Post by Kolava on Apr 15, 2004 2:52:06 GMT -5
For those of you not familiar with the original "RP Amendment", it is a document created a while back addressing all of the problems with Rhydin. I thought the author's heart was in the right place, but I still felt as though I could have done better. That said, here is my rough draft. It started out as a personal rant, but it kept getting more elaborate as I wrote. Normally, I would have revised it a lot more before presenting it (this isn't even spell checked), but it is 4 in the morning and I won't be able to get to a computer until next Sunday. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated. In fact, the only reason I am posting this in such a raw form is so that I can use your feedback to refine it when I come back on Sunday.
What happened to FreeForm?
It's gone, and in its stead we have imposter RP arts, hybrids of moding and steam venting which give today's muns an oppourtunity to vent destructive lust in a consequence-free environent. Yes, Role Play is supposed to be an escape from reality; it's an implicit rule that one's qualities are limited only be one's ability to describe them and make them sound real. The problem is, this rule is very simple to abuse.
What happened to the drama? The poetry of combat? Where are the reluctant heros vanquishing the sinister but predictable villains? I miss the black and white ideals that used to define things; from which an occasional twist would seem interesting. The reformed villain or fallen holy warrior were dramatic because they were rare...These days, everyone is a sickly shade of grey. Demonic knights and undead preists stalking in their trenchcoats now make up the majority, and it is the simple characters who are rare deviants.
The power level is also out of control. An influx of young RPers, hopping onto the computer in an angsty sugar high after the credits of DBZ stop rolling are poisoning the rooms with their descriptions of "superspeed you can't even see" and "energy balls that demolish cities". They have pushed the concept of "power" so far into the realm of absurdity that characters often need to resort to comic book psuedoscience to explain themselves. Haven't you noticed how many "quantum wave beings" now take up the katana in Rhydin, or how many fighters can now generate "reverse void frequency pulses" by waving their katanas? I swear, it seems as though attacks these days are no longer judged based on dramatic sense, but on which mun can better thumb through an issue of Science Today and pull together enough adjectives to fill the necisary posts.
Enter the term "moder". Many like to believe that this term, alone, is the solution to all of RPers problems. All one has to do is deal with them when they pop up and things will work out fine, right? Wrong. The theory is sound, but it's impossible to carry through with. Why? Simply put: there is no hard and fast formula for figuring out who is a moder and who isn't. Because of this, the term is woefully overused, and has lost almost all of its potency. Anyone can be a moder, the only thing they have to do is RP in a way you don't like.
What's this? They beat your obviously superior character in the battle? Moder.
Did they escape your magical barrier? Moder!
Are they seriously trying to use magic after you so clearly anhilated the ley lines with a negatron wave metaflux? What a moder!!!
"Alright," you may be saying as you read this. "This is sorta true, but so what?" Hold on, there is more.
To fully understand the trouble, you must delve deep into the psyche of the RPer. Down, past meme and habit, past attitude and impulse, down to the very core motivation which makes them spend hours of their time typing words to faceles strangers. Now, this motivation varies slightly, but is usually one of or a combination of four things. I'm oversimplifieng the types here, but I'm trying to be succinct.
The Escapist: Also known as the "Hobbyist". This RPer doesn't really care what happens, or why. RP to him or her is just a fun activity to blow spare time on, like TV. Usually, they don't belong to guilds, and their only real alliances lie with friends--usually ones they know in r/l, and often the ones that introduced them to it. Sometimes they can actually be quite "good" at RP, but that is irrelevant at the moment. Escapists value details and vividness, and often substitute realism and consistency for situations that are fun in the short term. The vast majority of sexual RPers fall into this catagory.
The Athlete: This type also believes that RP is a game. Unlike the Escapist, though, the Athlete plays to WIN. Every other screen name on that list in an opponent, and they are all going for the same thing. Whenever the chance presents itself, the Athlete will work to sharpen their skills and pick up new tricks. Most of the time, this type of RPer will avoid dice, because the blind randomness is hard to "be good at".
