Possibly Permanent Hiatus

This may seem hard to believe, but i've pretty much lost interest in the whole shebang. Too burned out or whatever. Screw it. There's a dude filming a lets play over this way, he's more interesting to me than playing, running, or going on about old bullshit.

I have way too much personal drama to want to add fake drama.

Why Haven't there Been any New Posts?

....because Ghostie is currently running the entire Mage Venue for Sinful Illusions singlehandedly. I don't have time, or energy to come up with new material here.. and I'm running out of both for the venue as well. So if there's anyone out there interested in helping me run this game, please pop in and apply.

 Sinful Illusions

Manipulative Characters

So, here's a few fun facts i've learned over the years.

*Social Manipulation of your character tends to instill resentment.

*Magical Manipulation of your character tends to do the same to a greater degree.

*Playing Manipulative characters, no matter how high your charisma is, IC or OOC, is still going to get you resented. So if you're going to play characters like this, it's a fact you're going to have to accept and deal with.

*Playing With Manipulative characters is going to result in an occasional lack of clarity in both parties. Regardless of the player's intents in a scene.

Dealing with all this is a headache for everyone if it travels into OOC territory. So, if you play, or play with these characters, these are the rules.

*Keep IC IC at all times, and always have an in character reason for your actions that is proportionate to the offense. That way crazy threats are not made over small issues, and crazy reactions are not present for small manipulations, and no one can be accused of metagaming.

*This does not mean that things will always go as planned, quite the contrary. You push someone and they will still react to defend themselves against a percieved threat. Please keep the size of the percieved threat somewhere near where the actual threat was, and make threats somewhere near the right size in proportion to the offense. Every character will react differently according to their background, just Try.

*If you suspect OOC problems are the root cause, step out of your character's headspace and back off. If you can't back off, or they persue you, get a ST.

These rules remove 70% of the problems involved in this dynamic, and the other 30% tends to get escalated.

Playing in Realtime

Let me just for a moment stop and explain why playing/growing your character in realtime is not as good an idea as it seems. While it allows for greater depth of play and social interaction, there is one thing it doesn't take into the equation. You, your narrator, and your fellow gamers all have this thing called a real life. It's a very demanding thing, and you need to do what you can to take care of it and make sure it comes first.

Playing in realtime tends to make for more requirements and detail required to get things done, things that are frequently brushed aside by things and people existing in our mundane lives. Those things are more important than the game, and it makes for a very frustrating time when forces beyond your control make completing and fufilling all those requirements and detail nigh impossible to maintain. Thus such games are frequently and unavoidably delayed, cut short, and generally pushed around. Leading to frustration on all fronts.

On the flipside if you separate gametime from realtime, then events in the game are no longer at the whim of the fates, and instead come back under control of the narrator and players. Most game books allocate experience by session, these sessions can last anywhere from a few hours, to a few months in gametime (regardless of how long they took in realtime) and usually allow the players a certain amount of experience depending on what happened and how well it was played. Flexible to narrator option.

The online environment doesn't lend itself well to regular sessions people always show up for and don't play outside of, so I'd go with a compromise. Players control the timeframe outside of the regular sessions, and Narrator controls the timeframe in larger sections. Tell your players you have so much in-game time before the scene, and what you need from them before it happens, and then let them do their own thing before the Scene. That way they can play what scenes they want over messenger, and when it comes down to brass tacks for the scene they've been forewarned what they need to have ready.

If they don't have it, that's player failure. If the ST didn't warn them, that's Narrator failure. Simple, and allows everyone to manage things as they are able.

The OTHER problem with playing/growing your character in realtime is that players generally want to buy up stats faster than they could realistically achieve them, and storylines may even require it. Therefore realtime-gaming actually limits the pace of the plot, and how fast things can progress, which is just made worse by delays caused by real life. Nobody wants to wait around the time it should actually take to learn all that stuff, and players don't want to have their characters put in a ton of effort and not get stats for it, or be allowed to progress because enough real-time hasn't passed to allow it. If gametime is flexible, this problem dissappears.

Roleplay as Therapy.

If you're any kind of hard-core gamer you know how much of a bad idea doing this is. But the fact remains that people still do this outside of a professional psychologist's domain. So I'm going to make this blatantly clear how bad of an idea this is, and if you have someone who just isn't getting it, direct them here.

