Roleplay Pet Peeves

[call me rae]

Let's keep its civil guys. Remember we're just sharing opinions. 


Which actually  @Loco Mofo if you said female characters were sides to you ( in the same context as Thalia's comment ) people would just assume you didn't like playing females. 


Which doesnt say anything bad about you as a person at all. So you don't like playing females? Okay I don't like playing trans people. Does that mean I am some horrible garbage person who hates trans people? No it just means I'd prefer not to play those characters. 


its the same argument people make when they say : oh rae is playing a racist so that must mean she's racist too. Not really.


people not wanting to play any type of character isn't an attack on those kinds of people. It's just people having preferences.


think of it this way if Thalia had said : I prefer to play females so males are always gone to be side characters to me. Does that mean she's a man hating feminist? Is she saying horrible things about male characters? No she's just stating s preference.

 

[call me rae]

Peeve: People with characters named after themselves, or using their username as their character's name. Self-inserts, too. I feel they're more likely to have a very strong attachment to that character, so I'm inclined to believe they will godmod, bunny or commit other sins of roleplaying so they can preserve their perceived perfection.

well naming after themselves I can't exactly prove but people who use their characters names as their usernames. It's both confusing and a little strange to me. Like I feel like it does blur the lines because how do you know when I'm talking to you or your character...


mind i I did that for years so whatever I'm a big honking hypocrite. 

 

[M.J. Saulnier]

The racist thing is a little different. If I said I only play racist characters, it would be similar, and again, say something about me as an artist, at the very least.


The thing about character names I don't agree with at all. I usually go by the username Captain Canuck. At NO point are you EVER talking to the comic book character from 1975, if you have any trouble with that... lol. I think you get my point.  At no point are you talking to my RP character Captain Canuck. The distinction should be automatic and absolute.


Beyond that, it's about creative maturity and responsibility. Go around expecting the worst from people, you just might find it on your own. My name is Michael, I have had characters named Michael... I don't value them any more than the average character. I sometimes put pieces of myself in characters. Sometimes a lot, sometimes a little. People don't have to involve namesake to hero worship their characters, lol.


On this note, anyone familiar with a guy named Stephen King? lol


Famous for self involvement on the character level. He put his own car accident in the Dark Tower series.

 

[Thalia_Neko]

A couple times I've rped characters named Thalia... Those turned out to be some of my worse and more "meh" characters. Haha.


And Ive only rped nekos a couple times as well.


As for my irl name. As a Trans person Ive had two. Ive literally never rped a character using my birth name and dont ever plan on it in the future. But I have made a few characters with my chosen name. Those characters tend to find their ways into rps that die off too quick before anything interesting really happens.

 

[call me rae]

The racist thing is a little different. If I said I only play racist characters, it would be similar, and again, say something about me as an artist, at the very least.

And if you'll pardon the expression I think your jumping at shadows. 


I can assure you with absolute honesty and sincerity. No one is going to link you to your character on a personal level. Most people will assume that the character you make is a fictitious construct made to fit a role in whatever story your telling.


So you play a racist. Yeah no one is going to care. You only play males. No one cares. You only play 16 year olds. No one cares.


No one thinks any character you makes says anything about you other than your skills as a writer.


And here's the thing most people aren't going to know you put that much of yourself into your character unless 


A. you outright tell them


B. you get overly offended because of something said IC/OOC about your character that you take as some kind of shady comment aimed at you.


So yeah you want to put elements of yourself in your characters that's awesome. You want to make characters that reflect how you view the world good on you. 


But don't assume everyone makes characters the same way. That is a one way trip to Misunderstanding Island.

 

[call me rae]

SInce my editing is wonky I'll just continue my thought in a new post. Like a derp. 


Anyway with the naming thing  like I said I my username for years was my go to OC. It obviously didn't bother me and it's still not a deal breaker or anything. It just catches me off guard.


And then when it's paired with an inability to distinquish reality from fiction and it just gets super confusing. Like that's confusing in general when a person pretty much plays themselves in a roleplay. I don't mean takes elements I mean they are self-inserting as their character.


And then when the only name they give you is that character it's hard for you to distinquish to them. Um yeah look I'm not talking to Starbeard the Glittery I'm talking to whomever is on the other side of the keyboard writing for Starbeard the Glittery.


It's a lot of work to make a distinction to some people.


Not that everyone who does a username that is their favorite OC does this. But the ones that do tend to be big enough trainwrecks that they stick with you.

 

[M.J. Saulnier]

I have never even experienced this phenomena you speak of, never even heard of it.


A lot of people in this community do a lot of things differently, that much you can say, and I know for certain.

 

[Collidias Rex]

I have never even experienced this phenomena you speak of, never even heard of it.


A lot of people in this community do a lot of things differently, that much you can say, and I know for certain.

