Post by Lady Whimsy on Aug 4, 2008 23:13:56 GMT -5
Some General Musings about RPing....
Seeing that we're now three chapters in, right in the thick middle of it, I thought this would be a good time to have an open discussion about RPing in general. (And I'll try my best to be brief too, lol) I really want to get a sense for what everyone is thinking and feeling, and I guess the best way to do that is to start off with myself.
I have a confession to make: this is my first online RP experience, ever.
My experience with RP's in general is quite rich and involved, but very, very Old School.... like, 15 years ago playing D&D in highschool with my friends Old School.... At the time, I also wrote prolifically with several girls on joint stories, each of us bringing the plot and characters to life together. Both of these experiences I remember with much fondness, and helped to shape the storyteller I am now. It was an experience I always hoped to duplicate one day, but never really knew how.
Enter the Unicorns of Kalidore...
I must admit that an online RP for Kalidore wasn't even on the radar when I began drawing. It mostly grew out of the stories I created around the unicorns and would tell to Lady E. Lady E became really excited about the prospect, and then actually had to explain to me what an online RP *was*. And as more people "joined" Kalidore and the stories continued to grow with them, it seemed an inevitability. So began the plotting and the scheming and planning late into the night, and what you see here now is a result of that work!
This experience for me has been great, though a bit baffling at times, lol. It's an amazing experience to have all the Chronicles of Kalidore streaming through my head and see it come to life on screne, with real people milling through it and being a part of it. As Story Master (is this term even used anymore? I don't know!) I feel a huge responsibility to both the story and people, and see myself as the muse who's supposed to lead the two halves into one. Honestly, sometimes I'm not even sure how that should be done!
I have always pictured this experience a little like one of those role playing video games (the only kind of video game I like, no surprise there, lol) (well, besides PI, but that's entirely different). The scene opens, we play the scene through, and when we reach our *goal*, we're "rewarded" with the next scene unlocking before our eyes.... As a metaphor it's very picturesque, and very much in line with how the old RP's were played, back in the day: the Story Master, all-knowing but never revealing more then you need at the time, leads you through a wonderful adventure, explaining everything along the way, taking you by the hand when you needed it and letting you fly free whenever you could. And that's basically what I've been trying to do here - setting the scene and pace, revealing the Kalidorian manners and ways, opening and closing each chapter as we come to them, nudging the story forward and towards the next goal...
Now, as a format, I'm discovering this is actually very unusual for online RPs (yep, leave it to me to throw a monkey wrench into a well-oiled machine). Having never rp'd beyond this I actually had no idea this wasn't the norm or even expected. I guess my next question is, does it work? Is the RP working? Do people even *like* having chapters that open and are closed by a benevolent force that places them into the next area of game play? Or is everyone just really... confused?
I know I am a little bit, lol. Because I've never RP'd any other way, I'm not sure how to do it differently. As a player, those years ago, I liked the comfort of having a start, and ending, and a, well - save point, almost - where you can regroup, jump in, reconsider and refocus what's happened so far and where you're going. I was fortunate enough to play under a truly awesome Story Masters, and literally hung on his words, eager to discover what he would reveal next, to cue myself accordingly. I am not sure I live up to that great master - he definitely had a gift - but I do try my best to make it interesting, lol. I've been trying to emulate that experience here, as I once experienced it, for everyone else to share in as well.
But then the questions begin...
Does it really work in an online RP? Is it even wanted? Is there any way to make it better? Or should the format be heavily reviewed before the Main RP begins? Do people like the idea of a Story Master? Do they like how this one has been played? Or, again, is this just confusing the hell out of everyone and causing chaos because it's so out of place and unexpected?
(I think what I might do for the Main RP, if we use this format again, is to have "Chronicles of Kalidore" as a separate entity, to open and close chapters, so they are not confused with my playing out as Lady Whimsy. Depending of course that this format is desirable or even sustained.)
I see some problems with the linear and cloistered nature of the online RP experience that I'm not sure how to over come myself, and I'd love insight on how to fix that. For one thing, it seems that each person write mostly about themselves - there's very little interaction with other characters, or even a person moving the story along. It's a little fragmented... and sometimes, the pieces don't even add up to a whole. Y'know? I mean, I'm probably guilty of doing this too, and I really want to know how to fix it, make it more inclusive, make people able to jump in and interact with everyone and anyone. Keep it from stalling, maybe. I mean, we're all so bubbly and sharing ideas and insight here in the discussion thread, so it's certainlly not because we dislike each other or someone smells bad, lol. Just... what can I do to make that translate better into the RP?
I also want people to know that they can pm me at any time if they have ideas/concerns/issues with the rp in any manner whatsoever. I realized in retrospect I really left poor Rhaevin high and dry in her Companion Meeting, so I will definitely be making a point of contacting each person directly when their time arrives. That way they'll know what's around the bend, and can also share with us what the Story Master needs to know to create the world around the new character/event. Nobody will have to go it alone... (again, huge apologies Rhaevin, my bad lol)... and I hope this will allow people to feel more comfortable and have more control.
So, since I've been rambling brevity out the window for the past page and a half, I turn the floor back to you. Hopefully I've not lulled you to sleep with these ramblings, because I really do want to learn how to make the Chronicles of Kalidore an interesting and all-round grand ol' RP!
