Why forum-based RP's?

[Marc Xavier]

I spoke briefly with SWFans.Net and asked permission before posting this here, I was instructed to put this in the OOC forum as it was the most apropriate place.

My name is Julius Harper, I am a student of the University of Southern California. I'm posting this thread (and surveys like it) on various star wars related websites centered around CCG RPing, PBeM, forum-based and MUCK/MUDD role play. As I mentioned above, I contacted the admin at your site and asked for permission to include your Role-Play Group as part of my survey sample. I was given the impression I'd have my best luck here.

The survey consists of three open-ended questions about role-play in general, I tried to keep the survey short because nobody likes to fill out long forms. One of the advantages to folks here in filling this out would be that, by giving feedback, you might very well posit some suggestions that could someday be implemented here at SWFans, to make the RPing experience even more enjoyable. But of course, anything like that would be up to your admin.

With that said, the questions are below:

Why do you use forum-based role play instead of PBeM, or card-based RPG's, or even MUCKs?


Have you ever tried alternate forms of Role-Play (PBeM, MUDD/MUCK etc)?


As someone who does forum-based RP, what do you think could be done to improve the experience or gameplay?

Feel free to be as short or extensive as you wish, and you don’t have to answer all the questions if you don’t want to (I just don’t want anyone answering question 1 and 2 and then getting stuck on 3 and not submitting their answers). Every little bit of input helps.

[General Dan]

1. It relies on a more story-driven approach, and depends more on active imagination than dice-rolling rules, and other accounting headaches that get in the way. With mutual respect and a concept of fair play, there are rarely an irreconcilable differences in opinion regarding game events, that would require more stringent and tedious rules used by other formats.

2. I used to roleplay on a MUDD system when I was a freshman in high school, about 10 years ago.

3. In a perfect world, we wouldn't be distracted by crazy things like secondary education, employment, marriage, or World of Warcraft (Hi Rie!)

[Shade Magus]

Why do you use forum-based role play instead of PBeM, or card-based RPG's, or even MUCKs?

Just a prefrence really. I love to write and this allows me to do more than any of the others. I also agree with most if not all of the ideas chared above.


Have you ever tried alternate forms of Role-Play (PBeM, MUDD/MUCK etc)?

Yes.


As someone who does forum-based RP, what do you think could be done to improve the experience or gameplay?


There really isn't much that could be done that could enhance one's experience on a Forum. I believe that the experience is made by your attitude and the attitude of people that you roleplay with. But that is just my opinion and I'm sure that there are others that differ and that is why I like it.

[Rognan Dar]

1. On a Forum it kind of makes it easyer to do things. Not only do you have cool backgrounds and sections, but you have other people. I like Forums mostly because of the people and how each different person brings something different to the board, making it a more interactive and fun place. Also, it is fun to write. I never wrote much in my life and this is something that really gets me thinking and wanting to write. And with other people interacting with you in a RP, it adds twist to the story that might not have come up before.

2. No.

3. Thats a hard question. Like Shade said, its about how you make it and others with you. The only thing that could make it better is for me to spell good and to write well...and if others could do the same (which they do).

[Morgan Evanar]

Originally posted by Dan the Man
1. It relies on a more story-driven approach, and depends more on active imagination than dice-rolling rules, and other accounting headaches that get in the way. With mutual respect and a concept of fair play, there are rarely an irreconcilable differences in opinion regarding game events, that would require more stringent and tedious rules used by other formats. The main advantage and disadvantage is that, if needed, the story can stop for real life.

2. I used to roleplay on a MUDD system when I was a freshman in high school, about 8 years ago. I've also played Vampire: Dark Ages and Masquerade tabletop.

3. In a perfect world, we wouldn't be distracted by crazy things like secondary education, employment, marriage, or other engagements Edited slightly to fit me.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Why do you use forum-based role play instead of PBeM, or card-based RPG's, or even MUCKs?

I like to write and to be creative; from the very beginning, learning to write better has been my main purpose in online RP'ing. I can't handle even chat-type RP's with equantimity: the writing just seems too stilted. A card-based system doesn't have the flexibility.

Have you ever tried alternate forms of Role-Play (PBeM, MUDD/MUCK etc)?

Tried card-based many, many years ago - I think I was ten or eleven.

As someone who does forum-based RP, what do you think could be done to improve the experience or gameplay?

