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Post by railei on Nov 24, 2008 1:04:21 GMT -5
hello all cats!
Well, I’m on the hunt for a heavy RP guild, and yours looks very intriguing. I really hate trotting out resumes, but unfortunately if you want to RP with players that aren’t complete flakes it seems that’s all that you can do! So, here goes....
First, heres what I’m looking for. I will admit right up at the front I'm generally told its a tall order, but the guild I can find that suits me I plan to stick with .
My first experience with an RP guilds was hands down my best and it completely spoiled me for all other RP guilds as it war happenstance I fond it and their standards were high. City of Heroes, the Guardian Angels had regular forum RP, highly active members, ready RP of all sorts and we held events regularly. Since then I’ve found many that claim to and few that perform.
After better than three years ( I’ve played since WoW beta) I’ve found few in wow to compare. So, I admit, I’m looking for something that has none of the following negatives I've experienced:
Soap Opera RP - oh, I get character development, but several heavy RP guilds I’ve been in define character based RP as " OH!(swoon, flutter of hand to brow) my lover/husband/brother/significant other is (has been) killed/ill/kidnapped/ or is run off/screwing/dating my sister/best friend or will be seeing someone else or has gone gay" Don’t get me started on the “save me!” scenario!<laughs>
I RP to role-play things of significance- sure, we can't save the world every day, but RP with me an RP political argument, situation, pursue a mystery, or even just run out and save the day? Count me in!@
As Azeroth Turns just doesn't do it for me.
ERP? I don't object to other people doing it, but its not my bag. If I am asked, I'll politely bow out, but so many guilds seem to do it now you just have to say that up front.
Mature players. Hell yes. I have had, on Argent dawn two successive bad experiences with guilds...one which went flooey in its first three weeks because the guild leaders were involved in RL and when they went PUF so did the guild…And the bank...and the officers...you get the picture.
The other was a group billing themselves as heavy RP that was run by a relatively emotionally fragile bunch. Of youngsters. And when they Rped they were quite good, but it developed that the RP was really event driven, they had many IC mechanisms that discouraged or outright made RP difficult and were far more controlling than I was looking to encounter.
A heavy RP guild that demanded a players ask OOC before they RPed? So none of the players felt “forced to RP?” not really a heavy RP guilds I ever heard of! Truth in advertising is all I ask.
Contentious RP, what a thorny issue! Dealing with asshats IC is to some extent acceptable so long as I’m not devoting more time to pointless argument and ego- stroking than the fun level justifies-. I am all about not needing to love everyone but if the player in question requires that all the bombastic threats and attention grabbing/ limelightimng in any conversation means all we can do is deal with him, well…on an OOC basis I used to be a tech support rep for IBM. So, sure, I can deal with that, but yanno, at 22.50 an hour I can be conciliatory as hell. In my free time, much less so. Basically, if its great for the other guy, fine, but I’d love to have some fun too and kissing someone’s ass inst in my game plan. Emotionally fragile bombastic 15 year olds I can live without.
IC, well, heres the thing…if the character ( not the player, more later) is an asshat, I simply won’t associate with them inplay iof I can avoid it. Simple, neh? And if I must hopefully the player recognizes the Line, and when its not fun for others. Maturity, again.
The Line…what a concept! I love this, as it mirrors my ow attitudes in the IRC games I’ve been running for years./ the character is NOT the player and how few realize this! This guild rule, if no other, is what’s attracting me to the Cats.
Now…the idea of work for what you get. By all means. Can’t wait to start!
Enough of what I expect…I must offer two conditions, neither of which is a matter of choice but which in fairness you guys must be aware.
I am a disabled vet with Huntington’s Disease, a nervous disorder similar to Parkinson’s. As a result my typing IG can be spotty- less here, spellcheckers to the rescue. As a result, typos are common, so please take it into account. Please, no chops busting on punctuation and so on! <laughs> I’m aware of the problem, and its another reason why my chat responses tend to be slow. Pleas work with me on this matter. I shall do the best I can.
I am invariably on late ( 10 – 6 am central, generally) rather than earlier, and can sometimes be offline several days at a time if the health/seizure issues are flaring. Please take this in account when matters of attendance arise.
