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Nalkanar
 
PostPosted: Thu, Oct 01 2015, 16:25 PM 

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I mostly find it hard to find good time and good group to play considering my time zone. Which leads me to trying more characters to try to get to more group to try to get to some stable roleplay.

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Jes
 
PostPosted: Thu, Oct 01 2015, 19:23 PM 

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I have always had multiple characters, searching for a favorite personality and/or story to play here on Amia. Which is funny, because Yoss mentioned one of them in the one-main-character section of the first post.

My point is that even if you have a lot of characters, you can have an impact on the world. I just suggest that you have one you play most, a favorite, a Main - however you want to name it. So yes, keep going until you find that one that resonates with you. Even if it takes forever!

Or, just play whatever the hell you want. This is a game and you contribute to our world just by being here. So have fun and don't be disheartened if someone says you're doing it wrong. If you're here, then you're not doing it wrong.

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Terallis
 
PostPosted: Thu, Oct 01 2015, 20:48 PM 

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Too many alts gets to be super difficult for me to manage. I dunno how one might truly cure altitis, though, as I personally don't see the appeal in too many characters. I'll experiment with some, at times, but usually lose interest really fast. As it is, I only have two mains that I play. Aedan and Beryl. But even with those two, I play Aedan a lot more than Beryl.

Overall, I'd say two (maybe three) characters is alright. If you've been playing them for a SUPER long time and are getting bored, definitely try something new. But going from character to character to character, every other day, can make things pretty distracting, I find. Character development gets lost more and more as attention gets split between an increasing number of alts. Making a concept for a character and trying to stick with it, even if it's not TOTALLY appealing, at first, could be fantastic. I've made characters that I wasn't entirely invested in, at first, but after a few days of playing, and then getting involved in even small bits of RP, brought more interest to the character.

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SamTheGiantSlayer
 
PostPosted: Thu, Oct 01 2015, 20:54 PM 

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I have plenty of 'alts'. But I don't see most of my 'alts' as 'alts'. I have one main character I started Amia with and continue to play her regularly. Though I cycle through her and about two or so other characters that I also consider close to a main, because I have done a -lot- on all of them, and each of them have had lasting impacts on the world.

I've never been one that feels the desire to be tied to any one character for the eternity of their run -exclusively-. I love to cycle through refreshing concepts and try my hand at everything I feel like, because it gives me a huge perspective on the world and atmosphere of the server.

(I'm also very hyper-focused and always need things to busy myself with, if that wasn't obvious :D)

But yeah. I do have a main, but I enjoy concepts very much and think each have potential for something impactful with enough attention and care. Though some people can't manage that many things at once, it's certainly not for everyone; and there's nothing wrong with that.

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Estara
 
PostPosted: Sun, Oct 04 2015, 17:49 PM 



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I always wanted someone to go more in-depth with the dissertation (lit review anyone) and explore how often roleplay between alts blends together. I find that when I only play two characters it happens. Caron will say something and I'll realize shit that was a Sam phrase. I can't imagine what it's like for much more.. Do you have advice on how to keep the characters separate in your mind, Jes/Sammy? I know some people keep copious notes and files, but I'm not talking keeping facts separate- I'm talking the image and personality of the person in your head. It's become a big thing for me as I started to play another active character I resonate with and who has interacted with some of the same characters. Now I watch those of you who have alts that run really close together, in similar circles, etc. I'm very curious where the lines get drawn for each player.


 
      
Jes
 
PostPosted: Sun, Oct 04 2015, 18:07 PM 

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Well, I've had a lot of practice in that I have about two dozen personalities to keep separate at any given time with the stories I write in RL. When I write a book, I spend a good hour on each main character, drawing up their character traits, desires, fears, etc. At least one full page to immerse myself into until I have a set idea of how that character will behave and think. I don't actually start writing until I fully understand the characters' motivations and personality.

