The RP: Roleplaying Pow-wow

[BANZAI!!!!]

So, usually, my MO is to assume that no news is good news. If no one’s bringing any problems to me, then there are no problems.

 

Its been brought to my attention that this might not actually be the case, and that there are some of you who have problems with certain things occuring in the section, me specifically, or how things are being run. So to that, I have only two things to say:

 

1.What are the problems we as a section are having, with me as a mod or otherwise?

 

2. What can I, either as a mod or as a person, do to help solve these problems and improve the section?

 

I’d like everyone in the section to weigh in here, preferably sooner rather than later. I’d also like to especially stress that everyone is equal in this thread, whether they be a long time member and host or someone brand new. Everyone’s voices will be heard, i’m just the dude who lit the proverbial campfire.

[ChampionZero]

I know we're all thinking it.

 

A lot of the time, a really good RP concept will pop up, there's strong interest for it, the characters are well-constructed, the whole thing has a lot of potential...

 

...and then it will die within 5 pages because there's no enforced rule about not joining/starting a RP you can't commit to, and people just love to get in over their heads when they should really be looking forward on their calendars to try and forsee any problematic events, and when those events come to pass, they just stop participating and let the game wither.

 

We need some kind of rule in place to stop that.

[VCR_CAT]

I know we're all thinking it.

 

A lot of the time, a really good RP concept will pop up, there's strong interest for it, the characters are well-constructed, the whole thing has a lot of potential...

 

...and then it will die within 5 pages because there's no enforced rule about not joining/starting a RP you can't commit to, and people just love to get in over their heads when they should really be looking forward on their calendars to try and forsee any problematic events, and when those events come to pass, they just stop participating and let the game wither.

 

We need some kind of rule in place to stop that.

 

I agree. I think there should be a rule that if you express interest in an RP, you're stating your intent to join the RP. Of course, things can happen; you can suddenly lose interest or things pop up in life that change your circumstances, so another facet to this rule is that, if such a thing happens, you should be making that known as soon as possible so the host can plan accordingly.

 

Otherwise flaking after expressing interest, especially if it's an RP that would otherwise have a lot of people, is just not cool.

[BANZAI!!!!]

I know we're all thinking it.

 

A lot of the time, a really good RP concept will pop up, there's strong interest for it, the characters are well-constructed, the whole thing has a lot of potential...

 

...and then it will die within 5 pages because there's no enforced rule about not joining/starting a RP you can't commit to, and people just love to get in over their heads when they should really be looking forward on their calendars to try and forsee any problematic events, and when those events come to pass, they just stop participating and let the game wither.

 

We need some kind of rule in place to stop that.

I agree. I think there should be a rule that if you express interest in an RP, you're stating your intent to join the RP. Of course, things can happen; you can suddenly lose interest or things pop up in life that change your circumstances, so another facet to this rule is that, if such a thing happens, you should be making that known as soon as possible so the host can plan accordingly.

 

Otherwise flaking after expressing interest, especially if it's an RP that would otherwise have a lot of people, is just not cool.

I’ve been guilty of this myself before. I think the idea is a good one. Do you guys have a specific rule in mind?

[Night]

I know we're all thinking it.

 

A lot of the time, a really good RP concept will pop up, there's strong interest for it, the characters are well-constructed, the whole thing has a lot of potential...

 

...and then it will die within 5 pages because there's no enforced rule about not joining/starting a RP you can't commit to, and people just love to get in over their heads when they should really be looking forward on their calendars to try and forsee any problematic events, and when those events come to pass, they just stop participating and let the game wither.

 

We need some kind of rule in place to stop that.

 

 

I have zero experience in this section so my input might not be all that valid but I think this is a legitimately good idea if applied correctly. 

 

There could be a cool-down issued to "leavers" sort of like when you queue for a competitive game. During which, it would be a time where said person cannot join or create an RP (posting in pre-existing RP's should probably still be fine, otherwise you'll just create more problems).The cool-down period could be issued at the discretion of the RP mod(s) and the length of it would be dependent on how quickly the person abandoned the RP and in relation to how many other RP's they've joined and left recently.

