Running in Game

[Xanthea]

Why are soloers running? - oh wait to bank massive amounts of gp/xp from stacked statics.

IMO it's only a problem if people are getting more things out of it than they would have otherwise. If people are going to be getting the same amount of xp/gp out of a mail quest regardless and the only difference is that they take slightly less time to do so then I don't see the big deal. BG quests are time restricted anyway. The runner isn't getting one bit more reward out of the quest than the walker, and that's what's important.

[Xanthea]

In ALFA we walk from place to place unless it is IC to otherwise.

"No running in the hallway, kids!"

Wanting to get somewhere faster is a perfectly IC reason. It's only OOC in the event that it would be impossible to do so. In my opinion ALFA has internalized the whole "no running" thing to a slightly silly degree. I've seen situations in which it is absolutely heavily beneficial to run ICly and yet still refuse to run because of the impression that it somehow makes them bad RPers.

Our rules on metagaming, powergaming, farming, etc do NOT cease to apply because you are alone in game.

Yes, I should have qualified that more thoroughly. It's bad to act OOCly when alone if you are gaining some benefit from it that will carry over into IC gameplay. Running on a mail quest is giving you no IC benefits (unless you are chaining them together which is banned anyway), it's simply wasting a little less of your OOC time on a boring chore.

[Zelknolf]

I would note that we do balance our static content by the chance of failure, the consequences for failure, and investment of scarce resources (e.g. time) needed to complete them. Metagaming to expend less of those resources is a measurable gain.

[Castano]

Why are soloers running? - oh wait to bank massive amounts of gp/xp from stacked statics.

IMO it's only a problem if people are getting more things out of it than they would have otherwise. If people are going to be getting the same amount of xp/gp out of a mail quest regardless and the only difference is that they take slightly less time to do so then I don't see the big deal. BG quests are time restricted anyway. The runner isn't getting one bit more reward out of the quest than the walker, and that's what's important.

People do not have all day to play, that's part of the balance Zelk notes. If you want to run all the BG statics in one day (and there is more than mail) you will have to stay up for 24 hrs and do it the right way, not zipping around.

[maxcell]

Why are soloers running? - oh wait to bank massive amounts of gp/xp from stacked statics.

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The runner isn't getting one bit more reward out of the quest than the walker, and that's what's important.

No. What is important, is immersive roleplaying. Alone or collaborative. If you find yourself unable to stay IC and not metagame when you are the only one on the server, then log off because you still don't get it.

[kid]

Why are soloers running? - oh wait to bank massive amounts of gp/xp from stacked statics.

\
The runner isn't getting one bit more reward out of the quest than the walker, and that's what's important.

No. What is important, is immersive roleplaying. Alone or collaborative. If you find yourself unable to stay IC and not metagame when you are the only one on the server, then log off because you still don't get it.

Sanity!

Now remind me why this person doesnt play?

[Xanthea]

I would note that we do balance our static content by the chance of failure, the consequences for failure, and investment of scarce resources (e.g. time) needed to complete them. Metagaming to expend less of those resources is a measurable gain.

I find it interesting that people are ignoring the other two points. Distances are arbitrary and unimmersive in the first place there is nothing inherently sillier about crossing 100 miles in two minutes of walking compared with one minute of jogging. I find it more likely that people object to the concept of mail quests existing in the first place than people objecting to mail quests being completed slightly faster. And that's a more reasonable objection. Mail quests are absurd and only exist because there has to be some form of advancement for people who aren't getting any DMing.

And according to both what's intuitive (an extremely healthy and reasonably unencumbered person, the vast majority of PCs, should realistically be able to run for hours without major trouble) and PnP mechanics (see last post), jogging is not a particularly unreasonable or metagamey thing to engage in.

No. What is important, is immersive roleplaying. Alone or collaborative. If you find yourself unable to stay IC and not metagame when you are the only one on the server, then log off because you still don't get it.

Being IC when alone is absurd and people who think otherwise are the people who don't "get" the purpose of RP. I suggest logging off and playing with dolls instead, at least then you can control more than one character at once.

[Zelknolf]

I... think my response is being taken in the context of an unintended line of argument?

I was responding to this one:

It's bad to act OOCly when alone if you are gaining some benefit from it that will carry over into IC gameplay.

I claim that a reduced investment of resources to complete the static improves the cost-benefit ratio, and is thus extra reward which will carry over into IC gameplay.

