Types of role plays and things role players do that annoy you

[Sleipnir]

• I really hate those constant "damsel in distress" characters. Like seriously, can a girl not hold her own in a fight? And then, I end up playing male characters all the time because everyone wants to be a helpless "princess" of some sort.
  

[QUOTE="Inner Power]-Damsels in distress. I can't stress enough how much this grinds my gears. Saving a person once or twice is fine but every single time they breathe, they are in danger. I can't stand it.

[/QUOTE]
This drove me up the wall a bit when I ran into it. Usually I can stay clear of it, but during a group game I was in, a character of mine found himself having to learn to deal with some new abilities he had reluctantly stumbled into having. The girl who was helping him was very competent and I really did like her; they even had some pretty good chances to bond. But when it rolled around to time to proclaim her feelings for him — and it did — he expressed that he was interested but heavily reluctant due to several factors, both character-based and plot-based.


I don't know what happened, but right after that she was in life-threatening situations absolutely constantly — to the point that we could not possibly develop characters or the story without flat-out ignoring her because there was scarcely two posts for her between the end of one problem and the beginning of the next. It ended up killing the game. I assume it was an attempt to force Male Love Interest's hand and get him to admit his feelings or whatever, but there wasn't any outside communication about any of it????


There's one:


Lack of communication. In my experience a strong OOC will give you a strong game. Your players form bonds and you all know what everyone's thinking, subplots develop, it's great. But when people don't ever talk outside the game it feels like there's less motivation to post, you can't really be sure you're on the same page as aleveryone else, and worst of all, it gets difficult to separate characters from players.

 

[Inner Power]

This drove me up the wall a bit when I ran into it. Usually I can stay clear of it, but during a group game I was in, a character of mine found himself having to learn to deal with some new abilities he had reluctantly stumbled into having. The girl who was helping him was very competent and I really did like her; they even had some pretty good chances to bond. But when it rolled around to time to proclaim her feelings for him — and it did — he expressed that he was interested but heavily reluctant due to several factors, both character-based and plot-based.
I don't know what happened, but right after that she was in life-threatening situations absolutely constantly — to the point that we could not possibly develop characters or the story without flat-out ignoring her because there was scarcely two posts for her between the end of one problem and the beginning of the next. It ended up killing the game. I assume it was an attempt to force Male Love Interest's hand and get him to admit his feelings or whatever, but there wasn't any outside communication about any of it????


There's one:


Lack of communication. In my experience a strong OOC will give you a strong game. Your players form bonds and you all know what everyone's thinking, subplots develop, it's great. But when people don't ever talk outside the game it feels like there's less motivation to post, you can't really be sure you're on the same page as aleveryone else, and worst of all, it gets difficult to separate characters from players.

I felt your frustration when reading that. Yeah, that is....I have no words except no just no. You can't force romance, it won't work.


And yes! Communication is the key. If I could I would like your post more than once.

 

[peanutter]

Ya know, I really have no room to talk. I'm a newbie, so I've probably sinned more than I realize. Reading through this has been extremely educational though, and I'm pretty surprised that I haven't done too many of these things. Any of these things I do I will stop doing post-haste. I'll try at least. Old habits die hard.


To get on topic, I might as well talk about something I despise that's really more of a personal problem. So I predominately join Casual RPs, since Detailed ones are rather...intimidating. The problem is that since the posts are shorter and generally have less though put into them, they go by at light speed. 6 posts go up before I'm even done with one, so I have to re-work my post to fit the current situation. By the time I'm done, it's changed again. I'm probably just a slow writer, but I've bumped into this problem a lot, and it really frustrates me.


Another thing that kinda bugs me is when the GM sets up a very rigid plot for the RP. Like, the roleplay is a fickle creature. It goes where it wants. Setting up a general plot is nice, since it keeps things on track. Although, you shouldn't have to mircomanage the RP to get your perfect plot going. Write a book if you want that specific plot. In an RP, one needs to go with the flow. I will concede that a bit of direction is good in an RP, the general 'we'll go here and then maybe here, also here is the overall objective' thing. We just shouldn't have someone trying to enforce the exact actions of the players.