 

It should also be mentioned that any previous faults would be pardoned though when/if the rule goes live everyone should be aware of it and everyone should understand the ramifications fully.

[BANZAI!!!!]

I have zero experience in this section so my input might not be all that valid but I think this is a legitimately good idea if applied correctly. 

 

There could be a cool-down issued to "leavers" sort of like when you queue for a competitive game. During which, it would be a time where said person cannot join or create an RP (posting in pre-existing RP's should probably still be fine, otherwise you'll just create more problems).The cool-down period could be issued at the discretion of the RP mod(s) and the length of it would be dependent on how quickly the person abandoned the RP and in relation to how many other RP's they've joined and left recently.

 

It should also be mentioned that any previous faults would be pardoned though when/if the rule goes live everyone should be aware of it and everyone should understand the ramifications fully.

 

That’s actually a really novel way of handling it. I’ll come up with a rule draft and post it here when its finished.

[King K. Azo]

We should have a rule about hosts themselves. Say like, the RP they were hosting died because they disappeared pr just stopped being a host, they should not be allowed to host again until they participate in 2 rps not hosted by them.

[Yui]

I was going to call to attention the obvious problem we have with people suddenly dropping RPs with no warning, but it seems like not only has that been addressed, but even Night has graced us with his presence to help with a fix :O

 

Sai even provided a good way to keep hosts from having the same issue. Good job Sai.

 

The other major problem that sticks out to me is it can be harder for new RPers to get into the section sometimes. The RPs we generally have presently need a lot of information put into their apps, and the Advanced Clause is also something of a concern. Pretty sure this was proposed before, but it would be nice to have a newbie-friendly RP every so often with lighter requirements and restrictions on it to help ease them in, while generally tightening up ship as the RP moves along to help them naturally progress to the general standards of the section.

[BANZAI!!!!]

I was going to call to attention the obvious problem we have with people suddenly dropping RPs with no warning, but it seems like not only has that been addressed, but even Night has graced us with his presence to help with a fix :O

 

Sai even provided a good way to keep hosts from having the same issue. Good job Sai.

 

The other major problem that sticks out to me is it can be harder for new RPers to get into the section sometimes. The RPs we generally have presently need a lot of information put into their apps, and the Advanced Clause is also something of a concern. Pretty sure this was proposed before, but it would be nice to have a newbie-friendly RP every so often with lighter requirements and restrictions on it to help ease them in, while generally tightening up ship as the RP moves along to help them naturally progress to the general standards of the section.

I figured the rule would apply to hosts too, but having a seperate clause for it can’t hurt.

[King K. Azo]

I figured the rule would apply to hosts too, but having a seperate clause for it can’t hurt.

I say a separate clause because, to be frank, a host dropping an RP is more damaging then one person. So separate clause with separate punishment.

 

Secondly, I volunteer a Baby Blob rp as the noob friendly RP.

[BANZAI!!!!]

Ghosting:

 

Any player who fails to post in a roleplay at least once every 10 days is considered to be ghosting. Roleplayers who are ghosting are barred from joining or creating any new roleplays for a duration of time equal to their absence from the roleplay (in other words, a minimum of 10 days). The same rule applies to hosts who fail to keep their own roleplays running by not posting in them. These penalties stack if someone is ghosting in more than one roleplay.

 

Thoughts?

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Pulls up rolling chair and enters campfire

 

Alright, let's see what we can come up with. Hmmm, alright here are some thoughts/ideas I have:

