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 Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2007 3:37 am
Welcome to my tutorial on how to deal with bad roleplayers. This thread will help you if you ever find yourself having to deal with someone who obviously hasn't read or does not care about the rules of this guild.
Contents are as follows...
1. Dealing with flamers
2. Dealing with godmodders
3. Dealing with the illiterate
4. The responsibility of the creator
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Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2007 4:11 am
1. Dealing with Flamers
Unfortunatley, not everyone out there is a nice person. Unlike this guild when you go into barton town or any kind of roleplay you may encounter people known as "Flamers." Now, first thing's first I should tell you what a flamer is. Quite simply put, a flamer is someone who deliberatly uses foul or offensive language directly at someone with the sole intent of trying to annoy, upset, bring down, infuriate or generally to try and aggravate someone.
Q. Why do people flame in rps?
A. Usually it's due to a disagreement or dispute within the rp which leads to them feeling the need to try and bring other people down with them as much as possible.
Example: Han makes an rp with two of his friends. However his friend's RPCs get into a fight, because it is Han's rp he says that due to the fact that Friend A's powers or abilities seem to be better and/or exploitative of Friend B's weaknesses, and the fight has gone on too long anyway; Friend A wins. Friend B gets very upset because he has to lose and starts calling Han and friend A unsavoury names.
It's a bit long for an example but it's also one of the most common. If you happen to be the victim of flaming the first and most important thing you should do is not get carried away and definitly do not start flaming them back. (This only annoys them more and it just escalates from there.) Again, I will use an example. This time I will use a good response and a bad response.
Bad Response:
Flamer: What the hell is up with this? This rp is just stupid, the creator is playing favourites with Han just because they're friends. Han, you can go f*** yourself.
Han: Hey, screw you. You're just jealous because you suck miserably at rps and more to the point, you had to lose ONE fight. Oh my god it's going to ruin your life forever, isn't it? Do us all a favour and shoot yourself.
Commenatry:Ok, now did you see the way Han lost his cool? Of course you did, that's the whole point. If you start calling them names back or insulting them then it just escalates from there and you really do ruin the rp for everyone else... Now let's look at a good response...
Good response:
Flamer: What the hell is up with this? This rp is just stupid, the creator is playing favourites with Han just because they're friends. Han, you can go f*** yourself.
Han: Ok, first chill out. Remember it's just an rp, and more to the point you will probably get to win some other fights later on. Don't get so aggressive because there are other people in the rp as well, ok? Let's not spoil it for them.
Commentary:
Now, see how Han dealt with it this time? He didn't lose his temper and he gave him a very calm and reasonable response. Notice how he also mentioned the fact that there are other rpers posting as well? That's quite a nice one to remember because nobody likes trying to rp while two people are bickering over something. He also mentions that he isn't going to keep losing... Which is very true, most of the time if you lose your first fight the creator or your next opponent will hopefully be gracious enough to grant you victory (Or a very close match at least) in your next fight.
If you give someone a good response yet they still refuse to act like they have more than two brain cells then say something along the lines of "Whatever, you're not even worth the snappy comeback." and report them to the creator of the rp. If the rp is inactive then you might want to read my responsibilities of the creator post.
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Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2007 3:21 am
2. Dealing with Godmodders
Again, in this guild godmodders are not tolerated and one of the things (I hope) we all try to avoid is exactly that... Godmodding. Again, if you are in the dark, let me enlighten you. Godmodders are generally people who make their RPCs invincible, unbeatable or... Well... Yeah, unbeatable is probably the best word. Godmodding is quite a broad term as there are many different types of godmodding. Spotting a godmodder is quite easy, in a fight they will ignore any kind of attacks or shake them off as ineffective, they will have no weaknesses and in some extreme cases they might do absolutely ridiculous stuff such as going back in time and killing their opponent when they are a baby. If you havn't already guessed, godmodding occurs primarily in fights.
Q. Why do people Godmod?
A. Many reasons, sometimes it can be a lack of understanding for the rules, or someone having too much pride (Probably the most common), or sometimes it can be due to fanboyism. (When someone plays a character from a series/game/movie etc. and they absolutley cannot accept them getting defeated or sometimes even taking a blow.)
Ok, so now we all have a basic grasp of what godmodding is. This time you don't have to be as reserved as you were when dealing with a flamer. Godmodders will sometimes snap out of it with a gentle reminder, again what you don't do is start moaning about it or at them because like with the flamers, you are just going to make it worse. Let's look at some examples, imagine the scenario that Han is in a samurai rp and he encounters an assassin who tries to kill him.
