(09-14-2015, 03:25 PM)Ignacius Wrote: Easy answer. Â Wallflowers happen because there's not enough people getting the party started. Â To simplify a fairly deep study, there are three kinds of characters:
-Drivers: Â People who drive action. Â They show up in a bar and start dancing. Â They buy rounds for strangers. Â They chatter. Â They start fights. Â They break out a louche and a bottle of absinthe. Â They have both activity and personal magnetism.
-Actors: Â People who join the action. Â Upon the arrival of a Driver, they immediately join in. Â They can make friendships and get together. Â However, their characters react to, not direct, the action.
-Introverts: Â People who will not join the action unless personally invited to or acted upon. Â They require direct engagement to participate in RP.
All of these can welcome walk-up RP. Â The trick is having enough Drivers to activate the RP and enough Drivers and Activators to draw in the Introverts. Â It can also be a pain if there are too many Drivers, as there's too many directions the scene is pulling in. Â However, if you're having a problem with everyone sitting around, waiting for something to happen, you have a lack of driving characters.
I'm beginning to move that way with Orleans out of necessity. Â There are a lot of events on Gilgamesh and a LOT of acting players, but not enough RP drivers. Â So I'm beginning to make Orleans somewhat less taciturn to try to drive RP in Limsa Lominsa.
I'm going to echo these thoughts. While I am an 'Actor' and on rare occasion a 'Driver' when in my own group of people, and enjoy doing that for people I know enough about their characters to work with them, I am rarely ever anything but an Introvert when out in public. Mostly because I feel like joining RP out in the world is intrusive, and frankly none of the my business. I am happy to go out in a group of folks I know, but it takes a pretty big effort on my part to put myself out there when alone.Â
The difference for me is that I know I am a textbook introvert, and I know that in order to get RP I have to go make it. These are things not lost on me. It is whether I have the social energy to go and do it because I only have so much social capital I can spend on these things, and I should spend it wisely. There often isn't something going on that catches my attention, and that is on me. If something doesn't stand out to me, I move on. Whatever. I didn't get random RP that night. Maybe I'll screw up my courage another night and try again later when I have my energy back.Â
That said, I had an epiphany a few months back. As a player, I am an introvert. As an introvert, I can't play introverted characters. It simply doesn't work for me, and I end up feeling isolated and aimless. RP gives me a safe space to extrovert.Â
The question isn't whether wallflowers, and by extension introverts, need to be 'eliminated,' which I feel is an awful choice of words. I think it is recognizing that everyone needs to meet each other at least half way in roleplay. No one player can do all the work. That isn't fair to anyone. For the wallflower, as stated, a hand likely needs to be extended to them, and someone needs to extend that hand, whether it is the 'Introvert' wallflower, or the 'Driver,' or 'Actor.' The wallflower can extend that hand first, too. All it takes is a tell to someone 'hey, can I come over and RP with you?' which is the least someone like me, an introvert, can do, and probably to good results, too.
