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UPDATE 16/11/09 (9:00 AM EST):
Kyatto here! Working super hard to make everything all nice and ~dazzley~ again!

First up to bat - Jury Duty! If you got notified that it's your time to fly, what are you sittin' around for? Move your tuchus! (If you have it, you need to review the canons ASAP!)

We also have some new staff amongst us! Nandireya and Kyatto join the ranks to help keep the forum running smoothly! And remember Dinky? She's now been promoted to Security!

And then there's… Zombie MONTH! which started on October 25th! Come on guys, where's the Zombie love? :( Did they already eat your brains?

The Plague looks like it's finally starting to die down! But don't think that means you still can't catch it if you're lurking around Ba Sing Se!

#LulasCouch chat night is now on Sunday. We can't handle typing and watching Glee at the same time. 8'D In place of the short lived Wednesday chat night, we now have Glee Skype Night. Every Wednesday at 8:30 PM EST. Add "eevachu" to your Skype contacts to join in.

And of course, Suki and Sokka are getting hitched! And yes, there will be an OPEN BAR! 8D

~ Kyatto Out!

UPDATE 18/10/09 (5:14 AM EST):
Eevachu here. With the return of the news fader I have been neglecting the blog. D':

First off, the plague continues and C'mon guys, all the cool kids are doing it. (Don't worry, you won't die, you'll just uh... be violently ill... Pretty water tribe girls will feel you up? Hello? Is this thing on?)

#LulasCouch chat night is now on Sunday. We can't handle typing and watching Glee at the same time. 8'D In place of the short lived Wednesday chat night, we now have Glee Skype Night. Every Wednesday at 8:30 PM EST. Add "eevachu" to your Skype contacts to join in.

Next, Suki and Sokka are getting hitched! And yes, there will be an OPEN BAR! 8D

Also, I'M STILL LOOKING FOR MAINTENANCE STAFF! Apply within.

And last, but certainly not least, Braaaaaaainz... I mean, Zombie Week starts on October 25th! Thus marking the first HT "Special Event"! It's so important it gets its own forum! Why am I shouting!?

~ Eeva Out!

UPDATE 25/09/09 (10:28 PM EST):
Hola cats and kittens! If you haven't noticed yet, HT has got a bucket full of cannon characters up for adoption.

The application process is super-easy now, so if you'd like to take a metaphorical stab at some great characters like Hakoda, Haru, Pakku, and KUEI (HINT HINT ;) ... I miss my lil' nerd honey), just make a post to the cannon app board. If you have questions, just snag a mod and they can help!

Smoochies,
Masu

UPDATE 08/09/09 (5:13 AM EST):
You may have noticed by the new colour coordination, but HODAMN. Hou Tian is under new management now with 76% more pugs and porn!

So yes, other than Luck and I now being your co-lords and masters, some of the staff positions have been re-organized. Nothing really big, just a bit of colour-coordinating.

Also, there are new forums afoot. Introducing the brand new RP Kiosk, which now holds the Classifieds as well as the new Canon Applications as well as Shop Applications, for all your bureaucratic needs.

Underground Ba Sing Se is now a roleplayable part of the board. Why, I have no clue. ._.;

Since we gettin' all democratic up in here, there' gonna be Hou Tian-style Jury Duty. Jury Duty "is a Canon-Approval team of regular members that will switch out per every three canons you evaluate from time to time. Members will be chosen at random depending on seniority and posts counted." The current list of reviewer is here. NOW GO READ ABOUT IT MORE.

Onto my self-pimpage: I MADE A USABLE MAP OMB. It's not done, but it is now functional. You can make suggestions for changes/new locations in this thread.

...Oh yeah and I fixed the board so that all sub-board links now open into the same window, as opposed to a new tab.

Well I believe that's all the change that's happened lately. Remember to tip your Pug Lords and Grease Monkey-Bears!

~ Eeva


Avatar: Hou Tian :: The Information Kiosk :: The Front Desk :: Rules & Regulations Archive :: Powerplaying, Godmoding, and Metagaming
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Powerplaying, Godmoding, and Metagaming
« Thread Started on Dec 6, 2008, 12:15am »
Powerplaying, Godmoding, and Metagaming
The "Do's" and "Don'ts" of consentual multi-player roleplay


For all you players new to the world of online roleplay, or the terminology used, you may be wondering "What exactly is Godmoding, and why don't people like it?", "How can I avoid Powerplay in my daily life as a roleplayer?" and "Metagaming? Sounds like a collectible card game. I really need a handy guide to these terms."

Here, we're going to run down what exactly these three shunned roleplay blunders are, and how you can avoid falling into the trap of doing things that roleplay doesn't call for, unknowingly or otherwise.


