Forced Emotes - Learn what it is

Frendh · 07-21-05, 01:24 PM

I'm surprised at how many throw words like "Roleplay this" and
"Roleplay that" around as in themselves being topnotch roleplayers.
Saying that and -not- knowing that Forced Emotes is a nono.

A forced emote is when you decide completely on your own what happens
to someone else's character.

Joe: *casually trips Jane when she walks by*
Joe: *spits on Jane's shoe* (mind you, "spits at" is okay, it doesnt say it hits)
Joe: *slaps Jane in the back while she's eating her soup*

Had it been a PvP server I would have attacked on several occations when
someone had annoyed me with a forced emote. "Emote your way out of this, moron"

Generally forced emotes are only acceptable between players who know what's
okay and not. And for those who lead the story, usually the DM.

There are always exceptions to the Rule, like scribbling stuff on someone
who's unconscious or minor things like shaking someone's hand when he offers
it etc.

If you are thinking "I'm way quicker than him, he can't avoid my blow" then
use the dice bag. A lovely tool.

Acacea · 07-21-05, 01:37 PM

No slow moving half giants grabbing Acacea without giving her a save! *grins*

Even when it is "forced" though, I still think you could just roll as if they hadn't added the result. "*Casually trips someone walking*" "*rolls* *Hops over the foot and continues on her way*"

No reason to attack, just pretend they left it open! Maybe? No?

I'm not sure how one would avoid being slapped in the back by eating soup though. You're pretty much there and the best you can do is try not to spill all over yourself. *smirk*

Frendh · 07-21-05, 05:36 PM

If you can dodge a fireball I'm pretty sure
you can dodge someone's slap while eating
soup.

Zhofe · 07-21-05, 05:43 PM

Completly different. A fireball is big and glowy and kinda hard to miss, whereas someone can come up behind you while you are distracted by the soup and slap you no problem. People do it in real life all the time.

Thunder Pants · 07-21-05, 07:28 PM

the difference is a friendly slap on the back in a greating is fine, because it's not really something people try and dodge, it's a huge difference between that and punching someone in the face..... a couple of times lue has slaped people, but she normally asks for them to lean over first so she doesn't have to jump or anything

Magnulas · 07-21-05, 10:52 PM

Oooh! Next time Fragsnot will get you Acacea! Just wait! *Insane laughter*

Xerina · 07-21-05, 11:22 PM

I like this responce to the spit on
*so and so spits on bob*

bob
*Wind shifts and the spit hits so and so instead*

just let their forced emote back fire. If they complain then they can roll to dodge the wind

Filatus · 07-22-05, 04:36 AM

So what can I deduct from this thread, no forced emotes at all? With which I'd be fine by the way.

SeaWraith · 07-22-05, 04:57 AM

Well, the emote-rp shouldn't have a definitive outcome. A better way to do it would be:

Joe: *casually tries to trip Jane when she walks by*
Joe: *attempts to spit on Jane's shoe*
Joe: *tries to slap Jane on the back while she's eating soup*

This way, at least, the other party involved has a say in the matter, or dice-rolls can be made, or what have you.

I've played on servers where an emote *punches x in the face* is considered PvP, and was a bannable offense, so having the outcome less-definitive is the least you can do, and it works pretty well. So long as everyone remembers to do it.

Leanthar · 07-22-05, 05:01 AM

Agreed. This is a good way to go about it (Thanks SeaWraith).
Joe: *casually tries to trip Jane when she walks by* Joe: *attempts to spit on Jane's shoe* Joe: *tries to slap Jane on the back while she's eating soup*

Frendh · 07-22-05, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Thunder Pants - 7/22/2005 7:28 AM

the difference is a friendly slap on the back in a greating is fine, because it's not really something people try and dodge, it's a huge difference between that and punching someone in the face..... a couple of times lue has slaped people, but she normally asks for them to lean over first so she doesn't have to jump or anything

It being a friendly slap doesn't make it okay. Someone who plays a character who never
wants to be touched will get very annoyed if you decide all on your own that your character
touches his. But again, if it's someone you are familiar with and you know doesn't mind, go
ahead and do all the back patting you want. A friendly(slow) slap in the back is easier to
avoid than a quick hostile surprise attack.

Jup jup, what SeaWraith said is what I've been talking about being the right way. Don't
lock the outcome.

Frendh · 07-22-05, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Zhofe - 7/22/2005 5:43 AM

Completly different. A fireball is big and glowy and kinda hard to miss, whereas someone can come up behind you while you are distracted by the soup and slap you no problem. People do it in real life all the time.

