04-05-2007, 07:03 PM
(or "The Ironsong High-Wire Balance: Reconciling Nasty Characters With the Tribe's Need for Peace, Love, and Understanding")
Hi all!
In the interest of fostering creativity and maintaining guild harmony, I've written the following article. Much of what I'm going to say is reiteration of the Code of Conduct, but perhaps this new spin will be useful.
Ironsong is a roleplay guild. When I decided to form this guild, my primary goal was to create something that enhanced peoples' enjoyment of the game. While I feel that we do this successfully, we can always be doing better.
Evil is a captivating topic, and it is a tangible quantity in WoW, with such factions as the Legion and the Scourge, and of course plain-old run-of-the-mill nastiness. Evil is an important element in a lot of fantasy settings, and while the Ironsong Tribe has emerged as a predominantly good-aligned group, we do see our fair share of evil characters.
This is a Good Thing. I actively encourage all of you to be roleplaying your characters to the hilt. Explore, play, that's what this is for! But in the interest of Tribal harmony, let's take some time for a few considerations.... (btw, this all applies for the less evil, but more antisocial/awkward/unusual characters out there too. Adapt as necessary!)
1. Responsibility to your Tribemates: As members of the Ironsong Tribe, you have a responsibility to each other to make their game more enjoyable. Or at least, to not detract from their enjoyment. You may greatly enjoy playing your character in such a way that makes him/her out to be a scumbag, but remember that others see this stuff too. I have previously stated,
When you read a book,
you're reading a story about one or two or more characters, usually.
These characters are the central focus of the story, and though they
may meet other characters, typically the main characters remain the
focus of the story. This is a pleasant and useful device in fiction
and storytelling, but it doesn't work in real life, and it becomes a
bit clumsy when applied to World of Warcraft. Each of our characters
are central to their own stories... and everyone else's character is
central to theirs. Nobody else loves your character as much as you
do.
I was referring to different issues then, but this is still relevant. What I mean is that it can be very easy to get caught up in telling your own story and forget that others may be affected by the choices you make.
2. Know when enough is enough. I've seen interactions that have made me cringe. Antagonizing other tribe members through constant harrassment and insult is not good roleplay, it's annoying. It can also run the risk of creating hurt feelings OOC, which is not acceptable RP under any circumstances. Your character may be known for her biting, sarcastic wit... does every interaction need to be a case of one-upmanship? Does it really matter if they beat you in a verbal sparring session? What are the consequences for your guildmates? Samuel Clemens said "It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt."
3. Develop a realistic concept. This is something that each and every one of you should have anyway. As roleplayers, you need to know your character inside and out. If your character is rude, evil, or just a little snarky, ask yourself why. The why doesn't need to be dramatic, it doesn't have to include being beaten up by the Alliance as a child. It can be simple, but let's make it three-dimensional. Let your character grow, develop, and change over time. Be a character, not a charicature.
4. When in doubt, back off. If you're not sure where to go with a potentially volatile RP interaction, try to bring it to a close. Some players make these interactions work well, and some really struggle with bringing them to a neat and effective finish.
5. Strive to entertain your tribemates MORE than you are entertaining yourself. Look at Damoxian. Everyone loves Damoxian, everyone knows who he is. He is the single most effective example of a well-played nasty character I've ever seen. While he's got a smart reply for stupid questions, nobody doubts his loyalty to the Tribe or questions his integrity OOC. Don't carbon-copy him, because that's lame, but watch how he does it. He's a study in vile, twisted grace.
Hi all!
In the interest of fostering creativity and maintaining guild harmony, I've written the following article. Much of what I'm going to say is reiteration of the Code of Conduct, but perhaps this new spin will be useful.
Ironsong is a roleplay guild. When I decided to form this guild, my primary goal was to create something that enhanced peoples' enjoyment of the game. While I feel that we do this successfully, we can always be doing better.
Evil is a captivating topic, and it is a tangible quantity in WoW, with such factions as the Legion and the Scourge, and of course plain-old run-of-the-mill nastiness. Evil is an important element in a lot of fantasy settings, and while the Ironsong Tribe has emerged as a predominantly good-aligned group, we do see our fair share of evil characters.
This is a Good Thing. I actively encourage all of you to be roleplaying your characters to the hilt. Explore, play, that's what this is for! But in the interest of Tribal harmony, let's take some time for a few considerations.... (btw, this all applies for the less evil, but more antisocial/awkward/unusual characters out there too. Adapt as necessary!)
1. Responsibility to your Tribemates: As members of the Ironsong Tribe, you have a responsibility to each other to make their game more enjoyable. Or at least, to not detract from their enjoyment. You may greatly enjoy playing your character in such a way that makes him/her out to be a scumbag, but remember that others see this stuff too. I have previously stated,
When you read a book,
you're reading a story about one or two or more characters, usually.
These characters are the central focus of the story, and though they
may meet other characters, typically the main characters remain the
focus of the story. This is a pleasant and useful device in fiction
and storytelling, but it doesn't work in real life, and it becomes a
bit clumsy when applied to World of Warcraft. Each of our characters
are central to their own stories... and everyone else's character is
central to theirs. Nobody else loves your character as much as you
do.
I was referring to different issues then, but this is still relevant. What I mean is that it can be very easy to get caught up in telling your own story and forget that others may be affected by the choices you make.
2. Know when enough is enough. I've seen interactions that have made me cringe. Antagonizing other tribe members through constant harrassment and insult is not good roleplay, it's annoying. It can also run the risk of creating hurt feelings OOC, which is not acceptable RP under any circumstances. Your character may be known for her biting, sarcastic wit... does every interaction need to be a case of one-upmanship? Does it really matter if they beat you in a verbal sparring session? What are the consequences for your guildmates? Samuel Clemens said "It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt."
3. Develop a realistic concept. This is something that each and every one of you should have anyway. As roleplayers, you need to know your character inside and out. If your character is rude, evil, or just a little snarky, ask yourself why. The why doesn't need to be dramatic, it doesn't have to include being beaten up by the Alliance as a child. It can be simple, but let's make it three-dimensional. Let your character grow, develop, and change over time. Be a character, not a charicature.
4. When in doubt, back off. If you're not sure where to go with a potentially volatile RP interaction, try to bring it to a close. Some players make these interactions work well, and some really struggle with bringing them to a neat and effective finish.
5. Strive to entertain your tribemates MORE than you are entertaining yourself. Look at Damoxian. Everyone loves Damoxian, everyone knows who he is. He is the single most effective example of a well-played nasty character I've ever seen. While he's got a smart reply for stupid questions, nobody doubts his loyalty to the Tribe or questions his integrity OOC. Don't carbon-copy him, because that's lame, but watch how he does it. He's a study in vile, twisted grace.