Role Play - Things are grimm

[Anomas Analor Kamath]

I see your point... i have less than ten posts.. 'what the hell is this kid yelling about?'
C'mon, you're smarter than that.. i may be new to the server, but i've been roleplaying since i was a stupid kid [i may still be stupid, but no longer a kid] and i've been playing rp servers in ultima online for 6 years now, so i kindda know what i'm talking about.

A few points that MUST be stretched

1 - Do NOT stay away from the game. I know it's immensily appealing to give a look at layonara's map on the handbook, but LOG OFF FOR A FEW MINUTES to do it... it's amusing the ammount of times i talk to someone and it stares blankly ahead... sometimes people just leave the game screen in the MIDDLE of a roleplay action... thats just plain stupid, so don't, please. The idea of the game is to feel like you're in the world, not pressing buttons and clicking. This can't be done if the world suddenly turns into a shinning screen full of words... You're either in, or out.
2 - You may have understood that your char's name doesn't float above your heads, but some of you certainly don't understand itens DO NOT have an examine screen which does the same... let me just explain this: When you're playing nwn single player or bg, and you press the neat 'identify' button on the examine screen while talking to a vendor, it means he OPENS HIS DARN MOUTH AND TELLS YOU WHAT IT IS AND DOES... he does not, however, IMPRINT ON THE ... SWORD THAT IT GIVES FIRE DAMAGE, SO I CAN'T KNOW WHAT IT DOES UNLESS YOU TELL ME. So when someone ask you to identify something, you TELL HIM what it is called, and what it does [maybe you can lie, eh? Another nice rp opportunity, the character will have no way to verify your claims] don't just say 'ohhh, look at it again and a message on your mind will show up telling you EVERYTHING about it.. amazing, uh?'
3 - When you're actively ignoring someone, send an *ignore* emote. It shows that at least you, player, is aware of the character's presence, and isn't just too busy crafting to give a ... to rp...

And yeeees, i know there's a forum section for roleplay, but let's face it, how many of you reads there every day? This IS important... so i just put it on a place more people would see it.


By the way staff, there's a tail as an option of 'belt' when you're editting your armor on the craft shop... any chance i could roleplay as a natural tail? [if there isn't, there isn't, just trying...]

[lonnarin]

What really cracks me up is those perfect strangers who get angry when you're busy crafting, as if it was every working man's duty to stop and enter conversation.  Go to the mall, run up to every person in sight, and try talking to them.  Invite them to go play baseball.. and urge them to drop everything and play NOW.  "Come on!  why don't you stop and talk to meeee?!  I want to play baseball!  HELP ME PLAY BASEBALL!!!"

Those people crack me up.  If anybody's ever that "friendly" in real life, people start calling cops, quick.  Some people just enjoy going about on their daily lives.

[Philosopher]

No need to be that angry....that's only a few people that do that. A large number of people will say "What's that?" when as a player they know what it is. For example I play Dulan but I remember that I, the player, have been places but Dulan hasn't, so when he enters a new area he has to be dumb and cautious about the area (And I have died on purpose too because Dulan had no idea what was there).

If you feel someone maybe doing some RP incorrectly to you, just send them a polite tell...It frustrates me how I would RP something that would be true from my view, and they rudely emote it as something else...for example:

I was sat at the Hlint bench, and there was a character next to me who, I thought, was covered in black (I percieved it as black), so I just put *He looks across, examining the woman in black* (and may I add she is the only character there), then the player puts: *Looks around for a woman covered in black* Firstly the character itself cannot READ the emotes ontop of your head! I found this highly rude and in fact I just stood up and walked off, I didn't want to RP with someone that rude. I found out later the woman was covered in a dark blue! I maybe colour blind or the screen maybe odd but still don't do that!

But this is only a few players, so don't worry - I have had plenty of fun RPs with people!

[Weeblie]

Well, sometimes people walk away for a couple of minutes for a short toilet break or to fetch something to eat. Completely valid reasons to stay AFK in the game, in my opinion. Though, if one stays away for longer than that, it's probably best to logout (cuts down lag too!).

