Life of a RolePlayer : The musings and amusements of an avid roleplayer

Tournament of Champions

2008-12-13T15:09:54Z

So, it is that time again. Althanas is hosting the Tournament of Champions, which was previously called the Tournament of Legends.

An interesting little tournement it is; a forum based combatative tournament, but rather than the winner being determined by whomever kills the opponent, it is based on writing ability. Writing is judged on several areas:

Story; which includes the following: Pacing, Setting, and Storytelling.

Character; which includes the following: Persona, Action, and Dialogue.

Writing Style; which includes the following: Technique, Mechanics, and Clarity.

I think one can safely say that all elements essential to roleplaying will be judged upon during this competition, and in the Rules Rubric further detailings of what is expected are outlined, so as to act as a guide when writing your posts.

One other factor, that could perhaps be considered a peculiarity, I feel important to mention is that you don't fight alone, but in teams of two. Yet another challenge for any who may wish to enter - you need to find someone who you can fight alongside and work well with in many areas. This can, at times, be difficult, especially for the more seasoned fighters out there, as many prefer to work alone, myself included.

However, I have found a suitable partner, and will indeed be entering the competition. There is initially a trial phase, before the actual tournament begins, where you and your partner must post a combatative series of posts, so that the judges can deem you either qualifying or not.

It will certainly be interesting to see how my partner and I do in this competition; I think the most important thing to keep in mind is that fights are judged solely on the above mentioned categories, and the actual IC outcome of the fight makes no difference at all.

Hopefully, I will be able to remember that.

Equality in roleplay

2008-10-26T08:54:10Z

This blog entry by Yuriy Zubovski got me wondering exactly how equality can be acheived in roleplay, especially in a multiversal setting. And, perhaps even more pertinently, in a text-based combat situation.

Yuriy brings a rather nice argument onto the table, and some of my feeling can be found in my comment responding to his entry. Outlining that there are so many interpretations to magic, that a single 'Anti Magic Field' would not be able to 'cater' for all the different interpretations.

How, then, can a player who uses technology battle magic, and vice versa? It is, I feel, a difficult question to answer, besides something so many people forget, especially in the text-based combat arena, and that is acceptance and flexibility. For example, shields on a space ship, designed to defend against lasers may not always be 'configured' against certain types of magic. However, does that make it fair that, just because one player is a technology user, and the other a magic, one player is left defenseless? I don't think it is. So, sportsmanship would allow for the magic to be, even if partially, defended against by the 'laser-shield'.

In so many situations, people are of the belief that their particular system is superior to another's. Following on from the theme of magic vs technology, all too often people will argue than one is intrinsically far superior to the other. Now, yes, if a modern day roleplay, perhaps a normal person or soldier would have the technology to deal with a mage shooting balls of lightning, but would the mage be able to deal with an atomic bomb? But, if using futuristic/sci-fi technology, is there actually much difference between itself and magic? Perhaps a clearer, less contentious, example would be people who draw their characters from anime shows, or other fictitious entity not created by them. In an anime, a specific move may well be an instant kill, unavoidable strike that rents your heart into seven thousand pieces, but in RP, should that be the same?

Even disregarding, for the moment, RP rules such as GodModding etc, should such a scenario be carried into RP? Roleplay, as I see it, should be fun and enjoyable. I don't think much enjoyment would be found if the character I just spent two hours creating is killed in one move by some other player who uses cannon anime characters. If I was using another cannon character from the same anime universe, for example one Naruto character against the other, then it may be a little more acceptable. Slightly. In a multiversal setting, where all genres can intermingle, nothing says that the rule of auto-instant-kill exists.

As an avid text-based fighter, I applied this to fighting, and how so often it is not the skill of the player, but the power of the character that is put to the test. Can the weaker character defeat the stronger? Yes, definitely. I recently, on IRC, fought a player whose character was armed with a sword, my was not, and though slightly taller, and stronger - my character was a seasoned soldier, the other player's character a girl of teen years - I think the equality there was good. And it was an enjoyable fight, which is most important.

So, to ensure equality, what can we do? I think the key is communication. Something like, with the above example, "Hey, my character is an elite soldier, your character has a sword - I'll make my soldier unarmed." Of course, I could have gone in with my character's usual weapon, a dagger, and stabbed her in the neck in my first turn. But where would the fun in that had been?

Also, tolerance, acceptance and flexibility are important. The other player was willingly acceptant of the fact that should my character grab a wrist, it would hurt and be hard to escape from. And, as such, an enjoyable match was had by both parties.

Equality IS capable within roleplay, I just wonder if people are willing to bring it about.

The mystery of the RPA revealed

2008-10-22T17:27:23Z

So, as per my earlier post I noted that the Roleplay Academy had taken on a new look, and it was shrouded into mystery as to how it would be operating. Now, it has been open a little while, and the new approach is very different to how it previously was operated.

