, 2013, 03:59:32 AM
Eh, I doubt that there's enough interest in that for a whole subforum.

Start a topic in BM General to discuss that.

Posting RPs so everyone can read them is a valuable purpose.
Title: Re: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: Stabbity on August 15, 2013, 06:56:55 AM
Eh, I doubt that there's enough interest in that for a whole subforum.

Start a topic in BM General to discuss that.

Posting RPs so everyone can read them is a valuable purpose.

^This. Locking the roleplay board seemed entirely overkill to me and I know I'm not alone in thinking that. I can see (sort of, doesnt mean I agree) people having issues with the local boards but the roleplaying board? !@#$ why don't we just remove the roleplay message type while we're at it. We've seen a decline RP lately and closing the rpmforum isn't helpful to that.
Title: Re: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: Tom on August 15, 2013, 02:32:10 PM
Same answer as for the locals:

I've outlined my thoughts extensively. Write me a short set of guidelines for the board you want re-opened and I'll consider it.

Title: Re: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: vonGenf on August 15, 2013, 02:45:56 PM
I've outlined my thoughts extensively. Write me a short set of guidelines for the board you want re-opened and I'll consider it.

Tom,

I just had a look at the entire RP board. There are only four threads which are OOC discussion and three of those date from 2011. Literally everything else are in-games RPs which have been shared on the forum. They happen in game, they are just copied there for people to see. I don't get how these could detract from interacting in game since they are in-game interactions by themselves.
Title: Re: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: Tom on August 15, 2013, 04:55:09 PM
I just had a look at the entire RP board. There are only four threads which are OOC discussion and three of those date from 2011. Literally everything else are in-games RPs which have been shared on the forum. They happen in game, they are just copied there for people to see. I don't get how these could detract from interacting in game since they are in-game interactions by themselves.

If people find it easier to just reply on the forum with a roleplay on their own instead of reacting to the RP in-game with in-game actions and messages, then gameplay has been removed from the game.
Title: Re: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: vonGenf on August 15, 2013, 04:57:44 PM
If people find it easier to just reply on the forum with a roleplay on their own instead of reacting to the RP in-game with in-game actions and messages, then gameplay has been removed from the game.

But they don't. That doesn't happen at all. There are things that are done in-game, and then are shown to other people out of game because people are proud of the stories they have created and want to show them around.
Title: Re: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: Revan on August 15, 2013, 05:54:54 PM
Okay, I'm going to take a tilt at this. Is the mention of the wiki too much? Is this the right direction?

Roleplay Board Guidelines
The Roleplay Board board exists so that you can share roleplays you have already made in-game with a wider audience. It is not a replacement for in-character interaction that belongs in-game. Neither is it the place for the kind of character-building that more properly belongs on the BattleMaster Wiki (e.g. a story about how your family was founded should go on your family wiki page.)

Posters to the roleplay board should obey the following guidelines:-

Edit: Replaced last point with one suggested by Indirik.
Title: Re: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: Indirik on August 15, 2013, 06:34:23 PM
I would modify that last one as follows:

Quote
This board is not a discussion area. Short replies to offer compliments to the poster are permitted. Discussions are not, and will be summarily deleted.
Title: Re: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: Ender on August 15, 2013, 06:37:10 PM
Those seem like fair guidelines.

Would death roleplay been considered a part of a shared, in-game roleplay or wiki material?. Obviously in many cases it won't be possible to post it in game, but it could still read as a roleplay that would have been posted in game.
Title: Re: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: Indirik on August 15, 2013, 06:38:02 PM
That doesn't follow the rules, does it? If it wasn't posted in-game, you can't post it here. Period.
Title: Re: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: Ender on August 15, 2013, 06:43:00 PM
So, wiki material then. Thank you.

Considering how many I've seen it might be smart to point out that death or end of character roleplays belong on the wiki or just point out that you are enforcing the guidelines word for word without exception to cover all cases.

Or heck, I suppose it reads that clear enough anyway. I was stuck on the family history part obviously being wiki while thinking character end/death could be wiki, but could be roleplay. So, nevermind I suppose.
Title: Re: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: Tom on August 15, 2013, 07:22:33 PM
I think we can make an exception for death. It happens rarely enough and if someone wants to describe his characters funeral, why not?

I would like to propose a variation for the "one week after" rule that I think we agree is unworkable. This is a rough draft:


"All roleplays posted to the forum should be assumed to be public knowledge across all game worlds. In order to not interfere with in-game roleplays and interaction, you should wait until news of whatever event you roleplay could reasonably have made the rounds as rumours and gossip. In most cases, that will also mean waiting until the event has been concluded in-game and other players had opportunity to react to or reply to your roleplay in-game."
Title: Re: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: trying on August 15, 2013, 07:27:44 PM
Is there a way to make all the threads in that section lock on creation? I think that would solve the problem of people who " just reply on the forum with a roleplay on their own instead of reacting to the RP in-game with in-game actions and messages"
Title: Re: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: Fleugs on August 15, 2013, 08:55:46 PM
"All roleplays posted to the forum should be assumed to be public knowledge across all game worlds. In order to not interfere with in-game roleplays and interaction, you should wait until news of whatever event you roleplay could reasonably have made the rounds as rumours and gossip. In most cases, that will also mean waiting until the event has been concluded in-game and other players had opportunity to react to or reply to your roleplay in-game."

