RP and this server.

[mercturq]

It feels like RP on this server (and on this game, I should say) is simply plagued with people who are new to RP. I know that opening line makes me sound like an elitist, but I am not; believe me. There is a difference between an elitist who throws a fit when everything isn't top tier standards and a normal veteran RP'er who is tired of RP'ing with people, day in and day out, who don't even know the basic foundation of RP.

 

Now, one may say "Why not teach them, help them become better." Which is easier said than done when it is practically the entire server. There are some RP vets still out there like myself, but I have a strong feeling that most of them simply abandoned ship at the influx of the new players and over-all increase of newbies to RP.

 

So basically, the purpose of this post is that I wanted someone to prove me wrong and show me proof that there is still good RP to be had with people who understand that RP is not a single player game where your character is the focus point of the entire world. Or know the VERY basic terms of RP like what a "Mary Sue" is.

 

Is there a place for my veteran RP characters, or should I simply move on from SWTOR for my RP needs?

[Skinnychalk]

I don't even elitest RP LOL? dafuk lmfao how is that even possible Edited August 26, 2013 by Skinnychalk

[Khalhazar]

Elitism is very possible re: RP. It's one of the bad extremes to which RP, as with anything else, can be taken.

 

OP, I'd like to direct you to www.begerencolony.org, which has a significant RP community, many RP guilds, and even guides to introductory RP. You'll find two threads in this very forum advertising events that were spawned in the community.

[mercturq]

Elitism is very possible re: RP. It's one of the bad extremes to which RP, as with anything else, can be taken.

 

OP, I'd like to direct you to www.begerencolony.org, which has a significant RP community, many RP guilds, and even guides to introductory RP. You'll find two threads in this very forum advertising events that were spawned in the community.

 

I tried two guilds from begerencolony.org and in both, there was a 3 or 4:1 ratio of the newbie RP'er who doesn't even know the foundation of RP basics (like what God Modding is) and veteran RP'ers. I kind of have that whole "Fool me once, shame on you" thing going since I tried 2 different guilds.

 

Was I just having bad luck in both of those guilds?

 

*Special Note: Some may say that if I join a guild, I should help teach those new RP'ers and show them the ropes. But if this is a well established guild, then others should have taught them way before me, not like 4:1 odds... that tells me that it really is left all up to me to teach the entire guild how to RP properly.. and I am not looking to be a professor.

[branmakmuffin]

So basically, the purpose of this post is that I wanted someone to prove me wrong and show me proof that there is still good RP to be had with people who understand that RP is not a single player game where your character is the focus point of the entire world. Or know the VERY basic terms of RP like what a "Mary Sue" is.

You got me on what a "Mary Sue" is. Being a good RPer has nothing to do with knowing the definition of obscure slang.

 

Is there a place for my veteran RP characters, or should I simply move on from SWTOR for my RP needs?

Not sure what you mean by a "veteran RP character." Players RP, not characters.

[Devinia-Hex]

I think it's true that you will have a lot of newbie rp'es however the few veterans are probably taking what they can get with the hopes of teaching the newer folks the basics and letting them improve. Most times just telling someone the basics will help them a lot. However most will just let someone keep making mistakes and not tell them.

 

 

I came from Catskills Ultima Online probably the greatest RP community in any game I've ever played no other game has really lived up to that and doubt ever will.

 

Some of the things I see that are a little annoying are when people emote a thought or action and what they're saying in one emote.

 

This should not happen and is an rp foul. You emote your action and say what your going to say. This is pretty common rp basics and the cantina is filled with people breaking this all the time. Also rp is not done through tells you speak to the person. If you do these things have a l little imagination you should be fine.

Edited August 26, 2013 by Devinia-Hex

[Radzkie]

You got me on what a "Mary Sue" is. Being a good RPer has nothing to do with knowing the definition of obscure slang.

 

It isn't obscure slang. It's pretty basic. Any regular RPer should know the term.

 

A Mary Sue (sometimes just Sue), in fanfiction, is a fictional character with overly idealized and hackneyed mannerisms, lacking noteworthy flaws, and primarily functioning as a wish-fulfillment fantasy for the author or reader. Perhaps the single underlying feature of all characters described as "Mary Sues" is that they are too ostentatious for the audience's taste, or that the author seems to favor the character too highly. The author may seem to push how exceptional and wonderful the "Mary Sue" character is on his or her audience, sometimes leading the audience to dislike or even resent the character fairly quickly; such a character could be described as an "author's pet".

 

While the label "Mary Sue" itself originates from a parody of this type of character, most characters labeled "Mary Sues" by readers are not intended by authors as such. Male Mary Sues are often dubbed "Gary Stu", "Larry Stu", "Marty Stu", or similar names.