Better spelling makes everything easier to read, and more enjoyable. I like it that people consciously try to make their writing better. I also like it when there's a good attitude. Take a fight I'm writing as an example: my opponent and I are on the verge of killing each other, but OOC we're both having a lot of fun and we don't hold grudges. Forgiveness is good too. When I first got here, I stepped on a lot of toes, but one of the people I'd insulted actually took me under her wing.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Why do you use forum-based role play instead of PBeM, or card-based RPG's, or even MUCKs?
There’s a lot more freedom… plus you get as long as you want (within reason) to come up with a response. I roleplayed in chats for a while and the pace there was just stupid – your skill was dependent on your typing speed, how many moves you could pull off before the other person had the chance to response :rolleyes Plus, it gives me a chance to flex my writing skills with other likeminded peoples.

Have you ever tried alternate forms of Role-Play (PBeM, MUDD/MUCK etc)?
Yes. I was on the Discworld MUD for about three years, and helped designing/coding a few smaller MUDs with my friends. Tried a few card based games a few years back, but couldn’t get into them – and, like I mentioned above, did a bit of chat based RPing before discovering the boards. It seems like this is the case with a lot of people - they start off on the more hack/slash orientated mediums, like MUDs, or fast paced things like chats, then work their way up to something more detailed and complex, like we have here.

As someone who does forum-based RP, what do you think could be done to improve the experience or gameplay?
At the minute, I think our rules system is the best it’s going to get. Really the only thing that can improve (or impede) the game is the people involved :)

[Wei Wu Wei]

1. It helps me with my own creative writing skills. It's like writing one section of a book. Plus I get to exercise degrees of character development that I wouldn't get to explore on my own. It's fun because I can almost let the character develop entirely on his or her own due to the diversity of situations that can be encountered in this style of role-play. Maybe someday I'll write a book on my own using what I've learned here.

2. I don't know what all the abbreviations mean, so I'll just say no for right now.

3. Well, you've got no guarantees that once you start a role-play that it will get finished. It would be nice to know that the people that start roleplays with you will carry them out to their conclusion. But stuf comes up, we sometimes forget.

[Kieran Devaneaux]

1. You can't accidentally delete message boards. :D Seriously, however, I think MBs are easier to keep track of.

2. PBeMs and AOL/AIM chat rooms for several years.

3. I agree with Dasq, we're about as good as we can get.

[Shanaria Fabool]

1: I like the message board RPs because they allow you to go and look back at what you have done in the past, Most of the time you are not rushed to complete an RP, and it allows you to think and plan out your responces before you reply.

2: I've tried MUCKs, chat room RPs, and Person to Person RP's using dice and paper. I accualy prefer the Person to Person RP's, but the Message boards are the next best thing.

3: As long as people use common sence and have fun that's all that matters.

[Lady Vader]

1. Personally, I like the forum-based RP because it allows me to be more creative in my writing skills. This also allows me to interact and plan with other people on how a story may end up. Or, just for the sake of the silliness of it all, we may do no planning at all and see where a story may end up.

2. I tried some table-top RP a long time ago, maybe 7 or 8 years ago. It didn't really grab a hold of my attention as much as forum-based RPing has. Probably because I have more freedom on what the outcomes of my characters will be. (I've heard of some strange stories where poeple have completely lost it when their table-top characters have met an untimely end. O_o )

3. I'm not sure really. As it is, I have found that my RP experience has thinned due to such "crazy things like secondary education, employment, marriage, <strike>or</strike> and World of Warcraft"




(Hi Rie!)

Help! I've been found out! :uhoh

[Wei Wu Wei]

Oh, and one thing I forgot.

3. Not all people know how to spell. Not all people have a very good grasp of grammar. Not all people have a very good grasp of both spelling and grammar. It's frustrating trying to do role-plays in which you spend a lot of your time trying to decipher other people's posts.

[Marc Xavier]

I wanted to say thanks to everyone who's taken the time to participate so far. Honestly I recieved a larger response than I expected. I really apreciate the time people have put into their answers.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Why do you use forum-based role play instead of PBeM, or card-based RPG's, or even MUCKs?
I started doing this as a lark, because my brother was already RPing here. Then I realized how much fun it is, how it stretches the imagination and improved my writing skills. I invited two of my nephews to start here over a year ago to help them with their writing skills, and they're having fun, learning how to construct stories and write better. I like the interaction with people from all over the world, and the joint storytelling.

