US DMs/smouldering ALFA forum drama thread.

[Avaz]

I play US EST usually after 9pm and would love some DM interaction as well. There is usually a group of 3 to 6 PCs or more who RP around Rivermoot during this time. Even some minor spice would be much appreciated.

Seconded. I play at a slightly shifted slot, 8PM PST, which overlaps OGR's play slot, and the majority of the RP happens in Rivermoot proper, with a minor bit of it outside the town gates. Last night's escapade was fun, but I imagine the fun-factor could be turned up an order of magnitude with a DM present.

[Magile]

*edited to stop further problems from occurring*

[ThinkTank]

[witch]

Magile has a valid point as does Mulu imho. THen again we all want DM's. And yes dm's dming specific type of chars leaves many in the dark. however most dms prefer some types of campaign. i dont see how one can force a dm to dm everyone even if that is what we wish.. never happens never will i think

[Mikayla]

Removed by me, Mik, follow Magile's post, explanation and apology.

[Magile]

*No sense keeping this on.*

[Burt]

Jesus f'n christ. I am f'n sorry for every having the audacity, the boldness, the shear chutzpah for seeking a DM time and for even suggesting that one possible hook for that group be the Red Knight faction. God f'n forbid. Apparently that is an f'n crime.

All this from a person who admits he wants his own DM time - not for a faction, not for a timezone, but for himself - and I get this rant for daring to ask for a DM to DM the goody-two shoes up in HH.

Un-f'n-believable. Seriously.





And I had just told Acad I taken that one-foot-out-the-door and pulled it back in. Jesus f'n christ. And Mags - when I was asking for that DMage - I was actually thinking your PC would be a part of it, since you know, we are allies in the game and all (or at least I am IC led to believe we are).

Wow. I am f'n sorry I ever even dared to dream to think that maybe someday I might be a part of some regular DMing. What a selfish person I am for even thinking that.

All hail Her Majesty Queen of Drama.

[Mikayla]

Title of the thread changed to comply with Mag's desire for less vagueness, or whatever.

But so far as I am concerned, the question is withdrawn. F'k it.

[HATEFACE]

[Magile]

Helios wins. Thread OVAR.

[Mulu]

My apologies for stoking a fire, I was just trying to point out a general concern. I agree that forming a group and asking for a DM is a great approach to the game, but I think ALFA needs more than just campaign DM sessions too. Anyway....

[Magile]

My apologies for stoking a fire, I was just trying to point out a general concern. I agree that forming a group and asking for a DM is a great approach to the game, but I think ALFA needs more than just campaign DM sessions too. Anyway....

Nah, as far as I'm concerned, ya didn't do anything. I was getting PMs and tells to repost the rant anyway, and it's all my fault that someone's flippin' their lid at the moment, not yours.

[danielmn]

I am going to post something I put on an application a while back here....
I think this is where the "Specific Group" vs the "non-specific group" stems from...

In my opinion, good role playing can constitute a number of approaches. On the one hand, good role playing can be the ability to adapt to the characters surroundings, letting what is and what happens around the PC to determine the coarse of the PC\'s actions. I find these PC\'s often are not a \"planned PC\" in that biases toward other races, persuit of class, and level of committment to the PC\'s worshipped diety are all formed in game and are dictated by the PC\'s environment. These PC\'s are good in the arena of RP in that they are often adaptable to different situations...more able to fit in and participate.

On the other hand, the opposite approach can be taken. The \"planned\" PC already has a clear notion of race relations, their lifes persuit, and devotion to their chosen diety. These PC\'s are often unwavering in their beliefs, choosing to effect the environment around them instead of having the environment affect them. They are often stalwart, and less likely to \"fit in\" to situations, making the PC a bit harder to play. THese PC\'s make good leaders, but again, will not always make friends with everyone, as they have their own interests in mind.

I veiw these two styles of play as far left and right on a spectrum. Having played both styles, I can say that one is not better than the other, they are both valid with their own benefits and deficits.

Keeping with one of these two, a good roleplayer in either case should always A. Stay in character, and B. Stay TRUE to that character (even more so if playing a planned PC). A good role player in both cases should keep out of game knowledge out of game, and focus entirely on what the character knows, and how the character would respond to situations, even if those responses lead to trouble. Above all, a good role player seeks to add more life to the story that is being woven while not detracting from the contributions of other players.

