Online Gaming: Challenges

Well it is the end of the month for me, and I figured I would talk about some personal experience. If you have never done online gaming, then you wouldn't understand what a different sort of world it is. I am not referring to MMOs like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XI, I am referring to regular old roleplay games like D&D or VtM run in online chatrooms and messengers instead of sitting around a table throwing dice. The difference is not apparent at first glance, because both use the same rulebooks, and both use dice, but it has to do with the challenges that each face.

The first one is Structural. How do you run it?

A: You can try to run an online game the way a tabletop game is run, with the Narrator sitting in his chair and everyone else in the same place at the same time listening to the same thing and not playing beyond that. This is the closest to an actual tabletop setup as you will get.

B: You can take an established chatroom approach, this means that the playground is open 24-7, the Narrators that players require are not constantly present to mediate or answer questions. This also means that Players are not always on at the same time, they do not always see each other, therefore organization on both sides can become fragmented.

C: There is the forum and/or email approach, where players participate by posting their actions on a board, or in some cases by email. This generally moves a little slower than the chatroom approach and requires more in depth story writing from both players and Narrator. However it also ensures that everyone is able to follow easier and organize a little better.

D: There is also the mixed approach, which I generally find to be a chatroom with forum backup and scheduled scenes. This is a favored approach because it allows Narrators and Players to overcome many of the more specific challenges that the other individual approaches give rise to.

The next challenge is Adapting the Rules:

Challenge One: Dice. No matter where you play, you have to have a diceroller that everyone can see so that there is no cheating, accusations of cheating, or the classic children's game of 'I hit you!' 'No you didn't!' This however takes away the option of a private roll that Narrators make occasionally for various plot or setting reasons.

Challenge Two: Certain rules in tabletop games are designed around the fact that Players and Narrator are actually sitting in the same room and able to interact directly and provide each other with various essential parts that make a game fun. In such cases, the rules have to be adapted in creative ways to fit the actual method of communication so that things keep running smoothly.

Challenge Three: Combat. Combat can be sticky, and somewhat long when done sitting around a table, but if you add in the time it takes to type everything out and calculate and roll and keeping the Narrator and the Players up to date on how things are going without getting everyone VERY confused, the fact is that Combat takes longer than it should when following the tabletop rules over the internet. You've either got to put up with it, or adapt and change these rules slightly to allow for more streamlined play.

Then there are the dreaded internet Social Issues.

Challenge One: In online gaming you're not sitting around a table. You can't see or hear your fellow gamers, there's no tone, there's no inflection, no facial expressions, just text on a screen. Unless you're REALLY GOOD at reading between the lines, this will cause problems. Because you can't tell if they're laughing, crying, angry, annoyed, or anything until they say something about it, and by then it's often a little late. To meet this challenge it just takes a good mediator to keep things running smoothly, and a general willingness (from everyone) to communicate and forgive when something goes wrong.

Challenge Two: When on the internet, it is a well known fact that people become much bigger assholes than they do in person. They can't hit you, you can't hit them, so they will say really hurtful things at the drop of a hat because they can get away with it. It's tempting to turn it into a flame war, but it is not actually worth it, because all that does is distract everyone from the game and make you miserable when it's all said and done. I know it's also tempting to try to change the way they are, no, really I do. I have personally spent years trying to tolerate them, trying to make nice, trying to smooth everything over, trying to help them understand it's not right to act that way, and in the end it has just not worked. You can't change people that are comfortable with the way they are. Quite simply the solution is to just not play with these people. Leave. Find people who are not internet bullies to play with. The only thing that ever made my gaming time online enjoyable was removing myself from that kind of situation and playing with other people.

Edit: You know I've read this through a couple of times myself, and I always felt it was missing something. That something is 'How to set up your Game' but there's a problem with that. Every situation is different, and every group is different. If you all have any comments or suggestions, please post them and I will make a sequel to this post.

Helping Each Other: Narrators and Players

Okay folks, the topic for today is the major points of the relationship between a narrator and a player. What each one wants out of the relationship, and the major hurdles therein. I know there are those out there that are just bad apples with the way they approach the whole thing, you’ve probably run into them, and so have I. However, we’re not talking about them. We’re talking about a good Narrator and a good Player, because even with both of them having their heads on straight things can still go downhill, and I’m sure you already know what they say rolls downhill.

Game Gurus, Dungeon Masters, Storytellers, Narrators.. Whatever you wish to call them. They have one thing in common; they want to tell a story. Sometimes they’re content with running your own personal storylines, but far more often they have a larger picture in the back of their mind that they want to bring into the light and show you how awesome it is. Once you understand this, you’ve a fairly decent idea what the narrator is getting out of taking on this monumental task of running the game for you and your compatriots. It also follows that they need your help to do it.

