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Jazuela · 06-27-2002, 10:47 AM

I've never had that experience in a RP-required game, though it seems (in my limited experience) to be common in RP-encouraged games.

Maybe you've been checking out the wrong games?

As far as prevention, I think it's a combination of things.

First, the staff (from the owner all the way down to the assistant GM who only exists to field questions from new players) MUST hold roleplay as their number one priority, with mechanics a close second. Game integrity must be first and foremost in any kind of game, so a roleplaying game must have roleplay at the top of the list in order for it to truly BE a roleplaying game.

Second, the players have to want to roleplay. This reverts back to the staff - the staff MUST set the example, beginning with the website they provide, and continuing with coded support of roleplay. Such support could be the "pure" RP games where everything is acted out, and no mechanics for hunting or advancement whatsoever. Support could include hunting (and crafting) mechanics, but would also "reward" people with experience toward advancement when they're not using their trained skills (whatever they may be). Things like quests and events, run by the staff to present plotlines where the players can interact and determine the outcome themselves. Things like experience-per-hour just for being in the game, which helps those power-mudders justify time spent away from hunting and more time roleplaying.

Give the players a significant and solid reason to BE their characters, and they will want to do so. Then enforce the rules. All around, top to bottom. Make no exceptions, but allow the "line you can't cross" to be flexible to accommodate new situations you might not have encountered before.

Give the players a place where they CAN go OOC. Some games have this, some don't, and some only have it for new players. Give this to everyone. A few rooms where they can exit to, a separate part of your "world-building" game code, a different "zone" or whatever you call it, where your character doesn't even exist. Let your players BE players up there in that separate area, so they can talk about stats and skill ranks and power-number-crunching or even the Mets game to their heart's content. But make it also so that while they are up there, their character is not in the game. Don't do any of this "So-and-so is link-dead" emit stuff. Don't provide it to the players. If someone goes link dead, they should just disappear with no fanfare. The more attention you give to OOC things, the more disruptive it is to roleplay.

This goes for newbie "channels" and ooc "channels" and bright fancy colors for every third word of text. The game world is its own entity. Don't mix it up with real life stuff. Don't give the players more of a reason to go OOC than is absolutely necessary. Don't even let it be an option. If it's available, they'll use it.

For people who like numbers, if your game has stats and such, let them see those numbers - on themselves. Don't let them see numbers on other people. If my *character* "looks" at another *character,* there is no way in hell that she can possibly tell that the other guy has a 79 strength stat, because in the world of the game, strength isn't a stat. It's how their muscles ripple (or flap around in the breeze), how they carry themselves, how they appear. But again, since I might want to see how well *I* am doing (or how poorly), let me see my own stats and mechanical information. Again, with no fanfare. Because checking stats is an OOC command, don't force it into the roleplay. Don't code the game so "Susie checks herself over, determining her strength." I've seen that before and all it does is make me go OOC to someone asking how they got that emit to show up. Again, don't give the players a REASON to go OOC, and they usually won't.

There are games like this - DartMUD is the only free one I have personal experience in. Inferno is a pay-to-play, and it embraces everything I've described as part of their policy. I imagine there must be others, both free and pay-to-play, that support and *truly* enforce roleplay, some of which have skills and levels and some that don't.

Good luck!

06-27-2002, 10:47 AM	#2
Jazuela Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: New England Posts: 849	I've never had that experience in a RP-required game, though it seems (in my limited experience) to be common in RP-encouraged games. Maybe you've been checking out the wrong games? As far as prevention, I think it's a combination of things. First, the staff (from the owner all the way down to the assistant GM who only exists to field questions from new players) MUST hold roleplay as their number one priority, with mechanics a close second. Game integrity must be first and foremost in any kind of game, so a roleplaying game must have roleplay at the top of the list in order for it to truly BE a roleplaying game. Second, the players have to want to roleplay. This reverts back to the staff - the staff MUST set the example, beginning with the website they provide, and continuing with coded support of roleplay. Such support could be the "pure" RP games where everything is acted out, and no mechanics for hunting or advancement whatsoever. Support could include hunting (and crafting) mechanics, but would also "reward" people with experience toward advancement when they're not using their trained skills (whatever they may be). Things like quests and events, run by the staff to present plotlines where the players can interact and determine the outcome themselves. Things like experience-per-hour just for being in the game, which helps those power-mudders justify time spent away from hunting and more time roleplaying. Give the players a significant and solid reason to BE their characters, and they will want to do so. Then enforce the rules. All around, top to bottom. Make no exceptions, but allow the "line you can't cross" to be flexible to accommodate new situations you might not have encountered before. Give the players a place where they CAN go OOC. Some games have this, some don't, and some only have it for new players. Give this to everyone. A few rooms where they can exit to, a separate part of your "world-building" game code, a different "zone" or whatever you call it, where your character doesn't even exist. Let your players BE players up there in that separate area, so they can talk about stats and skill ranks and power-number-crunching or even the Mets game to their heart's content. But make it also so that while they are up there, their character is not in the game. Don't do any of this "So-and-so is link-dead" emit stuff. Don't provide it to the players. If someone goes link dead, they should just disappear with no fanfare. The more attention you give to OOC things, the more disruptive it is to roleplay. This goes for newbie "channels" and ooc "channels" and bright fancy colors for every third word of text. The game world is its own entity. Don't mix it up with real life stuff. Don't give the players more of a reason to go OOC than is absolutely necessary. Don't even let it be an option. If it's available, they'll use it. For people who like numbers, if your game has stats and such, let them see those numbers - on themselves. Don't let them see numbers on other people. If my character "looks" at another character, there is no way in hell that she can possibly tell that the other guy has a 79 strength stat, because in the world of the game, strength isn't a stat. It's how their muscles ripple (or flap around in the breeze), how they carry themselves, how they appear. But again, since I might want to see how well I am doing (or how poorly), let me see my own stats and mechanical information. Again, with no fanfare. Because checking stats is an OOC command, don't force it into the roleplay. Don't code the game so "Susie checks herself over, determining her strength." I've seen that before and all it does is make me go OOC to someone asking how they got that emit to show up. Again, don't give the players a REASON to go OOC, and they usually won't. There are games like this - DartMUD is the only free one I have personal experience in. Inferno is a pay-to-play, and it embraces everything I've described as part of their policy. I imagine there must be others, both free and pay-to-play, that support and truly enforce roleplay, some of which have skills and levels and some that don't. Good luck!