From a post earlier, and expanding on the example.


We'll call this player Trance. His site handle is "Trance". We have a space adventure RP set in the year 3500. Real high tech stuff, some magic - far away from earth, which has been all but forgotten. Along comes Trance to join our RP. Not a problem. Trance posts his character sheet - his character is a detective-turned-super-soldier named "Trance Wiles". Looking at his profile, he has this same character in several RPs - same personality each time. In-control badass super-soldier who doesn't take shit from nobody.

He tries to play this same character, being an elite task force operative - except we're in a setting where he isn't ranking officer, so his rank means nothing. My character tries to give him some advice (team medic), and the guy scoffs at his advice. It starts small, but he acts arrogantly for several posts. This all ends up with Trance's character getting proverbially "cut down" by our ranking officer for his self-righteous behaviour. Instead of just taking it and rolling with it, Trance starts getting passive-aggressive in OOC chat. He's upset with how he's being treated, he's complaining that people won't respect his position ... he's taking all of this badly, and personally.


The problem (as I see it) is that he brought a pre-established badass into a roleplay where he couldn't be top-dog. More than that, he had a character he closely identified with on a personal level, and had difficulty separating himself from his character. Offenses toward that character were taken personally by him.

I used to do the same thing. Players sometimes make namesake characters that they closely identify with - sometimes closely enough that any offence against their character is taken personally. More than that, it suggests that the character may be a directly "imported" character from elsewhere, meaning the character carries a lot of baggage with them in the player's mind - whereas other players see none of this baggage.

 

[M.J. Saulnier]

That's just a horrible role player. They are everywhere, and it's not exclusive to those types of characters.


I see what you mean and how it can be intensified through these favorite characters.


Everyone should learn that writing isn't about YOUR character, it's about story telling. And characters aren't defined by their skill set and abilities. 90% of role players use gimmicks and skills sets as a crutch, a life line because they don't actually enjoy true character development unless it's accompanied by these gimmicks and features to ease the process and make their character feel valuable and useful.


In this thread even, I saw people talking about how it's unfair when one character has more skills or abilities than their own. Why does it honestly matter? No cast is ever going to equal, and to try to make everything perfectly even in the interest of fairness is rather childish. Most good writers I know can play anyone, in the company of anyone, and not struggle or get upset in the slightest.


They could play a crippled farmer among Gods and not only hold their own, but stand out and help define and shape the story. It's all about YOU as a writer.


Some very interesting things have come up for me in this thread. I've seen an entirely new side and face of role play the last few weeks that I didn't know existed.


When I started out, I spent about 6 years on a large, older site. Over the years the volume of casual kids just looking to play out their fantasies and the current treads, with little or no regard for the art form, began to increase drastically. In time, the Academy Instructors, myself included, became overburdened by these kids, struggling to keep up, and being generally defiant of the provided curriculum; they were unteachable. This lead to the Academy shutting down.


That site no longer exists because the owner sold it, and the individual who purchase it didn't reopen it. That alone says a lot, lol.


From there I was a regular on numerous other large sites, mostly those I was invited to by friends from my original site. I've kept moving since to experience new communities and make new friends (that lead me here).


I've seen and experienced a lot in 10 years, but somehow I can still be surprised, lol. Group RP is a strange, beautiful creature.

 

[Flooffy]

I'm not saying I wouldn't. I''m just saying that there's probably a good bit who would.

It depends on the setting. if it's a setting where death is as common as air, I don't see screaming or vomiting happen. 


Or if one works with the dead

 

[ApfelSeine]

It depends on the setting. if it's a setting where death is as common as air, I don't see screaming or vomiting happen. 


Or if one works with the dead

I agree with this. People also are inherently different. Personally, I've seen dead people before (nothing gory, just the the end of a long and hopefully happy life). Each time I've felt sort of detached from it all. Not apathetic, but more solemn and not very emotional one way or another (unless I know someone still alive who will miss them terribly, and then I sometimes cry a little for that person's sake). The more death I've seen, the more I become set in having this reaction.


Now I'm not sure how I'd respond to a bloody death, at least a human one. Seeing animals slaughtered is somewhat shocking for me because I'm not really accustomed to seeing it, but blood doesn't make me feel ill, just somewhat disconcerted if I have to look at it for a long time. I'd imagine those who are more used to it, or even those with a different personality, don't feel bothered by blood at all.


If a coroner vomited every time they saw a dead body, that would be problematic. Likewise, some people are naturally predisposed not to have very strong physical reactions to death or blood or gore. Some people are even intrigued by it. There's no reason that every character must react in the same way, or react strongly to a major situation. Though of course that said, it would be strange for a character to act like seeing a dead body doesn't matter at all, unless they've already been established to have measured reactions or pay experience with such deaths. If that hasn't been established, and the character reacts emotionally towards other situations, a neutral reaction to seeing a dead body doesn't really fit.