Player tips:

Listen to what the narrator describes and write anything that could be a hint down. Even if they don’t make ANY sense to you now, they probably will help you make decisions on what to do later down the road and your storyteller may or may not be able to repeat them for you when it comes to the turning point.

Don’t be afraid to give them feedback. If something’s wrong then let them know in a constructive manner and raise any concerns you may have without losing your head (if possible.) Try not to completely stop the roleplay train in doing so, that just gets frustrating when the moment is suddenly lost.

Try to see more than just your character’s personal wants, needs, and storyline. Be willing to put them aside for awhile to give everyone (players and narrators alike) a chance to further their own stories, they will appreciate this, and be more willing to help you with yours.

Give your narrator something to work with, let them know your character’s flaws, their enemies, their fears and hopes that you want to explore. These flaws aren’t just ways to get extra points, they make the story deeper. Remember while the narrator may be writing your enemy, your narrator is NOT your enemy. Give them the benefit of the doubt and they'll usually give you a hell of a story.

Don’t keep things from the narrator, unless you have to. A good one will work with you on your sneaky plots without telling the other players. Not telling them about it before you spring it on everyone can lead to some serious arguments that could have been avoided if you mentioned it first.

If you’re a narrator, you can see where players not doing this kind of thing will lead to major hurdles and frustrations for you and them later on, so you might want to point them at this article if you have issues. Now as for your average player they’ve got a character that appeals to them and a personal story they want to play out. A select few may be content with following the storyline the narrator plays out and doing nothing else, but those are few and far between.

Narrator tips:

Don’t write a story that is completely at odds with your players and their characters. They won’t have fun, and if they won’t have fun, odds are you won’t either. So know your players, and know their characters, and if you’re in doubt, run a teaser by them and see if they take the bait.

Have something the players really want for their characters so that they’re willing to run all over creation, fight monsters, and turn over rocks to get at it. If they (or their superiors) don’t want it badly enough, they’re not going to try very hard and your grand scheme might fall apart with lack of interest.

Give them sufficient information to make important decisions instead of handing them all the answers, and if they still aren’t getting what you’re trying to get them to do, then give them the chance to roll dice for insight. Also make sure they can get the tools they need to accomplish things, but remember they will appreciate having it a lot more if they had to work for it.

Just like you want to see progress from your players they want to see progress in the storyline. It can’t just be catastrophe after catastrophe, there has to be an accomplishment every now and again. Without them roleplay can be a study in futility, which will discourage even the most hard headed player and narrator.

While the most powerful consequences are psychological, don't abuse it. Know where your players limits are and be careful about pushing them. You don’t want to take their enjoyable activity and turn it into a serious nightmare, that not only hurts them but the game as a whole. The position of narrator implies a certain amount of trust, and using that trust to torture a player or to do something to their character that has no bearing on the story not only violates that player's trust, but makes everyone question the narrator's motives. Just don’t do it.

Now if you are a player, you can see how the Narrator not doing this kind of thing will seriously annoy you and your fellow adventurers. I’ve been there too. We both know there are bad apples out there that just do whatever they want, and it’s a fact that people can sometimes get too into the game. Your case may or may not be one of them, confirm before you condemn. I have a few more tidbits of wisdom to hand out, these ones are for players and narrators alike.

When the game (or real life) gets too serious for you, take a break. Do a fun side quest or work on a different game altogether. Games have (and will!) fallen apart under this kind of stress, so never be ashamed to take a breather if you need it.

Keep out of character real life motivations separate from in character motivations. Yes there are lines not to cross, and these lines do vary by the people involved. Don’t push them, talk with your fellow players and at least try to settle where these lines are. You may or may not be successful, but at least you tried.

Remember that things said and done in character are not necessarily meant as an out of character affront. Give people the benefit of the doubt and most of the time you’ll be rewarded with some pretty kickass story. Of course there is the occasional instance where that kneejerk instinct was correct and they were fucking with you, and if that’s the case, you’ll soon know for sure and the solution is to NOT play with them.

When there is a conflict with your fellow gamers: STOP. Consider your words before you say them. LISTEN. Try to understand where they are coming from and find a solution between you. If you do these two things, 70% of the unnecessary Drama involved in gaming is gone.

Hope I’ve helped, at least a little bit.

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my survival guide for all you Gamers out there that like to Roleplay. I plan on uploading not only rants and warnings, but helpful articles, occasional comics, as well as survival guides to the world of gaming and life in general. I am open and willing to suggestions of any sort within the limits of good taste. Chances are, if it falls under the umbrella of Gaming, I'll have something to say about it.

I should probably explain the theme. It's a play on the term Roleplay, which is abbreviated as RP. You see it comes out Arr Pee when you say it aloud, and is especially funny if said with a pirate accent.

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