What's good RP?

an opinion… curtoesy of Jotun.

RP involves advancing a plotline. Good RP involves gettng things done, striking a shot against the man, and coming out on top sometimes. It also can involve fighting/getting screwed/getting robbed/arrested/dying, BUT

What good RP is not is: Constantly loosing, constantly dying, constantly getting robbed. If the great majority of your interactions get you nowhere but screwed 5 ways from sunday then that's not good rp. If your never truly advanceing, or making headway on your personal -cause- that's not fun, and not good RP.

I would also like to submit that your -opponent-, if you will, has every possible statistical advantage, on top of advantages not afforded the common man, that is also not good RP for either party. If you can kill everyone, get out of any percarious situation with little effort, in the end it cannot be fun because you basically are essentally unbeatable, where do you go from the top? At the same time if your incessantly fighting a loosing battle.... it will be fun for a while, there's attraction to action of any sort, but in the long run... you and your charcter get drained to the point of... insanity?

thanks for listening to my opinion....

By Jotun at May 14, 2004, 5:49 PM | 0

I think you're right. There is no fun if there is no variation. If everyday goes the same you get no fun out of it at the end.

But if you risk your neck, try to press your luck or work really hard into advancing (in every possible way) when you get to the point where you were aiming at, it's close to nirvana….

Sorry I've been reading too much Musashi lately...

By Xeethot at May 14, 2004, 5:54 PM | 0

Face it, playin a character from the mix your odds are against you from the start. When a well laid plan is put into action by a player we as admin do what we can to support it. As I said, a well laid plan, But alas not everything goes the way it's planned, if you forget a detail allowing your plan to fall apart, what can we do to stop it? Ignore it? Say hey I think it's time for the mixers to win one. No, it's not IC and it won't happen, if there's a flaw in your plan, an IC flaw, something you forgot to take into account, a varient you didn't know was there and it's caught IC'ly then you can be sure your plan will come falling down around your ears. If you want to stand up and strike a shot against the man, take into account thier power, their resources. Know your enemy, Understand what risk your taking in attempting to carry out a plan against them. If you don't wanna get caught, be a smart criminal.
Thank You

By Bixby at May 14, 2004, 6:05 PM | 0

If you don't wanna get caught, be a smart criminal.

Or have someone on your side OOC as well as IC. That works well too.

(Edited by Jotun at 8:24 am on May 15, 2004)

By Jotun at May 15, 2004, 8:23 AM | 0

Or have someone on your side OOC as well as IC. That works well too.

Every single person involved in the game, staff and player alike, is on your side OOCly. That's what a community's about. ICly may be another story, but everyone's here for the same OOC reason: To have a mutually enjoyable experience.

My father used to tell me, "Pick your fights."

What he ment by that was don't fight battles your going to lose. If your up against an opponent who's stronger, smarter, or better equiped than you, don't antagonize him. Don't shout, 'Kill him!' and attack the moment he walks into a room, just because your afraid he might do the same.

If you find yourself losing all your battles, perhaps your not fighting the right ones.

He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day, discression is the better part of valor, don't take a knife to a gun fight, and all thoes other cliches apply here.

Sometimes you have to accept that you may be in a battle you can't win, and your better off not fighting it.

The fun lies in finding the ones you can.

-Kevlar

By Kevlar at May 15, 2004, 5:28 PM | 0

It is what you make it. And what about if it was a really -big- knife? I mean..(Agent Smith voice) What good is a gun.. If you have no head?

By Nemisis at May 18, 2004, 7:46 AM | 0

Nic said this once to a previous character of mine:
"I am the fucking scythe."

:aikao:

By Hirononbu at May 18, 2004, 12:05 PM | 0

I think there may me some validity in arguing against something not because it's not a winnable, but because of WHY it isn't winnable.

By Lotus at May 18, 2004, 3:33 PM | 0

So. Like. I have a tip for everyone, kinda ties in to Bixby and Kev's statements.

DON'T DO STUPID THINGS, AND YOU WILL LIVE LONGER.

That's really all I have to say.

*cough*

For now.

By Iga at May 18, 2004, 3:44 PM | 0

I think there may me some validity in arguing against something not because it's not a winnable, but because of WHY it isn't winnable.

What's to argue? Some situations shouldn't be winnable. There's no gaurentee for success, only for failure.

Sindome IS the Kobayashi Maru scenario. You will not survive. Period. Death, destruction, entropy, and failure is inevitable. The only variable is when, and how.

The game is fun because of that! The more powerful you become, the more people envy that power, and will seek to gain it for themselves, and the harder you're going to have to struggle to maintain it. The joy of playing lies in holding off that death and destruction just another day… keeping that power just a little longer.

It's a non-zero-sum game, with no 'good' ending. And the candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long. If you've become so powerful that you're literally indestructable, the game becomes quite pointless and dull (isn't that right, Murphy?). The only thing that keeps it interesting is having to constantly maintain that power. And sometimes that means losing it.

It's not about the destination. It's about the journey.

-Kevlar

(Edited by Kevlar at 5:34 pm on May 18, 2004)

By Kevlar at May 18, 2004, 5:30 PM | 0

Got to agree with that. If I played an Uber God character that could literly take on half the players in the game at the same time and win with out breaking a sweat, let alone be able to take out -anyone- at anytime it would get boring real quick. It's the stuggle to get to that point thats the real fun. Not actuly being there.

By Nemisis at May 18, 2004, 7:10 PM | 0

"The path has more experience than both the start and the finish points."

Once you have achieved your goal, look for another one. The longer it takes, the better it feels once you get there.

By Xeethot at May 29, 2004, 10:39 PM | 0

from Kevlar on 8:28 pm on May 15, 2004[br]
My father used to tell me, "Pick your fights."
What he ment by that was don't fight battles your going to lose. If your up against an opponent who's stronger, smarter, or better equiped than you, don't antagonize him. Don't shout, 'Kill him!' and attack the moment he walks into a room, just because your afraid he might do the same.
If you find yourself losing all your battles, perhaps your not fighting the right ones.
He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day, discression is the better part of valor, don't take a knife to a gun fight, and all thoes other cliches apply here.
Sometimes you have to accept that you may be in a battle you can't win, and your better off not fighting it.
The fun lies in finding the ones you can.
-Kevlar

All warfare is based on deception.

Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.

Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.

If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him.

If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.

If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them.

Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.

-Sun Tzu
The Art of War (selected passages)

By Jinkorei at Jun 21, 2004, 2:39 PM | 0

So..? what? this isn't like super fluffy bunny land? and we're not all like superhumans who are all unbeatable except by ourselves?

damn… this blows... i want out.

;) heheheheh

By Tool at Jun 24, 2004, 10:46 AM | 0

Hey, FS, can I borrow that gnome cannon…Tool wants out again...

:ar15:

By Iga at Jun 24, 2004, 12:23 PM | 0

Quote: from Jinkorei on 6:39 am on June 21, 2004[br]
Hold out baits to entice the enemy. �Feign disorder, and crush him.

Which part is that from?
Maybe I've got a different translation to you..
Blue dragon publishing all the way.

By Protagonist at Jul 13, 2004, 6:42 AM | 0

…errrmm...
Is that part of Art Of War? Or is it just me. Probably me.

<edit>
UGH yes you did cite that and I just skipped over it sorry sorry ignore post please thankyou. </edit>