Story Mode Network

[White Masquerade]

@Dullahan Shinigami


Welcome to you! Of course you were missed (to me). I don't know what you said, but I support it.

Why is the bear the main focus here, in case it isnt noticed (Mainly because it is probably cropped out), but it is Abraham Lincoln riding a grizzly, with the American flag as his saddle welding an M16 in one and and the Bill of Rights/some other important document in the other, saying COME AT ME BRO.


I may change it to JFK with and RPG riding a raptor.

Oooh. Yes it is cropped out =/. JFK with an RPG riding a raptor and landing onto the back of an Eagle.

Uhhhh I honestly am terrible at running roleplays XP I've only ever made two, and those were both months ago and I never renewed either. My special snowflake rp, which I completely lost control of since the rules were "do whatever you want" (and that set the speed waaaaay too fast for me to follow ; and I think the irony was lost on some people), and my original rp which lasted a whopping total of...  10 posts ;P Though that was mainly because it was a very small group of about five players, two of whom dropped out because of real life circumstances and the other three who simply bailed. *shrugs* Oh well


I have a lot to learn in terms of GMing. I'm good at ideas and settling disputes and many other things, but I'm not very good at  encouraging participation (and I'm not good with fast paced roleplays with short post length, or with a large number of players). So overall, writing is my strong suit, as is interpersonal relations, but I'm absolutely hopeless at managing people. I need to work on it, but it's discouraged me from trying. Currently I'm working on trying to develop something really solid that I can put a lot of work into keeping it going.


Still,I think I'm probably fairly useful when it comes to the brainstorming process, so I hope that I can be of help to others in the meantime   

Yup. You'd totally have my vote for StoryMode Sweetheart. This seals the deal.

 

[White Masquerade]

@ApfelSeine


Oh have mercy. The dreaded introductions. Apfel, if a role-play starts off with the electrocution of characters it's going to die early. Its best to go straight into the plot. Or at least have introductions give significance to the plot. Always keep things genuinely moving. I read a bit of the Yethilia Troupe RP.

 

[Axiom Days]

Welcome to you! Of course you were missed (to me).

Aww, thanks.

I don't know what you said, but I support it.

I could have made a yo mama joke, but we'll never know...

 

[White Masquerade]

While we're discussing stuff in production, if anyone fancies offering their two cents on this project I'd appreciate it: 

I am sorry, history is not a specialty of mine =/


@Dullahan Shinigami


If we're ever in an RP together, I'm killing your character  :x

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Uhhhh I honestly am terrible at running roleplays XP I've only ever made two, and those were both months ago and I never renewed either. My special snowflake rp, which I completely lost control of since the rules were "do whatever you want" (and that set the speed waaaaay too fast for me to follow ; and I think the irony was lost on some people), and my original rp which lasted a whopping total of...  10 posts ;P Though that was mainly because it was a very small group of about five players, two of whom dropped out because of real life circumstances and the other three who simply bailed. *shrugs* Oh well


I have a lot to learn in terms of GMing. I'm good at ideas and settling disputes and many other things, but I'm not very good at  encouraging participation (and I'm not good with fast paced roleplays with short post length, or with a large number of players). So overall, writing is my strong suit, as is interpersonal relations, but I'm absolutely hopeless at managing people. I need to work on it, but it's discouraged me from trying. Currently I'm working on trying to develop something really solid that I can put a lot of work into keeping it going.


Still,I think I'm probably fairly useful when it comes to the brainstorming process, so I hope that I can be of help to others in the meantime   

You and I are in the same boat regarding gming. I think I've only ever tried to gm an rp twice on this site. Both fandoms. The first one I got too ambitious. The second one was halted due to real life issues. I never really found the motivation to start it back up again.


I'm not particularly good at managing people either, though I hear communication is the key.

 

[White Masquerade]

You and I are in the same boat regarding gming. I think I've only ever tried to gm an rp twice on this site. Both fandoms. The first one I got too ambitious. The second one was halted due to real life issues. I never really found the motivation to start it back up again.


I'm not particularly good at managing people either, though I hear communication is the key.

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I keep my lips zipped but Quirk you are similar to Apfel!!!!! *throws confetti* It's like I'm looking at almost twins. I think you two would make perfect GM-Partners if you ever have an idea in common. I think you'd do well and learn a lot.

 

[Captain Gabriel]

Alright, I made the Interest Check for my RP Idea.


I had to, since I am so eager to see it grow.

 

[Axiom Days]

Alright, I made the Interest Check for my RP Idea.


I had to, since I am so eager to see it grow.

That title, though.

 

[ApfelSeine]

Yup. You'd totally have my vote for StoryMode Sweetheart. This seals the deal.

I find this to be highly ironic since I'm in the middle of writing a blog post with the title "'You're wrong because you're an idiot' - Disrespecting Opposing Viewpoints".  9_9  I mean, technically it's going to be about people's tendency to be overly dismissive of people with a different opinion by mockingly quoting them to exaggerate how wrong they supposedly are, but still the timing of your remark is very amusing because of that. (Also, can I get away with that title for a blog post? I'm not sure since I don't want to accidentally be disrespectful if people take it to be directed at them, but I also feel like it's catchy and I almost never come  up with a good catchy title for things.)