• VCR and Champion do have a point in regards to the interest checks, as this can sometimes be the factor of people saying that they do have interest in an RP and will then have said intent on joining the RP. And, like VCR said, letting people know if your decision has swayed immediately is also a good idea, that way it seems your not flaking. However at the same time, I feel like the interest checks are normally just one of those things that if someone puts interest into it, and enough do, that it's greenlit for go. What I've seen is, even if there's only probably three or four (counting the host at least) in an RP, there is still the possibility of it to flourish and even catch the attention of others to want to join in.
• The rule Night suggested seems to me be quite restricting. I DO understand that if applicants are flaky that this would be somewhat of a punishment for them, but at the same time, not joining or even creating an RP, that seems a bit extreme in any case. Users come into this section and forum to escape from reality for a little while, and if they happened to be restricted by such a rule...then what's the point of even being in RP at that point? This would be a problem for many people if this happens, because in some occasions, life happens without anyone truly knowing what's going on and if they can't find a way to get in touch with the proper people to tell them why they seem to have "left" or something along those lines, then putting this punishment on them without them having any proper way of explaining their situation, this would cause them not to want to RP anymore. I believe this rule should be worked out and finely tuned before just outright putting into effect.
• In regards to what Sai said, it's the same as what I mentioned above. However, it seems like a good idea. There are plenty of times when the host just ups and leaves an RP. An example of this was the first iteration of Cherry Heart as started by Aix. Unfortunately, he left suddenly from the RP and passed it on to Kyng, who then passed it to Nai. This rule might actually help in regards to keeping that from happening.
• In regards to what Yui mentioned, regarding the newbie RPers, might I throw out the idea of possibly utilizing something exclusively for the newbie RPers and a few veteran RPers? Perhaps a way to start to introduce the newbies to the different rules, but still in a practical manner. A beginners RP for them with a few veteran RPers coming in occasionally to point and guide them in the right direction when it comes to operating in the section itself.

I know I basically echoed what most everyone else said, but I needed to address my own concerns with some of the ideas thrown out there.

 

EDIT: Sees "Ghosting" rule

That does still bring up my worries still...so I'm unsure about that. It's a good first start, though.

[Sethera]

The cool-down rule sounds cool, no pun intended. Though I think that there should also be a provision on how a person leaves an RP. As in, be a lot less forgiving on people that just drop an RP without telling the host or anybody else, rather than if they told somebody or gave an advanced warning. I wonder if a two weeks or one week notice would work here (despite any comparisons it might evoke between RPs and jobs), since it gives hosts and other players time to work around someone's absence or prepare for it. I wouldn't put it as a hard and fast rule though, since life happens, but it would be a considerate way to leave an RP.

 

And I figure this is implied, but I want to make sure. If a host ends up dropping an RP because of lack of interest on the players' part, then I don't think they should be penalized. Same on the players' end, if the host ends up being the one to drop, and they don't feel motivated to post anymore because of it.

 

Also, on the ghosting suggestion, I feel like there would be some problems, since people can end up waiting on the host or other players. Maybe clarify it with "fails to post in a roleplay at least once every ten days after the host" or something, since they can always come up with ways to get around another player not posting, but it's fairly difficult to get around the host not posting.

 

And another thing, for roleplays where the host posts once per week, it can be pretty easy to not post in ten days, such as if you posted right after the host last round, and then you post last-minute the next round because some family plans came up or something, so maybe extend it to fourteen days as an alternate method to the "once every ten days after the host?" Or maybe combine them.

 

Or we just keep the rule as is and implement it on a case-by-case basis, maybe. Anyway, I feel like that suggestion needs to be looked over some more.

[Ralsei]

While I definitely think that the Cooldown rule could be a good addition if done properly, I have a little concern about it right now. Maybe I misunderstood it, but it seems like the rule would have the same impact if they dropped midRP that it would if they dropped while it was still in the application stage of things, due to the way that it was worded.

 

I feel like the rule should be specified that it either doesn't count or is less harsh if they drop during the application phase, before the IC goes up.

 

I know that can still put a wrench in the works of an RP if the owner is planning events that revolve more around the characters than a plot, so I would probably lean towards the second in those cases, but... Just something to think about.

[Dad]

If a player participating in an active role-play has not posted within ten days following the host, that player may be considered to be ghosting.

[BANZAI!!!!]

I chose 10 days arbitrarily, since 2 weeks seemed too long and one was definitely too short. What do you guys think is a good deadline?

 

Also should ghosting be determined based on the last host post, or the player’s last post? Im now leaning toward the host, just so that other rpers dont break the rule due to waiting on the host to post.

 

Thirdly, and I don’t think we should but I’d like to run the idea anyway, warning points for ghosting? Maybe 1-2 per instance?

[xlArisenRoselx]

If a player participating in an active role-play has not posted within ten days following the host, that player may be considered to be ghosting.