An open letter to Anyone attempting to use Game-focused Role-play as Personal Therapy,

First I must say this. I know you have problems. Everyone has problems. Even I have problems. Some people have worse problems than others. It's not me being wishy washy about it, it's the bare facts.

No one's life is perfect, so I don't expect yours to be either. It's not unreasonable to want to work through your problems. It's not unreasonable to see role-play as a good sandbox to do so, and with a licensed psychologist or experienced counselor it's a perfectly valid and effective way to work through your problems.

However, your friends, your family, your role-play buddies are not licensed Psychologists or professional counselors. And even if that's their day job, they still aren't getting paid to help you work through your problems. They get no benefit whatsoever to being used for this purpose. What they get is extra confusion, and frustration, and lots of extra Work. Helping anyone out through role-play is a whole lot of headache.

Trying to use your role-play buddies as psychological therapy is not only unfair to them, it's unfair to you. It means you're not getting the help you actually need, and you're putting your mental well-being in the hands of people who may or may not have any idea what they're doing, or any drive to keep doing it when it becomes more stress than they can handle.

What's more, because your role-play buddies are not professionals, and certainly aren't getting anything out of the deal, they're even more likely to do or say something completely wrong, and actually make you backslide severely. Using them for this purpose is setting yourself up for failure.

If you need help, by all means Seek Help, but for your sanity's sake, and the sake of your friend's sanity, don't look at them for the answers to all your problems. They don't have them. There are two books I highly recommend called Control Theory, and Choice Theory. They can help you if you're determined not to seek professional assistance.

Best Wishes,
CowboyGhostie

Facebook Think Tank

By the way, there is a Discussion Group now on Facebook.

Accusations of Favoritism

I mean if you’ve been around the block you’ve stumbled across these dreaded situations, and seen the accusations fly, hell maybe you’ve even been the one throwing or receiving this dreaded and dire cry of “Favoritism!” It’s a stumbling block, an unexpected pit, a trap expertly laid, and when it does happen it can be DEADLY not only to the narrator’s job, but to the game itself, and everyone’s fun in general. All poetry aside, what is Favoritism?

fa·vor·it·ism - A display of partiality toward a favored person or group,often to the exclusion or detriment of others.

Seems pretty simple. I mean, what Narrator in their right mind would get into the situation where they would even HEAR this word? You wouldn't do that, I wouldn't do that, favoritism is just plain bad news! Right? Right! ...and yet I've managed to do it completely without realizing or meaning to at all. Obviously Intentional Favoritism is the hallmark of a Bad Narrator.. but the million dollar question that will make or break a game is ‘Are they really doing this on purpose?’

Are they? Really? Have you talked to them directly? Conclusions you came to on your own? Theories? Something off-color someone said? Other players bitching? The Narrator’s friends have anything at all good happen for their characters? Something bad happened to your character? NPC told someone off? Getting frustrated with the storyline? ...okay okay just STOP. Hold it right there and Breathe before you start frothing at the mouth. You keep running down that track and EVERY Narrator on earth is going to be labeled a Bad one because the least little thing went wrong. Remember that Storytellers are human too, and yes, even a Good Narrator can screw up, there’s even the possibility that the perceived issue is not the way it seems, or it’s just being blown all out of proportion in a snowball effect.

Don’t let it ruin your game. Try to have a little faith in this fact as a player, and a good Narrator will reward you with a great story, have no faith in this fact, and you’re likely to get a frustrated Narrator along with frustrated players, and that’s just a recipe for disaster.

Most things that a player perceives as Favoritism are Unintentional. Good Narrators do not start out with the intention of telling a story ‘for’ and giving ‘the best of the best’ to a specific group of players and no one else. It just does not happen that way. Good ones set out to tell a story, a story for whomever can fill the roles necessary to complete it, and try to entertain themselves and their players along the way. This is what makes a good game.

Lets take a look at what Favoritism is in game terms, we’ll take the Narrator perspective first...

1. Hurting or causing trouble for specific characters for any reason other than Plot.

Causing trouble or harm for characters is a great way to cause character and player development, but doing so for reasons other than plot or player request breeds feelings of resentment among the players. So if you want your players to Resent You, cause trouble for them that has nothing to do with the plot, their wishes, or their actions.

If you don’t want this to happen, simply double-check the reason bad things are happening in your game. If it isn’t the direct result of character screw up (and in direct proportion to the screw up if it is), because the player wants it, or because the overall plot says it should happen, then Don’t Do It.

