Deal Breakers. What makes you "walk" away?

[DarkLightHitomi]

Actually, I realized I should clarify. I don't mind rp boardgaming in principal. But I do have a problem with it being an rp boardgame but no one can admit that it is just an rp boardgame. I bring a character and get told it is an alright character, then after play starts they expect my character to totally trust these strangers she just met five minutes ago and then they expect to take on certain duties I didn't expect because that is my "role" (not the role meant by role-playing), or when the gm is kinda wishy washy on how to treat the game, treating it as an rp on one hand yet treating as an rp boardgame on the other.

 

[plotsaresexy]

i'm not saying you have to keep to every single bit of information, but the big plot points make the story. I like vague plots and specific plots, they both have their own good sides. But it just always seemed way more fun to me to let the character develop with the story. Also, the reason most people have plots is because that's how that particular story is going to flow. and on your example, if that were to happen and you didn't want to play a bad guy then don't play a necromancer in every rp you do. Variety is important. also, it's usually only one character that's not fitting into the story. more than that and it dies before it gets started. @DarkLightHitomi

 

[plotsaresexy]

@tane5naoki ohhh, well that's different. changing little things to make it better is nice, but changing the story completely, i don't like that.

 

[Elowyn]

The Ultimate Turn Off
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Cliches. I don't want to RP with people off the Sy-Fy channel. What happened to unique and fresh characters? E.g. The Army Officer who abuses his power. If this was realistic, that Officer would be removed from his position as soon as his superiors would find out. Why can't we be more original?

Excuse my butting in, but officials who are corrupt is nothing new, true. But having them removed doesnt always hallen in an imperfect world. Take some police officers who just brutalise people ( one of them assaulted my previous roommate who is a 19 yo girl just for being in a protest. This isnt the most extreme ofc- just go look in news). So my conclusion, take it or leave it, is that in some contexts that may not be a cliche. Does that make sense?


Oh, recently I saw this really great post about characters who seem familiar but can really play out quite differently. It gave the cliche of an old lady who owns a cat. Sounds pretty boring, right? But then what convinced me was the variations of personality and backstory: knitting in a perfectionistic way even ripping out imperfect stitches as a way of taking out her disdain of young people who are inept in the animal shelter she works at. She has many cats that she has adopted over the years. Or she could have no family but knits with love for her recently born neice to make up for not having a daughter, thus the cat is banished to the basement, etc., etc. You get my drift. 


(not apologizing for the looong post!)

 

[fluticasone]

GM's who can't keep their own schedule, or make a schedule in the first place. I can 100% understand if you get blindsided by IRL stuff, but I really can't understand people who just disappear without even telling them why. OTL

 

[Eloell]

 Finding this thread is like being stranded in a desert and finding a cold glass of water. I am slowly discovering that I can be picky about what I participate in and still find group rps to be a part of. I still haven't figured out the secret to weeding through them though...


I agree with a lot of what has been said! My big turn offs are:


1. When a GM seems uninterested in their own creation. This can look like a snarky interest check, flippant responses, etc. If the mind behind the magic isn't on board and excited about the game he/she has created then I don't see how I can be. Without excitement I forget about an RP in about two days, and I sure-diddly-don't want to invest in something like that.


2. When a hosted project plot is littered with typos and grammatical errors. I'll be the first to admit that I occasionally do both...but when they're all over the "front page" of a project, or all over GM guideline posts like poorly hidden Easter eggs, I'm out.


3. When other group participants' character apps are bad. Self explanatory. Bad meaning low on valuable details, high on irrelevant details, and littered with typos, grammatical errors, and cliche characters. (I agree that even a cliche or Mary Sue app can turn out to be a delicious thing IG...but that takes a rare kind of writer)


4. When a GM stops GMing. I don't need the GM to do everything, but I think GMs should have a vision for their rp that they craftily weave the rp in the direction of. The GM should not make an rp and choose to act like a member who joined...because in the 'everyone in one thread' style of rping, someone has to lead. If no one does, it becomes a thread of chickens with their heads cut off, which is no fun (unless you have a camera)


5. When new members/characters join late and disrupt the established order of the in-progress rp. Not posting order, world order. I'm all for "late bloomers" jumping into the fray, but not when their character drastically changes the plot/another character. Take this completely random example that didn't happen to me *cough*: person E created the eldest of a group of siblings. E rped with the group for weeks. X joins the rp and makes a character...who is now the new eldest sibling...when it is addressed, person X essentially says "Sorry not sorry" to person E...and the GM does nothing. O_O Man. That made would make me walk away. (If I sound bitter...the wound is fresh)


I only know these preferences of mine because in my 1 month here I've already encountered them all and more...but these are the deal breakers (though not all deals are yet broken...)

 

[constellation]

i have a bad habit of looking over all the characters before signing up to a roleplay.


i like to see who i'm working with and if he/she has potential, basically.


sounds kinda selfish of me, but i love playing with detailed roleplayers. ;p


it's a bad habbit

 

[B E E S]

It's an automatic no for me when there are certain 'roles' for characters. When I see stuff like "the jock, nerd, slut...etc." I'm just like "Nah". Only because I find that it feels limiting and the characters just feel really stereotypical. 