Does ghosting count if, per say, the person was still in communication, or told in advance where they would be? Because if so, then I have ghosted multiple times....

[Dad]

Does ghosting count if, per say, the person was still in communication, or told in advance where they would be? Because if so, then I have ghosted multiple times....

 

I think a clause for notification could work here.

[BANZAI!!!!]

I think a clause for notification could work here.

I was debating whether or not to include a clause that allowed you to stay absent so long as you notified the OOC. I decided against it because of me, actually. I’m always active in OOC, yet im very often guilty of abandoning a roleplay, and I don’t want a loophole that my lazy self can use.

[Dad]

I was debating whether or not to include a clause that allowed you to stay absent so long as you notified the OOC. I decided against it because of me, actually. I’m always active in OOC, yet im very often guilty of abandoning a roleplay, and I don’t want a loophole that my lazy self can use.

 

Then introduce a limit.  If you commit but something comes up, notification is fine.  But if after notification you're gone for more than fourteen days, you need to be punished or removed from the RP.

[Tesability Black]

Hm...
 

While I definitely think that the Cooldown rule could be a good addition if done properly, I have a little concern about it right now. Maybe I misunderstood it, but it seems like the rule would have the same impact if they dropped midRP that it would if they dropped while it was still in the application stage of things, due to the way that it was worded.

I feel like the rule should be specified that it either doesn't count or is less harsh if they drop during the application phase, before the IC goes up.

I know that can still put a wrench in the works of an RP if the owner is planning events that revolve more around the characters than a plot, so I would probably lean towards the second in those cases, but... Just something to think about.

Yeah, I really believe that there should be a different penalty, if at all, for someone that signs up on an interest check, then ends up bowing out before the characters are finalized for the initial start of the RP.

I've done this before, I show interest in an interest check, then wind up having to leave it later because my brain refuses to give me the characters for said interesting RP. But, to my credit, I've always done this before the IC is up or starting characters are selected.
 

I was debating whether or not to include a clause that allowed you to stay absent so long as you notified the OOC. I decided against it because of me, actually. I’m always active in OOC, yet im very often guilty of abandoning a roleplay, and I don’t want a loophole that my lazy self can use.

Welp, there is actually something that can be done about that. I've seen cases where someone's very active in sections like the Misc, but are giving no effort to the RP they're in. If you can show that someone clearly has the time to post, but aren't doing, they could be penalized. And when I say that, I mean someone's claiming to be out-of-state and away from their computer as their reason for not posting in the RP, but they are posting in Misc and are on for almost the same amount of time as normal.

And before anyone says that this can be done on a cell phone, not everyone has an unlimited data plan.

[xlArisenRoselx]

Then introduce a limit.  If you commit but something comes up, notification is fine.  But if after notification you're gone for more than fourteen days, you need to be punished or removed from the RP.

That sounds fair. I like that a lot. Thanks for answering my question!

[BANZAI!!!!]

I’d like not to remove anyone from an RP as staff. That should be up to the host’s discretion and mediated by staff.

[Tesability Black]

I’d like not to remove anyone from an RP as staff. That should be up to the host’s discretion and mediated by staff.

 

Well, you won't have to do anything if a player gets the boot and the player in question follows through with the host's decision. If anything, you'd only have to enforce the decision if the player kicked decides to be a problem afterwards, such as continuing to post with the character that's been either killed off by claiming they weren't dead after all or do something else that disrupts the RP.

 

Effectively, you hopefully don't have to do anything unless a booted player's purposely-disruptive.

 

EDIT: I can't English today...x.x

[BANZAI!!!!]

Ghosting:

 

Any player who fails to post in a roleplay after at least 10 days have passed since either their last post or the host’s last post is considered to be ghosting. Roleplayers who are ghosting are barred from joining or creating any new roleplays for a duration of time equal to their absence from the roleplay (in other words, a minimum of 10 days). The same rule applies to hosts who fail to keep their own roleplays running by not posting in them. These penalties stack if someone is ghosting in more than one roleplay. Should a player or a host inform the other participants of an unavoidable absence, they are granted leniency, but this can only be extended to an individual once every 60 days.

 

Next draft.