Character Creation Checks.

[Hailyn]

[member="Natasi Fortan"]
Elsewhere as in a different person to speak to. I will consistently say "no" to the notion of requiring a set bio template and various things that are profoundly useless, such a backstory in a bio.

 

[Tefka]

1. We get a fair amount of newcomers here at SWRP. We're pretty high on Google's ranking for this niche, so people who want to be role-play Star Wars (and use google as their search engine) find us as one of their first options.

2. There is no cap on the amount of characters you can create. If motivation/creative spark hits you, you create a new character. It's that easy. So, a lot of new characters - both new members and old - get created.

3. We require every character that role-plays has a bio.

So, in summation of these 3 points, there's a lot of bios. Now, usually I take the moral route, the "SWRP paves the way" while spouting motivating idealism for a new generation of play-by-post role-players as this community continues to prove that "pbp rpgs aren't dead nor dying" - however, I'm going to take a different route in this thread.

This time, in this thread, I'm going to tell you that I'm lazy and just don't want to do it.

The easy rebuttle is always "well thats fine, I volunteer to do it". Yeah, and you'd get it done too. But there's not many people in this community that I'd agree with on the methodology of "how" to get it done. I've seen time and time again, you give someone who seems cool and motivated even the smallest shred of power and control over other people's entertainment and it just all goes to sh*t. All it takes is one bio you don't agree with and the community lashes back - but then you lash back, thinking you can lash back.

A couple of dramatic threads and contracts later, you'll find your members leaving you. What this thread proposes isn't change - it's an overhaul. People didn't join this community for the feature being proposed. They don't stay here for the feature being proposed.

People don't need nor want the feature being proposed.

 

[Hailyn]

None of this changes the fact that when implemented, the policy can (and has) proved useful and beneficial. That doesn't mean it's right for SWRP or should be implemented here -- that's not the issue anymore.

This is the reason why it has been stated it should not be implemented here. It is not right for SWRP, it may work in the special cases you might come up with but it is not right for here.

Every argument laid out has been under the presumption we were referring to Chaos, the current board. It is why we have continued to reject the opinion of approvals for characters being a good thing - because here they are not.

 

[Tefka]

No more quotes. No more tags. One more time and it's taken to administration.

I also want to point out after reading some of the previous posts that this problem can be resolved by going into your preferences and clicking "Ignore" and then typing the opposition's name, but the Administration would have nothing to do with the situation.

You're on a public forum, bruh.

 

[War Hydra]

I've seen time and time again, you give someone who seems cool and motivated even the smallest shred of power and control over other people's entertainment and it just all goes to sh*t.

*hums the Imperial March while stamping subs*

 

[Zayani Brin]

I say no. I know this is just my opinion, and that only the majority will be counted towards the ultimate decision, but I feel like I should say something anyway.

When I first started RPing, I joined two sites (both shall remain anonymous). One site had so many rules and requirements that I'm surprised I was even able to get my character to a Padawan rank. The other was so lenient that it practically let you god-mod with out so much as a blink in your direction, and believe me, that wasn't fun AT ALL. I felt like the first site had a very strict way in which it wanted you to do things. That made it to where any kind of uniqueness I had wanted to put into my character was either completely outlawed or extremely complicated to make possible. The second site, however? Your only boundary was the size of your imagination, which made the entire board a massive pit of CHAOS.

And then, I found this place. The rules were simple and easy-to-follow, but enforced if need be. Everyone was helpful and friendly, encouraging my ideas and helping me to make them a reality. I guess what I'm trying to say is this: Chaos is already wonderful just the way it is. When extremely fresh newcomers make their first post, we flock to them and let them into the family with open arms. If something's wrong with their profiles or they ask for help, we're always willing to lend a hand. I love Chaos because of how accepting and helpful and supportive everyone is here. I don't think we need to have an approval system because we are the approval system. We give people helpful criticism, nurture new ideas, and still find a way to fit everything into the lore as seamlessly as possible.

On that note, Chaos...

 

[ArcturusDM]

I'm obviously new to the site, only being here for less then a week, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

I was INCREDIBLY surprised when I learned that a bio was required, but would not be checked. Having played an extensive amount of PbP games in the past, the idea of being able to create a character how I want and not worry about people stomping on my ideas or story-line was both invigorating and honestly refreshing. Too many times I see people on other forums basically tear into someone's character because they are not fans of that particular character or backstory. Its nice to be able to write up a character and immediately start playing.

Now, I do admit, sometimes it can be somewhat shocking to see someone role-playing a Jedi Master with awful sentence structure and grammar. I do not see it often, if ever, but I am absolutely sure it could happen. But, c'est la vie. If someone doesn't role-play the same way I do, who am I to doubt their ability? I am not the best role-player, nor do I create the best stories.

Anyway, I am happy to have found Chaos, and hope to be able to create fine characters while I am here.

 

[Darth Immortus]

A couple of dramatic threads and contracts later, you'll find your members leaving you. What this thread proposes isn't change - it's an overhaul. People didn't join this community for the feature being proposed. They don't stay here for the feature being proposed. People don't need nor want the feature being proposed.

Want? Certainly not. Need? I honestly think this site can do better.

I question whether your scenario is what would play out in real life. If we were to introduce something like a moratorium on free bios - meaning new characters have to pass approval, old ones are left alone - would people really leave the site in droves? Abandon their current characters because new ones have to meet a basic standard?

What you have on your hands now is basically a caste system. Like I said in the very first page of this thread, because the staff is too lazy (your own admission, which I'm not faulting you for btw) to do the approval themselves, the burden falls to the community at large. The result is the creation of cliques everywhere, and people who blatantly godmode but refuse to change because "that's how they've always played their characters".