2. Rewarding a group of characters/players for any reason other than Effort.

Rewarding a player’s character is a way that some people resort to when trying to placate angry players. It’s also a way to get Plot Devices in players hands that can move the story along. But this kind of decision is actually a trap. You reward one character with no apparent effort, then other players are going to expect the same thing, and/or get jealous of the first player when it happens. You’ve simply solved one problem by creating another.

If you want to avoid this trap, simply double-check the reason good things are happening in your game. If it isn’t the direct result of character effort or plot design, then Don’t Do It. Make them earn rewards, and balance plot devices with drawbacks, that way there’s no accusation that can stick.

3. Designing the storyline or NPCs with the simple intention of punishing players.

When you’re designing a game, most Narrators take into account their players strengths and weaknesses. This is all well and good, especially when it leads to character growth, however there does occasionally arise a situation where a Narrator designs a plot with the basic intention of punishing a player for out of character reasons. This is hands down an abuse of power.

Out of Character issues are to be solved Out of Character, and taking these issues and making them the focus or sub-focus of the game not only breaks the trust of the entire group, but it makes you a Tyrant and a Bully and you will Lose your group. So no matter how tempting it may be, do not (under ANY circumstances) take Out of Character Issues into your game design.

4. Consistently ignoring the requests of a specific player or group for ANY reason.

When running a game, especially a large game, Narrators get a lot of requests for a lot of different things, naturally some requests are going to fall by the wayside. However there are times that the Storyteller is frustrated with a particular player for any of a variety of reasons and they delay, overlook, or just plain shove aside that player’s needs and wants. Aside from the obvious issue that it’s shirking Narrator responsibility, it has a more subtle effect on the player base.

In short it frustrates that player, that frustration spills over onto the other players, the other players get frustrated, that spills over onto more players, and so on and so forth. Suddenly the least little thing is causing a disproportionate amount of backlash. It’s a simple chain reaction of human nature and it can only be avoided by not doing the above. Remember that every player (even the one you don’t like) is present because they want to have a good game. Give them an HONEST opportunity to have a good game, and any subsequent frustration on their part is not your fault.

5. Denying players the opportunity to affect the plot and situations therein.

There are times where a Narrator will offer the opportunity to advance the plot to certain players, or deny others the opportunity to change the outcome. Usually because they believe that one player is capable of solving a particular plot point while the other is not. A Narrator naturally wants to give the opportunities of choice to the players they trust. The problem comes in where this kind of tactic not only frustrates and starts the chain reaction all over again, but denies these Others the opportunity to grow as players.

It’s a tough problem, and the answer is striking a balance of keeping the main plot moving forward while still allowing everyone an equal opportunity to affect and change the outcome of a particular situation. There will always be stars of a particular show, or a particular episode, but don’t shove on regardless of everything they do or give them nothing that they can do. While there may be stars, that doesn't mean everyone else is the audience. Everyone likes to at least be Able to help, even if they don’t actually do it.

Now what are players doing that make the situation worse? Here’s some of the most common...

1. Failing to respect the Narrator’s Decisions on the Rules

This one is more on the subject of perceived Favoritism. The fact is that when players come across a situation in the game they disagree with the Narrator (be it who got hurt the worst, or who won the most toys) they will argue their points. A certain amount of this is understandable, we’re not always going to agree, and not everything will come off as fair, but there is a point where the Narrator has to make a decision for the sake of continuing the game.

When game continuation is in jeopardy, failing to respect the Narrator’s decision and raising a fuss about the fairness of it all where the other players can hear it and see it, regardless of what the issue is, only involves everyone, makes things worse, and may well grind the entire game to a halt.

Rather than making an immediate public fuss about it, discuss it with the Narrator at a later point (or at least Privately.) The Narrator is the person in control of the setting, the person you should be trusting to give you a good game. If you cannot come to an understanding one of you isn’t trying. Thus continuing the argument is pointless anyways and the best thing you can do as a player can do is drop it, move on, and try harder to earn whatever you wanted next time. Without the Narrator you do not have a game, and as long as you have them there will always be a next time.

2. Forgetting why the Narrator is There.

On a similar subject, these accusations can crop up when one person gets to do something another player does not agree with and the two of them get into an argument. It may be a perfectly justified decision on the part of the Narrator but it doesn’t seem to matter. What every player needs to remember is that the Narrator is not there to be your mommy or your babysitter and mediate disputes IC or OOC. The Narrator is only there to give you a good story. You have to trust them to do this.

