To Rp Or Not To Rp? That Is The Question.

[Yrthilian]

Well i get into work today to find messages complaining again about RP issues.
I have to admit i was very angry to find out what had happened.

So i decided i would wait a few hours and see what may be done IF anything.
Since i gave myself the time to think and to work out a few things i have now
decided to post a topic. First of all THIS is NOT an attack on any one person
or group of people. I am going to do my best not to point the finger or point
the blame.

I will say first that it really annoys me when things like this happen. As MD is
suppose to be a Multiplayer online role playing Game. Correct me if i am wrong in
this but that means people with use RP methods withing the system.

So i have decide i will list some topics here and try my best to keep on the topics i list

1. What is RP?
2. What tools are used for RP?
3. Who has the right?
4. How should this be resolved.

Ok so the first point

[b]1. What is RP?[/b]

Well RP is done different in everyone's eyes. So we need to find the common ground for what RP is
in MD and what its place is. So FROM MY POINT, RP is the gathering of people to act out what there character
is and what they believe. This is an interactions of personalities and traits a player has developed
for there character and how this character interacts with others. To me RP is the FUN PART of interacting and
keeping to what you have set for your character. It is an investment of time from a player to a game system be
it online or offline. This character becomes an extension of ones personality. So RP is how one would use that
personality to interact with another personality and much can be learned from this.

Now that is my point of View on what RP is.

This is taken from Wiki (got to love wiki)

Role-playing refers to the changing of one's behavior to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role,
or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the Oxford English Dictionary defines role-playing as
"the changing of one's behavior to fulfill a social role", the term is used more loosely in three senses:

* To refer to the playing of roles generally such as in a theater, or educational setting;
* To refer to a wide range of games including computer role-playing games, play-by-mail games and more;
* To refer specifically to role-playing games.

So there is 2 different opinions on what Role-playing is.

[b]2. What tools are used for RP?[/b]

Well there are many way to RP. MD has multiple way of doing this through chat or PM.
When i first started playing in MD there was no *Blue Text* it was just text and useing brackets
to show an action was used. Now after a while the chat got overhauled and we now have several features.
We have the (gray text used to speak out of character) we have *the Blue text used to show an action has
been taken* both of the mentions features are extremely handy to use and help to keep people focused on
what is happening in the chat. BUT... So people don't agree that this is a role-playing tool. I don't know
why as it is an easy way to tell if someone meant something in game or not or when someone is doing an action.

Yes there are other tools too like when someone uses a spell it is in yellow/orange and uses the text by that
play for there spell. This also brings more Role-play to the chat as some players are creative with the text
used and shows as different type of action. I am sure there are other features i have not mentioned but the
ones above are the ones i use most often.

So what is the point of having those features for RP if they are not RP. They were not there before and when they
were put in place they were used very quickly and adapted to and now almost everyone know what is meant by the
different text and how to use it to express them self's in a better way. I for one think of this as proper RP
using those actions and OOC functions help a lot in role-playing.

I am sure other will have different opinions on this matter but that to me is the basic underling functions of
what the chat was made into so why waste such features.

[b]3. Who has the right?[/b]

Well in my mind only ONE pension has the right. That is the Games creator. Now it is up to that person to state
who he give that right to and then there is no misunderstanding. In a system such a MD there are MANY diffrent
locations that cannot be monitored by any ONE person. So yes other may be give the responsibility of doing this job.
It is still a very difficult job to do but this job needs to be handeled with care and yes required one to be strick
in a sense.

The issue is that people are now too afraid to try doing proper RP, why? well because so far any attempt at it has be quashed
and the people involved are ether moved or attacked and told off very publicly. We have been told we cannot use The OLD Lore.
ok i have to agree to this in most of what had been done in the past. BUT what LORE can we use? We have our players history
but that does not have anything to do with the lands and there history and stories. I have used very little of the OLD Lore and
any part i have used has been the very obscure parts. Something has to be usable or it turns people away.

So who has the RIGHT to say what RP is and is NOT. Well like is said the game creator. The people he has SAID have the right. But also
the people have a right too. but to express it in the forums is fine. But to public berate someone in chat in front of any new players
that to be is not acceptable in ANY way as this just creates a bad taste in ones mouth and turns potential new player away for good.