Now you are doing it. You just decided that his character was distracted eating soup. He might
just as well be fully alert waiting for something to happen and doesn't really care about the
soup.

I wonder if people in real life can compare to my 15 in reflex save. Real life and the game
isn't always comparable on equal terms. I'd rather say very seldom. Slapping a rogue or monk
who doesn't want to be slapped is probably extremely hard for a lot. Since they have ridiculously
high reflex saves.

Zhofe · 07-22-05, 07:48 AM

Then again, it is also a very common greeting. I don't think anyone actually expects a slap on the back to be avoided. Besides, I have been talking to someone, and loking right at them, and still had the scared out of me when they gave me a friendly slap.

There are alot of things that just seem silly to attempt rather than do. Punching, spitting, pushing, tripping, and identifying a completly robed person with no exposed skin at all are some that are not silly however, and in these respects I agree with you ...

But really, a fireball is ALOT easier to dodge than a fist. It is alot bigger and brighter and noticable.

Dorganath · 12-21-06, 02:52 PM

This deserves a reminder bump.
I've seen and heard it happening with too much regularity lately.

Vyris · 12-21-06, 03:16 PM

While on the topic of emotes, I would like to bring up something else. Lately it seems to be vogue to have these big, elaborate emotes that, while descriptive, mean really nothing to the characters around them. If you are emoting a thought... well don't. Say it, or make it plain what you are feeling in your emote. None of my characters are mind readers and I'd appreciate it if you'd throw me a bone.

Twice yesterday I was confronted with emotes that left me absolutely nothing to continue the RP with, without being all meta-game-y. Seriously, I'd much rather have your character come out and say the things that are emoted half the time, at least then there is an avenue for continued RP. If you don't give me anything to work with then, well.. RP over I guess. Which honestly makes me think less of the persons play style, despite the quite descriptive emote.

Vyris

Acacea · 12-21-06, 03:54 PM

Emoting physical, visible reactions isn't unusual or unwelcome, at least not with anyone I've played with. It's when they start responding telepathically that it is pointless as Vyris states.

To illustrate the difference between the two, look at these:

"His eyebrows draw together and his nose wrinkles as if by reflex, leaning slightly away from the dwarf that just entered the room and just giving him a strained nod while clearly trying to keep his distance."

"He looks at the dwarf wondering what giant he crawled out of and trying to recall his mother's advice on washing dwarf-smell out of clothes."

One gives you something physical to respond to, the other leaves the player with no way to reply--your character's thoughts are his own, and none of our characters are telepathic.

Stephen_Zuckerman · 12-21-06, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Zhofe - 7/22/2005 1:48 PM

But really, a fireball is ALOT easier to dodge than a fist. It is alot bigger and brighter and noticable.

Not so much.. .It's just a little bead of glowing bat guano before it gets to where it's going.

Still. *Chuckles.*

There are VERY few instances in which an emote can directly affect another character without damaging the RP... For instance, if Bob were to lean in to the very close-by Sally and steal a quick kiss (when Bob has 24 DEX), I think that's moderately reasonable (especially if Sally wants that kiss).

However, if Sally were to turn around and knife Bob for it, I'd think an attack roll would be in order.

Acacea · 12-21-06, 04:14 PM

Let's not go down the if/then route--because already we must assume that Sally did want such a kiss in order to make it an 'exception.' Bob leaning in to try for a quick kiss is simply better etiquette, in that it allows for another player to decide how it affects their character.

Amusingly, this example HAS happened to me, when Acacea was still a level 7ish chatterbox that got along with everyone, though 'Bob' had no Dex but simply emoted kissing my character who DOES have Dex--and yes, she knifed him. ("It was a reflex!")

This is just necessary when you're roleplaying with many different people; such allowances should only be because of an understanding between players, likely because they know each other's characters and abilities well and each knows the other will not start force-emoting unlikely things on the other.

As I said in this thread over a year ago though, someone who gets force-emoted may simply emote the reverse rather than making too much of a fuss about it. If you can handle just rolling with what someone tosses you without getting too annoyed, you'll be the better for it! Or something.

LynnJuniper · 12-21-06, 04:42 PM

Yeah! I didn't know that this was the same as "God Moding" (To use a chat/text based Rp term) until just recently. I've been so used to rping a story back and forth for pages in which we all used eachother's characters freely that I forgot how much of a No no this was!

Good Post!