 

While the term is generally limited to fan-created characters, and its most common usage today occurs within the fan fiction community or in reference to fan fiction, original characters in role-playing games or literary canon are also sometimes criticized as being "Mary Sues" or "canon Sues," if they dominate the spotlight or are too unrealistic or unlikely in other ways. One example of this criticism is Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue

http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Mary-Sue

 

To the OP: I suggest sticking to forum RP. I know some active SW and ST forums. PM me if you want links.

Edited August 26, 2013 by Radzkie

[Reynaga]

so I found this REALLY interesting site for anyone who thinks they might be a Mary Sue, or a Marty Stu as it were ><

 

http://www.springhole.net/writing/marysue.htm

 

 

I scored a 21, borderline for their criteria but I think I am well in line. I would have scored an 11 but I have something ongoing with all of my main characters that raised it 10 points.

 

-0-16 Points

Most likely Not-Sue. Characters at this level could probably take a little spicing up without hurting them any.

 

17-21

Fanfiction characters can go either way at this point depending on the writer. For an MMO/RPG or original fiction character, however, you're most likely perfectly fine.

 

22-29

Original fiction and MMO/RPG characters can go either way at this point depending on the writer. Fanfiction characters may need some adjustment, however.

 

30-35

Fanfiction authors beware - it's more likely than not that you have a Mary Sue on your hands. Role-players and original fiction writers, you should also consider tweaking your character.

 

36+

Fanfiction authors, you may just want to start over. Role-players and original fiction authors, at this point your characters are likely to provoke eye-rolling and exclaimations of "yeah, right!" from your readers. Immediate workover is probably in order.

 

50+

It's probably a lost cause either way, or you didn't read instructions properly (some people don't do this, which causes freakishly high scores). If it's the latter case, read the instructions and take the test again.

Edited August 26, 2013 by Reynaga

[Celacia]

I came from Catskills Ultima Online probably the greatest RP community in any game I've ever played no other game has really lived up to that and doubt ever will.

 

Some of the things I see that are a little annoying are when people emote a thought or action and what they're saying in one emote.

 

This should not happen and is an rp foul. You emote your action and say what your going to say. This is pretty common rp basics and the cantina is filled with people breaking this all the time. Also rp is not done through tells you speak to the person. If you do these things have a l little imagination you should be fine.

This comes across as:

"Look at how much better and more qualified I am than you all! Because I am better and more qualified than you, I get to dictate the rules to you! If you don't do things the way we did them at awesome-community-x you are ovbs doing it wrong and you suck."

 

Which... really doesn't help anything. It's just a style issue. If you want to complain about people emoting their thoughts as if everyone around them could read their minds? I could see that. But people do things and talk at the same time all the time. It's silly to fault people for rping such.

[Raazmir]

The term mary sue has become misused to the point as to be basically meaningless anymore. Everyone has their own idea of what makes a sue/stu.

[Khalhazar]

The term mary sue has become misused to the point as to be basically meaningless anymore. Everyone has their own idea of what makes a sue/stu.

 

A Mary Sue is anyone who disagrees with me. I thought everybody knew that?

[Radzkie]

The term mary sue has become misused to the point as to be basically meaningless anymore.

 

I wouldn't use the word "misused" exactly... more like it had a semantic change. It evolved. It is not meaningless since it has a general connotation connected to it.

 

Everyone has their own idea of what makes a sue/stu.

 

Of course people have different opinions on what exactly makes one.

Edited August 26, 2013 by Radzkie

[ZooMzy]

To me personally, a Mary Sue/Stu in the RPG category of things is a character created by a player to reflect the exact thing that they want in an alternate universe: perfection. Like the test Gargauth posted, a lot of the questions are centered around the notion of "is your character like __ because you wish you could be/do ___?"

 

So in reality, the term Mary Sue is a negative not because of the actual character, but because of the player's motives. In my opinion, I think it's perfectly fine if someone wants to create a character in the SW universe that is capable of destroying the entire universe just by sneezing as long as they understand:

 

1) You have to have a pretty damn good explanation as to how the character can do it lol.

 

But more importantly,

 

2) This doesn't cover everything. Just because you have unlimited power, IE, doesn't mean you also have unlimited knowledge. I personally don't believe every character needs to have a weakness either, but there definitely has to be some area involving your character's concept where someone is going to be "better" than you. The defining traits of a Mary Sue are the player's motives in regards to being perfect and unbeatable, so as long as players who play characters that are super powerful understand that something can defeat their power in some form, then they are not Mary Sues imo.

