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Perception, Power, and the Player

Lord Ghoul

Guest
L
Imagine you envisage your character as being extremely powerful in X ability. You chug along for a while, waging war and wooing women and flaunting X ability. Suddenly, you get into a fight and you unleash your X ability, totally confident in your ability to destroy the opponent. But your opponent does something odd.

He laughs at your puny trickle of X ability and then proceeds to write five paragraphs of how he is actually the true master of X ability.

When the angry typing settles and the last of the reports have been exchanged, you are left wondering....

where did things go so horribly wrong?

This is a problem I have often seen and encountered in roleplaying. Your view of your character is not necessarily shared by others. There is in fact more to the dynamic of player to player interactions, especially in combat, than just people throwing walls of text at each other. In fact, you may have even wondered how it is that one character might be proclaimed by half the board to be the most powerful in X ability, yet a small sect continues to insist that character W is truly the master.

These are my observations on the components of duel dynamics and interpersonal power struggles. Our very own Star Wars Chaos; Zero Sum Gain.

* * *​
Shorn's Power Scale:

There are three main facets to the Power Scale - Skill Level, Jackass Level, and Movie Moments. But before we can get into those points there is an underlying foundation to all this that must be clearly defined.

Perception.

Roleplaying, like it or not, is all about perception. If people don't think your character is powerful, they won't treat him like he is. So, how are perceptions formed?

1. Skill level: the most basic building block of the power scale is a writer's skill level. Typically if a writer is not very skilled then those reading will either write the character off, grow frustrated, or attempt to help the writer's character out. It is rare for a writer with a low skill level to have a character who is regarded as a top level duelist.

Usually, an accomplished control of prose garners respect from the audience. They don't even have to like you or your character OOCly. All they have to do is read your post and acknowledge that paragraph Z belongs in a novel somewhere.

Now, this isn't me bashing on new writers, or those who struggle with grammar. When I first started roleplaying I wrote in run on sentences with weirdly placed quotation marks and absolutely no spacing in between paragraphs. I like to think I've improved a little since my days as a 16 year old writing a jocular Scout Trooper, but the point is that we've all been there.

My first role-play post:
2nd Lt. Tycho Shorn sat in the ship, going over the briefing in his head
'Eight men.....dead or alive. Recover any evidence. Don't let anyone see you kill or capture them. Easiest way would be to.....well there isn't going to be an easy way to this. Pose as the officers during an interview?....that was a job for Arkin'
He smiled and looked over at the man sitting next to him, Rick Arkin. Rick was Shorn's best friend and the best Melee combatant Tycho had ever seen, it was natural that Shorn should bring him along.

Arkin was twirling those wicked looking beskar blades he had " Whats up sir?"
" I was just wondering how best to deal with the targets." Tycho replied sighing. " This Isn't going to be an easy mission. Besides they have already jumped planets, things are already going wrong."
" You got that right sir." chuckled Rick, his crooked grin spread across his face. " I have a feeling they won't come out with their hands up and be good little prisoners." Arkin threw a blade up in the air, and caught it by the pointy end, his twin cybernetic fingers unharmed " Well, at least they're good for something."
" I hope you brought your blaster too?" Shorn jokingly questioned.
" Elek, Ret'ini sir." Arkin replied. Tycho chuckled, the cold grip of ice on his heart unclasping for a moment. He looked over at the other troopers on board. Young PVT Nikolis Sigovich was busily cleaning his gun and Corporal Spyker Katarn was on board too, in fancy new armor.
'Where'd he get that? Must be for the mission.'
Seargent Martin, Pvts Lu, Mac, and Aner were also there. His face lit up with the usual cold smile.
'Looks like this is gonna be fun'

Regardless, skill level is an integral part of forming people's perceptions of your capabilities as a writer. The better you are at writing how badass your character is, the more like people are to believe that your character actually is one.

But even skill level can't save you if you go off the deep end. Which is where we get to the second point of perception building.

2. Jackassery

No matter how well you write, or how cool your character concept may be there is a line drawn in the sand very similar to the Hot/Crazy scale. If you cross that line and take ten levels in jackass, nothing can save you.

I've seen many capable writers on roleplaying who start out likable and then when they figure out what they can get away with turn into inflated ego balloons that try to push everyone else out of the room. I know I'm definitely more guilty than most on this account, so I can speak from experience.

If you become too much of a jackwagon it's game over. People are more likely to believe the badassery of the OOC nice guy who sometimes struggles with grammar than the dude who can write 3k per post but ends up monologuing to an empty room about his own greatness.

Again, it's about what you can get away with. Piss off too many people and you'll find out sooner or later that it's your character who is getting #TeamRoflstomped.

That said, if you mix a low skill level with browbeating, stubbornness and unwarranted egotism... well, you're just putting a big bullseye on your back.