Bad response
Han: Han draws his katana and swiftly walks towards the assassin, he slices horizontally, aiming at the assassin's stomach.
Godmodder: The assassin grabs the sword with his bare hands and snaps it like a twig. He then pulls out his plasmic vapouriser and completely obliterates Han.
Han: Ok now what the hell is that? First off, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that if you grabbed a katana being swung at you it would cut your hand in half. Secondly, where the hell did you get a plasmic vapouriser from? This is a samurai rp, moron.
Commentary
Ok again, Han simply got completely fed up that the guy godmodded him and he just start calling him a moron. I would never recommend that simply because... You don't know them, chances are that godmodders are usually someone new who has yet got to get the hang of roleplaying. Although you have to be quite direct, give them a break.
Good response
Han: Han draws his katana and swiftly walks towards the assassin, he slices horizontally, aiming at the assassin's stomach.
Godmodder: The assassin grabs the sword with his bare hands and snaps it like a twig. He then pulls out his plasmic vapouriser and completely obliterates Han.
Han: Remember we are in a samurai rp? You can't use a plasmic vapouriser. Also, grabbing a katana would probably result in your hand getting cut in half. Draw your sword and we can have a sword fight.
Commentary
Ok, now see how Han was less hostile this time. Rather than saying something along the lines of "Oh my god, how stupid are you?" he's just simply correcting him in quite a neutral manner. What's better is that he's even suggesting something he can do to make him better at the rp. This is Encouraging them to be a better rper. Something which I believe in. However as with the flamers, if they refuse to listen to you then don't try to fight them in the rp because they are godmodding. Therefore nobody can win and it's just pointless. Again, report them to the creator and personally I would just say something along the lines of. "Well, whatever, if you wanna be a crappy rper then that's your choice..." Continue to rp but move your character awa from them, if the other person keeps posting 10 tonnes of n00b then simply just ignore him! He will notice when he does something along the lines of...
Godmodder: I throw 80billion kunai at Han.
Han: I walk into my room and sigh as I lay down on my bed, having had a hard day of work I gently shut my eyes.
Godmodder: I walk into Han's room and cut him in half with a great axe.
Han: I yawn as I wake up the next morning having had a very pleasant night's sleep.
Godmodder: .... Eh?
Han: wink
Really, though they will simply.
a. Get bored
b. Know that you and likely other people consider him not worth rping with
Again, it's really just keeping calm and not letting it get to you. Although most godmodders will say "Oh sorry, I didn't realise I was not giving you a realistic chance." I was just showing you an extreme case there so at least if it does happen you have some idea on how to deal with it. Hope for the best but expect the worst, eh?
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Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2007 3:46 am
3. Dealing with the illiterate
So, here is how you deal with the illiterate. Now, these people usually are not actually illiterate, not in real life anyway. They earn this label because they way they type on gaia is close to illegible or comparable to that of a five year old's. Now, gaia is a forum where people are supposed to use correct grammar and literature... So, if you see anyone using "1337 speek" there are a number of ways you can help and ecourage them.
Q. Why do people use "1337 speek"?
A. A lot of the time they are new to gaia and they are to used to text messaging or MSN messenger or other chatrooms etc. If they aren't new to gaia however then they are just silly.
Now, incase you are cluless as to what it is, 1337 speek is when people either type with terrible spelling, grammar, or litter their posts with abbrieviations.
As usual I will use an example to help understand a good way of tackling these people.
Bad response
1337 speaker: Cums ino teh bar nd wlks up 2 Han "Hi Han wubu2?"
Han: Would it kill you to learn a bit of English? Go finish first grade before you start posting, idiot.
Commentary
As usual, Han has lost his cool and ranted at him. Apart from this guy's spelling he hasn't actually done anything wrong, these people are quite important to give support to because a lot of the time they can turn into quite respectable rpers. Doing this is likely just going to put them off rping because you are being very intolerant.
Good response
1337 speaker: Cums ino teh bar nd wlks up 2 Han "Hi Han wubu2?"
Han: Han turns around to see 1337 speaker standing behind him, Han almost jumped because he walked up to him so quietly. but Han laughed to himself and smiled.
"I'm fine thanks, how are you?"