I also don't like when super well known celebrities are used as faceclaims. Though that's just a personal pet-peeve. It just feels too weird for me I guess, and if I'm already on the fence with if I should join a roleplay, that automatically makes me decide not to.

 

[Lorsh]

When half the characters use anime pictures for their appearances.

 

[Bacon is fluffy]

Mean and uncooperative gm who acts like my boss or something. I know people love their roleplays that they make,but if you have a power trip with me over nothing, I'll drop out. Especially if that gm doesn't care and moves on like I was expendable.

 

[Grey]

Oh, oh! I remember a big one, now.


When the pitch for an RP describes it as unique, original, amazing, incredible, awesome, or any number of similar synonyms.  Because a) no it isn't, b) I don't want to deal with someone that lacking in perspective, and c) if you have to tell me the content is good instead of that being obvious from reading it you have already failed hardcore. 

 

[M.J. Saulnier]

1. The other characters and how they potentially fit together, and fit the tone of the RP as it's been presented. I'm picky about my time and investment being put into a story when it comes to this. This is the main deal breaker for me.
   
2. How the GM runs the game. This one is sort of specific but not at the same time. A few examples are: Taking too much time to get work done. Lack of communication and information (depending on the project). Every project should be run differently depending on the nature of it.
   

 

[Kylesar1]

Gimmicks- Example: I already tend to steer clear from High School RPs, but making a gimmick makes it 10x worse. I don't care if I'm a magician or if I'm in a yaoi sausage fest or I'm some furry, I'm still in a plotless high school setting. I'll join a generic high school before one with a gimmick.


Metagaming- There's nothing more annoying than someone looking at all the CS, then making a character who can somehow counter all of them


Forced Plot- This typically only applies to RPs that can have multiple plots or side-plots. Some bullshit happens that every player must solve or it'll end the world or some shit.


Bad villains- It's one thing if the villain is some assistant or a minor villain, but I was in a RP a while ago where someone wanted to take over the world for literally no reason. No reason given, 1 liner posts, not reading other posts. They fought without giving us anything to work with to fight back. I loved the RP too much to drop it, but I was extremely close. 


Required or stagnating romance- Nope. Just nope. Romance in a RP is far from being my thing.

 

[Lappi]

Speaking of this, i forgot there was one HUUUUUGE deal breaker


"Biography: You'll find out in the rp.


Personality: You'll find out in the rp"


Mfw


View attachment 164353

Meh I do it because I have work and people I care about. I can't think of a long ass back story and personality is something I never skimp on though. Now if it's a detailed rp I will use a good back story.

 

[The Mechanist]

Military characters, just another excuse for people to be op.


military gear, and swords, but that depends on the roleplay itself

 

[Lappi]

Military characters, just another excuse for people to be op.


military gear, and swords, but that depends on the roleplay itself

I have done that in a zombie rp where my char killed a sergeant and took his identity


Sorry

 

[Tedronai]

Military characters, just another excuse for people to be op.


military gear, and swords, but that depends on the roleplay itself

Really? I've never seen someone OP just because they're militaristic. Any examples you'd care to share?

 

[The Mechanist]

Finally fixed that damn glitch, sort gray that you got a false notif

 

[The Mechanist]

Really? I've never seen someone OP just because they're militaristic. Any examples you'd care to share?

They automatically add in military weapons, gear, say their characters are some dead eye, have the usual ptsd (occasionally) then have a ridiculous amount of gear and ridiculous gear as well and then argue they can haul it cuz they're trained, yeah you're trained but your character is also malnourished as fuck.

 

[Grey]

That is a problem I habitually address using systems for my RPs. 

 

[Tedronai]

That's not a problem with militaristic characters, just bad writing and weak GMing for not nipping it in the bud. Try not to let that put you off @The Mechanist


However, what sort of systems do you use @Grey?

 

[The Mechanist]

That's not a problem with militaristic characters, just bad writing and weak GMing for not nipping it in the bud. Try not to let that put you off @The Mechanist


However, what sort of systems do you use @Grey?

Trust me man it puts me off, pretty much why I only do high fantasy, which tends to be pretty strict oddly enough

 

[Grey]

However, what sort of systems do you use @Grey?

Depends on what I need.  I use Chronicles of Darkness a lot for modern horror, though it also works for pure military and conspiracy stuff.  I will use Call of Cthulhu 7th edition and Dark Heresy 2e sometimes, usually for those specific games.  I'll sometimes use Nobilis and I like playing Exalted.  I think The Apocalypse Engine is a great multi-purpose system for less simulationist RPs. 


I always recommened FATE Core or RISUS for newbies but use neither much myself anymore.  Sometimes FATE for comedy RPs. 


Mostly I end up writing my own systems for specific settings - I've got one half-finished for The Elder Scrolls, f'r example - but I would caution against that for anyone without a year's experience under their belt usually. 

 

[Saccharine Cyanide]

Trust me man it puts me off, pretty much why I only do high fantasy, which tends to be pretty strict oddly enough

<-- has a high fantasy military hybrid rp


I don't know how to feel about this.

 

[The Mechanist]

<-- has a high fantasy military hybrid rp


I don't know how to feel about this.

Well no one is op if everyone has the same type of character


even then it's not the op of it, it's just the way the players are, acting entitled and like their character is a total badass. Majority of the time it only bothers me in zombie rp's, other rp's it's fine.