Have you ever tried alternate forms of Role-Play (PBeM, MUDD/MUCK etc)?
Tried playing a variant of Dungeons and Dragons once with my family but got too freaked out by it to continue further than the first night (I was probably 7). I've always suffered from an overactive imagination.

As someone who does forum-based RP, what do you think could be done to improve the experience or gameplay?
As many have mentioned, our rules here (common sense, fair play) are about as good as it can get. Now, if we could just get everyone to follow them... And the people who participate who can't spell or use proper grammar (or at least something resembling proper grammar) make it hard as well.

[Khendon Sevon]

Why do you use forum-based role play instead of PBeM, or card-based RPG's, or even MUCKs?
Well, I do participate in many types of RPGs, not just forums. However, the advantage of a forum is the actual expression the writer can relate through the character. There’s an immense amount of control, even beyond DMing. For example, every physical nuance can be exploited, a character’s thoughts can be expressed, and environments can be fully developed.

Another important reason for my forum favoritism would be the relationships one gains with other writers. It goes beyond the characters and events. There’s a bond that forms through interaction and brainstorming.

When an RP goes well and the writing is great it’s an amazing feeling of accomplishment. Most importantly, you can write at your leisure. When I DM I work on the spot, many events and memorable activities are completely impromptu. While this can be fun it demands a lot of energy and requires everyone to stay constantly in character. Writing, however, can be done whenever one is inspired. It allows ideas to develop and grow and flower.

Have you ever tried alternate forms of Role-Play (PBeM, MUDD/MUCK etc)?
I am a Dungeon Master for Dungeons and Dragons. I have also played MMORPGs such as Ultima Online, World of Warcraft, Anarchy Online and played on strict roleplaying UO shards. I’ve tried a few MUDs but those are horrible, If it’s text based it might as well allow you to express yourself, like a forum does.

Around seven years ago, when I first started to explore the internet, I participated in a starwars chatroom that involved RPing. It was fun, but I don’t think I could get into that again. It lacks the depth of a forum and the excitement of a graphics driven game.

I’ve tried card games… but they really just end up boring me.

As someone who does forum-based RP, what do you think could be done to improve the experience or gameplay?
I would be fine if there were about 20 more fleet RPers at SWF. Ones that would like to kill me would be fun, too. Other than that, I think our rules and the general usage of common sense are perfect.

I recently looked at TRF, which has strict rules for research and fleeting, and realized that they lose out on the writing aspect and end up being all about pawns on a board. While it’s fun to engage in large-scale warfare and have resources and so forth they’ve taken it beyond the realm of enjoyment. Technology, ships, etc are all just aids in RPing… they don’t see that.

[Rhea Kaylen]

1. I much prefer the greater emphasis on individual creativity and actual skill involved in a forum-based RP. I, personally, have very strong feelings about the proper use of the English language and the perennial advantages to frequent and prolonged practice using it, which I will not go into in any depth, but I think an RP of this type is much more conducive to real skill-building. It's much more useful to have to put together thoughts and actions into coherent and interesting sentences than it is to shuffle and flip cards, for instance.

2. I messed with a card-based game several years ago, and it was fun, nicely fast-paced, and with the element of strategy involved, even a little addicting. But I don't think I could ever be a serious gamer of this sort. I have something of a short attention span, and I think after a while the game would start to annoy me, in much the same way a platform-based RPG's battle system can get irritating after a time. And I role-played around with a friend on AIM for about ten minutes, if that counts.

3. Really, nothing at all. My time at SWFans has been one of the most fun experiences I've ever had the good fortune of being able to have. The only thing I can think of is a purely peevish desire for heightened attention to grammar, punctuation, and spelling. I can fully appreciate differences in writing style and differing levels of expertise and experience, and with neither of these factors do I have any problems, but simple technical rules are the same from person to person and easy to learn. However, I have, over the years, turned into a bitter old grammar Nazi, so do forgive me, fellow SWFans writers, for sounding so crochety about this. :)

Hope those answers are helpful to you...or, at least, not a hindrance!

[Mandy with an I]

Why do you use forum-based role play instead of PBeM, or card-based RPG's, or even MUCKs?

Like, LV said, a sibling started rping here before I did. I started out on an anime-chat board and eventually found my way to Fans. I know that my first rps were horrible, but I feel I've gotten better with time. I've always liked writing (I've written short stories and keep journals, but most of my writing was private and hasn't been seen by anyone other than myself.) and I really enjoy writing with this group of people.


