Recently the Escapist has seen a major influx of new players to the RP section. This is great, it means the end of the crippling RP Recession that had us in it's grip since Summer of '09. However, it also means a drop in quality due to lack of experience or lack of caring.
First, I would like to reference our other material that should be read by all RPers upon joining us:
Escapist Role Playing and You
Role Playing Guidelines
Many experienced RPs are getting frustrated with the behaviour of these new players, and some have even left or are planning to leave. We are capable of high quality writing here, so why is being seen less and less lately? I'd like to give some of the habits, and remedies:
1. Poor planning: This can be either on the part of the GM or the player. If the opening post of an RP seems thrown together, or is missing several key points (character sheet template, setting, story outline) it would be better to give pointers or ask the GM to improve before joining. If a post is sub-par, it's simple to just pass on by and not join. If poorly planned RPs never get off the ground and a shallow character can't be accepted, we've already gotten most of the quality control finished.
2. Competition (AKA Munckins): If someone sees an RP as something to be won, rather than a co-operative effort, then we have a sure path to trenchcoating, god-moding, and Mary Sues. When writing, think of the RP as a whole and remember that the other characters aren't there for only your entertainment. Everyone should be enjoying the RP equally, and nobody likes RP with someone solely focused on their own character.
3. Spelling and Grammar: Very Important. That is all that should need to be said. This is a forum, meaning that it revolves around text. If that text is not readable, then it both ruins the flow of an RP and makes it difficult for others to understand that block of text you worked on.
-On a side note, people will take you much less seriously if you don't use proper grammar and spelling. It makes you seem lazy, or like you just don't care enough to bother. Who would want to RP with someone too lazy to care?
4. Ettiquette: The main goal of this is to avoid the classic troll equation : audience + opinion + anonymity = fuckwad. Please mind your manners. Listen to other peoples' opinions and requests; it could be as simple as asking you to spruce up your character sheet, or to pay more attention to your punctuation. Or, it could come to somebody accusing you of breaking one or more of the RP Guidelines. Take their opinions into memory for the future, and try to come to an agreement.
5. Quality of Posts: This is separate from Poor Planning because there has been some RPs recently that are fraught with one-line posts and strings of OOC comments. This breaks up the flow of an RP and it makes for incredibly shallow characters and setting. Would you rather have an epic story or just a long stretch of back-and-forth conversation?
If you are the GM, I urge you to take these points into account and enforce them both for yourself and the players. Players, please take pride in your posts. If the GM or another player is not, don't hesitate to bring up the issue. If it can't be resolved, there is no shame in dropping out of an RP because you had a problem with somebody.
If there are any more points that could be added, or changes to the ones I already have up, please mention them below.
Special thanks to ExictedNuke, for helping put the list together, and Lost in the Void, for complaining a lot and forcing me to take action.
First, I would like to reference our other material that should be read by all RPers upon joining us:
Escapist Role Playing and You
Role Playing Guidelines
Many experienced RPs are getting frustrated with the behaviour of these new players, and some have even left or are planning to leave. We are capable of high quality writing here, so why is being seen less and less lately? I'd like to give some of the habits, and remedies:
1. Poor planning: This can be either on the part of the GM or the player. If the opening post of an RP seems thrown together, or is missing several key points (character sheet template, setting, story outline) it would be better to give pointers or ask the GM to improve before joining. If a post is sub-par, it's simple to just pass on by and not join. If poorly planned RPs never get off the ground and a shallow character can't be accepted, we've already gotten most of the quality control finished.
2. Competition (AKA Munckins): If someone sees an RP as something to be won, rather than a co-operative effort, then we have a sure path to trenchcoating, god-moding, and Mary Sues. When writing, think of the RP as a whole and remember that the other characters aren't there for only your entertainment. Everyone should be enjoying the RP equally, and nobody likes RP with someone solely focused on their own character.
3. Spelling and Grammar: Very Important. That is all that should need to be said. This is a forum, meaning that it revolves around text. If that text is not readable, then it both ruins the flow of an RP and makes it difficult for others to understand that block of text you worked on.
-On a side note, people will take you much less seriously if you don't use proper grammar and spelling. It makes you seem lazy, or like you just don't care enough to bother. Who would want to RP with someone too lazy to care?
4. Ettiquette: The main goal of this is to avoid the classic troll equation : audience + opinion + anonymity = fuckwad. Please mind your manners. Listen to other peoples' opinions and requests; it could be as simple as asking you to spruce up your character sheet, or to pay more attention to your punctuation. Or, it could come to somebody accusing you of breaking one or more of the RP Guidelines. Take their opinions into memory for the future, and try to come to an agreement.
5. Quality of Posts: This is separate from Poor Planning because there has been some RPs recently that are fraught with one-line posts and strings of OOC comments. This breaks up the flow of an RP and it makes for incredibly shallow characters and setting. Would you rather have an epic story or just a long stretch of back-and-forth conversation?
If you are the GM, I urge you to take these points into account and enforce them both for yourself and the players. Players, please take pride in your posts. If the GM or another player is not, don't hesitate to bring up the issue. If it can't be resolved, there is no shame in dropping out of an RP because you had a problem with somebody.
If there are any more points that could be added, or changes to the ones I already have up, please mention them below.
Special thanks to ExictedNuke, for helping put the list together, and Lost in the Void, for complaining a lot and forcing me to take action.