I don't necessarily go to that extent when I make characters on Amia, but I do decide a full backstory that helps me figure out the characters' ticks, habits, and personalities. Most of my Amian characters are based on characters in various book ideas I've made, so they have those personality notes already. I like to take characters from my stories and play them on Amia to see how they develop alongside server stories that I have much less control over than I have control of my stories.

Specific advice if you're struggling a little bit? Make up those character information pages. The easiest thing to do is find a tick that'll help you separate the character. For example, give Samantha a laugh that's just odd, while Caron's smile is a little crooked. Or maybe Samantha habitually bites her thumbnail, and Caron often chews the inside of his lip. Simple things like that will help you differentiate after a while.

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Estara
 
PostPosted: Sun, Oct 04 2015, 18:14 PM 



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What about when you were playing Riia and Zelly and they both interacted heavily with Ulrik, or had a story with him in-depth, etc? We can do our best to keep alts from coming close to interacting with similar people (I used to go to extremes), but with Caron and Samantha I've found a few times it's come too close for my own comfort. Did it ever get under your skin? Did you feel like one had to suffer for the other to succeed, etc etc? Did the lines of what they wanted from Ulrik/Kohlingen/etc ever get blurred?

The ticks and character sheet is a good idea for the lines and phrasing, and typical habits, but I think what bothers me more is that invisible line inside of us or others that states where the "appropriate" lines can be drawn between our characters and their motives and their mutual interactions. I'm just not sure what to do with it!


 
      
Ts_
 
PostPosted: Sun, Oct 04 2015, 20:33 PM 

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Well, I like playing 2 characters. But like Estara, even then I feel that I sometimes slip. On the other hand, I also slip when it comes to lore or when I pretend that I'm an INT 60 wizard and saying something obviously illogical. So I guess it happens and I feel inadequate due to that, but I can always chalk it up to mood swings of the characters if the person without the nervous laugh suddenly has a nervous laugh once.

But yeah, like some others, I also keep copious notes on all your little secrets to know who I interacted with ... But one per character, of course.

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Jes
 
PostPosted: Sun, Oct 04 2015, 20:45 PM 

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Ah, I see what you mean!

It's not easy to keep it separate, but typically the best thing is to make sure the two characters don't have an involved relationship at the same time. Riia and Ulrik became close over years and years of RP, with many breaks in between and an understanding about what goes on in between the times when I played Riia, as an example. And during those times when interaction overlapped, I made sure that they never overlapped for the same thing.

For instance, Zelly was a member of the Court in Kohlingen, heavily involved in political stuff. Riia was involved with Ulrik, too, but she was adamant she "retired" and wanted nothing to do with political stuff. So while they may interact heavily with the same person or people, it is important to mind that line you mention. It's a whole lot easier, anyway!

And it may seem silly to people who don't like alts. "Just don't play more than one!" or "Just stay away from the same characters!" But it's more a matter of being able to decide up front which events or storylines your character is going to be involved with and which ones they will not, period. Other players understand this distinction, in my experience, as I've never had any problems removing myself from a scenario that my character normally would want to help with because another of my characters is already somehow involved.

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Estara
 
PostPosted: Thu, Oct 08 2015, 20:22 PM 



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Hmm. So I've thought about this a good amount, and I see what you mean and how you did it, Jes. I resisted responding because this post might make some people unhappy. I see that you make clear boundaries that maybe aren't publicly defined, but are defined in your mind and the other close people to the situations. I respect that, Jes. You are aware of the possibilities of mistakes, that you do it because you enjoy it, that you're open about it. So I want to be clear about that first.