[b]4. How should this be resolved.[/b]

Well i believe there are many ways to resolve this. (1) create some proper history for the realm to use. It does not have to be great it does not have to be 100% true. No 1 story is 100% true there is always someone else side to a story and people have a tendency to embellish facts.
This is what makes stories interesting. (2) Give some people facts about the realm and let them find the truth with friends by there side.
(3) as Mentioned by me before create the PAL (Player AL) have this controlled by the archives. This allows them to do there job like they are suppose to be able to. The 3 point i have made there are easy to implement and would make the MD world rich with new players and old that can then
develop there stories with more fun and have there RP mentioned withing the system. I still think the PAL would be great as this then allows RP to be vetted properly and would even bring some new stories to the Realm. This could also serve as a base for Mur to grab story ideas and possible put them in the MD AL

Ok i have to stop or i will go off topic. I hope i have managed to keep to no finger pointing and that my point is made.
I know many will have opinions and please do make them. I just want us to all STOP pointing the finger and just Get on with
getting things going again and have fun like it was back in the old days.

Yrth

[Burns]

I couldn't agree less, really.

ad 1: I don't think that the realm needs lore. I thought that it needed some when i was yet too young to see that it already had living, grown history, the kind that is not written down in a book for us to read, but living in the people. That's something hard to understand for newcomers, and probably very displeasing because they can't simple click a button and get an update on the things that happened already, but need to ask people what happened, how it happened, and why it happened.
A story-line to get there wouldn't be half the fun.

There is no need to look even further back than to the first accounts ever, there once probably was to get started, but we are heading for 200.000 (!) accounts, there is quite a bit of history to base upon...

ad 2: I'd go the other way round: People find out things about MD, deducted from history, personal experience, scenes, music, announcements and what-not, and when they are on the right track, they get confirmed by Mur. It's pointless to stumble on in darkness even after you hit the right spot, but as long as Mur interferes a bit, just a tiny bit, and makes things happen when people give the right incentives, like letting Khal reach the Sentinel, letting RJ into the lair, or having Alche read/or not read, can't remember, the Book of Principles, history will create itself. Idk and i i don't want to know how much of all that was predecided and how much just happened, since i like to believe it all 'just happened', but it doesn't matter really, there is no need to give people info for free, they can find on their own.

ad 3: Me don't likes, because i fear that even more pre-written stories will find their way into MD. Most of the roleplaying is based upon something somebody edged out in their dark chambers, and when they decided it was ready, they forced it on MD, and i simply don't think that's the right way.
And i don't mean that two people have ooc conversations about the general direction something heads to, i mean that they predecide step-by-step what's going to happen, and when outsiders interfere, they get ignored, or even worse, told that they were not supposed to interfere.
A lot of things seem to be happening that way, and i'm sure that people invest a whole lot of thought in the stories they wrote, but MD should be written by MD itself, and not by the few who think to know better, and to be superior role-players.
And unfortunately that's exactly what i think will happen when people can write AL, they send in their stories, and no matter what really happens/happened, those stories get published in just that way.

uh, lots of spelling-issues... if you find any mistakes, you may keep them >.<

Edited March 10, 2010 by Burns

[Mya Celestia]

[color="#8B0000"][font="Palatino Linotype"]In a way it would be nice to have a history segment for each land. I often hear snippets of different people that are long gone, but had an impact on many people. When I ask about them, the information is small in coming. I'm not saying huge books or anything like that. Maybe a collection of past character descriptions and what they did for that particular land or the entire realm that makes people draw to them and remember them.
Yeah the AL can be sorted and slugged through. It's hard to get a real sense of the person from it though. I'm thinking more of a book of biographies.

As for RP, some very much like it and others not so much. I was under the impression that Mur approved of RP because of the different chat abilities. I may be wrong. To me, RP enriches the realm. It gives our characters depth. People are not flat, black-and-white beings. They have depth and color. They have emotions and feelings. If they cannot be expressed through our characters, a portion of MD is lost.

I hear about people and their roles. If RP is not approved of, does this mean that an RP role isn't a real role? I'm rather empathic in the real world so I brought that to MD. Here it is seen as an RP role; therefore, some don't see it as a real role. I don't have a major problem with that, but it hurts when I'm repremanded for being who I am. To me, it's a form of prejudice. Just like hating me because I'm from the US, white, or a woman.[/font][/color]

[Firsanthalas]

To quote the MD page itself:

'Multiplayer roleplaying browser game.