3. Movie Moments

Maybe you are a great writer and not a terrible person. Maybe your character is legit. But how exactly do you go from having a sort-of-powerful character to having that character widely regarded as one of the most powerful in X lightsaber form or ability on the board? It's in the movie moments.

If you do something shocking, something truly impressive that the whole board can get involved in or witness.... that's when people start to look up and notice "Oh hey, isn't he the fellow that beat Z and D?" This can get you points in the infamy department even if you don't feel your writing skill is up to par.

So, if you're wondering why it seems like there are two versions of your character (one in your head and the other defined by other players), then take a step back, assess what you need to work on, and then keep an eye out for your movie moment.

It is also important to remember that there are a variety of cliques on the board, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Cliques are a group of writers who have found like-minded individuals and prefer writing with them more than others. Boohoo, we all do it. Our entire board is based around factionalism for crying out loud. I'll take that level in jackassery, thank you. Anyway, cliques really do exist and perceptions over one character's abilities can greatly vary from one to the other. But it tends to be that if you satisfy all three of those perceptual components the ebil clique on the other side will at least give a smidgen of grudging respect in between dark mutterings and threats of reports.

However, keep in mind that even if you achieve all three perceptual components, you might go against someone who is simply more well-respected, a better writer, or had more movie moments.


In conclusion, these are just my observations on the reasons for the jeers and cheers of OOC onlookers when two characters of a similar rank fight.

Let's hear your thoughts and opinions on the matter. What is your perception on... perception?
 

Lord Ghoul

Guest
L
Darth Vornskr said:
tldr; Kaine stronkest there is
damon-youre-dead-dude.gif
 

Lord Ghoul

Guest
L
Kezeroth the Beholder said:
OOC communication with other writes can also help shape perception!
I believe that would fall under "not being a jackwagon," but there can also be a point at which you intractably disagree with the other writer.

Regardless, you're right... communication is important. So long as you're not trying to bludgeon the other writer with out of character PMs. Those can be soul-sucking affairs.
 
My character believes he's the most bad ass swordsman ever.

I believe that my character is developed enough to the point he is at the top level of swordsman ship. Many equals, no greater. Doesn't mean he can't loose, doesn't mean I write for the win. But a decade has jaded me a bit.
 

Jsc

Disney's Princess
Totally agree with this. Great read. Especially since I once cast Force Light against a Shorn Alt... And, it was literally one the most Meta Jackassery things I've ever done. Yep. Still walking that one off my rep. Blarg. Come to think of it? I don't think John will ever forgive me for that one either. Lol.

Good guide. :)
 
[member="Mikhail Shorn"] is still the most powerful TK user I know of.

Even if he is dead now <.<

Honestly though, I can't find that line. It's a major problem of my own, and the more I get into pvp the harder it is to find it. Any suggestions?
 
I don't write nor believe my character(s) are the badasses of all the badasses here. I do, however, know my characters better than anyone else. When it comes to pvp, I don't use rank superiority. Any rank can be defeated by lesser ranks. I do, however, believe age/experience plays a major role in pvp as well as writing skills. I don't consider poor grammer a sin, some people have difficulty using proper words like There/Thier, Your/You're/ Lose/Loose...etc. I never hold that against anyone.

But I've had that thrown in my face before when I pointed out age/experience to other writers in PM, the two main topics were these.

1. Anakin beat Count Dooku, and Dooku was a lot older than Anakin. First of all, everyone knew Anakin was Darth Vader from the original trilogy. And he was suppose to be the "Chosen One". So yeah, Anakin would have had to beat Dooku in Episode 3, despite getting his arsed kicked by him only two years earlier. Lucas and Co kinda dropped the ball on that one.

2. Darth Vader beat Kenobi, and Vader was younger than Kenobi. Unless I missed something somewhere after seeing A New Hope for like 50x, I believe Kenboi allowed himself to become one with the Force in order to help Luke....but I could be wrong there.

Force Abilities are just that, Force Abilities. It comes down to better writing skills and more sensible context than writer X unleashing Force Hell on writer Y. If writer Y was a better writer than X, then writer Y could simply flash a little bit of Force Heaven to protect his/her hide.
 

Lord Ghoul

Guest
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Darth Ferus said:
Honestly though, I can't find that line. It's a major problem of my own, and the more I get into pvp the harder it is to find it. Any suggestions?

If you're talking about the Jackass line I'm probably not the best person to ask.

But I stick to the old saying, "If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen." So long as the opponent I face is not a complete moron, I tend to restrain commentary. But if they push, I'll push back.

So yeah, just play nice, but also don't let other people push you around. I prefer settling things with "Best Use of Sarcasm" rather than "Best at writing reports." Because reports are boring.

Tyrin Ardik is probably the best example of a writer who does what I can only aspire to do in the instance you speak of.