As for the Role Play forum... I tend to read all posts appearing there, but not all of them in the General Discussion forum...

Oh, and using the tail as a natural tail would need to be approved at character creation (heh, definitely one of the harder things to get approved for, I bet)...

[darkstorme]

This message WOULD be best moved to the RP forum, but since it's out here anyway...

To emphasize Lonnarin's response - sometimes when crafting, messages can be lost in the wash of crafting-station responses, so you're unaware even that you're being spoken to.  Kell generally makes a point of doing what I do at work - nodding or acknowledging the prescence of friends, then returning to work.  If someone Kell doesn't know is pestering him when he's crafting, it all depends on his mood so far that day.  If he's been having a good day, he might set his tools down to talk to a new person.  Otherwise, he'll ignore them in stony silence.  If a character continues to work, visibly moving (so they're not afk), that should be easily enough of a rebuff - *ignores* should be redundant.

In answer to point #1 of Anomas' post, there's a simple solution - take the time to rp your way behind the local tavern.. then, either drink a libation of some sort (if you can afford the ruinously expensive alcohol on Layo), or RP same, and pass out behind the tavern - the "falls forward" emote.  Drunk to unconsciousness allows for a sensibly RP reason to be unresponsive.  When you return from whatever has called you away from the keyboard, your character can get groggily to their feet, and stagger off in the direction of the well to splash some cold water on their face.  (If your character's a teatotaller, that's your own fault - come up with something of your own. ).

Finally, in answer to point #2 (I know, strange ordering - so sue me.), while you may not know everything about the item (its name, if it has it, for example) from looking at it, your Lore score allows you to identify objects from their design - and your Appraise skill ought to give you a fair idea of their capabilities, even if your character is insufficiently skilled to accurately judge the cost of the item.  Letting someone examine an item in the Barter screen is essentially the same as letting them swing the sword about a bit to test its heft.  In addition, if the weapon does elemental damage, it glows.  Electricity crackles quietly along its blade, fire licks around the head.  The fact that these enchantments manifest themselves when the weapon is wielded make it perfectly reasonable for the prospective buyer to know virtually everything about the weapon.  (Not that it does, say, 2d6 fire damage, but the heat and raging flames around the blade would make him/her suspect that it does "considerable" fire damage.  Similarly, a weapon that fairly hums through the air and feels perfect in the wielder's hand is likely a +1 or +2 weapon.)

Edited for clarity - sorry, folks, I just can't write today, it seems.

[IceDragonDuvessa]

No character should have a tail in game this is not approved at creation and would likely be part of an epic development if ever approved.

Also to Darkstormes point 2... thats pretty much right on, Lore allows characters to identify stuff not to mention the obvious visual attributes such as elemental enhancements.

[miltonyorkcastle]

just for reference, not all elementally enchanted blades glow with the power of their element.  It's true, even mildly enchanted weapons, while not literally flaming or electrified, emit a faint glow of light, usually of a similar color to represent their ability (fire emits red light, etc.).  so one should be able to identify weapons from their visual porperties, certainly, especially since we use actual metals in determining their "enhancement" abilities, and each metal is unique in color and feel.  however, due to funny game mechanics, or, an altered visual (since you can make and buy alchemical visual effects for a blade that override that of their properties), the weapon in question may not do what it looks like it should do.  

In example, the sword Wicked (one of Cole's old blades, for those who don't know), has no visual effect.  Yet, it has multiple enchantments on it, inculding a cold three rod, which usually would have a visual effect.  The sword still does, however, emit a faint blue glow of light.