Well, that was a hefty prelude, eh? Hopefully if you guys have gotten this far, here’s what I’d like to contribute:
30 years of RP experience. Not the silly minutiae of where the brackets go or not using emotes, that’s just protocol, but of immersively RPing characters in a game environment. I’m 50, started playing when Chainmail was a brown pamphlet. I play the character to the hilt, sometimes they are dimwits, sometimes sneaky, sometimes contentious or sly.
I’ve run and played in text RP and on the feet sessions for a decade – the medium is one I’m familiar with.
I am a professional artist and writer, with art and writing credits since 1983 ranging from GDW, TSR, WOTC and FASA to Last Unicorn, Paramount and movie work. I write and enjoy writing, both stories and scenarios and RP events. Hopefully the guild may find that useful.
I would love to contribute events writing, forum stories and arts as well…its not just my living but my hobby, guess I’m just not right in the head that way.
I love to contribute. I don’t join a guild to solo, and while we all like to do things alone, I never log on when I’m not ready to ask for an RP or simply willing to quest with someone.( I generally do as a default) Generally guildies get first lick at loots I collect, I’m neither a raider or money hog, so I generally drop in the guild bank rather than AH. That’s what guildies do.
RP first, levels last. That pretty much sums up my priorities and if I were more a serous level pig I would have move that my lonely sixty four warrior. I explore constantly and routinely drop what I’m doing if the chance to RP arises.
I’m hardcore. Don’t feel the need to “run” me thru instances. While this is the default way to score loot and gear and sometimes the best option, I dislike power leveling intensely. To me PL is the mark of a lazy and an impatient player and while we all do it from time to time I myself will generally decline it.
Going thru a dungeon at level? Hard fights? A party of mid thirties hitting SM? Count me in! Running an instance wit 70s so lesser can collect loot? Pass. It’s an appreciated gesture but unless the need for gear is very dire I pass because, frankly, its BORING .
Well! I guess that’s all there is and it’s the most entry I’ve done to scope out a guild in along while. If you guys think this is worthwhile, or if I might be a good candidate please let me know. I’ll be watching this site.
If possible I’d like to schedule an OOC with a Cat…while I realize I’ll need to hunt up a sponsor I’d appreciate setting up a face to face ( even in OOC) or on these boards to coordinate as I’ve no characters currently resident there although I plan on transferring there while the free moves are on.
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Post by sonechka on Nov 24, 2008 8:06:51 GMT -5
Hi there! Thank you for taking the time to write this out! I do plan on going into this more in-depth but I wanted to say that I truly appreciate the up-front and honest attitude presented in this post and will do my best to address your questions in the same manner as you have presented them (if Kat doesn't get to it first of course ). In the meanwhile, I do hope you feel free to read all about us, we have quite a bit of literature here that covers a lot of who we are and how we see things. You can also see a small subsection of our forum roleplay on the World of Azeroth section. Thank you again for your interest, I'll have something up that's not just a polite hallo as soon as I get off work. =)
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Post by Talleia on Nov 24, 2008 8:45:20 GMT -5
*smiles* Yes, basically everything Sonechka said.
Feel free to contact anyone of us in-game (use the "/who" command), and talk to them OOC if you like, or set up something in-game or here.
As a rule, we only accept characters that are 15 or higher (if you just started on this server, for example). We only do this so that we can have some idea that the time and effort one is willing to put behind a character that seeks to join the Cats.
Huntington's Disease...I haven't read much about it (although I will now), but we don't take lightly if you didn't get an A++ in English grammar and spelling. Sorry. -_-
Just kidding! Sorry, I couldn't resist. No, spelling errors and the like are fine, granted we can still make out what you're saying.
Also, one of our guild mottos/rules is "RL comes first." So, if something happens, and you're out for an extended period of time, then no harm or reprecussions will come to your character. A few days is fine, however, if you're going to be out for longer, just let us know what's going on, so we're aware.
10pm to 6am? Hehe, we have a few members who sign on pretty late (myself included). While your hours "may" make it hard for you to interact with some of our other members, I can think of 3 off the top of my head who hang around at this time. Also, there's always RP on the forums here, so, if you'd like to meet everyone, but can't do it in-game, there's a place to do it.