At the end of the day the game is just a game and all toys and goodies you or anyone else receives in it are not real. Your argument with Jimmy about whether Jessie the Just is being played correctly, or whether Terry the Thief can actually have blue hair or not are not things the Narrator is supposed to actively Mediate between players. If arguments between players become disruptive enough, the Narrator may make an informed ruling, and everyone goes by it. End of Story.

Players arguing about what is and is not allowed and trying to get the Narrator to act on their opinions after they have already made a ruling on the subject is not only causing unnecessary issues, but it’s trying to convince the Narrator to give you the power to decide what goes and doesn’t go in their game. This is not ‘Okay’ as They are the ones with the final say on what is allowed in the game. It is not up to players to change what is allowed in the game.

3. Falling into a Commiseration Spiral

When players are upset with their Narrator they sometimes talk to one another and voice their frustrations. The second person responds, and voices their own frustrations. Issues become increasingly exaggerated, theories are explained, motives decided on, all without the participation or knowledge of the narrator. These theories are then taken to other players and suddenly there is a big mess that could have been avoided. What happened is two frustrated players aggravated an issue and involved more people than necessary. It could have been solved by the aggrieved parties taking it to the Narrator and discussing their frustrations in calm rational methods.

Players should remember when ‘just blowing off steam’ that it is often not Truth that has the most power over the mind, but what is repeated the most. Always take care in what you say, and watch how quick you are to believe everything you hear your friends say, and you will avoid the worst of it. Now while commiserating with fellow players can be dangerous, doing so with the Narrator (because yes, the Narrator gets frustrated too) is disastrous, because now you're putting your (possibly half-baked) theories into the head of a person who has the power to act on them.

It is a Player’s responsibility if the situation arises that the Narrator needs to blow off steam, to either just listen and not let either of them fall into the spiral, or if the player feels incapable of playing the voice of reason, to take the initiative to ask the Narrator (politely) to not discuss it with them. If issues still occur after this, it’s not your fault.

4. Blaming or Accusing the Recipients

A lot of times the folks who get the much coveted Sword of a Thousand Suns are proud of having made an accomplishment, this makes other players jealous of them, and angry at the Narrator for not giving it to them instead. The ones that received the ‘carrot’ get singled out as ‘the problem’ either publicly or privately regardless of whether they actually did anything wrong. This only makes them angry when it comes to their attention and they tend to fire back saying the people throwing the accusations are just not trying hard enough, and around and around it goes, usually right down the drain.

So as responsible players, if you feel the urge to throw accusations or fire back with justifications or accusations of your own, Stop. Calmly state that it is not up for public discussion, and/or arrange a private conference with the Narrator and/or the concerned parties. I can’t repeat enough that one HAS to stay calm and rational where issues of Favoritism occur, even if the other person is not, as that is the only way to solve the issues at hand. Placing the Blame does nothing but aggravate an already tense situation, so don’t do it.

5. Taking Advantage of Favoritism

This last is the worst possible thing a Player can do in the case that Favoritism occurs, regardless of whether it is intentional or unintentional on the part of the Narrator. Taking advantage of it only solidifies the problem, and feeds the loop. A player takes advantage of a particular situation or ruling and does whatever they want, the Narrator (Intentionally or Unintentionally) sits back and watches the mayhem, the “non-favored” players get angry, and the Narrator sees it as proof that the “non-favored” are just bitter and can’t handle involvement, therefore they get cut out more to protect the interests of the favorites and it just rolls downhill from there. It’s a vicious cycle, and the only way out of for a player is not to fall into it in the first place, otherwise it’s just damage control.

If it falls to damage control, a player has to go to the Narrator and explain this issue. Be aware though that accusations of Favoritism are extremely likely to incite anger whether or not they are intentional, so the trick to stopping it is to explain your points without throwing accusations around. Give them the benefit of the doubt verbally, even if you think they’re doing it on purpose, and try to come to a compromise between the Narrator and the concerned parties. Furthermore, never do this publicly where a riot can start, do it behind closed doors in a controlled environment so things don’t get out of hand.

If both the Players and the Narrator try to keep all this in mind, a game can survive these accusations, if they don't, it may well fall apart.

This article was written with a lot of help from my good friend 'Battlewitch' and the collective wisdom of all the Narrators and Players I have ever dealt with, goodness knows I was a headache for them at times.