Essentially, and reaction can make sense, but it has to be carefully thought out and be fitting with the character for that to be the case.

 

[Elephantom]

They could play a crippled farmer among Gods and not only hold their own, but stand out and help define and shape the story. It's all about YOU as a writer.

Shit, how'd you know about my character?  

 

[Umbrie]

They could play a crippled farmer among Gods and not only hold their own, but stand out and help define and shape the story. It's all about YOU as a writer.

Speaking from the Perspective of a Primarily Dice Based Roleplayer. you Generally want characters of a Similar Power Level. Luckily Gods have all sorts of power levels. you don't Team Zeus and Poseidon with the Farmer, instead, you Team the Farmer up with Child Form Hestia (A Creepy Little Girl with an Experienced Adult's Intelligence and Wisdom), an Underage Nymph (because a Fully Grown Nymph could be pretty powerful) and Perseus (the most human of Zeus's commonly known sons.)

 

[Umbrie]

here is one that primarily applies to Dice Roleplays. a Peeve that applies when every major player character is eventually swimming in so much wealth that they are better armored and better armed than the most elite government owned military organizations. imagine if in a Fallout RP; that every player character had a better individual assortment of combat related equipment than the Paladins found in the Brotherhood of Steel on an individual by individual case. imagine how annoying that would be for a game master who tried to include the standard Fallout threats on the grounds that there is very little that can challenge a power armored, pip boy wearing, minigun wielding humanoid instrument of death in that particular setting.

 

[Upton O Goode]

here is one that primarily applies to Dice Roleplays. a Peeve that applies when every major player character is eventually swimming in so much wealth that they are better armored and better armed than the most elite government owned military organizations. imagine if in a Fallout RP; that every player character had a better individual assortment of combat related equipment than the Paladins found in the Brotherhood of Steel on an individual by individual case. imagine how annoying that would be for a game master who tried to include the standard Fallout threats on the grounds that there is very little that can challenge a power armored, pip boy wearing, minigun wielding humanoid instrument of death in that particular setting.

I haven't done any dice gaming myself, but I was under the impression that the game master was the one responsible for handing out rewards for quests and stuff. Unless I'm mistaken, doesn't it mean they have the power to stop people from getting too wealthy? I can't imagine the GM would be so powerless to stop players from getting way too much in the way of rewards unless they were handing it out like candy themselves.


I mean, I dunno, maybe there's some secret dice RP code that means you have to hand out stupid amounts of stuff? Or that the players get to pick their own rewards?

 

[Demon]

I haven't done any dice gaming myself, but I was under the impression that the game master was the one responsible for handing out rewards for quests and stuff. Unless I'm mistaken, doesn't it mean they have the power to stop people from getting too wealthy? I can't imagine the GM would be so powerless to stop players from getting way too much in the way of rewards unless they were handing it out like candy themselves.


I mean, I dunno, maybe there's some secret dice RP code that means you have to hand out stupid amounts of stuff? Or that the players get to pick their own rewards?

I mean, either that or they modify the stats of the encounters to scale with the wealth. What was described sounds like poor management from the Game Master's position.

 

[TrippyVirus]

This is maybe EVERYONES pet peeve.


Time Zones. No one likes them.

 

[Umbrie]

I haven't done any dice gaming myself, but I was under the impression that the game master was the one responsible for handing out rewards for quests and stuff. Unless I'm mistaken, doesn't it mean they have the power to stop people from getting too wealthy? I can't imagine the GM would be so powerless to stop players from getting way too much in the way of rewards unless they were handing it out like candy themselves.


I mean, I dunno, maybe there's some secret dice RP code that means you have to hand out stupid amounts of stuff? Or that the players get to pick their own rewards?

one of the common practices in Dice RPs is looting Equipment from the Corpses of the foes you defeat, and using the taken loot in some way. one of the common ways for a GM to scale up the stats of the encounters is to give them better gear, which merely gets looted again. meaning the players get more out of control. meaning no real way to stop the treadmill. and you can't just simply ban players from looting the dead because everybody loots the dead. a common rule in Dice RPs, is when you kill somebody, you get to take everything they had during the moment you killed them. meaning the armor they are wearing, the weapons they have strapped to them, the coins in their purse, and any ammunition, rations or other supplies in their bags.

 

[Storytale]

This is maybe EVERYONES pet peeve.


Time Zones. No one likes them.