Have you ever tried alternate forms of Role-Play (PBeM, MUDD/MUCK etc)?

I don't know what those are, but no. I hadn't really heard about any rping other than the video-game kind before this.


As someone who does forum-based RP, what do you think could be done to improve the experience or gameplay?

I think we have a pretty good system here already. Personally, I wish that everyone could post more, and that everyones' "grand plans" could be completed, but that isn't realistic.
I agree with Wei about the whole spelling and grammar aspect - it's best if someone has some grasp of the english language before they post. I think people should talk before and while they're posting together in a thread - I try to talk to everyone I write with, and it's a good way to generate more ideas (like ones you wouldnt have ever thought of yourself, for example) and helps to keep things moving.

[Nayala Palain]

1. People can wait for me and still do other threads while they are waiting for my beyond busy life to finally stop for a moment and allow me to post. Also I cant forget what I did before cause I can just scroll up and read it.

2. Yes way to many to even try and remember

3 just like everyone else, although I am so guilty of the crappy grammer and spelling. (Spell check baby)

[Jeseth Cloak]

Why do you use forum-based role play instead of PBeM, or card-based RPG's, or even MUCKs?

There is something more social in forum based RPing. It can be more exciting, because unlike the limited reactions you might get from an opponent bound by the rules of a system-based game, there is no real way to predict the exact outcome of an RP on a forum. Yes, it's true that there are many of ways to deal a deck of cards, and that computers can calculate incredible odds... but that's scratching the surface when compared to the limitless possibilities of direct human interaction and competition.


Have you ever tried alternate forms of Role-Play (PBeM, MUDD/MUCK etc)?

Yes.


As someone who does forum-based RP, what do you think could be done to improve the experience or gameplay?

Nothing that I can think of - at least nothing that wouldn't simultaneously make forum-based RPing less fun. Some sort of computer database of major events would be great, but who could ever hope to achieve that.

[Blade Bacquin]

Why do you use forum-based role play instead of PBeM, or card-based RPG's, or even MUCKs?

Well let's just say a friend lead me to a chat board one day. I was one of these kids who was an exile in school and took to the silent road because no one cared what I had to say anyway. Soon those chat boards led to forum based RP boards so I could get away and be someone else. I give fans here credit for even possibly saving my life. I became more outgoing and connected with people with similar interests from all over the world. Forum based has improved my spelling and grammer as many of these people would tell you it has. I like forum based for one simple reason and that reason is the people here.



Have you ever tried alternate forms of Role-Play (PBeM, MUDD/MUCK etc)?

Oh yeah I have tried just about everything and to me they all have there highs and there lows.



As someone who does forum-based RP, what do you think could be done to improve the experience or gameplay?

I think its great as it is. I think it helped me and I hope it stays around long enough to save other kids like me.

[Angelica Shin]

Why do you use forum-based role play instead of PBeM, or card-based RPG's, or even MUCKs?
I've chosen to forum RPs mainly because it's much easier to handle. PBeM's would end up being inactive for me because I RARELY check my e-mail, I don't even know what a MUCK is, and I've never even SEEN a card based RP.

Have you ever tried alternate forms of Role-Play (PBeM, MUDD/MUCK etc)?
I originally started RPing in chats, and found my way to 'Fans, nuff said.


As someone who does forum-based RP, what do you think could be done to improve the experience or gameplay?
Everyone has already stated the same things I would say, which is, "Fans is good, and it's possible there are improvements that could be done, but they may end up ruining the experience.".

[Telan Desaria]

Why do you use forum-based role play instead of PBeM, or card-based RPG's, or even MUCKs?

In my life, distractions are required to continue existence. While my time has not been the worst, it has been far from the best. Here I can cast away the shadows of reality and mould my personna into what I imagined it to be - into what it should be. Here I can escape the harsh climate of daily life and lord over my own destiny.

Have you ever tried alternate forms of Role-Play (PBeM, MUDD/MUCK etc)?

I played the SW CCG very briefly as - obviously - the Empire however I found the same to be too money-intensive and gave it up. Text based games such as this allow me to increase my prowess as an author.


As someone who does forum-based RP, what do you think could be done to improve the experience or gameplay?

I cannot think of anything save one - -bring us more rpers.