The last paragraph aside, I see some of the truthiness in this. (GO COLBERT!) We have people who have planned PC's who are forming into groups of there own due to likemindedness (weather religion or some such) and we have smaller groups of players who's PC's largely let the world around them dictate how they play. Again, neither is right or wrong, and it is certainly not the whole of the situation, but it certainly is part of the situation. Just my thoughts concerning specific vs. general play.

[Magile]

*RANT REMOVED*

edit: When reading this, don't assume an angry tone please. Any bold and italics were for emphasis, not for yelling. I actually typed this in a rather calming matter while trying to actually get out what I mean for a change.

My rant, as I expected, has annoyed more than one person. Mikayla is currently at my throat, but there's little that can be done about that. I'll apologize for making people angry now; however, I suppose I should try and clarify exactly what is irking me.

When ALFA was solely NWN1, I remember numerous cases of DMs being hated by players, going so far as for "restraining orders", so to speak, being placed between players and DMs (I think one of the biggest cases was MShady with one DM). No, it wasn't a literal restraining order, but it came down solely to one player logging out/refusing to play under a DM's guidance.

I've lurked on and off and remained a part of ALFA for these eight years, playing occasionally, but mainly sticking to forums and chat as my attention span has prevented me from enjoying the game to its full potential. When NWN2 went live for ALFA, I was over-joyed with the aspect of playing in the community again, going so far as to make a character and, as of three weeks (which is a record for me), continuing to play the same character.

Since TSM 2.0 has gone Live, we have seen a few small posts regarding DM interaction with players, namely some hatred semi-spewed at Rick7475. This has led me to believe that the old ALFA attitude of, "You can't DM me, take a hike!" was still alive and kicking, and made me also think that the DMs fearing Players was also alive and wreaking havoc as well. That is what prompted me, originally, to push for players actually making DMs feel wanted (although I also used the word demanded, where I meant "DMs in high demand", not "I demand you DM for me!"... to me, there's a difference, although AL set me straight), which is where the beginning of my rant stating "be specific with your request" came from. What fueled my rant in the direction of flaming, however, was how this thread was directed.

Although it was not Mik's intention, I took her original post as just a request to get more DMs active and involved, which was admirable. When I read further, to me, it came across as a counter-post to the recent Banite DM sessions and, in essence, was selfish. Obviously, this is most likely not the case, but it is what angered me. That is why I began to furiously rave about being specific and admitting you're greedy, at least, instead of hiding it as a kind-hearted suggestion of simply "could more play, please?" Yes, I realize in this day and age no one would ever actually exclude themselves from a request like that, but I am not the brightest bulb in the bunch.

This is also why I kept mentioning "flak" and "cutting some slack" when the DMs are being mentioned, as I had felt they had been attacked recently in forums, and especially in #alfa and in-game. If you were unaware of what transpired sometimes, I apologize for bring it up; however, even with DM client issues, players still complained and treated the situation like garbage.

I suppose I don't really know what I am ranting about anymore. It is merely a matter of perception, and how I saw something compared to how someone voiced it. I still believe that it would be better to be specific in cases down the road, as some people did say they were legitimately bothered realizing that this post was a request for a group to have a DM, and not just DMs in general. I know, that was not the intention, as the Red Knight/Do Gooder group does try to include everyone, but I can see where people get the idea of them being excluded from yet another event.

I'm not expecting this clarification to do much, but it's at least calmed and gives an understanding of why I overreacted, and hopefully can give some folks a reason to forgive me, or at least not hate me completely for it. I do apologies to Mik, especially after giving her flak in #alfa, but I do not expect her to accept this apology (which is understandable). I suppose my only request, in this situation, is that if a player wishes to have a DM for a group, they speak in PMs instead of large posts such as this. It was rather upsetting to see some folks honestly seem crushed/bothered that they may be excluded from yet another DM's time.

Anyway, that's all I have to say on this subject anymore. If this clarification/post makes things worse, then damn... I don't really know what to do.

[fluffmonster]

There are times where less is more. Posting on the internet is one of those times.