MagicDuel is a unique fantasy mmorpg unlike anything you played before. Players can shape the game world with their actions, daily updates and an amazing community, player made quests and unique gameplay make it worthy experience you will never forget.
Tags: fatasy role-playing games, browser mmorpg game, free multiplayer adventure.'

So if it isn't a roleplaying game, perhaps that should be changed to 'stat munching game' or 'the game of zero tolerance'?

This might seem negative, but its a reflection of my current mood about things. I am hoping to be enlightened and encouraged now.

Edited March 10, 2010 by Firsanthalas

[Udgard]

On ancient lore: there's actually still bits of ancient lore that still "exists". The AL is truth. And AL has things like the dagger that killed Marind, so the bit of lore about Marind and the fact that she was murdered is debatable to exist. And that might mean that her acquintances like Jack and Gabriel did exist as well.. In one way or another, the ancient lore has taken deep roots on the game, and was (is?) once a big part of the game that it is impossible to really erase it without changing the "real history", as our real history was much influenced by the ancient lore.

[Chewett]

[quote name='Yrthilian' date='10 March 2010 - 02:08 PM' timestamp='1268230082' post='56158']
We have been told we cannot use The OLD Lore.
ok i have to agree to this in most of what had been done in the past. BUT what LORE can we use? We have our players history
but that does not have anything to do with the lands and there history and stories. I have used very little of the OLD Lore and
any part i have used has been the very obscure parts.
[/quote]

Our "Players" History is the AL and its pretty large.

Unless you completely ignored the AL from before you came, There is a LONG section about GG and the Wizard... Now i cant believe that you are saying there is little to do with the land there, From the one AL you can learn a lot.

From the AL we have learnt about the shades and angiens, How they fight (or no sometimes) together and of How the KC and his band of guards protected LR.

I must disagree with you entirely on that point. Please have a look at the AL from before you came to MD, its wonderfully written and very interesting.
There is a LOT of infomation to learn from.

[Yrthilian]

[quote name='Chewett' date='10 March 2010 - 04:47 PM' timestamp='1268239639' post='56172']
Unless you completely ignored the AL from before you came, There is a LONG section about GG and the Wizard... Now i cant believe that you are saying there is little to do with the land there, From the one AL you can learn a lot.
[/quote]

Before i came?????

Ehh i think you need to check your info. That AL was after i came to MD.
There was NO AL when i arrived.

[Chewett]

[quote name='Yrthilian' date='10 March 2010 - 05:18 PM' timestamp='1268241518' post='56174']
Before i came?????

Ehh i think you need to check your info. That AL was after i came to MD.
There was NO AL when i arrived.
[/quote]

Was it lol? I thought you were one of the influx of players, Your ID cant be lower than 5k thou.

Then i am even more surprised that you are saying AL has no stuff about lands, Because you were there to see the initial AL's that included a LOT of information.

Edited March 10, 2010 by Chewett

[Jester]

There is only one person in MD I have seen actually role play. By this I mean they did not steal a background from somewhere else and say they have random powers, but they used their own background from MD. A novel concept.

I'll use myself as an example: I have been in the Sentinels, MRs, Archivists and then Sentinels again. I did other things too, but I'll use those as the basics. Is that not enough to create my own stories? I could use reasons why Jester left the Sentinels for the MRs, and why he eventually returned. These stories based on what actually happened in MD could easily be embellished slightly if they lack emphasis. So, if you don't have anything to work with to create your own character, maybe you could try doing something instead of complaining?

If you were wondering why I haven't done what I just said, its because I don't really like role playing in MD. Maybe someday I'll decide to try it again, but until then I am more interested in research.

[Yrthilian]

I did not say AL didnt have history.
It does have history and a lot of it.

I didnt just say history of OLD lore for no reason.
The land weapons the LAND they them self have history we dont know of
OLD history we were told is not allowed to be used anymore.

Now i have plenty of history of my own.

The AL has a lot of history but mainly focused around Golemus and Necro.
very little on the other lands. I am not saying it has none but very little.
Players have got history and yes lots of it.

I was saying that a lot of new people look for information and cant find it
or dont know were to look. As jester has pointed out there are very few the RP and yes
it is understood he does not like to RP but we can forgive him for that

I have created my own history from since the AL started as many would have noticed
IF they read my papers. What i am saying is other history would be good.

Now history was not my only point in this topic and you are entitled to your opinion and
as i said i welcome it.