[darkstorme]

Well, and a cautious character could draw a finger lightly along the edge of the blade and feel the resultant sensation.  (VERY cautious - after all, with a masterwork adamantium sword with a fire III enchantment, you might lose the finger.  And those are EXPENSIVE to grow back. *laughs*)

[Dorganath]

I'd point out that the Identify spell actually increases one's Lore skill for a short time, which allows one to identify items that would not otherwise be recognizable. Lore is not only about recognizing an item by its visuals and saying, "Ah yes, this is a Greater Amulet of Sparkliness..." but also about recognizing the perhaps subtle characteristics of the item and being able to discern any additional properties that may or may not be known for items of that type.
  You'll note also that the best identifiers are mid-to-high level mages and bards, who also tend to have a fairly high Spellcraft score that would allow them to discern the nature of a static dweomer/enchantment on an item, assuming it isn't overly complex....which none of our dropped or craftable items are.
  Now, personally I prefer to give an IC overview of items my character identifies for people....things like "..will also burn your enemy a bit when you hit them..." or "...will help absorb lighning from traps and spells..." or "...should be nicely effective against undead..." and things like that. For items with a long story, I tend to *emote* the description, as it's too much to flip back and forth between the chat window and the description....such as: *describes its history in great detail*
  In my mind, how someone goes about doing this is up to the character. Theres no "right" way to describe the function of a device or item.

[darkstorme]

I would argue that while there's no "right" way, there is, in fact, a "wrong" way - and this would be anything to do with stats in an IC context.  That is to say, "2d6 fire damage" should never feature in an RP conversation.

That having been said, Lore really has little to do with looking at the visuals of an item, and much more to do with recognizing the craftsmanship/legends surrounding the weapon/item/device/whatever.

[Dorganath]

Well true..."2d6" or whatever has no place in an in-character description, and really shouldn't be mentioned at all.
  As for what Lore does and doesn't do...It's probably better described as "knowledge", and the higher the score, the more knowledge...and your ability to take what can be observed and translate that into a name, form and function.
  Take something mundane like a screw as an example.
  My 7 year-old daughter could tell you it's a screw. Someone with more knowledge would be able to tell you if it was a machine screw, wood screw, drywall screw or sheet metal screw. Someone with more knowledge might be able to tell you whether it has imperial or metric threads (and perhaps even give you the thread specs). Someone even more knowedgeable could tell you if it was a left-hand or right-hand thread...and the really freaky people might be able to tell you that this particular screw in only used on a particular printing press built in southern Hungary by a man with 3 fingers on his left hand named Marco.

[Anomas Analor Kamath]

I have absolutely no lore or appraise scores, and i'd put a -5 on each if i could.. for heck's sake, i'm an WILD ELF who barelly knows about ELVEN GODS much less a friggin' unidentified item. It was star dust, just for starters, so it was a bag with some coloured dust in it.. come on, i'd never know what it is, still, the girl told me to look at it again and i'd know everything about it this time.. come on, this kind of rp sucks

And about the afk.. yeah, sometimes you gotta pee.. been there, done that. But TELL others.. '//afk' That's the least i'd expect.. more experienced players would back up a bit, like running into some empty area of the map, and then peeing... It's not that hard.

And the craft thing was just an example... it's just so i won't screenshot you several times and send a complaint to the gm's because you're commonly afk while logged in to avoid certain little inconveniences.. like ban. To avoid that, just send an *ignore*, or ppl will think you're afk. Of course, when you're crafting, and obviously not afk, this is redundant

[Philosopher]

Anomas Analor Kamath - 7/24/2006  6:49 PM
And the craft thing was just an example... it's just so i won't screenshot you several times and send a complaint to the gm's because you're commonly afk while logged in to avoid certain little inconveniences.. like ban. To avoid that, just send an *ignore*, or ppl will think you're afk. Of course, when you're crafting, and obviously not afk, this is redundant

Isn't that a bit extreme? I mean you got to have a folder full of screenshots to show this person is AFK.

It was star dust, just for starters, so it was a bag with some coloured dust in it.. come on, i'd never know what it is, still, the girl told me to look at it again and i'd know everything about it this time.. come on, this kind of rp sucks

Not if you look at the dust a different angle. You could notice something that may give a clue to help you that anyone could work out.

Edd.

[Force_of_Will_]

To send an Ignore PM would take forever to everyone logged and.Id pee myself by the time I was done.
Every world has little imperfections.Just move on dont stand about and steam then come here to rant its not worth it.
It is a pretty funny read though.