 

[Tefka]

I question whether your scenario is what would play out in real life.

It's a good question, but one that will never be answered.

 

[Captain Jordan]

The result is the creation of cliques everywhere, and people who blatantly godmode but refuse to change because "that's how they've always played their characters".

That's two very different issues. You're trying to equate the outline of the character itself to how it's played.

 

[Natasi Fortan]

That's two very different issues. You're trying to equate the outline of the character itself to how it's played.

There's no question that the two are related. If someone swaggers in announcing that they're the lovechild of Luke Skywalker and Aura Sing, that they have a Super Star Destroyer and a two Sun Crushers, and that their weaknesses are "too dedicated" and "too powerful", you can safely assume that this person has no conception of what is appropriate and will be likely to, at the very least, exasperate other writers.

 

[Captain Jordan]

[member="Natasi Fortan"]

Making an argument for the extremes isn't going to paint an approval process in a favorable light. An approval process has to benefit the majority of the bell curve, not the outliers. Even with an approval process, you're always going to have outliers, and even players who have a perfectly normal character bio but who godmod in every post they make.

So, no, I don't see these as related. Correlated, perhaps, but not in a causal relationship.

 

[Darth Immortus]

No one is claiming that an approval process would eliminate all godmoding. That's just unrealistic.

It would, however, greatly contain it.

 

[Greyanna Elvanshalee]

Mmm, I'm a High school drop out with no college education.

There are no doubt teenagers on this board who have just begun their education in more advanced English courses.

There are no doubt people on this board that English, for them, is a second language.

You would kick aside because we don't write as well others? For some of it's no fault of their own. Not everyone RPs to show off their writing prowess. So you read a thesaurus and can display proper punctuation. Good for you. Doesn't mean your story is compelling to read. We are here for the fandom, not an English lesson or a spelling bee. You want to be judged, submit to Nanowrimo.

 

[Captain Jordan]

No one is claiming that an approval process would eliminate all godmoding. That's just unrealistic.

It would, however, greatly contain it.

Like I said in the very first page of this thread, because the staff is too lazy (your own admission, which I'm not faulting you for btw) to do the approval themselves, the burden falls to the community at large. The result is the creation of cliques everywhere, and people who blatantly godmode but refuse to change because "that's how they've always played their characters".

Actually, I'm pretty sure that's exactly what you insinuated. Because there's no approval process, people godmod everywhere, that was your argument.

This is an utterly ridiculous argument. Not just this one isolated statement, but the entire topic. You seem to have a chip on your shoulder when it comes to approval systems, and this seems to be something personal for you. Deny it if you like, but I haven't seen someone argue so vehemently and blindly for something they have no passion for.

It may just come down to a simple truth: Chaos isn't the place for you. There's no approval system here, and that seems to grind your gears somehow. There are plenty of Star Wars RPs out there with approval systems that would be happy to have a writer of your caliber. I don't think it's any level of shame to seek them if you don't feel comfortable here. But it's pretty clear by now that Chaos won't be what you want it to be, so I can't imagine why you'd want to keep expending energy on this pointless topic.

tl;dr: the horse is dead, stop beating it.

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Mmm, I'm a High school drop out with no college education.

There are no doubt teenagers on this board who have just begun their education in more advanced English courses.

There are no doubt people on this board that English, for them, is a second language.

You would kick aside because we don't write as well others? For some of it's no fault of their own. Not everyone RPs to show off their writing prowess. So you read a thesaurus and can display proper punctuation. Good for you. Doesn't mean your story is compelling to read. We are here for the fandom, not an English lesson or a spelling bee. You want to be judged, submit to Nanowrimo.

I don't have a great deal of concern for people who recognize their weaknesses and work on them. I have no concerns about your writing ability. Your reading comprehension, on the other hand, seems to be lacking, as no one has yet suggested "kick[ing] aside" anyone, just working with people to fit in before turning them loose. Unfortunately, there's no character application process that can guarantee people won't make incorrect assumptions (or worse, deliberately misinterpret others' words in order to make a point, as is the case here).

 

[Lucifer Malvern]

I wish I had more than two hands to facepalm at this whole conversation with...

 

[Natasi Fortan]

It may just come down to a simple truth: Chaos isn't the place for you. There's no approval system here, and that seems to grind your gears somehow. There are plenty of Star Wars RPs out there with approval systems that would be happy to have a writer of your caliber. I don't think it's any level of shame to seek them if you don't feel comfortable here. But it's pretty clear by now that Chaos won't be what you want it to be, so I can't imagine why you'd want to keep expending energy on this pointless topic.

Some people like debate for the point of it. It sharpens the mind and exhilarates the spirit. Your bias is showing, by the way, in your single-minded accusation that [member="Darth Immortus"] is taking everything very personally. As far as I've seen, he is one of the least subjective of people here. He's making logical arguments. Others are responding with feelings. "Oh but it's not nice." "We can't make people feel bad." "We as a group feel this, that, and the other."

I can't speak for Immo but I can say that I came here because my friends were here, and I stay here because they do. Please stop telling people they should leave simply because they don't agree with one thing or another. Clearly it is worth it to them to stay despite minor disagreements. Perhaps you should take your own advice and not take it so personally.

It's just a game after all.

 

[Captain Jordan]

Some people like debate for the point of it. It sharpens the mind and exhilarates the spirit.

If only that's what was happening here. It's long since passed being an academic point of contention, if that was ever truly the case.

 

[Natasi Fortan]

If only that's what was happening here. It's long since passed being an academic point of contention, if that was ever truly the case.

You are not at all qualified to make such a judgment.