Tmoxin Temi said:
No commentary, but I humbly request that you revive the jocular Scout Trooper.
I used Sheppard of Stargate Atlantis for him, which Jorus Merill is using. I don't think it'd quite fit without that avatar.
I do, however, still write Dak Canton occasionally, who is similar. Just a stormtrooper.
 
He laughs at your puny trickle of X ability and then proceeds to write five paragraphs of how he is actually the true master of X ability.
Maybe this falls under "Movie Moments" but for me, writing that is either beautiful, authentic, side-splittingly funny, or otherwise entertaining trumps all.

If someone can show me by painting a picture with words, how his or her character does this really special thing, then my character will likely acknowledge it.
 
Mikhail Shorn said:
I prefer settling things with "Best Use of Sarcasm" rather than "Best at writing reports." Because reports are boring.
Number one thing I have been reported/wrist slapped for, riiiiight there xD

The sass is too strong in this one ; ;

I probably should have written more/any reports. OHWELL.
 
Perhaps not the best account to write this point with but I am going to focus on point 2 for a moment if people will indulge me.


I was recently involved with a duel with another character who in hindsight probably should have wiped the floor with me. But the opening post was well the exact opposite of what I would have expected.

A little coordination later and things while still a little surreal in the outcome started to flow well. I think the biggest surprise for me was after the fact in seeing who's character is was and still being able to have a healthy debate on power level, ability, and outcome.


Oddly enough my character lose 99% of the time. Not because of inherent ability of the characters in question or anything other than I have a bad habit of writing myself into a corner focusing too much on what makes a good story instead of what would ensure victory for my character.

*shrugs*
 
While Kenobi had the upper hand in his battle with Vader on the Death Star, in the sense that he would become more powerful than Vader could possibly imagine, Vader was going to win the battle no matter what. Obi-Wan was extremely old, and the fact that Vader had that armor of his gave him a great advantage in battle.

I don't think Obi-Wan ever expected to win. I believe he knew Vader outmatched him, despite the fact of what happened with them on Mustafar and Anakin being cut down. See, I think a lot of people take that scene and go, "Well, Anakin was extremely strong and then Obi-Wan chopped him up and he became less powerful." Perhaps, but Vader was a beast who was cutting down Jedi for years during the Purge.

Also, age in my opinion is able to be used against both people. While the young Knight still has much to learn, the old Master is also slower and weaker than they once were.

Honestly, it just depends on the writing and for people to not be jerks in always wanting to win.

[member="Darth Venefica"]
 
This is a very good post with very good points, thanks for writing this!

The whole "x" ability thing makes a lot of sense. My character Carona sucks physically and isn't best with a lightsaber either. I rather focus on her force abilities, especially with her above average midiclorian (yes, I spelled that wrong, mind if I don't really care for once?) count. Even as a padawan I plan on her having impressive moments at those right times. So, any suggestions on strengthening this? What I mean by the right times is being wiped across the floor with, finally at a breaking point, and actually being able to telekinetically block or move that massive hunk of debris thrown at her before fainting in exhaustion. Once again, force abilities aside, she's basically a bug. [member="Mikhail Shorn"]
 

Lord Ghoul

Guest
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Well, for starters, no one will believe that you have an above average midi-chlorian count, because a) most writers hate midichlorians as a concept and b ) they will see it as you trying to make your character an even more special snowflake than their special snowflake character. I've seen the concept done before and that has usually been the reception.

That said, if you were to tone it down and say that your character's above average count only applied to say, NPCs, and not other player characters, then that would be more believable. We already have enough people going super saiyan on the site that it just gets into a ridiculous "I'm Super Saiyan," "Well then I'm a Super Super Super Saiyan!" Of which I am admittedly guilty. Regardless, enough people go haywire with Force powers that it'd make sense that most PC force users probably have an "above average" count. With the average being Joe Schmoe Jedi.

As a padawan I would say that acts of greatness, like blocking a gigantic piece of debris, should definitely be followed by fainting, or taking a brutal wound because you're so exhausted, or something similarly debilitating. However, by movie moments I don't mean moments where you write about how powerful your character is. I mean moments where you take advantage of an opening. For instance, a football team is a team. There's no I. But there are moments when individual players can achieve greatness. They step up to the plate at a critical moment and take it to the next level, with all eyes on them. That's what I'm talking about.

Such an instance for you might be: A powerful Sith/Jedi has just defeated a series of foes in an invasion/duel, this person looks unstoppable! Your noble padawan charges into the fray and draws attention by the mere fact that she manages to hold her own against the ire of the champion, enabling her friends to get to safety!

Or something similar, like taking out a Big Name. I.E. kneecap Kaine Zambrano and people will probably take your character seriously.

Hope that helped.

[member="Kerri Aislinn"]
 

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