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Sanvean · 04-08-2003, 12:16 PM

Unless you want to roleplay pooping on the rug, in which case you might want to try DayCareMUD.

But seriously...

I hit this a lot of times. People submit characters that either show they have no clue what our world is like, or that go against the guidelines. Examples of the first: the indigo-eyed Drow elf (we have no Drow); the beautiful human cyborg (we do not have a tech level capable of supporting cyborgs, who would be immediately killed for the metal in their bodies) or the red-bearded pirate king (our world consists of deserts). Sometimes they've simply missed a point in the docs, such as the hairy-browed dwarf (dwarves on Zalanthas have no hair) and I'm glad to work with those folk - but if someone hasn't taken the time to skim our intro page and realize there's no seas in the world, it's frustrating because they'll produce a concept that takes a lot of work to adjust to our setting - and often will react indignantly to being told that it won't work.

People going against the guidelines is a little greyer - but over the decade we've been around, the discussion's been raised multiple times. Elves don't ride, for example, on Zalanthas - long-legged desert runners that they are, they see it as shameful, an admission of weakness, to resort to a mount. But every once in a while we get someone who insists that his or her elf has a compelling reason to be the only elf in the world that rides a kank. Among the problems this presents is that it perpetuates itself - a new player sees the riding elf and does the same with their next elvish character - and when asked to stop, reacts with "But I saw character Blah doing it!"

I think it's more interesting to play within the guidelines than t try to rewrite them to suit yourself - but then again, as an administrator, I've got a vested interest in saying that. But one of the things that makes the mud rich in texture and story, in my opinion, are those guidelines and the consistency of play they create. Is the character concept that strays outside them so compelling that it justifies breaking the feel of the world? I've yet to see one that (again, in my opinion) does, but I'm also willing to admit one might exist.

04-08-2003, 12:16 PM	#19
Sanvean Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Pacific Northwest Posts: 99	Unless you want to roleplay pooping on the rug, in which case you might want to try DayCareMUD. But seriously... I hit this a lot of times. People submit characters that either show they have no clue what our world is like, or that go against the guidelines. Examples of the first: the indigo-eyed Drow elf (we have no Drow); the beautiful human cyborg (we do not have a tech level capable of supporting cyborgs, who would be immediately killed for the metal in their bodies) or the red-bearded pirate king (our world consists of deserts). Sometimes they've simply missed a point in the docs, such as the hairy-browed dwarf (dwarves on Zalanthas have no hair) and I'm glad to work with those folk - but if someone hasn't taken the time to skim our intro page and realize there's no seas in the world, it's frustrating because they'll produce a concept that takes a lot of work to adjust to our setting - and often will react indignantly to being told that it won't work. People going against the guidelines is a little greyer - but over the decade we've been around, the discussion's been raised multiple times. Elves don't ride, for example, on Zalanthas - long-legged desert runners that they are, they see it as shameful, an admission of weakness, to resort to a mount. But every once in a while we get someone who insists that his or her elf has a compelling reason to be the only elf in the world that rides a kank. Among the problems this presents is that it perpetuates itself - a new player sees the riding elf and does the same with their next elvish character - and when asked to stop, reacts with "But I saw character Blah doing it!" I think it's more interesting to play within the guidelines than t try to rewrite them to suit yourself - but then again, as an administrator, I've got a vested interest in saying that. But one of the things that makes the mud rich in texture and story, in my opinion, are those guidelines and the consistency of play they create. Is the character concept that strays outside them so compelling that it justifies breaking the feel of the world? I've yet to see one that (again, in my opinion) does, but I'm also willing to admit one might exist.