Now, backstories. They make me so mad sometimes. Why do we have them on our character sheets at all? Shouldn't they be kind of...secret? Putting your character's backstory in the character sheet just gives it all away. You could just say your character doesn't like talking about their past, which would make when they reveal it all the more special and exciting. What's with our pre-occupation with the past in RP anyway? Who cares if you character had a tragic past? What really matters is what they do in the RP. Sure, having a backstory plotted out for your character can help explain who they are in the present, but that's still a 'for me to know and you to find out' thing, isn't it?


Overly tragic backstories are a pet peeve of mine as well. I can understand it sometimes, cheese is fun ya know? But, when everyone has dead parents and grew up on the street, there's a problem. The backstory is a writing multi-tool, it's sole purpose is not to have people pity your character. A backstory can be tragic, sure. If it's only tragic to make your character garner sympathy or because you feel almost obligated to make it so, that's a problem. Now honestly, a tragic backstory isn't that bad if they play their character right and there's already diversity in the RP. My biggest problem with it is when the character won't shut up about their horrid past. I just wish more people I've run into could have their characters be quiet about their past. To quote my favorite Gintama episode title "People With Dark Pasts Can't Shut Up".


But uh, that's it. I could probably ramble more but what's the fun in that?

 

[Phantom Thief of Hearts]

To get on topic, I might as well talk about something I despise that's really more of a personal problem. So I predominately join Casual RPs, since Detailed ones are rather...intimidating. The problem is that since the posts are shorter and generally have less though put into them, they go by at light speed. 6 posts go up before I'm even done with one, so I have to re-work my post to fit the current situation. By the time I'm done, it's changed again. I'm probably just a slow writer, but I've bumped into this problem a lot, and it really frustrates me.

You think that's bad... Try a Simple RP...

 

[peanutter]

You think that's bad... Try a Simple RP...

I feel for you buddy. Simple RPs have gotta go by like nothing else. I was in a few RPs that could be comparable to the Simple ones here back in my early days on WCRPG/FF and oh boy. You leave that thing alone for five seconds and the next thing you know 2 characters are dead, 1 is a zombie, and 8 couples hooked up.

 

[DemetrioMachete]

In my own experience Simple RP, particularly on Chatango or MGE, attract all manner of metagamers and mary sues that want the story to revolve around them. And absolutely they do seem to post at lightspeed and leave little room for response.

 

[call me rae]

Ya know, I really have no room to talk. I'm a newbie, so I've probably sinned more than I realize. Reading through this has been extremely educational though, and I'm pretty surprised that I haven't done too many of these things. Any of these things I do I will stop doing post-haste. I'll try at least. Old habits die hard.
To get on topic, I might as well talk about something I despise that's really more of a personal problem. So I predominately join Casual RPs, since Detailed ones are rather...intimidating. The problem is that since the posts are shorter and generally have less though put into them, they go by at light speed. 6 posts go up before I'm even done with one, so I have to re-work my post to fit the current situation. By the time I'm done, it's changed again. I'm probably just a slow writer, but I've bumped into this problem a lot, and it really frustrates me.


Another thing that kinda bugs me is when the GM sets up a very rigid plot for the RP. Like, the roleplay is a fickle creature. It goes where it wants. Setting up a general plot is nice, since it keeps things on track. Although, you shouldn't have to mircomanage the RP to get your perfect plot going. Write a book if you want that specific plot. In an RP, one needs to go with the flow. I will concede that a bit of direction is good in an RP, the general 'we'll go here and then maybe here, also here is the overall objective' thing. We just shouldn't have someone trying to enforce the exact actions of the players.