Hmm...that's all I can think to clarify at the moment. Work calls, so, I'll have to get back to this later today. Take care until then!
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Post by ۞ KAT ۞ AKA Red Viper on Nov 24, 2008 9:10:16 GMT -5
i will chime in to offer you a very warm welcome to the site! and thank you for your amazing post. Sone always has a way of stealing our words right from our mouths-and heads- leaving the rest kinda just opening and closing our mouths like beached fish. i would personally address your concerns and issues, however i first wish to allow others to offer their thoughts and feelings and outlooks first. after all, it's expected the 'leader' of something would glorify and fluff up something that they have worked hard on to promote and support. while i'm one to more so tell it like it is, i still would like you to experience what other members may have to say before i stick my nose in and say my bits.
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Post by bryan on Nov 24, 2008 10:40:40 GMT -5
Thanks for prompt responses! I'll answer any questions you may have, as well.
Talleia: "Feel free to contact anyone of us in-game (use the "/who" command), and talk to them OOC if you like, or set up something in-game or here.
As a rule, we only accept characters that are 15 or higher (if you just started on this server, for example). We only do this so that we can have some idea that the time and effort one is willing to put behind a character that seeks to join the Cats."
This is no problem. While at the moment I have two level ones on the server they are place holders, awaiting my decisi9on to move my characters. I'll be shiftingRailei first, a good point of contact, Bajhoul will follow.
I shan't bounce Bajhoul immediately, though, as shes guilded. Currently in a guild with kids, they are earnest as hell but unfortunately essentially clueless when it comes to good RP, but hey, they try hard and thats always worth some respect.
I wouldn't be looking elsewhere if I saw a future with them, but it would be rude to simply bail on em too, and they've done nothing wrong so I won't move Baj before I have the chance to say so long and offer courtesies.
As to setting up an ingame meeting? By all means, lets do so!
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Post by valrae on Nov 24, 2008 13:57:54 GMT -5
Hello and welcome. ....and yeah, everything I was going to say has been said, already. Out of sheer curiosity, do you have and writing or art samples around? ... I just want to know how far I'm going to have to step up to stay competitive if you're going to be sticking around here. Seriously, though, you have a very impressive list of credentials and what appears to be a just the right attitude, as well as the ability and sense to use line breaks. Which is an underappreciated commodity, these days. *coughs* Anyway, again welcome and I'm very pleased to meet you. I hope you get involved here on the foums, as that's one of the best ways to get to know the Cats and just RP in general. It should be noted that forum RP counts the same as in-game RP, so you can 'introduce' your characters that way without having to physically move them to the server, if that helps with your decisionmaking, any.
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Post by Bryan on Nov 24, 2008 14:31:07 GMT -5
Links? Surely! Like to see your stuff, can you direct me to it? I'm always keen to look at anothers work. Heres a couple - both are sites for my IRC campaigns, both now in their 6th year and the sites nearly four. I claim no credit beyind creaying the original setting s they are based in - I wanted something besides another traveller/star wars / Dn D world, so i wrote my own. The quality of the games has rested entirely on my players- a group of VERY good RPers, and ones that have made my GMing a joy. This is the Maelloc Site - a fanstasy RPG. IRC /text based. groups.msn.com/Maellocand this, Terran Praesidium, a science fiction campaign. groups.msn.com/TerranPraesidium/_whatsnew.msnwIn both instances, all art unless otherwise noted is mine. And this is my main portfolio site, for displaying art, sketches and what ever else strikes my fancy. I'v work there from my digital to watercolor and pencils to linework, as well as a hefty but incomplete chunk of my published work. groups.msn.com/imagesstudio/_whatsnew.msnwsadly, they must all move to multiply, which I hate, but until a free website suddenly appears its where they'll be post-feburary So, check em out, enjoy!
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Post by behlon on Nov 24, 2008 17:25:38 GMT -5
Your artwork is amazing, as I'm sure's been said before, and nothing sounds wrong with you (yet <.< >.>). As somone that struggles to doodle a good stickman, I can't help but want to admire and punch you in the face.
Conflicting thoughts yes, but they happen often.