I also want to explain a little bit about my own journey on the topic. I used to make crazy lines. I think Yossarin, Tormak and the old DM Teams infected me with paranoia about metagaming. I had a drow and a surfacer and I refused to let them cross paths or interact with the same PCs, thinking that the moment they did it would totally "taint" the RP of both characters. When I started playing kid PCs for friends of mine (Nevaeh Shadowflame and Li'thani Windleaf come to mind), I made sure that the kids weren't involved in any sort of adventuring and wouldn't be a part of "that world" so that I could keep Samantha active in it. I didn't say it to anyone, but I DID it under the impression it was "expected" of me if I was to be a "good" and "unbiased" RPer.

Now, I know that this is not how most of Amia has functioned... especially not lately, as the surge of alts has gone over and beyond what it used to be, but I want to be honest about where I come from. How I've seen it.

However, to be transparent, I've been interested in having a different active character. Frankly, I'm bored sometimes. It's always been Samantha for about seven years now. Always! I love her to death, but I've been really interested in what having an active male character would be like. How I would attach to him, how I would feel about it, how exciting it might be. The start was rough, but it's been pretty sweet since I got over the first hump of people being snobby. I've loved the journey so far, and I love Caron, but I've come up against a new hurdle- a new hump. And that is this issue here- this idea of boundaries, of lines, of how to manage two characters who cannot and should not have the exact same desired outcomes for the persistent world of Amia. I have had to take a step back recently because of what I'm explaining. It's gotten extremely muddy for me quickly.

To be more specific, I'll use CrazyCatLady as part of an example here, hoping she doesn't mind. Rania (her main character) interacted a great amount with Caron. They were close. Caron and Rania did many things together. They laughed, they loved, they died together... I mean, they went through it all. Caron would not BE Caron without Rania. And yet, I still had Samantha. Now, a few weeks ago Rania finally met Sam. It wasn't forced, it wasn't planned, but I found that their relationship was already more grounded because of this other character relationship we had. I found that it was natural and it wasn't "metagaming" in a distinct sense, but that it had this air of continuing where something else had left off. It had this air of something that made me... feel guilty.

Now, CrazyCatLady has done nothing wrong and I don't think I have, either! It's not like Caron and Samantha are the same.. it's just this feeling in the air. I am calling it out in my own experience, and yet I am only able to see it (I think) because I developed such a paranoia. And honestly this paranoia is making me feel bad! And I'm not sure it should. I have seen this behavior in so many other people. In friends. I see them create new characters and want them to be close to Samantha. I see them create new people who hate Samantha just like the previous characters did. I bring it up now and ask you about it because you offer your alts as something that you do gladly and you're comfortable with, Jes. Because you seem to have very clear lines about how they relate to other people. Because this topic got revitalized and it seems people are interested in it again.

But truly, it doesn't ever bother you? No one has ever challenged you on this, even privately? You've never felt guilt, never felt like you weren't honoring the boundaries of a persistent world where your characters shouldn't all be furthering this one outcome you (as a player) might have in mind? To make it possibly personal, knowing that all your characters may become close to Ulrik because you are close to him OOCly...?

These are just some of the questions I ask myself these days. And there are infinitely more:

Is it a form of unfair advantage?
Is it cheating?
Does it block new people/characters from interacting with me?
Will people see my new character the same way as my old one?
Do DMs judge me for it?

(Some of these I have answered for myself. Some I really don't know.)

I've already touched on some debatable issues, on things that have many different sides and are perhaps unable to be objectively looked at.. but my final question is perhaps the most controversial and where I really hope this conversation can take us. Hopefully the community will start chiming in more because I think this is really about more than just us. I know I'm late to the game of alternate characters. I've really always just had one, aside from brief children or evil stints in random parts of the server.

But what do you think about when people legitimately cross over these "lines?" What about the people that DO use alternate characters as unfair advantage, or to cheat? To escape the consequences of their main characters? What about people who use it to manipulate, or who purposefully taint the lines and boundaries that you say are so necessary? The ones that I consider to be almost holy (and perhaps unjustly so)?

