Okay...I waited a couple days here before posting again for two reasons.
One, because I wanted to see what other input we got here.
The second is because I really want to get with Jackhammer and discuss some of that input.
In the meantime, let me tell you guys what our thoughts are, in a general way...so you all can go ahead and respond, give us even more input to work with.
I think we've outlined the reasons we'd like to impose the word count minimum in this forum. And I think we've seen why some of you hold opposing views to that.? So let me go on and give you all a picture of how we're looking at this.
There has been an explosion of activity on these threads, which, again..I think I've voiced my approval and pleasure with again and again, both here and in game. But role play, by it's very definition, has guidelines. For instance:
- each player being able to speak only to their own actions, and not to the actions of anyone around them.? ?
- Each player having simultaneous 'turns' in a time period, so that while one is performing their action the others all have their time to do the same thing
- characters needing to be relatively pre-defined before play, to eliminate any abilities and items and 'powers' if you will from popping up mid-play to suit a specific situation
These are a few of the things we've been looking at. As it stands right now, anyone can jump on any thread and say anything. I can jump in on a Sinchair thread, in the middle of whatever you guys are doing..and say anything..allowing me to potentially screw up the story line you all are working toward...and some of you may say 'yeah, that's what role play is' but in my opinion, it's not.
Now if I jump on Sinchair, with a pre-defined character, and find myself in a place/situation where my actions can effect yours, and use whatever abilities/items I may have to complete an action, and that action DOES screw up where you were headed, and change it completely, then yes, that's role play.
But if I jump in and say:
*Tina spies the six people below her conversing, as she hovers invisibly, and sprinkles them all with her sleeping dust, causing them to immediately fall asleep.*
That's not role play. Can I hover? Can I be invisible? Do I even HAVE sleeping dust? Do any of you have resistance to said dust? Did my turn even work?
These concepts have to be making sense to some of you RPers out here. I know it.
We arent' trying to squash creativity, or to stop anyone from having a good time. Quite on the contrary. And I know there are a few of you who are pretty much playing some of these threads exclusively, with little threat of that kind of thing happening in some spots, but the ability for anyone to do it exists, as long as there are no rules of play.
Also, let me give an example of another issue we're seeing. On the Tryne thread, I know of at least a couple of players, myself included, who were ready to be pretty involved in what was going on, got started, and then come home at the end of the day to find play has advanced so far between a few people, that there is no coming back to it from the spot we left off. Now this is only an example, but it's happened on more than one thread on these boards.
So these are the issues that we are wanting to address. That, and the obvious, elimination of spam where it can seriously deter from play moving forward. That is where the mimimum post concept came from. Looking for a way to get some consideration and time behind 'turns' as a starter.
So, all that being said..I would very much like to still hear ideas, here. And to have some opinions on what you guys think of all that. I'd like us to spend some time here developing guidelines and rules that we can ALL work with. So please post. But keep in mind, I'm not a speed poster, guys. I'm gonna read your opinions and consider them, but I'm gonna post when I have more to say. So you all may be four pages ahead of me by the time I respond. I'm not ignoring. I'm just not hovering on the forums either. lol