Now, backstories. They make me so mad sometimes. Why do we have them on our character sheets at all? Shouldn't they be kind of...secret? Putting your character's backstory in the character sheet just gives it all away. You could just say your character doesn't like talking about their past, which would make when they reveal it all the more special and exciting. What's with our pre-occupation with the past in RP anyway? Who cares if you character had a tragic past? What really matters is what they do in the RP. Sure, having a backstory plotted out for your character can help explain who they are in the present, but that's still a 'for me to know and you to find out' thing, isn't it?


Overly tragic backstories are a pet peeve of mine as well. I can understand it sometimes, cheese is fun ya know? But, when everyone has dead parents and grew up on the street, there's a problem. The backstory is a writing multi-tool, it's sole purpose is not to have people pity your character. A backstory can be tragic, sure. If it's only tragic to make your character garner sympathy or because you feel almost obligated to make it so, that's a problem. Now honestly, a tragic backstory isn't that bad if they play their character right and there's already diversity in the RP. My biggest problem with it is when the character won't shut up about their horrid past. I just wish more people I've run into could have their characters be quiet about their past. To quote my favorite Gintama episode title "People With Dark Pasts Can't Shut Up".


But uh, that's it. I could probably ramble more but what's the fun in that?

I hate to be a bearer of bad news but surprisingly a lot of detail roleplays also run into the problem. It's why I don't go groups to be honest. That and I hate drama - but that's a different rant entirely.


But yeah I can't post fast on a account of having a job to pay the bills. So I always look at those people ( in groups or 1x1s ) that are like - must post multiple times in the same day - and I'm like.


Jesus how do you have a life?


As for the backstory in CS issue that's an easy answer. It's so the GM's can assure themselves that your character fits into the story at hand as well as access the amount of effort your putting into your character. That's pretty much why the CS in general exists tbh. It's a tool to determine your over all investment in a roleplay and to make sure that you understand the settings well enough to fit your character into them.


Now that doesn't necessarily explain poor quality control where any CS submitted gets accepted because the GM doesn't read them and wants everyone in the roleplay. That I do have a genuine pet peeve with because I think it's not fair to the people who put work into their characters that some idiot who posts maybe a single typo-ridden sentence in all the sections should get accepted alongside the character they spent a few hours creating for just that roleplay.


But that's again a different issue. Less Character Sheet and more just bad GM management.

 

[Shog]

Ya know, I really have no room to talk. I'm a newbie, so I've probably sinned more than I realize. Reading through this has been extremely educational though, and I'm pretty surprised that I haven't done too many of these things. Any of these things I do I will stop doing post-haste. I'll try at least. Old habits die hard.
To get on topic, I might as well talk about something I despise that's really more of a personal problem. So I predominately join Casual RPs, since Detailed ones are rather...intimidating. The problem is that since the posts are shorter and generally have less though put into them, they go by at light speed. 6 posts go up before I'm even done with one, so I have to re-work my post to fit the current situation. By the time I'm done, it's changed again. I'm probably just a slow writer, but I've bumped into this problem a lot, and it really frustrates me.


Another thing that kinda bugs me is when the GM sets up a very rigid plot for the RP. Like, the roleplay is a fickle creature. It goes where it wants. Setting up a general plot is nice, since it keeps things on track. Although, you shouldn't have to mircomanage the RP to get your perfect plot going. Write a book if you want that specific plot. In an RP, one needs to go with the flow. I will concede that a bit of direction is good in an RP, the general 'we'll go here and then maybe here, also here is the overall objective' thing. We just shouldn't have someone trying to enforce the exact actions of the players.


Now, backstories. They make me so mad sometimes. Why do we have them on our character sheets at all? Shouldn't they be kind of...secret? Putting your character's backstory in the character sheet just gives it all away. You could just say your character doesn't like talking about their past, which would make when they reveal it all the more special and exciting. What's with our pre-occupation with the past in RP anyway? Who cares if you character had a tragic past? What really matters is what they do in the RP. Sure, having a backstory plotted out for your character can help explain who they are in the present, but that's still a 'for me to know and you to find out' thing, isn't it?