I used to roleplay one of my character's as a murderer or someone who practices ritual human sacrifices. These roleplays had not other purpose but giving my character some (gruesome) depth. Now, it was never intended for anyone to actually find out that my character was a horrible murderer, and thankfully everyone respected the sanctity of the roleplays. However, if I feel like I wish to post these roleplays, I am not allowed according to this rule - seeing as how the entire point of the roleplaying would be to sketch a dark and secret part of your character that nobody knows about but is present, which may be important for eventual actions your character makes (and thus puts it into context for the player, OOCly, but not the other characters).

Maybe to rephrase: is the "public knowledge" purely in-character knowledge, or does it also apply to OOC-knowledge? I understand the goal of this rule and I fully support it. I just wonder what to do with the roleplays written solely to spice up your character (i.e. non-interactive roleplay). The shortcoming of this rule perhaps is that it prevents from solo-roleplays to be posted to the forum.

Not that I would really care, in the end, because if I wanted to post a roleplay that would define the backstory of my character towards other players (not characters), I might as well toss it on the wiki in my family page.

Title: Re: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: Revan on August 15, 2013, 09:18:07 PM
I would modify that last one as follows:
Quote
This board is not a discussion area. Short replies to offer compliments to the poster are permitted. Discussions are not, and will be summarily deleted.

Yes, that works better.

I used to roleplay one of my character's as a murderer or someone who practices ritual human sacrifices. These roleplays had not other purpose but giving my character some (gruesome) depth. Now, it was never intended for anyone to actually find out that my character was a horrible murderer, and thankfully everyone respected the sanctity of the roleplays.

I just wonder what to do with the roleplays written solely to spice up your character (i.e. non-interactive roleplay). The shortcoming of this rule perhaps is that it prevents from solo-roleplays to be posted to the forum.

Not that I would really care, in the end, because if I wanted to post a roleplay that would define the backstory of my character towards other players (not characters), I might as well toss it on the wiki in my family page.


Isn't there already a long-standing rule along the lines that anything you post as a roleplay in-game is something other characters can find out about? I'm not sure you would have much to worry about regarding these rules as technically, the ability for others to learn from your non-interactive roleplays is already there in game.

Having said that, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to add a disclaimer to the roleplay board guidelines. Something like 'Be aware that by posting roleplays to this board, you are revealing in-game knowledge to a much wider audience. If your roleplay reveals things you only want people in your realm, guild etc. to know then don't post it here.'
Title: Re: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: Vita` on August 15, 2013, 10:36:19 PM
If people find it easier to just reply on the forum with a roleplay on their own instead of reacting to the RP in-game with in-game actions and messages, then gameplay has been removed from the game.

The only roleplays I've ever posted were ones that happened in-game first. Most of the ones I've seen in the forum seem to have been posted in-game first (anything by Renodin or Dishman for example). I really think you're finding an issue with the roleplay forum that doesn't exist. That being said, I have no objection to clearer guidelines either...
Title: Re: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: Indirik on August 15, 2013, 10:57:54 PM
Is there a way to make all the threads in that section lock on creation? I think that would solve the problem of people who " just reply on the forum with a roleplay on their own instead of reacting to the RP in-game with in-game actions and messages"
I don't think this is a problem at all. As far as I know, this doesn't ever happen. At all. Unless someone can point me to some occurrences of this....
Title: Re: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: Geronus on August 16, 2013, 02:56:37 AM
Not that I would really care, in the end, because if I wanted to post a roleplay that would define the backstory of my character towards other players (not characters), I might as well toss it on the wiki in my family page.

I don't like the idea of condemning something like those RPs to the wiki. They were quite good as I recall, and I feel like far fewer people would end up stumbling across them on the wiki than on the forum.
Title: Re: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: Valast on August 16, 2013, 07:44:27 PM
What ever is done... It may not be a bad idea to put up a sticky with some links to make a RP Writing Guide.

A now quiet game that I was once very active in has some well written categories (which they used for a class setting to help anyone interested in developing better skills at witting and RP).

http://wiki.tazlure.nl/index.php/Category:Writing_Guide

Includes topics such as: Creating Flow, Creating Memorable Characters, Consistency, Using the Senses... and on.

*shrug* I believe with better encouragement we could see more writing coming from players... As long as that is encouraged by peers rather than blasted.  More people would read them also if the quality was better in some cases.

Title: Re: Rethink the roleplay forum
Post by: Dishman on August 17, 2013, 10:48:45 PM
I used to roleplay one of my character's as a murderer or someone who practices ritual human sacrifices. These roleplays had not other purpose but giving my character some (gruesome) depth. Now, it was never intended for anyone to actually find out that my character was a horrible murderer, and thankfully everyone respected the sanctity of the roleplays.

I did roughly the same thing. I'd RP whoever is in the region or it's lord, wait until the specific string of murders was over and post it to the RP forum. In the game I wasn't even sure if those people were active or cared about the little blurb of RP as they were going about their business, so the RP board felt like a good way of generating rumor in-game for people who would care and weren't in the regions I operated in.