ON ROLEPLAYING [PAGE 4]

ON KNOWING THE HOUSE RULES
ON THE REBEL IN THE SYSTEM
ON THE ART OF THE DESCRIPTION
ON FURTHER RESEARCH

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ON THE MATTER OF ROMANCE

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TINYSEX [Guest Speaker]

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ON THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TABLETOP RPGS AND MUSHES

THIS PAGE

PLAYERS CAN CARE AND FEED FOR MUSHES TOO! [Guest Speaker]

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ON THE TYPES OF POWERPOSING

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ON CANNED SPEECHES

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PLAYERS CAN CARE AND FEED FOR MUSHES TOO!

NOTE: This material was kindly provided by Rhonda Peters , aka Saidar@Tales_of_Ta'veren MUSH.

The wizards of a MUSH bear the bulk of the responsibility for its success or failure, but they can't do it alone. Without players, a game is a lifeless shell. It is a mistake to think that because you're "just" a player you can't contribute anything to the success of a game. In fact, there are some things that only players can do, or that players can do best. If you're interested in seeing a game you like thrive, or you want to give something back to a game that's given a lot to you, consider trying some of the following.

1. Role-Play with New Players

The number one complaint of players new to any MUSH is that no one seems to want to role-play with them, that everyone is already part of a social group that isn't accepting new members. Often, they're right. Once you're established on a MUSH and have a circle of friends, it's easy to forget how difficult your first few days were, when you didn't know anyone at all and desperately wanted to role-play.

This is something the admin can't do much about. It's their responsibility to make sure new players get all the OOC help they need, but there are usually too few admin for them to RP with all the new players that try the game.

The "reality" of a MUSH is a collective reality. If no one acknowledges something, it doesn't happen. So when no one acknowledges the arrival of the new player in the bar or local hangout, the new player might get the sense that, in effect, her character doesn't really exist as a part of the game. If the someone doesn't feel like she's part of the game, she's not likely to stick around very long.

You might be wondering why you should care, or what this has to do with the health of a game, especially if it seems to have a good number of players and you already have a circle of friends. It matters because MUSHes undergo a constant attrition of players. People lose access or interest, they experience changes RL that leave them less and less time to play. A MUSH needs a steady influx of new players just to maintain its population, nevermind get larger. If the player base gets too small, RP and enjoyment will shrink, and it'll lose even more players, and it will no longer provide you the same enjoyment it currently does.

So what can you do, you can't make friends with every new player, after all, right? Right. But there are a few things you can do, and suggest that your friends try doing, too.

* Acknowledge new players through RP. You probably wouldn't start talking to a stranger in a bar, but you often interact with them in other ways in RL. RP out some of those ways, as in the following poses. Then at the least the new person feels like they're really a part of the game world, even if they haven't yet made themselves a friend.

Sue accidentally bumps into Bob's chair on the way to the bar, and stops to excuse herself. Bob looks up as Dave opens the door, letting in a blast of cold air. Joe waits until the waitress has finished serving Jane, then waves her over to take his order.

* Be open to more extensive RP than the above, and to the idea of letting new people into your RP circle. If you're in a public place engaged in casual RP and a someone's politely trying to join in, consider including them instead of ignoring them. Maybe that's not RPing what would happen in the "real world", but can you honestly say that all the RP on any game _always_ reflects reality? If you're not RPing a scene for a specific plot or character development, what's the harm in being friendly?

* Don't use the main public "hangouts" for private RP. If you ARE RPing a scene for a specific plot or character development that you don't want others participating in, don't do it in the locations that are commonly frequented by new players. Then you won't have to choose between ignoring them and ruining your planned RP. If you're in public, you should be willing to RP the presence of other people, even if you don't RP directly with them.

* Consider setting aside an hour or two each week or once a month to RP with new people. Go to the public hangouts with the intention of RPing with some new faces. Page someone who has "new" in their @do and offer to RP something with them. Something as simple as that can make much more of a positive impression about the game to a new person than anything the admin can do.