Because there are definitely those players out there, ones even still lingering in the community. Some of them are people I like! People who make characters of every different class and then volley between the classes to create things for a certain place or settlement or area or group. The rules only stipulate that people can't have more than one character IN the faction. They never state that you can't have more than one character helping a certain faction. So is doing this wrong? Is using the system you're given to get what you want a bad thing?

I don't know! I don't know if I think it's wrong, but I've never heard anyone ask the question so directly. I know that, to me, it FEELS wrong, but maybe I'm crazy. Maybe it's not a big deal...? Still, I've been wondering about it a lot lately. And I will say, some of the conclusions I've come to have made me distinctly uncomfortable, whether I know if these situations are wrong or not.

Maybe I just made the second half of that dissertation myself. Sigh.


 
      
Jes
 
PostPosted: Thu, Oct 08 2015, 22:39 PM 

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I think this is a good discourse, and thank you so much, Estara, for expressing your thoughts on the matter so clearly! I'll start with your handful of questions. :D

Is it a form of unfair advantage?
The biggest thing I have to say about using separate alts to further a goal you as a player are invested in is this: No matter who you use, or how often you use it, so long as you're not breaking any rule (muling, passing information between alts, etc.), then it really doesn't matter how you work toward your OOC interests. The point is that the work you're putting into the matter is being done in-game, which as a result is either creating RP for someone else or is in direct response to someone else creating RP for you. If you weren't doing something on one involved character, you'd probably be doing something similar on another. The fact that there is RP at all is where the discussion stops, in my opinion. We're here to work together to build a persistent world, and if you can contribute to that in some way - with multiple characters or not - then why should it matter if PC1 and PC2 have a mutual goal. You just have to be mindful of the way these two characters act in tandem to the same goal.

If PC1 helps defend the Dale against drow one day and a few days later PC2 is in the Dale and another raid happens, and then the hin end up thanking both your characters on the same note... There's nothing wrong there. The two PCs both happen to be good, or whatever, but they didn't do anything to help one another specifically. So unless you're actually doing something against the rules (PC1 delivers 5,000 logs for building - PC2 takes from the suddenly large log supply to make planks), I think it should be fair game. RP is RP, and that's why we're here.

Is it cheating?
Not unless you cheat. As I explained above, you're just RP'ing. If you happen to interact with the same people, and you happen to do something for the good of the same place (so long as you're not in the same faction), then it is what it is. Just because you prefer to play different personalities or break out of your comfort zone with a new PC or just want to see how much fun a new sort of build will be, it shouldn't restrict RP arbitrarily for harmless matters that don't break any rules at all.

Does it block new people/characters from interacting with me?
On the contrary, I think it actually expands your interaction levels. My favorite thing about playing multiple characters is the sheer number of people you can meet between all of them. It's amazing! The majority of the people I RP with as Vier are not the same people I RP with as Rook or Kyra or who I RP'ed with as Zelly. I may interact with the same characters at times, but it's only restrictive if you let it be. You are your own monster, in this case. It's the same thing as playing only one character, but hiding out in one place so much that you don't ever meet new people. In fact, that's more harmful to interaction than anything.

Will people see my new character the same way as my old one?
If they do, they shouldn't. And it's not your fault if they do. If I make an alt who's a drow and she's secretly trying to take over the Shrine to bring Lolth's will to the Surface, but Zelly and Zari and Rook and Kyra are so nice that I couldn't possibly be doing that, and so people fall right into my trap because they're not as vigilant as they would have been... Well, that's a form of metagaming, too. And it's their own fault when the drow brings in her friends and mows everyone down.
(Disclaimer: The above is just an example. ;) )

Do DMs judge me for it?
Again: if they do, they shouldn't. At least not professionally, as a DM, to a point where it causes you to have problems being in events or receiving requests. Otherwise, anyone can decide what they like about people who play alts. But it's on you whether that bothers you or not. You're here to have fun and tell stories with a community of like-minded players. Play and have fun and do all that. And everyone who might feel that everything I've said is stupid and I'm wrong: Just play and have fun and tell stories with the community. There's no reason to judge someone for their love of variety. It's like judging George RR Martin for killing off freaking everyone in his books. There's nothing you can do to make him stop. It's just how he writes. And it turns out awesome and heartwrenching in its own way.