Rather than a fully interactive, personal experience of learning, the site has taken on the form of a blog, and several people have taken on the role of being 'Authors', to write articles on varying subjects. Of course, people are given the opportunity to give feedback on the articles, and I have done so on most of them, under the pseudonym Effectual Immortality.

But, does this new approach work? In my opinion, I think it most certainly will. In time. It will act as a great resource for Roleplayers once there are more articles on there. At the moment, I feel, the content is scant at best, posts are not coming as regularly as perhaps one might expect, but then, this new approach is only in its infancy. I think, however, it would be interesting to see the site stats to see just how many people visit the site on a regular basis.

Of course, one can rest assured in the knowledge that Eric Martindale, with his vast knowledge of SEO, will be ensuring that the RPA is getting known. And, indeed, if you were to Google 'Roleplay Academy' the first result is www.roleplayacademy.com, strangely followed second by a group on Bebo. It is safe to say that Eric will be doing all he can to get the Academy known.

So, the impersonal approach is a first in the history of the RPA, but what effect will that have on helping people to roleplay better? My experience says that personal, one-on-one or small group, tutoring tends to work better. Why is this? Mainly because you can actually work with the learner, discussing areas they want to improve, what they want to focus on, and the ability to give your own positive feedback, as a tutor, is important. It gives the person learning a boost in confidence; I know that when I was a fresh starter to RP, I gained confidence because I was complimented on my own skills as a writer.

However, the RPA Forum on Roleplay Gateway seems to be offering that personal approach, though I haven't taken the time to look over it.

And, perhaps, that is the joy of roleplayacademy.com. Where the old, forum based approach contained MANY lessons, and much guidance, they were all lost within multiple threads, each tutor giving the lessons personalised for each student. For someone wanting to just browse a few different topics, they would have to dredge through many threads to find what they wanted. The new site offers the lessons in easy to find articles.

So, in conclusion, I am rather excited about the new RPA, and am looking forward to seeing it grow. It will, no doubt, become a great resource for the new generation of roleplayers.

The Mystery of the RPA

2008-08-28T10:45:27Z

Eric Martindale, the man who is the genius behind Roleplay Gateway, is ever one to promote the advancement of the online RolePlaying community, and it seems his next venture will be very interesting.

The RolePlay Academy is the brainchild, in truth, of Eric Martindale, Zhelir Darkfall and myself, and it has grown in potential in the year and a half or so since its inception. The basis of the RPA was to help assist those that either wanted, or needed, help in RolePlay. Whether it be in creating storylines, characters, or simply being able to write more proficiently.

It was in a rush of largely illiterate RolePlayers new to RolePlay Gateway that we sat and decided to build the RPA, in order to maintain the quality of RolePlaying on the site. And, when it has been active, in those taking part in lessons, improvement has been evident. Lessons, to begin with, were on a one-to-one basis, with each tutor having one or several students, and tasks would be given to help the student to grow in whatever area/s they needed growth.

Whilst I took original charge over the RPA, some other people must be noted as also taking that mantle. Azmodai2 was my initial successor, followed by Edge, and finally Vexar, though it seems that, at the moment, Eric has taken responsibility over the RPA.

From its humble beginnings as a simple sub-forum on the Gateway site (Which actually still exists), RPA now holds its own domain and website. And though it started out as a forum based site, essentially an extension of the sub-forum it started as, changes are under place that seem to be kept under wraps and rather secretive.

Perhaps, given this fact, I am no longer eligible to claim foundership, however, I think that is of no real import. The amazing thing about the idea of an RPA is that there is not much like it out there. Sure, sites may well have the occasional little section where people can 'practice' or learn. But the RPA is an entire site now, dedicated solely to the betterment of RPers. Knowledge that was so often kept among the 'higher ranks' of the RP world now is being shared, and it can only be good.

Given the level of illiteracy that abounds on the internet among the generalised demographic of those who RolePlay, between 14 and 20, one can only see such a school as beneficial. And that is very much how it was designed, to be a school, though now, who can tell how it is going to work, save for those directly involved.

The RPA website itself gives no hint as to how things are now going to work. Though, the RPA Contact Page does give a small hint when it says: "Contact the authors soon. They’re not ready for you yet." Or, at least, it could be construed as a hint. Authors? I take that very much that the RPA could become an article based reference site. In which case, you do then have to wonder if it will run like a wiki, where everyone and anyone is able to post articles, or if just a select few will be able.

One thing, however, is for sure, whatever Eric is doing, it will certainly be beneficial to the RP community as a whole, and will be utilising technology and software that is of the highest standards. I, for one, will be eagerly awaiting the opening of this new, revamped RPA.