Anyway, with any luck we might meet soon ^.^
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Post by valrae on Nov 24, 2008 18:53:33 GMT -5
Um, um, um... *scrambles to assemble links and remember url's and upload a thing or two while appearing to work* There we go. sorry for the wait. ^^ By no means professional, but I'm a production graphic designer, so I like to hobby it up when I can. ______________________________ Pencils i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg297/AK9779/rook3.jpgi251.photobucket.com/albums/gg297/AK9779/mercilessblaze.jpgi251.photobucket.com/albums/gg297/AK9779/glaiveweb.jpgInks www.gravedust.com/sample/kneella2006www.gravedust.com/sample/salkaia2006i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg297/AK9779/atom.jpgColor i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg297/AK9779/atomc.jpgwww.gravedust.com/sample/salkaia2006ci251.photobucket.com/albums/gg297/AK9779/valnolines.jpgs251.photobucket.com/albums/gg297/AK9779/Nagant01.jpgi251.photobucket.com/albums/gg297/AK9779/miniall.jpg(Argh! It got compressed. >.< it used to look cleaner.) www.gravedust.com/auntera/Is the leftover source info for a forum RP world I built from the ground up and ran several years back and am now fairly embarrassed of. It's being sloooolwy overhauled to Version 2.0, a more complex, lower magic world. Not much to look at visually, but there are some fun maps and diagrams. ________________________________________ And Wooow. Holy hell I love your work. It's actually fairly nostalgic. You don't see too much of that type as much nowadays, the open, brushy, bendy kind of illos that I remember seeing in all the sourcebooks and older comics and stuff. But it's very clean and expressive and yet another damn reminder that I need to spend about a week finally nailing down perspective drawing. Urgh. Clothing detail is amazing. I swear I've seen 'A perilous flight' somewhere.. but I can't remember where.. Did you submit it to Blizz?
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Post by bryan on Nov 24, 2008 19:45:05 GMT -5
yup, perilous flight made it into the fan arts, which I thought was entirely too cool.
thanks for the complimenmts, and don't feel badly about your work, its good stuff. I get a FX11 vibe on a couple, which is nice. Ive always been an anime fan, and FX11 struck me a lot like lineage 2, an absolutely GAWJIS game but largely bereft of content.
But I loved the character design, and the art design was amazing.
I really liked the pink haired gnome - Ive never had mouch luck with effects, and your digital coloring is spot on. It also shows more depth that the others which seem a trifle flat to me...were you using a diffeernt technique?
heh, like any artist I'll talk shop at the drop of a hat - youv'e been warned!
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Post by valrae on Nov 24, 2008 20:06:48 GMT -5
Yep yep. Sal2006 and Knee2006 were both presents to friends I played FFXI with. Dragoon and Dark Knight AF armor, respectively. Guess when I did them. Played (I should say endured) FFXI for three years. Amazing concept with amazing visuals, (moreso on the player models than the environments, in most cases) But just a terribly flawed game at the core. Economy and crafting was entirely, stupidly broken, as was the party system. And it seemed like the developers never shook your hand without kicking you in the nuts. Atom (the gnome) is the most recent of the coloring stuffs I've done, and I was using a slightly more toned-up than normal version of the technique I was taught by a guy who used to color comics for a living. The Cel-shaded stuff is.. Ehh.. Cel shaded. It's easy for the fast stuff because I don't have access to a tablet at work. And hell, talk all the shop you want. ^^
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Post by sonechka on Nov 24, 2008 21:07:22 GMT -5
Here's some answers to your questions, at least as well as I can. First, to address the negatives: Soap Opera RP- Blehhhh. While the Cats can (and do!) address the darker side of life in Azeroth, none of our stories are all doom and gloom, I've yet to meet a character in the Cats right now who's story is so solely based upon themselves. While we have had stories of the "save me" type, they tend to be a bit more... engaging- actually involving the Cats storming Orgrimmar to create a diversion as the fallen comrade is "escorted" out. We find the type of roleplaying that you mention here to be alright- in very small doses. Anything more than that is so blatantly a cry for attention that it's a bit disrespectful for everyone else trying to tell their stories along with you, y'know? =) ERP- We are VERY respectful of everyone's boundaries in regards this topic. Mature players- This is an 18+ guild and maturity is up there with The Line in terms of importance. We may occasionally be a little silly, our manners are not always the best and our language occasionally (though rarely) crosses the PG-13 to R line, but our guild is a guild of friends OOCly- and as friends we respect one another. Maturity is the only way that we can handle playing characters that occasionally address issues that are difficult at best- painful at worst. Communication is a word that a lot of guilds use- it's something that we as a guild, and I as an officer and a person hold great store by. If someone is not mature enough to communicate both positive and negative issues so that they can be addressed, then they will not find a happy home in the Cats. One note