You can judge the PC all you want. But if you don't like the PC, don't hate the player. They probably think the PC is an ass, too.




Anyway, I'll add more when I get a chance, to address a few of your other points. That's all I have time for right now. Gotta get a few things done here at work.

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CrazyCatLady
 
PostPosted: Fri, Oct 09 2015, 0:02 AM 

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Estara wrote:


To be more specific, I'll use CrazyCatLady as part of an example here, hoping she doesn't mind. Rania (her main character) interacted a great amount with Caron. They were close. Caron and Rania did many things together. They laughed, they loved, they died together... I mean, they went through it all. Caron would not BE Caron without Rania. And yet, I still had Samantha. Now, a few weeks ago Rania finally met Sam. It wasn't forced, it wasn't planned, but I found that their relationship was already more grounded because of this other character relationship we had. I found that it was natural and it wasn't "metagaming" in a distinct sense, but that it had this air of continuing where something else had left off. It had this air of something that made me... feel guilty..


Of course I don't mind at all, Estara. Caron and Rania...those two are both perfect and atrocious together and they are who they are because of each other. Were it not for Caron, Rania would have never gotten into music, nor would she have started to come out of her shell or started speaking up for herself and would have stayed that naive,withdrawn and easily flustered farm girl.

Samantha is someone she just met and while there was a touch of familiarity due to use rping Arizima and Samantha together often, as well as Caron and Rania, for me it wasn't too heavy nor feeling like metagaming. Perhaps I'm weird (we know I am) but I don't seem to have an issue of having the same pcs liked or disliked by all of my characters. Arizima loved Andrew to bits but Rania isn't overly fond of him. Ari and Samantha were buddies but Rania views her as someone to keep at arm's length for a few reasons. Ari can't stand Rosary but Rania both loves her and wants to stage a sugar intervention program for her. I've experienced some treat my alt the same as they do Rania and I've had most distinguish between the two. I've also had a couple be oocly nasty to me because of something done icly. I think simply that sometimes, even when you don't want to or think you need to, simply stepping back and taking a break, be it an hour or a week, can help restore that clarity.

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Estara
 
PostPosted: Mon, Oct 12 2015, 16:20 PM 



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<3 CCL, glad you didn't mind and good advice. I still think we need to dig deeper, though. I'm going to dig into one part in particular.

Jes wrote:
I think this is a good discourse, and thank you so much, Estara, for expressing your thoughts on the matter so clearly! I'll start with your handful of questions. :D

Is it a form of unfair advantage?

The biggest thing I have to say about using separate alts to further a goal you as a player are invested in is this: No matter who you use, or how often you use it, so long as you're not breaking any rule (muling, passing information between alts, etc.), then it really doesn't matter how you work toward your OOC interests. The point is that the work you're putting into the matter is being done in-game, which as a result is either creating RP for someone else or is in direct response to someone else creating RP for you. If you weren't doing something on one involved character, you'd probably be doing something similar on another. The fact that there is RP at all is where the discussion stops, in my opinion. We're here to work together to build a persistent world, and if you can contribute to that in some way - with multiple characters or not - then why should it matter if PC1 and PC2 have a mutual goal. You just have to be mindful of the way these two characters act in tandem to the same goal.

If PC1 helps defend the Dale against drow one day and a few days later PC2 is in the Dale and another raid happens, and then the hin end up thanking both your characters on the same note... There's nothing wrong there. The two PCs both happen to be good, or whatever, but they didn't do anything to help one another specifically. So unless you're actually doing something against the rules (PC1 delivers 5,000 logs for building - PC2 takes from the suddenly large log supply to make planks), I think it should be fair game. RP is RP, and that's why we're here.