Seeing that we're now three chapters in, right in the thick middle of it, I thought this would be a good time to have an open discussion about RPing in general. (And I'll try my best to be brief too, lol) I really want to get a sense for what everyone is thinking and feeling, and I guess the best way to do that is to start off with myself.
I have a confession to make: this is my first online RP experience, ever.
My experience with RP's in general is quite rich and involved, but very, very Old School.... like, 15 years ago playing D&D in highschool with my friends Old School.... At the time, I also wrote prolifically with several girls on joint stories, each of us bringing the plot and characters to life together. Both of these experiences I remember with much fondness, and helped to shape the storyteller I am now. It was an experience I always hoped to duplicate one day, but never really knew how.
Enter the Unicorns of Kalidore...
I must admit that an online RP for Kalidore wasn't even on the radar when I began drawing. It mostly grew out of the stories I created around the unicorns and would tell to Lady E. Lady E became really excited about the prospect, and then actually had to explain to me what an online RP *was*. And as more people "joined" Kalidore and the stories continued to grow with them, it seemed an inevitability. So began the plotting and the scheming and planning late into the night, and what you see here now is a result of that work!
This experience for me has been great, though a bit baffling at times, lol. It's an amazing experience to have all the Chronicles of Kalidore streaming through my head and see it come to life on screne, with real people milling through it and being a part of it. As Story Master (is this term even used anymore? I don't know!) I feel a huge responsibility to both the story and people, and see myself as the muse who's supposed to lead the two halves into one. Honestly, sometimes I'm not even sure how that should be done!
I have always pictured this experience a little like one of those role playing video games (the only kind of video game I like, no surprise there, lol) (well, besides PI, but that's entirely different). The scene opens, we play the scene through, and when we reach our *goal*, we're "rewarded" with the next scene unlocking before our eyes.... As a metaphor it's very picturesque, and very much in line with how the old RP's were played, back in the day: the Story Master, all-knowing but never revealing more then you need at the time, leads you through a wonderful adventure, explaining everything along the way, taking you by the hand when you needed it and letting you fly free whenever you could. And that's basically what I've been trying to do here - setting the scene and pace, revealing the Kalidorian manners and ways, opening and closing each chapter as we come to them, nudging the story forward and towards the next goal...
Now, as a format, I'm discovering this is actually very unusual for online RPs (yep, leave it to me to throw a monkey wrench into a well-oiled machine). Having never rp'd beyond this I actually had no idea this wasn't the norm or even expected. I guess my next question is, does it work? Is the RP working? Do people even *like* having chapters that open and are closed by a benevolent force that places them into the next area of game play? Or is everyone just really... confused?
I know I am a little bit, lol. Because I've never RP'd any other way, I'm not sure how to do it differently. As a player, those years ago, I liked the comfort of having a start, and ending, and a, well - save point, almost - where you can regroup, jump in, reconsider and refocus what's happened so far and where you're going. I was fortunate enough to play under a truly awesome Story Masters, and literally hung on his words, eager to discover what he would reveal next, to cue myself accordingly. I am not sure I live up to that great master - he definitely had a gift - but I do try my best to make it interesting, lol. I've been trying to emulate that experience here, as I once experienced it, for everyone else to share in as well.
But then the questions begin...
Does it really work in an online RP? Is it even wanted? Is there any way to make it better? Or should the format be heavily reviewed before the Main RP begins? Do people like the idea of a Story Master? Do they like how this one has been played? Or, again, is this just confusing the hell out of everyone and causing chaos because it's so out of place and unexpected?
(I think what I might do for the Main RP, if we use this format again, is to have "Chronicles of Kalidore" as a separate entity, to open and close chapters, so they are not confused with my playing out as Lady Whimsy. Depending of course that this format is desirable or even sustained.)
I see some problems with the linear and cloistered nature of the online RP experience that I'm not sure how to over come myself, and I'd love insight on how to fix that. For one thing, it seems that each person write mostly about themselves - there's very little interaction with other characters, or even a person moving the story along. It's a little fragmented... and sometimes, the pieces don't even add up to a whole. Y'know? I mean, I'm probably guilty of doing this too, and I really want to know how to fix it, make it more inclusive, make people able to jump in and interact with everyone and anyone. Keep it from stalling, maybe. I mean, we're all so bubbly and sharing ideas and insight here in the discussion thread, so it's certainlly not because we dislike each other or someone smells bad, lol. Just... what can I do to make that translate better into the RP?
I also want people to know that they can pm me at any time if they have ideas/concerns/issues with the rp in any manner whatsoever. I realized in retrospect I really left poor Rhaevin high and dry in her Companion Meeting, so I will definitely be making a point of contacting each person directly when their time arrives. That way they'll know what's around the bend, and can also share with us what the Story Master needs to know to create the world around the new character/event. Nobody will have to go it alone... (again, huge apologies Rhaevin, my bad lol)... and I hope this will allow people to feel more comfortable and have more control.
So, since I've been rambling brevity out the window for the past page and a half, I turn the floor back to you. Hopefully I've not lulled you to sleep with these ramblings, because I really do want to learn how to make the Chronicles of Kalidore an interesting and all-round grand ol' RP!