The Venter: Venters have issues, whether they admit it or not. The hardest type of RPer to accurately diagnose, the Venter uses his or her fictional character to lash out at the world in ways they never could in r/l. Venters delight in rape, murder, and omnipotence because they love to project themselves as the characters. A character played by a venter is often an idealized archetype, flawless and unparalled. They will constantly remind others how powerful they are, whether by actions, or by simply pointing it out in their (often excessively long) posts. Most "villians" fill this catagory, though a rare strain of "venter heros" exist, who project into their character as a means of fighting for what is right. Venters have mixed feelings on rules, but most will pick a type (Dice, Sim, TB) and stick with it until they are skilled so that they have something to fall back on should boasting fail (these types often become Venter/Athletes) A subtype of Venter, which, although important, doesn't deserve its own catagory, is the Sufferer. These lamentable RPers vent their angst, and have characters whose lives are utterly destroyed and worthless. Often they are slaves, or former slaves, and often "their families were slaughtered in front of their eyes".
The Storyteller: Incredibly rare, these RPers practice their craft with the noblest of all motivations: Telling a story. Any RolePlayer can create or join a "Storyline" and pretend to be this type, but this is rarely anything more then a pretense for Venting. True storytellers often leave the Athlete's rules behind, since they have no need to determine who "wins". When a character does bad things to another, it is fully consentual and part of a story, so relationships between Storytellers are often the friendliest.
With these types in mind, consider the original topic: "Moding". Newbies aside, the most common source of "moding" is simply when two types of RPer clash. When a Storyteller encounters an Escapist, they may be rubbed the wrong way by the silliness and lack of cohesion. If an Athlete tries to "defeat" an Escapist, the latter often loses interest in the situation and tries to return to the fun they were having beforehand. This, more often then not, infuriates the Athlete. Worst of all...if a Venter/Athlete happens to come across a group of Storytellers...tensions rise. The Venter/Athlete will feel as though it is their God-given right to do whatever they want even if it goes against the Story, and will back it up with their own brand of rules if anyone questions it.
Given the vastness and complexity of the problem, what can be done? The solution is simple, yet impossible. Every RPer should understand the nature of their peer's RP, and act with appropriate respect. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. The author of this document, for example, hates TBing with a passion; yet, I understand that others enjoy it and, therefore, I have no right to say they cannot. In a perfect RP world, the Athletes would compete amongst themselves, the Storytellers would be able to tell their stories in peace, the Escapists can do whatever they want as long as they don't bother anyone else, and the Venters would seek counseling in r/l. (Just kidding)
What happened to FreeForm?
It's gone, and in its stead we have imposter RP arts, hybrids of moding and steam venting which give today's muns an oppourtunity to vent destructive lust in a consequence-free environent. Yes, Role Play is supposed to be an escape from reality; it's an implicit rule that one's qualities are limited only be one's ability to describe them and make them sound real. The problem is, this rule is very simple to abuse.
What happened to the drama? The poetry of combat? Where are the reluctant heros vanquishing the sinister but predictable villains? I miss the black and white ideals that used to define things; from which an occasional twist would seem interesting. The reformed villain or fallen holy warrior were dramatic because they were rare...These days, everyone is a sickly shade of grey. Demonic knights and undead preists stalking in their trenchcoats now make up the majority, and it is the simple characters who are rare deviants.
The power level is also out of control. An influx of young RPers, hopping onto the computer in an angsty sugar high after the credits of DBZ stop rolling are poisoning the rooms with their descriptions of "superspeed you can't even see" and "energy balls that demolish cities". They have pushed the concept of "power" so far into the realm of absurdity that characters often need to resort to comic book psuedoscience to explain themselves. Haven't you noticed how many "quantum wave beings" now take up the katana in Rhydin, or how many fighters can now generate "reverse void frequency pulses" by waving their katanas? I swear, it seems as though attacks these days are no longer judged based on dramatic sense, but on which mun can better thumb through an issue of Science Today and pull together enough adjectives to fill the necisary posts.
Enter the term "moder". Many like to believe that this term, alone, is the solution to all of RPers problems. All one has to do is deal with them when they pop up and things will work out fine, right? Wrong. The theory is sound, but it's impossible to carry through with. Why? Simply put: there is no hard and fast formula for figuring out who is a moder and who isn't. Because of this, the term is woefully overused, and has lost almost all of its potency. Anyone can be a moder, the only thing they have to do is RP in a way you don't like.