So I waited to give you a few days for the rest of what you might have to say, but I thought it might be important to pull this out and tease it with a fine comb if nothing else was coming soon. This is where I think the crux of our discussion lies. For you, it's a fair play to use any means necessary to get your goals as long as you don't directly cheat. So under those lines, do you believe for a DM it's still okay to use as many NPCs/PCs/etc as they want to get the endgame that they see as long as there's a player involved and RP going on separately between the two? Or is it different as a DM than a regular player?

And if it is different for DMs, why? Why hold them to a different standard than our players? Especially when our DMs come from our players? Especially when our community is shrinking each year, and these rotations become even more frequent (and necessary)?

If we consider it this way, it raises a lot of important questions. If one player uses other players to pass information between two of their alts and further a personal goal of theirs, is that an abuse of power like a DM manipulating NPCs to one particular end? Like a DM pre-determining the end of a plot before players have reacted in a meaningful way? Do you even see anything wrong with predetermination? I know I do. And perhaps that is where our discussion comes to a head, a point that is overlaid with so many reasons why you might okay with predetermination and I am not.

It also raises other important question: can it be considered a passive form of metagaming? Where one is not twinking your other PC through obvious means (such as items) but is twinking your other PC through REPUTATION. Through server status. Is it knowingly manipulating someone to be able to further multiple alts and multiple people towards one penultimate goal that might be just for their own glory and not for the persistent world as a whole? Is that okay with us, as a community?

If any DMs would want to answer that, please do. I know Yossarin used to express a lot of views on these lines/boundaries and used to always see this big line across the divide between DMs and players, and used to promote a huge stance of a single PC at a time (as evidenced in this thread), but I know he eventually realized this was too big a line. I wonder if this is one of the main areas where the line is still too thick, and where it is too unclear where people stand on it. I wonder if this is a HUGE area that the server has become stunted in growth.

I know that this also reflects on some DMs, in my mind. I often do not know how the DM Team feels on lines, on predetermining results. I hardly know how any individual DM feels in general. All I can see across the board are signs of burn-out. I don't TRUST my DMs half the time. I feel that some run predetermined plots. And some of these DMs are ones that I really like, both as a person and for their creativity! I just think the server is lacking the right perspective sometimes. It makes me uncomfortable, as a player, to see people pushing us all towards what they think is best and using power as that medium, instead of honoring creativity and collaboration above all. When I see hints of it in any part of the playerbase, DMs included, it also makes me uncomfortable.

How different are our expectations in RP between DMs and players? Between DMs and players respectively and then also DMs as players? Should a player be able to use as many PCs as they want towards one particular goal? Should it be as important to measure specific goals/plots under the same lens as players not being able to have more than one character in a given faction?

I'll leave specific names out of this for the sake of everyone, but I think it's something we all should (and could) really think about. I know a lot of people think that the lack of evil is really a struggling point for the community. I think this is also a big one. It's driven a lot of people away, in my opinion. People that might come back if they felt their stories were safer, were more protected and honored by the playerbase as a whole (DMs included). And I know that even some DMs feel like their story isn't protected by the larger Team, or that it isn't respected by the playerbase. Which is just as sad, and ties into this as well.

Anyways, I may have gotten a teensy bit off-track, but I really think it ties into this whole alternate character thing and how I feel lately having made Caron and thought about all of this. Thoughts, Jes? Does it influence your next response? Anyone else please get involved, too! Would love it.


 
      
Jes
 
PostPosted: Tue, Oct 13 2015, 0:08 AM 

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Yeah, I forgot what else I had brewing on the subject, and never came back to finish up. Heh. Work was busy afterward that day!

