Roleplay Experience

[Luna]

One flawed issue is there is no mechanical system you can put in place that can extrapolate when someone is "roleplaying" vs say chatting OOC, blowing steam up someone's arse, using a more clever macro, etc.

From the technical limitation, I don't think very much more RP XP should be added because it will simply get exploited.

[ZabelSword]

It's been a while since I regularly played on this or any NWN2 server. It's hard to say what drove me away, most likely a mix of several factors. To be honest they aren't worth mentioning, but what is worth mentioning is what makes me want to come back, if only for a fleeting moment.

I have never been able to find the comraderie that exists when people get together and play a role, even the most humble task seems worthwhile when you are with unknown friends who share a similar passion. When I first started playing I didn't like roleplaying, it seemed nerdy, weird... perhaps I didn't like being anyone other than myself. However, some great people/roleplayers took me under their wing and showed me how much enjoyment can be had by interaction with one another person playing a role. Before then I was content just grinding away to get to the next level, the next piece of gear, etc. These are still worthwhile pursuits, but what happens when you reach level 30? Start over?

I do not consider myself a great roleplayer, but it's enough to get me by in most circumstances. However, I would propose that the best way to encourage RP is to be understanding that many are new to this concept, and help these people find the enjoyment in RP. Now it is very true that some will never come to enjoy roleplay, and that's fine, but to sit back and judge others for being less skilled at roleplay does not help them, or the server in any way. It's a bit silly to expect people to join the server and be great roleplayers right off the bat.

IMHO, the best way to get the server to be more of a roleplay server is to lead by example, do not give into frustration when others don't roleplay the way you want them to, or don't roleplay at all. Remember a few kind words can go a long way. I remember what got me off the fence of hating RP to being accepting of it. A man once came up to me and told me OOC: "Would you like help? I can help you IC or OOC." I accepted his offer and initially it was all OOC, but eventually I stated to roleplay, and it was fun, because I knew I wasn't being judged and we both were having a good time.

I know many of you are doing this, perhaps as we speak, this isn't a slight against anyone present or past. DM's can play a part too, positive DM interaction with a new player is like turning on a light bulb. Those short, seemingly random DM events with just a handful of new players are what drives them to keep playing, and roleplaying. The human dungeon master is what makes this game unique, heck it's what drove me to play on this server for a couple years, spending countless hours hoping to draw the attention of a DM.

Bottom line: Help others, teach others, try not to judge, and of course have fun, that's why we are here. Right?

Rant over.

[Blame The Rogue]

nice points zs

miss you and your rp buddy. come back!! i have an archer again, and love your dwarven tanking!!

[ZabelSword]

Some stick shootin' longshanks!?! Ye'd better keep yer ugly mug at a distance... err wait, naw I suppose with yer set o' skills I'd prefer ye be within me rusty axe's reach!

Good times man.

[Blame The Rogue]

ironfaar did call drogo moonbow a stick shooter didn't he? lol, good times indeed

Drogo, "You take the beating, i'll turn them all into pin cushions."

sorry everyone, good to see an old friend *moves the thread back on course*

[Wolfrayne]

ironfaar did call drogo moonbow a stick shooter didn't he? lol, good times indeed

Drogo, "You take the beating, i'll turn them all into pin cushions."

sorry everyone, good to see an old friend *moves the thread back on course*

Things like this that make the server what it is. Definately needs to be more character interaction and anything that helps it along is welcome.

Bring bonuses to tavern and city RP and i will be happy, I would love to see god ol drunken brawls and tavern wenches again!

[ZabelSword]

Wolf and others do have a point. Going back to town, your guildhall and eventually to a tavern to enjoy the spoils of war is the perfect end to any adventure. Additional RP XP in these areas could help encourage RP and perhaps more importantly, meeting new players for the next adventure.

[Rasael]

One flawed issue is there is no mechanical system you can put in place that can extrapolate when someone is "roleplaying" vs say chatting OOC, blowing steam up someone's arse, using a more clever macro, etc.

From the technical limitation, I don't think very much more RP XP should be added because it will simply get exploited.

I agree with this, but its the same with monster killing XP. You can grind monster in and out character. And I put in an exploit fix

And if you are grinding for XP, then I'd that say that's an out of character reason to begin with. Which begs the question why we feel pulled to go hunt in precisely those areas which give us the best rate of XP gain. That's out of character if we take this logic the full distance.

I am not saying that this is wrong, what I am saying is that it is a result of the way the mechanics work. You only get character growth in terms of new abilities and skills if you advance a level. So if you character grows like a normal person, and gains new skills, then you have to grind.

Just roleplaying isn't enough to get you there, unless you are content to spend years, as Tamina and many others have related.

And to be clear, we're not even suggesting making RP XP on par with grinding. Steve and Novus are right when they argue that grinding is more dangerous than roleplay.

However: currently, we do practically force people to go grind if their roleplay is about personal growth, adaptation, study of something, or the acquisition of new skills to meet a certain objective. And this growth is a part of D&D roleplaying. Its why D&D has a levelling system. But on our server, you can only get it if you grind stuff. Don't rely on roleplay.... That's the message we are sending.

[talisen]

I'd like to think that adding an RP system would encourage more D&D intrigue (because, let's face it, D&D is not about running around in circles killing stuff), but there's always the chance that we end up 'chatting' around the campfire. I don't think discouraging mindless grinding is in any way against the spirit of D&D. That's definitely not my idea of an adventure. My idea of a D&D adventure is as much about character development and exploring the world as killing stuff.

On another subject, it seems like a lot of people who are against the new RP system are still comfortable with the idea of adding bonuses to certain areas (and let's to ahead and thow whisper XP without requiring whisper lock to be active, since that's a pet peeve), so maybe, if worst comes to worst, that would be a compromise that everyone could live with?

[SeraphimShade]

I'm gonna take this off topic for a moment with a quick confession, when I first started playing here before I registered on the forum and I started getting rp xp I said thank you in the DM Channel, to what I thought was the DM rewarding me for role playing....<_< >_> So yeah...I feel silly...because while I am grateful to what the DMs do...I didn't realize it was a script and I'm 90% positive there were no DMs on at that time....*thumbs up* XD Silly right?

[Kayne]

Figured I would post here and necro this thread instead of making a new post. Do DMs grant XP for forum roleplay nowadays? I spend more time writing than playing, because of work and an overbearing wife giving me hell for playing. I find myself trying to grind more often than not so Kayne doesn't get left behind... Which I hate to do and get bored of it rather quickly.

I've watched dozens of new characters roll up, grind, bypass Kayne, then do some half-assed roleplay. It's somewhat frustrating to watch...

[Tsidkenu]

Hey Kayne,

It's not too hard to grind quests once a week for an XP boost and spend the rest of your time rping. I haven't gone out PvE grinding with Aeili for about 6-7 months now yet in that time i've gone from level 23-29 just by doing the quests only.

One thing I may like to see in future is RP XP rewards for writing IG books. Promotes contributions to lasting server and setting lore, and allows those tedious hours of authorship to be worthwhile. Say about 250-1000xp per book written (depending on total length), no more than 2 or 3 per week or something like that.

[Kayne]

I know what my options are. I am just asking if DMs reward forum roleplay or not.

EDIT: Don't mind me. Having a crappy day.

[Xanfyrst]

I know what my options are. I am just asking if DMs reward forum roleplay or not.

EDIT: Don't mind me. Having a crappy day.

I was once given 4,000 xp for some forum RP that impacted the server in-game. Suppose that's also the requirement; that it has to affect the world in-game.