2. Work With New Players

Yep, another section about new players. While it's the job of the admin to work with new players OOCly, nothing stops you from helping out with that. Overworked admin will appreciate the help, and you'll leave them more time to work on MUSH issues that affect you, the established player, like coding that new command you requested or assessing your new character application. New people often enjoy interacting with players and not just the admin. You also have the advantage of seeing the new person in RP, an advantage the admin may not have.

So what can you do on an OOC level?

* If someone asks a question and you know the answer, answer it. It's very frustrating for a new player to ask "How do I read mail?" on a channel or in a crowded room and get no response.

* If you see someone doing something inappropriate or against the rules, don't just write them off as a clueless newbie and ignore them, or yell at them. Take the time to _politely_ page them and give them some tips. If it's inappropriate on your game to chat OOCly during RP, or use a character name before being introduced, page and explain that to them. New players aren't the amazing Kreskin, they won't know this stuff unless someone tells them, and little details like that often aren't in the game's news files. Most new players aren't _trying_ to be irritating, they're just not familiar with the customs on that particular game, or MUSHes in general. (But if you can't be polite and patient when doing this, it's best not to do it at all.)

* Greet new people on the chat channels. It might not be appropriate for you to RP with every new character (your characters are of different social classes or in different locations), but you can make them feel welcome OOCly.

3. Don't Be an Elephant

The old saying goes "an elephant never forgets". I don't know about elephants, but MUSHers seem to have very long memories, and forgive as rarely as they forget. These memories are sometimes unfair, and make things difficult for players or the admin. The following are all examples of things that I regularly see happening on MUSHes.

Lets say a few weeks ago you RPed with Joe Newbie, and he was kind of clueless. Maybe he was doing power poses or picking fights, or claimed character abilities that require approval, whatever. Now you're sitting around with some friends, and Joe walks in. You page all your friends to watch out for Joe's crappy RP, maybe you even suggest they ignore him entirely.

Should you have done that? Chances are that someone's corrected Joe, or he's had a chance to see that's not how things are done on your game. There ARE jerks out there, but most newbie mistakes are the result of ignorance or misplaced enthusiasm, and most new players stop making those mistakes pretty quickly. Some pick things up really quickly, and some take longer, but most DO pick them up. If someone showed you logs of your first RP sessions, you'd probably find a few embarassing moments in there. :->

Why not give someone like Joe a second chance or two? Even if you're not willing to RP with Joe again yourself, why not let other people form their own opinions of him and his RP instead of prejudicing them against him by reciting a list of all his past mistakes?

I know of a number of players who haven't been able to escape the poor first impression they made in their first few months of play. These people have been forced to create a second character to start over again fresh. The second character often succeeds where the first one failed, earning promotions or approvals the first character was denied. Clearly the player has reformed and is now playing well, is it fair that people won't judge them for their current RP rather than their past with that first character?

This doesn't just happen with new characters, by any means. The same thing can happen to someone who runs a badly-organized TP, or who flips out and goes mental one day because they're under a lot of RL stress. One or two incidents of that can be enough to earn someone a bad reputation, not just with those who were present, but with all the people they spread the gossip to.

Long memories can affect an entire MUSH or its administration, too:

People on the game find out that a wizard gave a friend a special type of character, or unfairly booted someone off the game, or something similar. When new people join the game, they're told "The wizards play favourites" or "the wizards aren't fair".

These types of stories will circulate for years. Wizards are only human, they make mistakes, too. But the admin on a good game usually tries to correct their mistakes and not repeat them in the future. If the game has instituted a new system to make sure characters are assigned fairly, or fired the wizard who unfairly @toaded someone, does it and ALL of its admin deserve to be tagged with this reputation forever? I think it's far fairer to judge a game by the way it is now, not the way it was in the past. In particular, don't circulate ancient history to new players, why not let them make their own assessment of the game and the people who run it?