Powerplaying

Powerplay is the act of controlling someone else's character as if it were your own, and directing that character within your post. For example, if Player (A) and Player (B) are playing together, the posts are meant to look like this:

Player (A): Character (A) does action; Character (A) says "dialogue."

Player (B): Character (B) does action; Character (B) says "dialogue."


NOT this:

Player (A): Character (A) does action, Character (A) says "dialogue", Character (B) replies "dialogue."

Player (B): Character (B) does action, Character (A) does action, Character (B) says "dialogue."


This tends come about as a result of two or more characters of different players executing an action that requires cooperation: For example, A and B need to run down a hallway together, turn left, take a taxi, and perform a combination bending move. Inadvertently taking control of characters for situations like these is an understandable reflex. Unfortunately, powerplay is overstepping one's bounds as a roleplayer; another player's character belongs to them, and their actions should only be determined by the player that controls them.
It's relatively easy to sidestep the temptation of using another person's character and still work cooperatively in-character. A basic version of this is:

Player (A): Character (A) walks down the hall in front of Character (B) and turns left. Character (A) decides that if (B) is still behind (A), (A) and (B) can grab a taxi.

Player (B): Character (B) follows Character (A) down the hall, and also wants to take a taxi. Character (B) calls a taxi over and gets in.

Player (A): Character (A) also gets in the taxi, etc.


Some roleplayers plan things out behind-the-scenes, and consent to a certain degree of powerplay, such as noting that Character (B) did follow (A) in (A)'s post. Even in the instance that you do have an agreement with your partner(s), please keep this to a bare, bare, bare minimum.



Godmoding

Godmoding is exerting too much power over parts of the roleplay that are not your decision, or unfairly giving your characters advantages without a precedent or consent from other players. Godmoding can mean deciding your character's next blow will hit the opposing character, or that it will kill them. It can also refer to making your own character flawless in terms of interaction with other characters, again, especially notable in combat situations.

An example of combat godmoding is this:

Player (A): Character (A) strikes Character (B). Character (B) is severely injured and coughs up blood. Character (A) knocks Character (B) down with one finger.

Player (B): Character (B) stabs Character (A), who dies. Character (B) heals himself instantly.


Now, godmoding is not necessarily as drastic as that - it can be as simple as deciding that when (A) holds out her hand, (B) shakes it and suddenly feels deep love for (A) - but it tends towards the Mary-Sueish. In real life, one can't win everything, and in roleplay the same concept applies.

A better idea than the above example is this:

Player (A): Character (A) strikes at Character (B), intending to cause a severe injury.

Player (B): Character (B) attempts to dodge Character (A)'s strike, but is wounded. The second attack leaves Character (B) tired. Character (B) tries to stab Character (A) in retaliation.


Perfect characters make for a boring roleplay. 'Mix it up' and lose a few, and don't decide the outcome of the battle for the other player.

Metagaming

Metagaming is when a character uses information that they do not know - information such as a weakness in their enemy, the secret plans of a group, someone's favorite color, or the existence of "X". When a player reads another character's profile, or keeps up with boards they're not involved in, they're tempted to give their character the information they themselves know, but there is no adequate reason for the character to know it. For example, if Character (A) thinks about how angry she is in Player (A)'s post, but acts calm, Character (B) has no way of knowing that she is upset, and certainly isn't able to draw specific examples.

Wrong:
Player (A): Character (A) thought about the secret meeting place behind the hill. Should she tell Character (B)? Character (B) was a stupid turtle-monkey sometimes, he might let it slip.

Player (B): Character (B) looked at Character (A), wondering if she would tell him about the secret meeting place. Character (B) knew he could keep this secret. He hated when Character (A) called him a stupid turtle-monkey.


Right:
Player (A): Character (A) thought about the secret meeting place behind the hill. Should she tell Character (B)? Character (B) was a stupid turtle-monkey sometimes, he might let it slip.

Player (B): Character (B) didn't know what Character (A) was thinking, but he did action, said "dialogue" or felt emotion.


Especially keep this in mind in regard to the three main organizations - if you know that Character (A) is actually a Jade Shark leader, but your character doesn't even know they exist, your character cannot divulge that information or know of it. If your character lives in the Foggy Swamp, they probably don't know current Fire Nation politics; likewise, if your character is in the Fire Nation they aren't necessarily aware of the Original People of the Flame.

In addition to these reminders, please be aware that any future offenses of this nature will earn the player a 5% warning bar. Please be aware of these rules, and do not play beyond the bounds of your character.

Roleplay responsibly.
« Last Edit: Jan 21, 2009, 9:00pm by Administrating Unit 3.4 »Link to Post - Back to Top  IP: Logged
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