Commentary
What did I actually do there? Nothing? Right, but at the same time you're completely wrong! Ok, so what the hell am I talking about? Well, despite his spelling and poor grammar, I have still kept my post presentable and it's quite descriptive (For a short post.) If you don't say anything to these people but you keep posting with respectable posts, then there is quite a good chance that they will start doing the same. Simply because they will start to feel out of place! So basically, by doing nothing you are encouraging them! If they like the rp and they are quite determined to stick to it then you might find their grammar improving dramatically. However, if the problem persists then you might want to politely ask them... Something along the lines of.
((1337 speaker, seriously I am really having trouble reading your posts. I'm really sorry to ask this but could you please stop using 1337 speek? Sorry dude.))
While you are getting to the point, you are still talking to them as a friend. You are also saying why you want them to improve their posts as well, by saying something like that you are also giving them a subtle sense of value as well, if you didn't want them in the rp you would tell them to buzz off, right? Ok, so there we go! You have dealt with an illiterate.
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Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 6:16 am
4. Responsibility of the creator
Ok, now this is for future reference if you create an rp or you join one. Although some people might overlook it I still think it's quite an important thing to know.
Now, when you create an rp you have to understand what you are doing. First, you have to be sure that you are happy with your rp. I will admit it, I have done it myself when I created an rp and the next couple of days I thought. "Ugh this rp kinda sucks I don't want to post in it anymore." That is one thing you have to be aware of, when you create an rp people will expect you to post regularly. Not necessarily like everyday but enough to keep your character active, remember it's your rp so it's your responsibility. It should be the responsibility of the creator to do everything in their power to keep their rp alive, if nobody else starts posting and you decide to call it quits, fair enough. What rpers don't want to see is the creator getting bored despite the fact that everyone else is posting regularly... Don't forget that the creator is the only person with the power to accept new characters, ban people from the rp and delete any posts which are deemed unsuitable or inappropriate or just plain vulgar.
So, while we are on the subject, dealing with bad rpers! IF you are the creator of the rp, then you have to keep a sharp eye (Well, don't go overboard but you get the idea.) for any bad rping. It's also up to you to deal with it. I won't say what's right and wrong but your options available to you are...
- Simply reprimanding them, telling them where they went wrong and how they can improve.
- Reprimanding can be seperate or used in conjunction with a warning. Saying if they don't improve you may take the matter further.
- Deleting the post. Simple, see a post you don't like? Get rid of it. They will know you disapprove, however I only recommend this if the post is completely irrelevant or if it's something along the lines of flaming or personal abuse. (As it is something which is not needed or appriciated in rps)
- Banning. If the worst comes to the worst or if you feel there is no way to get through to this person, simply kick them out of the rp. Make it clear that they are no longer welcome and you refuse to let them post as they simply are hindering your rp and you could do without them.
Now, I discuss something a bit more important. What if the creator is inactive? Obviously leaving the rp is always an option however there are ways to deal with bad rpers. Say someone is just really being stupid and so they decide to just constantly flood and or flame everyone in the rp. As the creator is inactive there are a number of things you can do...
First, let's assume that this time the creator is still active on gaia, but they are just not active in the rp. You can simply try and get in touch with them, explain that if they wish to no longer be a part of the rp, then that's ok. However there is someone in the rp who is causing trouble and everyone agrees that they want him/her kicked out. With a bit of luck they may help you out, even if they remain inactive they should at least sort out the problem.
Ok, now let's assume the creator is completely inactive this time. So they left gaia or changed account or died or whatever. Now it's up to everyone else who are still active. The first and the most simple suggestion is to... Ignore them! Keep posting and completely ignore what the idiot is saying and just carry on as usual, imagine they are in a different dimension to you... Hopefully they will get bored and just realise nobody thinks they are worth acknowledging, let alone rping with.
So, that's the first suggestion. The second one works everytime... It's quite rare to do this but imagine that you are in the perfect rp and you love it. However as we said, the creator is not active and you have an idiot running amok. You really love this rp so you don't want to leave, yet you can't stand this idiot running around making annoying posts... Solution? Remake the rp! PM everyone active in the rp and tell them your plan, you are going to copy out all the introduction, story, rules and characters and simply put them in a different thread! You give them the URL and carry on where you left off! Now, you might say "Oh but what if the bad rper follows you through your post history etc.?" Then you have forgotten something... You are now the creator! You can ban them the minute they show their ugly face!
Now then, those are my suggestions and advice to you all. Hopefully you will encounter very little or no bad rpers through your time in gaia. But if you do, hopefully my words will be able to guide you. If you did read this then thank you because this is the result of my own personal experience and more to the point... A good couple of hours of typing relentlessly...
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