though- some of the characters are -very- immature. They can be whiney, snotty, bratty, and childish. But all the players are very mature, very good people. Truth in advertising- not sure if this was an actual issue or an addendum to your previous thought, but I thought I'd address it anyhow. =) We do have the rule, and it is enforced- if you are online, you are IC. While we do have an OOC channel, we are all saddened if that is more active than the IC /guildchat. We fully believe we pay to RP, and there's no reason that we can't login to an alt if we just want to PvP that day or something. When a Cat is online, they're RPing. If they're not, they're afk or something's wrong. Contentious RP- This -is- a thorny issue, particularly with this guild. Some of the characters are very hard to get along with on the surface. To non-guildmembers, the Cheshire Cats are the kids in the alleys of the world, turning their backs and looking over their shoulders with a sneer when an outsider expresses interest. However- they're not always like that. The Cats are the first guild I've ever been in that play real people-meaning they're not just charicatures of rebels. Even Kat (notoriously hard to talk to, snotty, bad-tempered to non-Cats, though susceptible to flattery) has her good days where she'll be caught in a great mood and chat away. Then again, the character may tell someone to screw themselves if they look at her funny too. *laughs* Not all the Cats are like this- several characters are more approachable then others. None of the Cats are flat- none of them are always nice, always mean. Many of them have strong tendancies towards being anti-social, though we actually have positions in the guild (Keeper, Advisor) that are there to interact with the public at large. I feel this may be the only thing you may find difficult/not a good fit regarding the guild. The characters can be asshats- even though the player will be apologizing to you OOCly for it. It's not a ploy for attention inasmuch as we have chosen to play the anti-heros of Azeroth after seeing so many people that were only wanting to play the Lawful Good superheros. This kind of leads to the next point... The Line- Ohhh yes, this is our big one- and the one that's caused us the most problems I think. Heavy roleplay, in my eyes, draws people who are passionate. When you have passionate people, you can often have passionate arguments, passionate friendships, passionate hatreds even. Sadly, the Line is easy to cross when someone plays a lot in the mind of their character- particularly when their character is in a guild like the Cats, where life is rarely easy. To us, the Line is almost sacred- it sums up almost everything else in our rules. As a long-time roleplayer, I am sure you are familiar with the phrase "In character actions equal in character consequences". This is another big part of our view of the Line. Rest assured that the Line is not a lip-service thing, tacked onto our rules to try and cover our butts. *laughs* This is something we really do enforce- and it is one of the only rules we have removed people for breaking. Now! Done with all the negative stuffs. *laughs* I am very, very verbose, I apologize if this is a bit more info than you were looking for but as I said, I wanted to address your words with the same honesty that you came to us with. No worries about the Huntington's, no one has control over their health or conditions such as those- if you are having a difficult time just let us know. If you cannot do so before, then do so after and we will be happy to see you back. For us, RL FIRST, always. While we do have an attendance policy, we are -extremely- understanding regarding any issues so long as we are made aware of them. As Talleia mentioned, your playtimes may make it a little difficult to interact with the majority of the guild in game, though there are at least 3 or 4 players that play at the same time, and considerably more play till 10 or 11pm central, particularly on the weekends/holidays. Also as mentioned, we have an active RP forum section where you would be able to interact with people that you would not generally be able to see in game- or set up scenes/dungeon runs etc. if you are finding it difficult to catch that elusive person. Regarding what you bring to the table- it sounds wonderful! We all run the gamut in terms of experience in RP, writing, MMOs, from the player where our guild is their first RP experience to the veteran RPers who have run games and played games for a few years. We also run the gamut in playstyles- some of us are soloers, some enjoy partnering up to level, some like to PvP and some like to dungeon run. While we do have a little bit of a level gap right now (very few in the level 55-65 range) we will respect how you like to play best. Should you ever desire help with that one pesky group quest, or want to run a dungeon but can only find 3 people, our Shadow Knight rank is there to help out- as much or as little as your character would like. I have run people through things, I have also "run through" dungeons with a group, only stepping in to help when the situation was truly dire. We're pretty flexible. *big smile* So, there you have it. Please let me know if my answers have brought up any more questions, and if you see me in game let me know you're you and I'd be happy to chat with you OOCly for a bit! Until then, as I said before, enjoy the site and feel free to poke some of our other members to hear a bit more about us from different perspectives.