 

To me, power and pride within your character to make them have a list of feats that are amazing is entirely different from the concept of Mary Sue, which I feel was a term that was coined to reflect the negative result of trying to connect an author/player's vision of perfection into a character. Many people believe characters having powers above the majority immediately equals a Sue/Stu.

 

Which is not true. Sues, at least imo, are defined by player motives, not what the actual character is capable of. If you see someone playing a super powerful character, then look more as to the reason why they are playing it. Is it because they simply want to try to be perfect and the center of attention? Or is it because they understand that the powerful characters shape the course of the RP just as much as the "average joes" and have pride in their accomplishments?

[Reynaga]

Something else to think of is: are the attributes of this character out of line with the IP?

 

If someone says they have telepathy as a force user, they can (although what most people think of telepathy doesn't always fit. Most force users were able to glean emotions or images, this is known as force empathy and this is only the most basic form). Hell even flying is possible with the force and has been documented.

 

That being said, saying that your character can...I don't know...turn into a werewolf, when there are no such things as werewolves in the IP, that is where it gets dumb (though I don't see why they couldn't turn into rakghouls as one of the agents companions can do so at will).

 

Best at everything? yeah those people are just silly. Yoda was bested by Sidious who was bested by Darth Vader who was emotionally compromised by his son who he bested on Bespin. No matter how powerful someone thinks they are, they make mistakes and are prone to being out played by someone else.

 

I think what this boils down to is that the rules be set when people start. If a community has already accepted that Jedi U'mpty-squat has the ability to create matter from nothing, then that was their choice. Joining a community that allowed that is your CHOICE.

 

Ultimately what people need to do is communicate, not be sarcastic or demanding. We all play, some of us roleplay outloud, others do so quietly or personally, but in no way is it a communities responsibility to change the way they do things because of one person or because, "Back in X community we did it like this.", if you like the way they did it somewhere else, go there. Your choice.

[Luckeyduckey]

Welcome to SWTOR.

[LaniAkavir]

so I found this REALLY interesting site for anyone who thinks they might be a Mary Sue, or a Marty Stu as it were ><

 

http://www.springhole.net/writing/marysue.htm

 

 

I scored a 21, borderline for their criteria but I think I am well in line. I would have scored an 11 but I have something ongoing with all of my main characters that raised it 10 points.

 

-0-16 Points

Most likely Not-Sue. Characters at this level could probably take a little spicing up without hurting them any.

 

17-21

Fanfiction characters can go either way at this point depending on the writer. For an MMO/RPG or original fiction character, however, you're most likely perfectly fine.

 

22-29

Original fiction and MMO/RPG characters can go either way at this point depending on the writer. Fanfiction characters may need some adjustment, however.

 

30-35

Fanfiction authors beware - it's more likely than not that you have a Mary Sue on your hands. Role-players and original fiction writers, you should also consider tweaking your character.

 

36+

Fanfiction authors, you may just want to start over. Role-players and original fiction authors, at this point your characters are likely to provoke eye-rolling and exclaimations of "yeah, right!" from your readers. Immediate workover is probably in order.

 

50+

It's probably a lost cause either way, or you didn't read instructions properly (some people don't do this, which causes freakishly high scores). If it's the latter case, read the instructions and take the test again.

 

I couldn't check most of those options offered except the ones in the end, since Kenji looks like a zombie, resulting in 4 pts total.

 

Need more lackluster OCs (:

Edited August 27, 2013 by LaniAkavir

[Ailie]

so I found this REALLY interesting site for anyone who thinks they might be a Mary Sue, or a Marty Stu as it were ><

 

http://www.springhole.net/writing/marysue.htm

 

 

This is brilliant.

 

We had similar issues on Gav Daragon before the APAC merge, it was hard to get RP going due to the masses of people who seemed to hate RP and RPers (yet play on an RP server ) and those guilds that did RP tried to dominate everything and have it their way, which put a lot of people off. I find now that RP has gone more enclosed or niche, with small groups or guilds just RPing within themselves.

[bsbrad]

Too many closet RPers. You will need to get them out of the closet. In all seriousness I know a lot of people joined the RP servers, like myself to get away from all the kiddies spewing venom at each other. On this server it is mainly just the PVPers yanking each others chains

[Ailie]

True, a few of our more keen RPers have been overjoyed at just randomly RPing with strangers, it's made a pleasant change for them

[ZooMzy]

I've also found that it's hard to RP with certain types of characters in given situations. Since a good appeal to RPing in the TOR universe is being a Sith/Jedi, it's kind of hard to find real actual places to RP since Sith Lords and Jedi Knights/Masters don't really go to cantinas, which makes up a good majority of those random RP sessions with strangers.

