I have been talking with the other admin about the possibility of allowing an xp award of up to 500 xp for a player submitted bio. Bios would be reviewed and graded by the same folks that do player applications (they've been slow lately ), and then sent on to either the DMA or HDMs appropriate for the player based on the server(s) where the pc plays for posting and xp award to the PC. Initially the reward would be for pcs below third level, although we may allow existing pcs to write a bio or bio update regardless of level for consistency reasons. I may look to expand written rp as a source of xp if this idea sits well with the community and admin. My goal in suggesting this is to first address in part our density and player grouping/ dm shortage issues in a manner that rewards players for character development and rp, and two to encourage deeper backgrounds and stories for new PCs. I am eager to hear everyone's thoughts and suggestions on this. As this deals with rewards this change will require approval by the DMA.
written sources to get XP has been something many DMs have done for years anyway.
the XP for Bio is an alright idea, but the idea it gets graded is kind of laughable to be honest, especially by the admissions folk, if anyone decides if a Bio is worth XP, it should be the DMs on a given server, nobody else.
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I wholeheartedly support this. It will serve to not only help people get over the level one hump, but also invest players in the PC's story from the outset.
I do think it should be DMs who review the bios. Were I a DM (which I may be again soon), I would require it to get DMage.
Point taken BHM. I'm not in a position to ask/ direct the DMs, HDMs or DMA to commit to reading and grading Bios however. So my option in trying to make this palatable from a workload standpoint is to offer to use the infrastructure the PA already has in place to review something similar (player apps) or try and build a version just for bio reviews. I can always ask the dm corp to agree to doing so but I don't have any say in helping to execute it from that perspective. If we can't get actual dms grading the bios do you think it best to simply not pursue awarding xp for Bios?
To you other point that rp is already awarded for ic writing, I'm glad to hear that. It's not official though and certainly might not be getting applied in a consistent manner- so i would like to see written rp awards formalized in any event.
Yes, because it is an extension of the in game character, it is informative and it is a great help to a DM.
No, because it means those that are not as good with the written word are at a disadvantage. It is easy for most people to roleplay in game as that is, at its core, players saying a few sentences at a time. Most of the really good bios that I have read are, in essence, creative fiction writing and many people simply aren't good at that.
I would rather something like this: DMA, in consultation with DMs determines what details are vital for a bio to have for a new character eg brief family history, likes, dislikes and so on. If a submitted bio has all the chosen details, a flat XP reward is given. That means even those without the talent for creative writing are not left out.
Those that like to write will always submit stories, those that are not good at writing will submit mostly facts with a varying level or story background. We should not increase or decrease the XP reward based off the subjective opinions of the app team or any individual.
Great question Rot- my thought was to have a standard written for bios that breaks awards into several categories e.g., originality, style, list of required info, length ((not too short- or long)).
We'd have several sample Bios as well. My thought is not to make this over judgmental, but rather to encourage and reward written role play, so my hope would be that even a basic bio would score very well, but leave some extra xp for those putting forth exceptional efforts. Alternatively, we can award a flat 500 xp to those meeting the minimum requirements. Again this is about having fun and rewarding rp, not being judgmental.
A. I think the idea is grande.
B. I think a letter grade is foolish, but I think a pass fail grade on if the bio actually aids a DM to gain any insight into a character is absolutely necessary.
C. I would hope that a bio already submitted for an older character would also be considered.
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gonz.0 wrote:A. I think the idea is grande.
B. I think a letter grade is foolish, but I think a pass fail grade on if the bio actually aids a DM to gain any insight into a character is absolutely necessary.
C. I would hope that a bio already submitted for an older character would also be considered.
I agree with all of the above, and concerns raised from Swift.
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I agree with Swift, if the goal is to group players even a badly written bio should suffice so long as it states what the DMs need in order to play with the PC and fit them into one group or another.
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I like the idea in general in fact I believe I have brought it up in the past but I could be wrong and just trying to take someone else's glory, sorry. Personally I believe that everyone should turn in a bio if they want DM attention. Giving xp for a bio is a great way to give people some incentive to do so and reward that player as well.
With that said I believe level three is a bit early for a cut off. I know personally I have played a pc till past level three and had nothing significant to write about in a bio that could help the DMs in anyway. With things being a little slow right now I think that is even more of a reason. Level five seems like a good cut off for that to happen. It allows the player time to get in game, make some choices, participate in a DM event or two, and see where his or her pc is headed. Others in the community need and can write a bio before they even start in game, and that is great for them I am even a bit jealous but not all of us are like that.
I, as many others who have already stated, do not believe these bios should be graded or evaluated as player applications are.They are members of Alfa they have already been graded when they entered the gates. This bio reward should be just that a reward for doing so. Of course there needs to be a guideline, if you followed that guideline you get the reward if you didn't you don't. Like Swift said not all of us are fantasy fiction writers but we are all roleplayers and that is what we are here to do. I know for me personally this is one of the reasons I have never written in the library because I am quite critical of what I write.
As for who evaluates these bios, I do not think it is laughable or that the admissions team couldn't handle it, but I don't think it should be us. I know for a fact that we could do it and quite well, things have been a bit slow but I am hopeful for a pick up with the open server happening this month. Personally I am pretty sure I have read more bios than some of the DMs currently DMing, but still I do not think it is for us to do. If it is decided that the admissions team would be the best suited for the job that is great we would be happy to help but in my opinion it is the place of the DMs to handle since they are the ones who will be using this information. Now if the DMA or a HDM of a specific server wants one specific DM to handle all the bios and rewards I think that would be best and would help keep things organized.
Xanthea wrote:Flat xp assuming some minimal level of competence. A sort of pass or fail thing.
This.
Let's not judge bios, let's instead provide incentive for players to think them out/submit them.
This, this. Easy to set the flat rate for the bio, and set a prerequisite of at least 200 words (or what ever a couple paragraphs equal) so that someone isn't submitting just a sentence for the xp. I think you will find if you promote it well, you will get alot more bios submitted which will help server staff to DM characters if they have at least a simple bio to scan over.
), and then sent on to either the DMA or HDMs appropriate for the player based on the server(s) where the pc plays for posting and xp award to the PC. Initially the reward would be for pcs below third level, although we may allow existing pcs to write a bio or bio update regardless of level for consistency reasons. I may look to expand written rp as a source of xp if this idea sits well with the community and admin. My goal in suggesting this is to first address in part our density and player grouping/ dm shortage issues in a manner that rewards players for character development and rp, and two to encourage deeper backgrounds and stories for new PCs. I am eager to hear everyone's thoughts and suggestions on this. As this deals with rewards this change will require approval by the DMA.