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Post by bryan on Nov 25, 2008 1:35:16 GMT -5
Sonechka, thats VERY much for the long winded reply. I'd much rather someone take the time to be clear and lay every card on the table. Thats not verbose, thats being thorough. And thorough is a refreshing change. Sadly, so much of what we do in WoW is colored by the negatives, rather than the positives, and thats why I bring them up...minefields are treacherous, and its always best to know where to step. Here's some answers to your questions, at least as well as I can. Contentious RP- This -is- a thorny issue, particularly with this guild. Some of the characters are very hard to get along with on the surface. To non-guildmembers, the Cheshire Cats are the kids in the alleys of the world, turning their backs and looking over their shoulders with a sneer when an outsider expresses interest. However- they're not always like that. The Cats are the first guild I've ever been in that play real people-meaning they're not just charicatures of rebels. Even Kat (notoriously hard to talk to, snotty, bad-tempered to non-Cats, though susceptible to flattery) has her good days where she'll be caught in a great mood and chat away. Then again, the character may tell someone to screw themselves if they look at her funny too. *laughs* Not all the Cats are like this- several characters are more approachable then others. None of the Cats are flat- none of them are always nice, always mean. Many of them have strong tendancies towards being anti-social, though we actually have positions in the guild (Keeper, Advisor) that are there to interact with the public at large. I feel this may be the only thing you may find difficult/not a good fit regarding the guild. The characters can be asshats- even though the player will be apologizing to you OOCly for it. It's not a ploy for attention inasmuch as we have chosen to play the anti-heros of Azeroth after seeing so many people that were only wanting to play the Lawful Good superheros. This kind of leads to the next point... My first guild, the Guardian Angels, were much like this, one reason its appealing. Allow me to clarify - while contention in RP is nessecary, really, unless its homogenized to the point of blandness, there are cases where its a pain. I have no issue when its at a moderated level ( which is to say, isn't the totality of what Im doing that evening) .
My most recent, but not unique experience summs this up - in my last guild ( a "shoot me now, PLEASE" sort of experience) had as one of its regular palyers a 15 year old. The guildmasters carried on what a great RPer he was, and that his "dark, contentioous, and yes, aggresive asshole style of play" brought welcome tension to the RP.
Which is to say, any encounter in which he played in ( which was appoximately every evening after school until midnight) all the rp time wound up consisting of argueing with him incessently IC ( or out, there was little distinction as he always spammed the OOC with the "awesome evil " the character would do to us vis hia mind control powers) as he engaged in threats, constant IC attacks and verbally absusing everyone on the channel to the point that if there was ANY RP going on, it all consisted of arguing with this guy. Coupled with the fact he was an officer that demanded all lessernranks "respect " him, was rude to everyone and wouldn't respect anyone unless he was put down ( which was handled with an IC PvP duel - tough, as he was a raid twinked 70), it all grew very old. ( by the last I mean the guild leader typically had to cow him on a regulr basis IP, generally when everyone else was around.)
Whsipers and discussion with the other officers yeilded a result of, paraphrased, well, yes, he IS a jerk, but thats his character so no, we aren't doing anything about it and , WHAT? youre leaving just because a guild officer is a complete prick?
( The comment was followed with a lengthy lecture on how to properly RP, and that reaction was also a deciding factor, obviously!)
This is what I mean by excessively contentious, and hence my caution. IC or no, there comes a point where its not really much fun. It would be less of a worry were it less common! BUT by the posts I see here, I think that sort of limelighting isn't as well tolerated.