@ApfelSeine


Oh have mercy. The dreaded introductions. Apfel, if a role-play starts off with the electrocution of characters it's going to die early. Its best to go straight into the plot. Or at least have introductions give significance to the plot. Always keep things genuinely moving. I read a bit of the Yethilia Troupe RP.

The introductions are significant to the plot, but admittedly I didn't have a good way to go about it. In retrospect I would have skipped directly to the point where characters have already finished their auditions, and filled in the gaps later on. I figured that since I had six characters for players to interact with, I'd avoid players having nothing to do, but they still didn't post more than a couple of times. I wanted to get a sense of the characters to know why the leader would single them out to join in with a troupe of actors who'd never let  anyone else in before. I possibly could have started at a later point, but at the time it seemed to be the easiest way to work characters in. And again, I think it might have gone for longer had the majority of my players not dropped out. Two people had real life commitments, and the rest were fairly new to the site, but I didn't want to assume they'd be unreliable (they were, but there's probably a lot of things I could have done better to make it more interesting for them, so that responsibility is on me).

You and I are in the same boat regarding gming. I think I've only ever tried to gm an rp twice on this site. Both fandoms. The first one I got too ambitious. The second one was halted due to real life issues. I never really found the motivation to start it back up again.


I'm not particularly good at managing people either, though I hear communication is the key.

Communication does help a ton, but something that I've found is that even if you set up high but easy expectations (such as "please post several times a week OoC"), if you're not in the position to enforce those guidelines they end up being just empty words. Sometimes you can shout into the void of an OoC chat and no one is really following it. Though still, you've gotta at least throw something out there just in case people do come and chat. Nothing ventured nothing gained and whatnot.


So basically, there's no way to really guarantee communication, even if it's a rule and even if you try hard. But if you're lucky, it's crucial to engaging players. (I'm so sensitive about it though XP If I try and reach out and don't get anything back, I get all mopey about it because I'm sad people don't want to talk to me. Don't be like me in that respect lol)

 

[Grey]

Communication is the most critical aspect of GMing - not just talking, but listening. 


I fuck it up sometimes, because I feel like I should be able to trust my players in PBP to shoulder some of the burden (whereas in IRL sessions it's easier for me to manage things and keep most of the work on me). I neglect to provide information or pay attention to whether or not a player needs extra attention, or forget to let players know they should absolutely tell me if there's a problem or confusion. 


I know I've seen some players stop posting and then be afraid to explain why, and I don't chase them up because I assume players will tell me if there's a reason they're not posting. 


I'm also not as patient with newbies anymore. I've put a lot of work into getting newbies up to speed with my RPs in the past - whether introductory dice games, or just stuff more advanced than they might be used to - only for them to ghost me. I'll probably be appropriately patient again soon, but lately I've been disinclined to look back if someone can't keep up.

 

[Grey]

Also, can I get away with that title for a blog post? I'm not sure since I don't want to accidentally be disrespectful if people take it to be directed at them, but I also feel like it's catchy and I almost never come  up with a good catchy title for things.

I got away with a tutorial titled 'Why Your RP Is Bad and Will Fail' so you're probably fine. 

 

[Grey]

Alright, I made the Interest Check for my RP Idea.


I had to, since I am so eager to see it grow.

Would you be wanting feedback on this?

 

[Captain Gabriel]

Would you be wanting feedback on this?

If you'd like, sure.

 

[Grey]

No, no - what I'd like is not the important thing here. Whether or not you are comfortable with impartial and intense criticism is what's important here. People rarely respond positively to my advice.


This is doubly the case when I see something and my first instinct is to link all my relevant tutorials. 

 

[Captain Gabriel]

No, no - what I'd like is not the important thing here. Whether or not you are comfortable with impartial and intense criticism is what's important here. People rarely respond positively to my advice.


This is doubly the case when I see something and my first instinct is to link all my relevant tutorials. 

Sure, go ahead. Just don't be rude lol.

 

[White Masquerade]

If you'd like, sure.

Lol. This where your life ended, Gabriel.

 

[Captain Gabriel]

Lol. This where your life ended, Gabriel.

Hell, that's about time.

 

[ApfelSeine]

Lol well @QuirkyAngel if you ever want someone to back you up on GMing a rp, hit me up. White thinks we'd  be good partners 

Communication is the most critical aspect of GMing - not just talking, but listening. 


I fuck it up sometimes, because I feel like I should be able to trust my players in PBP to shoulder some of the burden (whereas in IRL sessions it's easier for me to manage things and keep most of the work on me). I neglect to provide information or pay attention to whether or not a player needs extra attention, or forget to let players know they should absolutely tell me if there's a problem or confusion. 