[Weeblie]

Anomas Analor Kamath - 7/24/2006  7:49 PM

And about the afk.. yeah, sometimes you gotta pee.. been there, done that. But TELL others.. '//afk' That's the least i'd expect.. more experienced players would back up a bit, like running into some empty area of the map, and then peeing... It's not that hard.

Different people have different ways to go AFK. I for one avoids "//afk" as it tends to break RP-focus for the other players. Walking away to a corner is sometimes prefered but if one is in the middle of a discussion, one usually doesn't want to "lose" any message. A *She seems to be thinking of something else for a couple of minutes.* or a *He stands there, nodding and listening silently for some time.* emote (and/or a tell to the party leader/friend) is usually the way I do it.

This thread could have been a "how to improve RP"-one, but because of the tone in your posts, I don't think anyone will take the suggestions to their hearts. A slightly more friendly way to express this will probably be much better.

[darkstorme]

More to the point, as Dorg says above, the problem is obviated by saying "*describes the object in great detail* //look at it now."

That would do it, for RP purposes.

[Pibemanden]

Weeblie - 7/24/2006  8:22 PM

Anomas Analor Kamath - 7/24/2006  7:49 PM

And about the afk.. yeah, sometimes you gotta pee.. been there, done that. But TELL others.. '//afk' That's the least i'd expect.. more experienced players would back up a bit, like running into some empty area of the map, and then peeing... It's not that hard.

Different people have different ways to go AFK. I for one avoids "//afk" as it tends to break RP-focus for the other players. Walking away to a corner is sometimes prefered but if one is in the middle of a discussion, one usually doesn't want to "lose" any message. A *She seems to be thinking of something else for a couple of minutes.* or a *He stands there, nodding and listening silently for some time.* emote (and/or a tell to the party leader/friend) is usually the way I do it.

This thread could have been a "how to improve RP"-one, but because of the tone in your posts, I don't think anyone will take the suggestions to their hearts. A slightly more friendly way to express this will probably be much better.

But sometimes *Lost in thought* doesn't mean that you are afk therefore I usually sends a tell ot simply types out //afk when I go afk simply because I use the other emotions to RP

[miltonyorkcastle]

Yes, yes, do remember this is a ~game~... and as such, saying this is "good" RP and this "bad" RP is a humorous (as Force so bluntly pointed such rants are) notion, solely for the fact RP is purely subjective.  Granted, there are a few conventions, and obviously you will run into peple that just do things waaaay off from how you feel immersed.  So find others that fit your style better to hang out with, and ignore the rest.  Yes, don't interact with them, whether it's good RP to or not.  Because you're here to have fun and if interacting with them messes with your RP experience, then pretend they don't exist, if it's so extreme for you.

Of course, this is just my two cents, and as Weeblie pointed out, keep the rants among friends you trust. There's no need to put it up for the world to see.  If you want the world to see what you have issue with, avoid the rant and go for the critique.  It truly is a matter of tone.

[Anomas Analor Kamath]

darkstorme - 7/24/2006  3:24 PM

More to the point, as Dorg says above, the problem is obviated by saying "*describes the object in great detail* //look at it now."

That would do it, for RP purposes.

Exactly.. this isn't much to ask. I'd still rather listen to an rp explanation.. the deeper, the better. But your suggestion is way better than pressing the identify button already...

And the afk complaint goes for people in the middle fo the action. Whoever has been to hlint for some time, noticed there's a corner, right in front of the bank, where people usually gather. A guy was sitting in one of those benches, afk. I talked to him soon praying no one was listening, because he simply ignored me. And yes, i wasn't being a pest, i knew him from before...

[Dorganath]

Anomas Analor Kamath - 7/24/2006  12:49 PM   And the craft thing was just an example... it's just so i won't screenshot you several times and send a complaint to the gm's because you're commonly afk while logged in to avoid certain little inconveniences.. like ban. To avoid that, just send an *ignore*, or ppl will think you're afk. Of course, when you're crafting, and obviously not afk, this is redundant

 I'm sorry, I just saw this....
  What in the world makes you think people can get banned here because they're afk?