This is also a part of the Line, recognizing that as a player, whats fun for me, whatever it is, shouldn't trample the other players fun. Whether is IC for me or not, there comes a point of recognition that somewhere theres a limit that if I cant withdraw from it, its no longer a matter of choice but endurance.
The Line- Ohhh yes, this is our big one- and the one that's caused us the most problems I think. Heavy roleplay, in my eyes, draws people who are passionate. When you have passionate people, you can often have passionate arguments, passionate friendships, passionate hatreds even. Sadly, the Line is easy to cross when someone plays a lot in the mind of their character- particularly when their character is in a guild like the Cats, where life is rarely easy. To us, the Line is almost sacred- it sums up almost everything else in our rules. As a long-time roleplayer, I am sure you are familiar with the phrase "In character actions equal in character consequences". This is another big part of our view of the Line. Rest assured that the Line is not a lip-service thing, tacked onto our rules to try and cover our butts. *laughs* This is something we really do enforce- and it is one of the only rules we have removed people for breaking. Preaching to the choir and its a sweet sound. An excerpt from the rules of behavior posted on my IRC site :
~~~Also please note the game is intentionally run to focus of role-play and characterization - if lots of dice rolling and combat is for you, this probably won't be your game. I believe in combat being something to avoid, and if players engage in it, expect tears and tragedy, not PCs romping through a hail of bullets. In my games, if shooting starts, there are consequences- people die, and sometimes the law intervenes. (Characters have been lost to long prison sentences because they simply couldn't keep pistols on their belts)
I always run my games in a player driven way, and to that end, I present the universe, and do not dictate player's actions. What does this mean to you, the player? Simply put, I have no "characters will play and share well " rule. What a player character does is what a player character does. And that means, folks, is that how your character acts is up to you, the player - I won't dictate anything in terms of what he or she does in any way. Role-play your character in any way you like within the constraints of what that character is, and how he behaves he alone is answerable to.
In other words, should your character be offensive, steal or engage in bad conduct (In Character, more of the subtleties later) then I won't stop him, and let the other player characters deal with it - in my opinion, that's just good fodder for RP. But on the other hand, if said character proves such a royal pain in the ass that the other characters decide to chuck his rude ass out an airlock? I will happily watch. More than once a PC has found himself out of game or rerolling a character simply because he was such a pain the others ditched him (in one instance, the party collectively left a difficult character behind, he arrived at their starport slip in time to see the ship gaining altitude as he watched it depart.) Such is the way of Consequence and action.
In such a game, things will become intense- and that's okay. But all players should remember first and foremost it's a game, and characters are not players. Characters, NPCs and so on are the province of gameplay, and they are NOT the players, so please take such things with detachment- its not personal, its roleplay. Should it be an issue, step back, take a breather, and if need be chat the other player after the game is over.~~~
I instituted thes erules several years ago and play by them specificcally to preclude bad RP and bad players - there are no bad characters, there ARE bad players -, so you can see how I'm tickled to see other players that think the same way.
and no, I realize it might seem I'm laying it on thick but believe me, I never say anything I don't mean, and I'm sure its a matter of time before I get it between the eyes! <grins>
*big smile* So, there you have it. Please let me know if my answers have brought up any more questions, and if you see me in game let me know you're you and I'd be happy to chat with you OOCly for a bit! Until then, as I said before, enjoy the site and feel free to poke some of our other members to hear a bit more about us from different perspectives. By al means, look for a mail!
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Post by sonechka on Nov 25, 2008 7:28:23 GMT -5
*shudder* Yeeeeah, that sounds like a terrible situation. I don't see how that's fun in any way- one shouldn't have to constantly be coddling someone else's overblown ego OOCly because they want to play a "badass". I have been in many situations with characters like that as well, and no, that kind of lime-lighting is really not tolerated well. I see our guild as more of an improv troupe than a primadonna ballet- each character may take center stage for a short time, but it's the entire cast that makes the thing work, that makes the story compelling. I think all roleplaying groups- in whatever media- have problems with people wanting to be the center of attention at all times. We have had issues with this in the past and it is something we as a guild have learned from- no one's having fun when one person is stealing the show. I will be looking forward to your mail and to speaking with you more- and thank you for this! These kind of communications are really a great way for not just you, but for any potential Cats to see what we're really all about. Our recruitment threads say a little, and our boards here cover a lot of topics, but these q&a sessions are really, well, unique to our guild so far as I know, in that they are open to the public to read.