I know I've seen some players stop posting and then be afraid to explain why, and I don't chase them up because I assume players will tell me if there's a reason they're not posting. 


I'm also not as patient with newbies anymore. I've put a lot of work into getting newbies up to speed with my RPs in the past - whether introductory dice games, or just stuff more advanced than they might be used to - only for them to ghost me. I'll probably be appropriately patient again soon, but lately I've been disinclined to look back if someone can't keep up.

It's really hard not to make that assumption of "well if they want to play, they'll come back when they're ready". I make this assumption much too often, despite the fact that I'm also one to get nervous about coming back if I've gone a day without responding or if I simply do not understand something. I've been improving on this myself, but I know full well that it's not easy for many people to come forward when they need help or if they forgot to post and became embarrassed about it. Sometimes, all it takes it offering help to get them to come back out of their shell.


So more than listening, actively listening and pursuing people is important. I often worry that I'm bothering people if I give them reminders or check in with them (and I'm paranoid of rejection lol) but people often have trouble coming forwards and so they do have to be actively sought out and reassured that everything is okay. Unfortunately, there are some instances of putting a lot of effort into coaxing people back, only to have them ghost. Still, it's probably worth it to keep at it on the chance that things will work out. I think it's very helpful when GMs make the effort to listen, so you're absolutely right @Grey 

 

[QuirkyAngel]

I find this to be highly ironic since I'm in the middle of writing a blog post with the title "'You're wrong because you're an idiot' - Disrespecting Opposing Viewpoints".  9_9  I mean, technically it's going to be about people's tendency to be overly dismissive of people with a different opinion by mockingly quoting them to exaggerate how wrong they supposedly are, but still the timing of your remark is very amusing because of that. (Also, can I get away with that title for a blog post? I'm not sure since I don't want to accidentally be disrespectful if people take it to be directed at them, but I also feel like it's catchy and I almost never come  up with a good catchy title for things.)


The introductions are significant to the plot, but admittedly I didn't have a good way to go about it. In retrospect I would have skipped directly to the point where characters have already finished their auditions, and filled in the gaps later on. I figured that since I had six characters for players to interact with, I'd avoid players having nothing to do, but they still didn't post more than a couple of times. I wanted to get a sense of the characters to know why the leader would single them out to join in with a troupe of actors who'd never let  anyone else in before. I possibly could have started at a later point, but at the time it seemed to be the easiest way to work characters in. And again, I think it might have gone for longer had the majority of my players not dropped out. Two people had real life commitments, and the rest were fairly new to the site, but I didn't want to assume they'd be unreliable (they were, but there's probably a lot of things I could have done better to make it more interesting for them, so that responsibility is on me).


Communication does help a ton, but something that I've found is that even if you set up high but easy expectations (such as "please post several times a week OoC"), if you're not in the position to enforce those guidelines they end up being just empty words. Sometimes you can shout into the void of an OoC chat and no one is really following it. Though still, you've gotta at least throw something out there just in case people do come and chat. Nothing ventured nothing gained and whatnot.


So basically, there's no way to really guarantee communication, even if it's a rule and even if you try hard. But if you're lucky, it's crucial to engaging players. (I'm so sensitive about it though XP If I try and reach out and don't get anything back, I get all mopey about it because I'm sad people don't want to talk to me. Don't be like me in that respect lol)

True enough. Being a gm is a lot of work. More often than not, I'm satisfied as a player.


Communication isn't something I particularly good at. I force myself though when I'm a gm, since I feel a certain sense of responsibility with regards to any rps I decide to create.

 

[Grey]

Sure, go ahead. Just don't be rude lol.

First up, I suggest you read the Demon, Magic and Religion entries here.




Your world might already be built, but it's a good idea to try checking it against this in case you forgot something. I do not get the sense of a complete world from the interest check.






I will take some time to compile a list of questions based on the content of the interest check - like 'how do the demigods impact culture, why are their still kings and queens in a 41st millenium, how is Azaroth denied intervention but able to reproduce with a mortal, where do Dark Wizards come from and are there Light Wizards...'

 

[Captain Gabriel]

First up, I suggest you read the Demon, Magic and Religion entries here.




Your world might already be built, but it's a good idea to try checking it against this in case you forgot something. I do not get the sense of a complete world from the interest check.






I will take some time to compile a list of questions based on the content of the interest check - like 'how do the demigods impact culture, why are their still kings and queens in a 41st millenium, how is Azaroth denied intervention but able to reproduce with a mortal, where do Dark Wizards come from and are there Light Wizards...'

Uhh....did you do it or...?

 

[Grey]

Do what?

 

[Captain Gabriel]

I will take some time to compile a list of questions based on the content of the interest check - like 'how do the demigods impact culture, why are their still kings and queens in a 41st millenium, how is Azaroth denied intervention but able to reproduce with a mortal, where do Dark Wizards come from and are there Light Wizards...'

 

[Grey]

It's only been half an hour. This is going to take a while. 

 

[Captain Gabriel]

It's only been half an hour. This is going to take a while. 

k