But I think I got a little lost in your response, Estara. I don't think "it's a fair play to use any means necessary to get your goals as long as you don't directly cheat" is quite the spirit of what I had in mind when I explained the unfair aspect of alts. "Any means necessary?" No. I'm talking about happening to have two good-aligned PCs who have an interest in something similar because they're good-aligned and maybe even coming across the same conflict with two different PCs by chance and acting in the favor of the same side.

I'm not advocating "Go out and populate so you can skate by the rules and further your own agenda." That's, like...the opposite of what I was trying to say. What I meant to illustrate was that it shouldn't matter who thinks what about your two characters being similar-aligned. Unless you're going out of your way to use one PC to further another PC specifically, none of it should matter. If it does, then people are really focusing on the wrong thing.

I don't really have a whole lot more to say on the topic. I don't think you're quite understanding what I'm saying. I don't know where talk of DMs comes from. They're not gods amongst us who can ignore the same guidelines we all have. No, I don't think they should have more leeway in regards to their PCs. But I haven't seen any abuse in that regard and I wonder if you're focusing on something specific that I don't want to touch openly on the forums with a ten-foot pole.

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Anatida
 
PostPosted: Tue, Oct 13 2015, 0:28 AM 

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Jes wrote:
.. What I meant to illustrate was that it shouldn't matter who thinks what about your two characters being similar-aligned. Unless you're going out of your way to use one PC to further another PC specifically, none of it should matter. If it does, then people are really focusing on the wrong thing.

Not picking on Jes, just she happened to be the one that typed it. Unfortunately it does matter though. Regardless of what effort you may go through, even to having multiple DMs involved, people are going to think you are cheating, even if you are not. And here is a complete supposition on my part, but I don't believe people can think that about another player and not let it influence their game play.

For years I went out of the way to make sure my PCs never touched the same plot. Even recently I luckily had IC reasons to not play my main PC so often so that even though she had all of the IC reasons to be involved in certain things, I could keep her distant. But you know... w/e.

I still hold with Yoss's OP. For people who /want/ to be involved in the stories, less alts work better. For people that like variety and moving around doing different things then alts probably work fine. It all comes down to a person's preferred play style.

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Jes
 
PostPosted: Tue, Oct 13 2015, 4:55 AM 

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Well... I did say "shouldn't" matter. :)

I will forever advocate the "Less High School drama...more coexisting like adults for story and fun RP."

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Estara
 
PostPosted: Tue, Oct 13 2015, 18:23 PM 



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Well, I think my point on bringing DMs into the conversation is that DMs are not really all that separate from the playerbase- especially in the way they collaborate and play their role on Amia. They are both directing the world and playing in it. Isn't that like having an alt? Isn't it like having conflicting roles? Isn't it like having an ultimate direction for a world, and then trying to manage where your role in that direction is on two levels? It used to be very defined for a lot of people is my point. Yossarin stopped playing. Some people only DMed where their characters never interacted. Now... it is not. I'm not saying anyone is breaking the rules specifically or calling anyone out.

If I was? I think there would be an infinite number of people TO call out. I'm saying the conversation about it is not really happening anymore.

And Anatida really hones in on the questions I was asking you specifically, Jes. You say it "shouldn't" matter, but my question is not "theoretically what would happen," but "Has it ever happened to you?" Clearly, it has happened to Anatida. Would you say it was a pleasurable experience, Ana? What was it like for you?


 
      
Estara
 
PostPosted: Thu, Oct 22 2015, 20:23 PM 



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Sorry if it got too personal for you two! :) I was excited that there were others invested in the topic! I'll post more of my own stuff in the coming weeks on this topic, if you two are bowing out. If you're still interested, post a little placeholder and tell me where you're at. I was hoping to be able to disseminate some things that were specific but not too uncomfortable for people. I wouldn't do that without permission, though.


 
      
OpenTheRift
 
PostPosted: Tue, Oct 27 2015, 16:56 PM 

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removed as i have become wiser.