 

It's also kind of hard to develop a niche within the RP community too, as some RP guilds don't really match up with others. IE, I feel as if a lot of the good RP guilds are centered around like Smuggler coalitions and mostly trade type companies/organizations, and a guild centered around a group of defected Imperials following in the footsteps of the Dread Masters doesn't really have any lasting way of making a connection with guilds like that.

 

So some of it really is closet RPers, but I think a good majority of the problem with the server RP is that a lot of people are having trouble actually finding a good place and set of people that can at least mix with their style of RP.

[LaniAkavir]

I've also found that it's hard to RP with certain types of characters in given situations. Since a good appeal to RPing in the TOR universe is being a Sith/Jedi, it's kind of hard to find real actual places to RP since Sith Lords and Jedi Knights/Masters don't really go to cantinas, which makes up a good majority of those random RP sessions with strangers.

 

It's also kind of hard to develop a niche within the RP community too, as some RP guilds don't really match up with others. IE, I feel as if a lot of the good RP guilds are centered around like Smuggler coalitions and mostly trade type companies/organizations, and a guild centered around a group of defected Imperials following in the footsteps of the Dread Masters doesn't really have any lasting way of making a connection with guilds like that.

 

So some of it really is closet RPers, but I think a good majority of the problem with the server RP is that a lot of people are having trouble actually finding a good place and set of people that can at least mix with their style of RP.

 

You also have to take into account of those players who are more interested in the non-force users in Star Wars universe, not everything's about them Sith and Jedi d:

 

I remember RP'ing with a mercenary on the Jawa balloon in a RP/PvP server before transfer, it was scary but intriguing at the same time.

[Mike_Hawke]

so I found this REALLY interesting site for anyone who thinks they might be a Mary Sue, or a Marty Stu as it were ><

 

http://www.springhole.net/writing/marysue.htm

 

 

I scored a 21, borderline for their criteria but I think I am well in line. I would have scored an 11 but I have something ongoing with all of my main characters that raised it 10 points.

 

-0-16 Points

Most likely Not-Sue. Characters at this level could probably take a little spicing up without hurting them any.

 

17-21

Fanfiction characters can go either way at this point depending on the writer. For an MMO/RPG or original fiction character, however, you're most likely perfectly fine.

 

22-29

Original fiction and MMO/RPG characters can go either way at this point depending on the writer. Fanfiction characters may need some adjustment, however.

 

30-35

Fanfiction authors beware - it's more likely than not that you have a Mary Sue on your hands. Role-players and original fiction writers, you should also consider tweaking your character.

 

36+

Fanfiction authors, you may just want to start over. Role-players and original fiction authors, at this point your characters are likely to provoke eye-rolling and exclaimations of "yeah, right!" from your readers. Immediate workover is probably in order.

 

50+

It's probably a lost cause either way, or you didn't read instructions properly (some people don't do this, which causes freakishly high scores). If it's the latter case, read the instructions and take the test again.

 

Holy Crap dude ... get outside & get some sun

[ZooMzy]

You also have to take into account of those players who are more interested in the non-force users in Star Wars universe, not everything's about them Sith and Jedi d:

 

Right, but it seems like there aren't any players that want to RP as Sith or Jedi, let alone some. :/

 

Aside from those players that don't really understand the difference between IC or OOC and try to RP as if they are simply putting their real life personalities into the TOR era and trying to act as if there really is a "Darth Steve" or something. (You know, the guys that will say things like "dude", "bro", etc. when they're RPing and IC)

Edited September 10, 2013 by ZooMzy

[LaniAkavir]

Right, but it seems like there aren't any players that want to RP as Sith or Jedi, let alone some. :/

 

Aside from those players that don't really understand the difference between IC or OOC and try to RP as if they are simply putting their real life personalities into the TOR era and trying to act as if there really is a "Darth Steve" or something. (You know, the guys that will say things like "dude", "bro", etc. when they're RPing and IC)

 

Can't really blame them, RP as a Sith or Jedi is quite challenging, contrary to what most would believe. I personally lack the interest or the understanding required to RP as any of the force-users.

 

And you have a point, what made it even harder is the fact that some don't grasp the concept of IC and OOC.

Edited September 10, 2013 by LaniAkavir

[ZooMzy]

Can't really blame them, RP as a Sith or Jedi is quite challenging, contrary to what most would believe. I personally lack the interest or the understanding required to RP as any of the force-users.

 

And you have a point, what made it even harder is the fact that some don't grasp the concept of IC and OOC.

 

It is, for sure, as they are designed to be a little gmodded in comparison to the non Force user type characters. Idk, I feel as if it would be a lot easier as long as you have RPers that hold respect towards other characters as the main priority.

 

I guess it's just a thing where the people that do need to set the right example, or find the right group of people.