Overly tragic backstories are a pet peeve of mine as well. I can understand it sometimes, cheese is fun ya know? But, when everyone has dead parents and grew up on the street, there's a problem. The backstory is a writing multi-tool, it's sole purpose is not to have people pity your character. A backstory can be tragic, sure. If it's only tragic to make your character garner sympathy or because you feel almost obligated to make it so, that's a problem. Now honestly, a tragic backstory isn't that bad if they play their character right and there's already diversity in the RP. My biggest problem with it is when the character won't shut up about their horrid past. I just wish more people I've run into could have their characters be quiet about their past. To quote my favorite Gintama episode title "People With Dark Pasts Can't Shut Up".


But uh, that's it. I could probably ramble more but what's the fun in that?

I agree with most of what you said, but I almost always put a Bio section in my CS's. There are several reasons I do this. The first is that it forces people to put effort into their characters. This way it's not just the same character they've used dozens of times before just in a different situation. It also means they know their character better. Every time I finish a bio I know more about my character and their motivations than before. The final reason is so I know that people truely understand the world they are getting into. For example, a person might say their character grew up in a magic family, but magic has been a dead art for centuries. Just to counter a point you made, why should their backstory be secret? Sure, it definitely should be to characters who have never even heard of yours, but what difference does it make if the role players know? If a character knows something that only a role player does then they are a bad role player and I contemplate kicking them out of the RP.

 

[peanutter]

@Shog


You make many valid points there buddy. Honestly, the backstory thing is just personal preference. I've found that more often than not, putting emphasis on bio makes for a bunch of the same kind of thing. Tragedy! Horror! Death! There are many exceptions to this of course, and lots of people can benefit from a written bio. I'm just not usually one of them. The whole 'secret bio' thing is another personal preference. The bio should always be shared with the GM, just so there isn't some left field plot twist. However, if the players don't know each others' bios, there's a certain aura of...mystery I guess. It also completely eliminates the chance of 'magic bio reading'. Players who do that are prone to do other roleplay sins anyway. Although I get where you're coming from 'with the bio is a weed out tactic' strategy. It must save a lot of time.


Of course, all of my opinions are from the perspective of someone who's seen the same edgy backstory a million times, so I'm a bit biased. /Casual threads why u do dis/

 

[Shog]

@Shog
You make many valid points there buddy. Honestly, the backstory thing is just personal preference. I've found that more often than not, putting emphasis on bio makes for a bunch of the same kind of thing. Tragedy! Horror! Death! There are many exceptions to this of course, and lots of people can benefit from a written bio. I'm just not usually one of them. The whole 'secret bio' thing is another personal preference. The bio should always be shared with the GM, just so there isn't some left field plot twist. However, if the players don't know each others' bios, there's a certain aura of...mystery I guess. It also completely eliminates the chance of 'magic bio reading'. Players who do that are prone to do other roleplay sins anyway. Although I get where you're coming from 'with the bio is a weed out tactic' strategy. It must save a lot of time.


Of course, all of my opinions are from the perspective of someone who's seen the same edgy backstory a million times, so I'm a bit biased. /Casual threads why u do dis/

I completely get where you are comming from. I've been known to deny players who create characters with total edgelord back stories. My first post on this thread a few pages back actually brings up the tragic backstory issue. I also do leave out bios is I am only going to accept 2 or 3 characters.

 

[Woebegone]

Back then, when I host group Rps, I'm one for a 'wholly' info type when it comes to CS submissions. I want a thorough explanation of a character's existence and leave it to PM for the parts of their bios that I can play around along with the corresponding player. I'm the brainstormy type of person that's why. But nowadays, whenever I find myself reluctant in even giving out info about my characters' bios or even their personality. I believe that the former should be kept in secrecy (depends on the nature of the RP) and the latter as something to be discovered other players as the RP progresses. Though, a con that I see about this is that, role players won't be able to know whether your character would be easy to interact with or not.