4. Get the Facts, Avoid Rumours

It can be detrimental enough to circulate ancient history about player and wizard mistakes you witnessed, but a lot of people will do the same with hearsay and rumour. It's not really safe to assume that everything you hear about a game or a person on it is true. If you hear or see something on a game that concerns you, consider trying to find out more about it before jumping to any conclusions. Sometimes things can be a little different than they seem at first glance, as in this example from my own MUSH.

Certain characters on the game required an approved application to play. A number of the staff members had been approved for these types of characters. Some people on the game noticed this, and a rumour started circulating that applications from staff got preferential treatment. On the surface, I can see how it would have appeared that way.

However, if anyone had asked us about this, we could have pointed out one simple fact that was being overlooked - all but one or two of the staff members had been approved to play the application characters BEFORE they applied for and were chosen as staff. Staff spots are also available via open application, so we're limited to selecting among those people who choose to apply, which we have no control over. I don't think it's that unusual that the people approved to play an application character would also have a good chance of being selected as staff, as we look for many of the same qualities in both - a familiarity with the rules of the game, appropriate role-play and OOC conduct, etc.

Maybe it still looks to you like we were doing something dodgy. But whatever conclusion you come to, at least you're doing it having heard both sides of the story, instead of blindly believing a rumour or making an assumption.

5. Be Present, and Get Outta the House

A lot of players believe that you have to be able to log on every day, for hours a day, to really make an impact on a MUSH. I don't think that's true, I think that people with a lighter play schedule can have just as much fun and can also contribute to the general atmosphere of the game.

Whatever amount of time you spend on the game, you can contribute more the more you're truly present on it - active and involved. One way to do that is to make the effort to regularly engage in public role-play, especially if you connect during off-peak times. If you want to help increase the general level of role-play on your game, make a conscious effort to get out of your room/house/tent and play publicly. Browse the shopping district, meet some friends for dinner at the local restaurant or pub, etc. It's a trend on many games for people to spend a lot of time alone or in small groups in their private areas, you can improve your game by being someone who bucks the trend.

Conversely, if you're on the game but not truly "present" because you're multi-MUSHing or watching TV or something at the same time as you play, it can be better to go someplace private. A lot of people find delayed responses and half-hearted RP a little aggravating, or even insulting, and it makes a poor impression of the game on guests and newcomers.

Just being on is one of the best things you can do to help a new or small game. One of the problems a new game faces is that you have to have players to get players. Many people log onto a game, do a WHO, and if they don't see many folks around, log off. If you're interested in seeing a game do well, stay connected, even if you're idle or multi-MUSHing. If you're _really_ interested in helping that game get going, be as present as possible - page a greeting to newcomers, hang around in a public area to RP with people, and encourage others to do the same. Things might be a little boring in the beginning, but your small investment of time and effort can have big payoffs in the end.

6. Accentuate the Positive

Appropriate negative criticism can make an important contribution to a game. A person RPing inappropriately won't correct himself unless he knows what he's doing is incorrect. The admin can't fix a problem on the game unless they know it's a problem. However, it's human nature to remark on negatives far more than positives, but it's just as important to let people know about what they're doing _right_.

For example, why not page/mail someone and let them know that you really enjoyed their RP the other night, thought they ran a great TP, or that you really appreciated their help with that coding problem you were having? If people take the time to thank and congratulate one another on their successes, it can really improve morale and enjoyment levels on a game.

And why not let the admin know what they're doing right, too? If you really enjoy something about the game, tell the admin. Admin hear a lot of complaints and criticisms. It can get really disheartening at times, and it is a big part of the burnout that causes good admin to resign and take up another hobby. Positive feedback to the admin also helps ensure that the things you like about a game aren't changed. If the admin get a few complaints about something, they might change it to try and satisfy people, without realizing that there are many more people who liked it the way it was, because none of the people who liked it ever mentioned their opinion.

7. Set a Good Example

This is something you can do that takes very little extra time or energy, all it takes is a little thought - be a "good" player. Make sure you're familiar with the rules of the game and follow them, and treat others the way you wish to be treated. The examples people on the game set make a stronger impression on newcomers than the written rules.