What's this? They beat your obviously superior character in the battle? Moder.
Did they escape your magical barrier? Moder!
Are they seriously trying to use magic after you so clearly anhilated the ley lines with a negatron wave metaflux? What a moder!!!
"Alright," you may be saying as you read this. "This is sorta true, but so what?" Hold on, there is more.
To fully understand the trouble, you must delve deep into the psyche of the RPer. Down, past meme and habit, past attitude and impulse, down to the very core motivation which makes them spend hours of their time typing words to faceles strangers. Now, this motivation varies slightly, but is usually one of or a combination of four things. I'm oversimplifieng the types here, but I'm trying to be succinct.
The Escapist: Also known as the "Hobbyist". This RPer doesn't really care what happens, or why. RP to him or her is just a fun activity to blow spare time on, like TV. Usually, they don't belong to guilds, and their only real alliances lie with friends--usually ones they know in r/l, and often the ones that introduced them to it. Sometimes they can actually be quite "good" at RP, but that is irrelevant at the moment. Escapists value details and vividness, and often substitute realism and consistency for situations that are fun in the short term. The vast majority of sexual RPers fall into this catagory.
The Athlete: This type also believes that RP is a game. Unlike the Escapist, though, the Athlete plays to WIN. Every other screen name on that list in an opponent, and they are all going for the same thing. Whenever the chance presents itself, the Athlete will work to sharpen their skills and pick up new tricks. Most of the time, this type of RPer will avoid dice, because the blind randomness is hard to "be good at".
The Venter: Venters have issues, whether they admit it or not. The hardest type of RPer to accurately diagnose, the Venter uses his or her fictional character to lash out at the world in ways they never could in r/l. Venters delight in rape, murder, and omnipotence because they love to project themselves as the characters. A character played by a venter is often an idealized archetype, flawless and unparalled. They will constantly remind others how powerful they are, whether by actions, or by simply pointing it out in their (often excessively long) posts. Most "villians" fill this catagory, though a rare strain of "venter heros" exist, who project into their character as a means of fighting for what is right. Venters have mixed feelings on rules, but most will pick a type (Dice, Sim, TB) and stick with it until they are skilled so that they have something to fall back on should boasting fail (these types often become Venter/Athletes) A subtype of Venter, which, although important, doesn't deserve its own catagory, is the Sufferer. These lamentable RPers vent their angst, and have characters whose lives are utterly destroyed and worthless. Often they are slaves, or former slaves, and often "their families were slaughtered in front of their eyes".
The Storyteller: Incredibly rare, these RPers practice their craft with the noblest of all motivations: Telling a story. Any RolePlayer can create or join a "Storyline" and pretend to be this type, but this is rarely anything more then a pretense for Venting. True storytellers often leave the Athlete's rules behind, since they have no need to determine who "wins". When a character does bad things to another, it is fully consentual and part of a story, so relationships between Storytellers are often the friendliest.
With these types in mind, consider the original topic: "Moding". Newbies aside, the most common source of "moding" is simply when two types of RPer clash. When a Storyteller encounters an Escapist, they may be rubbed the wrong way by the silliness and lack of cohesion. If an Athlete tries to "defeat" an Escapist, the latter often loses interest in the situation and tries to return to the fun they were having beforehand. This, more often then not, infuriates the Athlete. Worst of all...if a Venter/Athlete happens to come across a group of Storytellers...tensions rise. The Venter/Athlete will feel as though it is their God-given right to do whatever they want even if it goes against the Story, and will back it up with their own brand of rules if anyone questions it.
Given the vastness and complexity of the problem, what can be done? The solution is simple, yet impossible. Every RPer should understand the nature of their peer's RP, and act with appropriate respect. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. The author of this document, for example, hates TBing with a passion; yet, I understand that others enjoy it and, therefore, I have no right to say they cannot. In a perfect RP world, the Athletes would compete amongst themselves, the Storytellers would be able to tell their stories in peace, the Escapists can do whatever they want as long as they don't bother anyone else, and the Venters would seek counseling in r/l. (Just kidding)