But I don't want a few paragraphs to describe the entirety of my character, that's what kinda what Character Development is. I shouldn't stick to the descriptions that I left out on a CS to judge how my character would interact and judge his/her actions from the start of the RP till the finish. But idk, that's me. I only exempt this if I'm joining an RP that demands early establishment of these traits and even then, I try not to put it all out, I go for the simplest that I can and if the owner allows me, I put nothing at all.

 

[call me rae]

@peanutter The very existence of the multitude of "edgelord" bios is precisely the reason that people put a biography section in their CS in the first place. Because if you didn't than you wouldn't know that your getting some edgelord/mary sue/OP/etc kind of character until the roleplay has already begun and their is no real way of changing it.


At least with a biography a GM knows what they're getting into. Not to mention you as a roleplayer. Think about it - even if those players with the edgelord characters didn't fill out the biography that wouldn't change the fact that their characters would still be some variation of a special snowflake.


The only difference is that you would have no idea what your dealing with prior to joining the roleplay.


But with a good CS you know when your dealing with well thought out characters and ... we'll say more "tropey" character to avoid offending anyone.


So think of the biography as a way to introduce your character to the other players and prove to the GM that your serious.


And if you see someone use information that they shouldn't know about your character in the roleplay just shoot them a PM saying - I'm sorry but XYZ from the character bio is not public knowledge.


Or if your not comfortable talking to them directly just send a PM to the GM.


Just as long as your polite and don't call anyone out in the OOC than you should be fine.


PS : this is called metagaming - using OOC information or information in the CS in the IC (in character thread) without permission.

 

[peanutter]

@nerdyfangirl


I see your points there, the 'bio as weed out' strategy is one that works rather well I'd imagine.


My main problem is when people put way too much focus on the bio. Like, it's gotta be 2-3 paragraphs or whatnot. It's quite hard to stretch a relatively normal bio out that long.


My other problem is when the GM doesn't really care about whether or not the bio is super edgy. Honestly, I don't have that big of a problem with sad backstories as long as the character is played well and can shut up about it. The trouble comes in when they are played like an edgelord and nobody seems to care. I haven't run into that issue too much though, so I'm not too worked up about it or anything.


Metagaming isn't something I've run into too often either, but it's really annoying when it happens without a good explanation. Heck, it bugs me when it happens in general.


To, uh, explore a new subject though, how about them characters without actual personalities amirite

 

[Sara Sidereal]

people who spell "god-moding" as "god-modding"


the base phrase is "god-mode", not "god-mod", which makes no sense

 

[sakigamis]

people who spell "god-moding" as "god-modding"
the base phrase is "god-mode", not "god-mod", which makes no sense

I've been RPing for like 7 years and didn't know it was based on "god-mode" until just recently. I'd always seen it spelled as godmod/godmodding and assumed the base words were "god" and "modify"--that is, making their character capable of modifying "reality", like a god. I think they're both valid and frankly I prefer godmod, just 'cause it rhymes. -u-

 

[Sleipnir]

I've seen it both ways. Saying it's one way and not the other is like saying it's "grey," not "gray," if you ask me.

 

[Trust]

People who type without tenses (future, past and present):


"He run and throw his knife at the enemy

 

[Rawrasaur]

In the past, in several chat room RPs, I have seen so many cases of mixing IC with OOC. Like, the bad kind. Girls and Guys asking for pics, and other things that I would rather not talk about. It's so sad how people don't have lives. Roleplaying is not dating. God.

 

[call me rae]

In the past, in several chat room RPs, I have seen so many cases of mixing IC with OOC. Like, the bad kind. Girls and Guys asking for pics, and other things that I would rather not talk about. It's so sad how people don't have lives. Roleplaying is not dating. God.