If you don't like to see OOC discussions during RP, make sure you don't fall into that trap yourself. If you want the people to give you a break when you make a mistake because you were having a bad day, give them the benefit of some doubt when they make mistakes. If you wish more people were inclusive about their RP, make sure you're inclusive with yours.

That may seem obvious, but it's easy to fall into a double-standard. These are all examples of things I've seen established players do, or done myself, without thinking of the example being set for others:

* RP on chat channels or excessive OOC discussion during RP. Almost everyone complains about this and criticizes others for doing it, but it's an easy habit to fall into.

* Experienced players who have an understanding with one another may fudge or ignore consent rules like negotiation style poses, and pose something like "Bob slashes Dave with his knife". They're following the rules because they worked that out together in advance, but people who observe the RP don't know that, they only see the RP, and they believe experienced players are RPing correctly, and will follow their example. In this situation, you could let everyone know with an OOC aside that you're doing the negotiation via page or whatever, or conduct the RP in a private location.

* Players who get very insulted or upset if an admin is a little testy or short with them, even if it's only one occasion out of many interactions. If the situation is reversed, and the admin is censuring the player for a problem, the player will often ask for leniency because they were having a bad day or something. If you ask for leniency, make sure you're willing to extend it. If you behave poorly one day because of extenuating circumstances, remind yourself that someone who behaves poorly to you might be having some circumstances of their own.

8. Get More Involved

If you have the time and the inclination, consider getting more involved in the game. Some types of involvement take more time, and some less, there's a lot of room for different schedules and levels of committment. A MUSH is a purely volunteer enterprise. The more people who get involved and contribute, the better a game is.

* Volunteer Players and admin often post needs for volunteers on the BB or other info sources. These might be ads for people to play TP characters or relatives, Web space, code help, etc. Check the info sources on your game regularly, and consider whether you can fill any of the requests people have posted.

* Support RP Running a big TP or event is a lot of work, and if someone doesn't get much return on that work, they're not as likely to want to do it again. Try to attend advertised events, and encourage others to do the same. When you participate in someone else's TP or event, take the time to find out the guidelines for being a part of it and follow those, to help the event go smoothly.

* Initiate RP Many people on a game are passive about RP - they wait for it to come to them. Those who initiate RP, even on a small level, make a tremendous positive impact on the game. Initiating RP can range from spontaneously grabbing some folks who are on to RP a snowball fight or a camping trip to developing and running a full-scale TP.

* Share Ideas and Opinions Area/Faction leaders and the wizards on your game might hold occasional meetings, or request input through polls or BB discussions. You might be surprised at how little feedback they receive sometimes. We once sent an email survey to all the members of our email list, which was 1200 people at the time. We received only 68 replies. Don't assume that someone else will express your point of view, or that your idea isn't original - if you have any feedback, take the time to offer it.

TP and RP ideas are particularly important to share. If you have an idea that wouldn't fit your character, or would require large-scale organization, try and pass the idea along to someone who can use it or make it happen.

* Areas/Factions On a game with areas or factions, these are very important to the overall atmosphere of the game and the enjoyment it provides people. Getting involved in an area/faction and offering to help its leader is a great way to contribute to a game and make a difference. I still have a huge amount of respect and fond memories for the people who went above and beyond the call of duty in my area when I was an area leader.

* Positions On some games, positions like faction/area leader, staff, newbie helper, feature characters and other positions may be available through application or volunteerism. If you think you have the time and the skills to fill the position, consider volunteering or applying for it. Again, people often don't apply because they figure there will be so many applications they don't have a chance, but there have been times when we've run applications on my game for area leaders and received only a couple, or none at all.

However, you should only apply for something if you won't be offended or upset if you're not accepted. Even if there's only three applicants, if there's only one spot, there's two people that can't get it. The admin of many games like to get to know people a bit before selecting them for admin roles, so the best way to improve your chances on your next try is to stay on the game and help out in other ways.