If we want to assume viability of running to complete statics, we need to factor that into the rewards of our statics-- the task itself sounds interesting, sure. "Take this relatively light, but very important, message to this distant destination before an amount of time too short to walk expires! There's a bag of money in it for you!" -- and then the player is left to manage the route and risk of ending up hobbling through (hostile?) territory with str/dex penalties and a bit of nonlethal damage. That's just not what we wrote, and not what we're rewarding for.

[Galadorn]

Being IC when alone is absurd and people who think otherwise are the people who don't "get" the purpose of RP. I suggest logging off and playing with dolls instead, at least then you can control more than one character at once.

I think perhaps, you don't get it.

The purpose of RP, ...really? :-/

I assume most people would think, those who "rp" alone, are probably more dedicated to roleplaying their PC than those who do not.
Most do it already, and always have. Are they all absurd?

Roleplaying is in fact not defined by requiring someone else to see, judge, or reciprocate at all. Who is supposed to gain benefit from RP? I think the person doing it far more than anyone who sees it, or who it is directed to.

In my case, it makes my experience rp'ing my PC, to stay in character always, as what is expected, much better for me.
That's what I "get".

And as the king of beating a dead horse, I say logging off to play any game, dolls or not, for the purpose to play more than 1 PC at once, is by far one of the last things I would ever want to do. 1 PC is (was?) enough. As our proud yet dead pillar once stated for over a decade.

In the immortal words of The Human Torch: "Flame on!"

[Xanthea]

I... think my response is being taken in the context of an unintended line of argument?

All right. Sorry.

If we want to assume viability of running to complete statics, we need to factor that into the rewards of our statics--

But I don't think I buy this. If there's some universal law in ALFA that X amount of time spent running mail must = Y amount of reward then I don't think it does it very well considering the different mail quests offer pretty different levels of reward based on time. It all seems completely arbitrary in the first place.

[Wild Wombat]

I'm impressed that I don't need my marshmallows yet!

I knew my bag of marshmallows would come in handy.

Is it still impossible to have a civil discussion on these forums? Please, agree to disagree.

Accept the fact that running is frowned upon and will be scurtinized.

Accept the fact that a change was made to allow two PCs.

Live in peace. This is just a game. Hurling insults at each other does nobody any good. It does not advance the discussion.

Take a deep breath and try not to respond to the mutual yanking of chains.

[Xanthea]

Roleplaying is in fact not defined by requiring someone else to see, judge, or reciprocate at all. Who is supposed to gain benefit from RP? I think the person doing it far more than anyone who sees it, or who it is directed to.

RP is defined by the people you are RPing with. My life or enjoyment of the server is not enriched one iota by the knowledge that someone, somewhere, is spending their time chatting with inanimate objects. I would much rather that they, instead, be chatting with me so that we can actually play the game together.

In my case, it makes my experience rp'ing my PC, to stay in character always, as what is expected, much better for me.
That's what I "get".

I'm glad that works for you. But I still don't believe that anyone would stick around RPing with themselves forever if no one else would ever turn up. There is absolutely no point to the game if you aren't playing with other people at least some of the time, no?

[Stormseeker]

I only run if it's i.c. to do so. I have ran across the servers before carrying mail,packages,supplies, etc.., but only because i.c. my barb was building up his endurance(aka almost 4th lvl and putting a point in con.). I also rped the down time of these long heavy runs...drinking more fluids,eating more food, and cleaning himself and his light armor. I would also stop from time to time to catch a breather or some other excuse.

Rules? lol easy enough to forget them, i just play by "if it's i.c. then it's okay to do it". Still here so i guess it works.

[Galadorn]

I'm glad that works for you. But I still don't believe that anyone would stick around RPing with themselves forever if no one else would ever turn up. There is absolutely no point to the game if you aren't playing with other people at least some of the time, no?

Yes for sure, the notion does assume people will show up eventually, and it is as fun or more when others are there, although in my experience, and the PC i made this way, unfortunately does not get as much as others to RP with until recently.

I do have fun on the solo... even with the potential for a passerby to stop. There is a point to it. Many don't stop, but that was part of my initial plan for my PC as well - initially quite "unapproacheable". I think it adds to the atmosphere if there are "some" loners who are in fact legitimately alone most of the time. Can't claim to be a brooding loner, if not alone at least a lot of the time.

You're definitely on to something, just didn't like the absurd comment. But ...I understand.

[kid]

No running.