So true! R.I.P ;3;

 

[Upton O Goode]

one of the common practices in Dice RPs is looting Equipment from the Corpses of the foes you defeat, and using the taken loot in some way. one of the common ways for a GM to scale up the stats of the encounters is to give them better gear, which merely gets looted again. meaning the players get more out of control. meaning no real way to stop the treadmill. and you can't just simply ban players from looting the dead because everybody loots the dead. a common rule in Dice RPs, is when you kill somebody, you get to take everything they had during the moment you killed them. meaning the armor they are wearing, the weapons they have strapped to them, the coins in their purse, and any ammunition, rations or other supplies in their bags.

I guess so, but it sounds like the players are getting a little too lucky in that case. 

 

[Umbrie]

I guess so, but it sounds like the players are getting a little too lucky in that case. 

Dice RPs rarely use unmodified dice rolls. most Dice Player Characters are Typically Trained in Combat related abilities that give them huge advantages because unlike a Dice NPC, they aren't forced to take a day job to survive, and have an easier time gaining experience due to frequently being involved in scenarios the NPC with the Day Job never would, even if their Day Job was Soldier. this training in combat related abilities gives them an advantage in combat related dice rolls. because they don't have to train in a day job and can devote the sum of their resources to combat numbers. because player characters have no time for a day job when killing things is a more effective way to make money than working.

 

[Demon]

one of the common practices in Dice RPs is looting Equipment from the Corpses of the foes you defeat, and using the taken loot in some way. one of the common ways for a GM to scale up the stats of the encounters is to give them better gear, which merely gets looted again. meaning the players get more out of control. meaning no real way to stop the treadmill. and you can't just simply ban players from looting the dead because everybody loots the dead. a common rule in Dice RPs, is when you kill somebody, you get to take everything they had during the moment you killed them. meaning the armor they are wearing, the weapons they have strapped to them, the coins in their purse, and any ammunition, rations or other supplies in their bags.

You could prevent the treadmill through buffing the encounters without giving them god-tier armor. For example, if there's a stat system in the dice RP then buff their stats. If there isn't then you could always boost their dice rolls as an NPC. I'unno, there's lots of ways to handle it.

 

[Demon]

Dice RPs rarely use unmodified dice rolls. most Dice Player Characters are Typically Trained in Combat related abilities that give them huge advantages because unlike a Dice NPC, they aren't forced to take a day job to survive, and have an easier time gaining experience due to frequently being involved in scenarios the NPC with the Day Job never would, even if their Day Job was Soldier. this training in combat related abilities gives them an advantage in combat related dice rolls. because they don't have to train in a day job and can devote the sum of their resources to combat numbers. because player characters have no time for a day job when killing things is a more effective way to make money than working.

If your players are on the stronger side of things, you could use Dice NPCs that have a more experienced backstory to fit the meta. Maybe if they're stronger than a regular guard, face them against royal knights or elite bandits, etc. etc. If those don't work, bring them into a world of actually having to attend day jobs. From what I'm hearing, it sounds like the management overall is just harder. If it's a combat-based RP, you could assume the encounters do their day-jobs and still manage the same amount of experience in combat if not more. Players should understand that not every encounter will be easy or beatable. They sometimes will need to train more.

 

[Umbrie]

If your players are on the stronger side of things, you could use Dice NPCs that have a more experienced backstory to fit the meta. Maybe if they're stronger than a regular guard, face them against royal knights or elite bandits, etc. etc. If those don't work, bring them into a world of actually having to attend day jobs. From what I'm here, it sounds like the management overall is just harder. If it's a combat-based RP, you could assume the encounters do their day-jobs and still manage the same amount of experience in combat if not more. Players should understand that not every encounter will be easy or beatable. They sometimes will need to train more.

thing is, if i were running a dice game, i have to keep the opposition sensible, too many elite bandits or royal guards in a given location kills immersion. just like using more than a handful of dragons over the course of a campaign kills immersion, but the idea of forcing them to have to take day jobs helps a little. because the imbalance comes from having no day job or hobby besides combat.

 

[Demon]

thing is, if i were running a dice game, i have to keep the opposition sensible, too many elite bandits or royal guards in a given location kills immersion. just like using more than a handful of dragons over the course of a campaign kills immersion, but the idea of forcing them to have to take day jobs helps a little. because the imbalance comes from having no day job or hobby besides combat.

If the problem is the area, bring them to a new area that offers harder conditions much like anime or video games for example. If the jobs help but don't help enough, make them have to find ways to make money in an entirely new area with harder challenges to face. Make them face surprise encounters that make them lose things if they don't roll well enough or face mental grief. I 'unno, I'm just dishing ideas at this point! Haha


For a pet peeve of mine: It's gotta be people who don't communicate. When people are hostile to me or throw shade at me or my creations, I take a heavy problem considering they haven't tried to civilly talk to me. When I communicate with someone, I express my problems and hope they do the same so we can discuss. However, there is expressing problems and flat out just raging at someone.