I alway chuckle that they misconstrued what kind of roleplays going was going on.


I also avoid anyone that acts like their character is themselves.


Even without romance or grossness it leads to people being over sensitive.

 

[Bromo Getrektus]

I don't know if it counts as role play, but I strongly dislike when people post their personal problems OOC constantly, or make unnecessary comments about their real life. While its fine to talk about personal issues to friends, posting it to strangers in a role play thread isn't the most responsible thing to do.


Then there's a genre that I don't understand, usually having to do with gender. When people create hermaphrodites in modern/realistic role plays, or have oddities such as an intuition similar to telepathy.


Basically, any time someone chooses to make a character rarely used in the forum/genre. Again, I've seen people play robots in high school RPs, and "snake people" in futuristic threads.

 

[Seikomatsumoto]

Hmm.....Let's see...


Well, the common sudden falling in love cliché is a bit annoying to me. Love does not come around like the sunrise and not as fast.


It's also annoying if everyone is a taciturn as I am the Dandere here. I'm fine with 2 or 3 but it's an issue beyond 5 as it makes the rp bland.

 

[Sara Sidereal]

apparently god-modding refers to writing the results of your own actions (usually when they involve other player characters) whereas god-moding refers to writing your character into invincibility in general

 

[Dark Half]

The two types of roleplayers I tend to dislike are those that use the true epiphany of a Mary Sue character and the ones that just rip off an anime character (Like a Naruto 2.0). I do not find these roleplayers to be creative in a sense that creating perfection or originating an idea off already known idea doesn't take much creativity to begin with and tends to ruin the fun in roleplay, especially when these types of roleplayers inherit a dislike towards anyone that might steal the spotlight from them.


This, of course, is just my opinion.


As for two types of roleplays, out of my own personal taste I am not a fan of originating a roleplay idea off an already known universe like Naruto or Bleach for example. The other form of roleplay I tend to dislike are those that involve playing House...basically just sitting around and conversing as you would in normal everyday life.


It's not to say there's anything wrong with these two roleplays. I just don't like them out of personal taste.

 

[Ammokkx]

I'd say 'Any badly written roleplay' but I've already made a similar joke.


As for what players do... Public shipping. I'm not a fan of shipping in general, but putting it out for all to see is worse. I feel that it's a rather forced way to get two characters to love each other, as it influences your actions to see those two actually together. I mean, it's fine if both parties agree to the ship, aint nothing wrong with that. But I feel those two then never got to love each other naturally, it's more of a forced scenario the writers put themselves in. I'm a much bigger fan of just RPing it out and discover later down the line one character's got feelings from another. Tends to have more of an impact for me and comes across as a lot cuter compared to 'X character would be great to be paired up with Y character!' and then it actually happens.


For 1x1, disregard the above. Some people want to RP romance, so I'm not going to judge when that happens in a 1x1. It's more just in group roleplays where it irks me.

 

[Trust]

[QUOTE="Dark Half]The two types of roleplayers I tend to dislike are those that use the true epiphany of a Mary Sue character and the ones that just rip off an anime character (Like a Naruto 2.0). I do not find these roleplayers to be creative in a sense that creating perfection or originating an idea off already known idea doesn't take much creativity to begin with and tends to ruin the fun in roleplay, especially when these types of roleplayers inherit a dislike towards anyone that might steal the spotlight from them.
This, of course, is just my opinion.


As for two types of roleplays, out of my own personal taste I am not a fan of originating a roleplay idea off an already known universe like Naruto or Bleach for example. The other form of roleplay I tend to dislike are those that involve playing House...basically just sitting around and conversing as you would in normal everyday life.


It's not to say there's anything wrong with these two roleplays. I just don't like them out of personal taste.

[/QUOTE]
Awwh... But canon characters are so cool! I tend to just make small changes so they aren't as op though, 'cause seriously, almost every anime character is OP if they are a main character xD