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SamTheGiantSlayer
 
PostPosted: Tue, Oct 27 2015, 17:59 PM 

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Estara wrote:
I always wanted someone to go more in-depth with the dissertation (lit review anyone) and explore how often roleplay between alts blends together. I find that when I only play two characters it happens. Caron will say something and I'll realize shit that was a Sam phrase. I can't imagine what it's like for much more.. Do you have advice on how to keep the characters separate in your mind, Jes/Sammy? I know some people keep copious notes and files, but I'm not talking keeping facts separate- I'm talking the image and personality of the person in your head. It's become a big thing for me as I started to play another active character I resonate with and who has interacted with some of the same characters. Now I watch those of you who have alts that run really close together, in similar circles, etc. I'm very curious where the lines get drawn for each player.


I have always been really good at sepeartion, and as a DM its always important for me to remember what I do and don't know (ICly) in a given situation. I have a lot of practice, suffice it to say, and usually my alts are in groups or stalk places that are seldom connected to one another. If that happens, I do make myself pick one over the other to keep in the situation to absolutely make sure I don't blur the lines or get two of my own characters involved with each other. Sometimes you just have to put your other characters on the shelf until something better comes along.

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MazeOfThorns
 
PostPosted: Tue, Oct 27 2015, 18:58 PM 

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Keeping characters separate ~ Oh, /that/! Well, I give my characters quirks. Little things that only they do. A certain way of moving for instance - stride, sashay, glide. Certain ways of greeting or things they do that only they do. ie. Running their fingers through their hair when uncomfortable, never using contractions, adding 'ah' when talking... as well as having something they are afraid of (which is a lot of fun if you pick it before RPing, then when it comes up it's a surprise to you, your character and everyone else). Right now it's pretty easy since I'm confident that Rith'tar would /never/ say things like Drusus would. They don't have the same quirks either.

Which also means I take the time to 'get into the character'. Some days it just doesn't happen and so I try not to go in game with the character I don't "feel". Or some days it takes a bit to launch them. And now this reads as if I have strange OCD's regarding RP PC's. I think this falls under what is fun for you. That extra spice is fun for me. I know other players who take a lot of time forming the character. Not just what they look like but habits, why they are like they are, a saying in two sentences or less that sums the character up and they really enjoy doing that. Likewise, there are players who don't and that's what they enjoy. I'm happy with running into both these kinds of players.

Ultimately I can't imagine that you'll get called on saying something on one character that is exactly what another character would say. Ok, well you might get a tell teasing you about it maybe.

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SamTheGiantSlayer
 
PostPosted: Tue, Oct 27 2015, 20:06 PM 

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I do very much the same as Maze. All of my characters have their unique quirks and mannerisms; I always take the time to get into a different facet and set of mind, otherwise I'd be playing the same character still :D

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Terallis
 
PostPosted: Wed, Oct 28 2015, 18:02 PM 

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Hell, while I don't really focus on more than a couple characters at a time, I'm in the same boat as Maze and Sam. LOL. Look at Aedan. Generally calm, level-headed, kind, maybe a bit awkward, etc. Theeeen you look at Beryl. Never bathes, drinks all the time, no manners to speak of, easy to anger, loves battle, etc.

Though, while I personally feel any more than two or three characters being played can be a bit much, people who really want to play a ton of characters shouldn't be dissuaded from doing so. It's their own preference, and it's not often when people don't put effort into those characters. Sure, time is split more between characters as you play more, but it doesn't necessarily mean focus and meaningful story is lost in the process. Sometimes it does, but still.

Overall, people should just play what they feel like playing. Tis a game, afterall. Should have fun playing it. And if an overabundance of alts is the way someone has fun, then go for it. LOL.

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Commie
 
PostPosted: Mon, Apr 11 2016, 20:36 PM 

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I sometimes get a character to level only to find I really don't have fun playing the persona or the build.

At the same time some of those chars have friends and responsibilities that I can't shirk. So I just don't log them in unless needed.

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