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Post by Witchcraft on Nov 25, 2008 7:51:57 GMT -5
Coddle me, I'm yours! You had me at 'hallo'!
QED
Honestly, though, it's awesome to see a player of such dynamic magnitude interested in the Cats. I hope you decide to start the initiation process! *grins wickedly despite not even being a member himself*
The Hair Club for Cats! I'm not only the president, I'm also a member...
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Post by bryan on Nov 25, 2008 8:12:48 GMT -5
given Ive missed the window for free chatr transfer, I'll be paying to transfer Rai, looks like.All the more reason I'm being careful, and also presenting myself for inspection as well. 25 bucks is 25 bucks!
While Ive a good bit invested in Baj, shes only a 14, and working a new version of her up is less an issue that grinding from the bottom to 65.
Hows THAT for dedication, eh? <laughs>
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Post by Witchcraft on Nov 25, 2008 12:50:36 GMT -5
Paid character transfer to Sisters of Elune........................$25.00
Grinding that character up to 65............................................35hrs.
Sticking around for a month or two to get sponsored, meet folks, and jump through various and sundry hoops....
PRICELESS!!!
Dedication is as dedication does...hehe! I bought a Recruit-A-Friend account, recruited myself again, downloaded quest-helper, setup all the macros (lol! I know nothing about this game but there's SO much info on the interwebz!), and hit 60 on 2 t00ns in a little over 29hrs played. Triple XP for the win! From there, I just picked the one I wanted to play and granted my other t00ns all the leftover levels. From those initial two t00ns I got a third to 60 for free and granted his levels to another t00n (this game has so many classes I can't decide which one I wanna play! LOL!). All this basically JUST happened the other day...hehe! I'm just a "doer." I think I have issues with "productivity."
I hope my tale was inspirational if you're thinking of rerolling on another server! Maybe it isn't...harumph!
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Post by bryan on Nov 25, 2008 13:06:59 GMT -5
Heh, in reverse order....
Sticking around for a month or two to get sponsored, meet folks, and jump through various and sundry hoops....
its a given, regardless. Its not quality control if you lower the standards.
Paid character transfer to Sisters of Elune........................$25.00
Well, its still 25 bucks! On my budget, not the tiniest amount.
Grinding that character up to 65............................................35hrs.
I envy anyone can do that! With my style of play,it would read....
Grinding that character up to 65............................................3 years, 8 months, 17 days.
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Post by Naoki on Nov 25, 2008 13:10:53 GMT -5
Hahahaha! I remember, after coming back to WoW, I leveled my priest, Lillyen, to 65 in /played 9 days. But I had been playing wow two years prior, so I sort of knew where everything was. And, that was on a PvE server. But, now that I'm back to RP, I'd forgotten that, getting caught up in the RP itself, you sort of lose track of leveling. Doesn't bother me, really. As long as I can RP, I'd be happy drinkin' and dancin' in a tavern in Stormwind at level 3.
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Post by ۞ KAT ۞ AKA Red Viper on Nov 25, 2008 13:15:27 GMT -5
Bryan you sound like an extraordinary person and i am truly honored you are considering he Cats for your home.
Sone is our queen of the literary arts here, she has a way of saying things that is so eloquent, so precise, it makes the rest of us look bad. myself included! But all she said, and all the other Cats have said i stand by.
i wanted to comment as well on your artwork, being an artist of sorts myself. your style, is one i've always wished i had. such clean lines, detailed defined clothing/armor. it's just not something that's ever happened, my 'style' as it were has a mind of its own. yours is just amazing and i thank you for sharing it with us. valrae and myself are not the only artists in the Cats, there are many more. should you become a member we have an area where we post our works for the guild to see, i hope it is a place you will enjoy.
i feel at a loss with what to say, you've been so up front and vocal, and prompt with everything. so once more, i'll just smile and say it's nice to have you here.
(Ps, i'd share links of some of my works, but i'm way too shy and self conscious to have anything of mine in a thread with yours and vals. Doesnt compare.)
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