And I would highly recommend that anyone who is interest in RP subscribes to the RPA RSS feed, so as to keep up to date on events as they transpire.

Final Wheel of Time Novel to Be Written By Mormon

2008-08-27T11:03:50Z

With the Wheel of Time series of novels, written by the late Robert Jordan, the term 'Fantasy Epic' has been given a whole new light. The world of the Westerlands, where many countries and people all co-exist in a story that is engrossing and wholly captivating, is the source of a great deal of inspiration for my own writings, be it RolePlaying, or simple fictional prose.

Jordan created a world and collection of character that was very complete, each nation having their own beliefs, political structure, attitudes, mannerisms, fashions, history; and it all is integrated with grace into the nooks, so much so that you barely take note that whilst reading the books, you are also receiving an education into the geography, history and humanities of the world.

Writing in third person, yet able to fully incorporate the feelings and opinions of characters through the narrative, Jordan not only created an in-depth world but also a set of characters, both core and periphery, that are truly 'alive' - for those that have read the books, I am sure you will agree that the characters themselves become like friends that you have known for some time, and each nuance of personality carries with it a familiarity that is most unusual for novellists to create.

With the passing away of Robert Jordan, I was certainly concerned as to what would happen to the series that was unfinished, and yet so nearly completed. Would it be left without the final book being completed? Who would, if any, complete it? Would they be able to match up to the skills of Jordan? It was a worrying time for me.

From the WoT Mania website, I learned that the person who would be writing the final book in the Wheel of Time series would be Brandon Sanderson, and going to his website, I got confirmation that he was indeed writing A Memory of Light. Reading about this author from his own website, it was revealed he was a Mormon. This is of particular interest to me, as I am myself a member of the Mormon church.

Knowing no famous people who are members, though I am sure there are some (I have no real interest in celebrity), this was a quite exciting find for me.

Really, I suppose, I was a little surprised by the fact, but the main thing is that I have found out who is writing the final book. Hopefully Brandon will be able to carry on what Robert Jordan started, and finish it with a finesse that I have always considered unique to Jordan.

I will be purchasing the book anyway, just for the fact I want to see the story end, and whether it be above or below expectations, the series will remain my favourite novels of all time.

An Introductory Explanation

2008-08-27T09:57:08Z

They tell us that blogging is quite the phenomenon, but I haven't really ever read any blogs. None, I suppose, have managed to grab my interest. As such, I decided that I would give this whole blog thing a try, and as I am the one writing it, I will be sure that all things are of my own interest.

I am a roleplayer, first and foremost. That is my main hobby, and one that I enjoy via forums and IRC, both media having a distinct advantage - IRC allows instant responses and more direct interaction, and forum roleplay gives an opportunity to spend a good amount of time in ensuring a post is well written, and containing much more detail. Each arena for roleplay, I enjoy with equal enthusiasm, though at the moment, my main haunt is IRC; my favourite roleplaying site, Roleplay Gateway, is currently unavailable to me, and though I have tried different sites, nothing offers the same level of enjoyment as that site.

I suppose a little bit of a background should be given, so here goes... I started roleplaying back in 2003, on teenchat.com, though it wasn't roleplaying I was looking for. I entered the chat area called "The Padded Cell" and entered a world of dragons and wolves and demons and vampires. Soon enough, I found myself participating, and quickly developed a penchant for that fantasy driven experience, also finding myself to have a decent level of proficiency.

I was there for roughly three months, during which I also learned the speed based fighting style of Tech 2, taught to me by a fellow known as Maijin Vegeta. After leaving the place due to a loss of internet, I finally came back to wanting to roleplay about two years later, and my searches brought me to what was then gwing.net, where I found forum roleplay.

Entering during a rather active summer, I found my character, Saladin, placed into a world where science fiction and fantasy all rolled into one with any other genre you could imagine, and quickly developed my writing and roleplaying abilities to the point where I became a very skilled roleplayer. The storyline, one of war and constant battling was one that saw my character develop greatly, and eventually fall in love, and Saladin became a key member of the main 'cast'.

Making a name for myself, I was soon introduced to the Turn Based style of text-based combat, which was very different to the T2 I had learned on teenchat.com. Partaking in a few fights, I soon found myself under the tutelage of Kouketsu, and my skill grew in that area of roleplay very quickly. Few have managed to defeat me, and I am well recognised as a good fighter.

Now, after roleplaying within Gateway and IRC, I mainly fight on IRC, and take some involvement in the GT League, fighting for a chance to become the top ranked fighter across many different sites. I am most often found in the SurrealChat or LucidChat networks, in a variety of channels.

My other hobbies include music, reading, writing, martial arts and computing, along with various other rather geeky areas, and likely all will be mentioned within this blog.

Have fun here, and feel free to make comments as you wish.