LadyRochester Posted June 24, 2015 Share #1 Posted June 24, 2015 Mind you, this is more of a question to get opinions. While I don't condemn those that completely split OOC achievement/IC application, I admit I am not too keen on the notion. I play a character that's supposed to be highly skilled in the magical arts, and I can't take her seriously as a mage unless I have all magic classes at 50 (now 60). I don't mind people who claim to be powerful and are at high levels, but I can't take a level 20 character who claims to be more powerful than my own seriously, and it makes me slightly uneasy when they claim they are on the same level. However, I am not bothered by those who have a class to 50 and RP as if their characters were terrible at that skill/don't even know it. I know I don't apply all my classes to 50 icly, otherwise I do think it would be a tad too OP. I understand some roleplayers don't have time, as I said, this is a matter of personal opinion. I am biased since I lean towards the DnD system, where the player's achievements are used to make their character grow. I only think this when it comes to leveling, not raiding. I also don't mind it if they are low-level OP characters that are meant to be killed/villains, as they are easily discarded. I am referring to main characters. Please keep the discussion open and respectful, I shouldn't ask this, but I've seen many threads go down the drain due to poor wording/misinterpretations. Link to comment
Magellan Posted June 24, 2015 Share #2 Posted June 24, 2015 This is why I prefer dice and simplified char sheets with any combat related rp. Because otherwise... people just cheat. Suddenly become capable of things they hadn't been capable of before. Dice keeps people honest. Dice, or heavy OOC communication before the conflict. However, I personally don't think ooc level matters, only authenticity of how you've played ur character up to that point. 1 Link to comment
LadyRochester Posted June 24, 2015 Author Share #3 Posted June 24, 2015 This is why I prefer dice and simplified char sheets with any combat related rp. Because otherwise... people just cheat. Suddenly become capable of things they hadn't been capable of before. Dice keeps people honest. Dice, or heavy OOC communication before the conflict. However, I personally don't think ooc level matters, only authenticity of how you've played ur character up to that point. I do prefer rolls. Especially when matched with character sheets. I'm talking about non-roll based combat though, which seems to be rather popular. Link to comment
Gegenji Posted June 24, 2015 Share #4 Posted June 24, 2015 I find, in an RP experience, that I rarely actually look at the person's actual class and level unless it's being called to attention. Or they're not hiding/unsheathing their class' weapon which makes the former kinda obvious. In fact, the only reason I level some characters at all is for the wider spread of clothing options (Judge's outfit is almost exclusively level 50 gear minus the helmet, and the sword I want him to use when he gets DRK leveled is from the Saucer and also level 50). Without it, I would be happily content to only level dudes just enough to get the basic quality of life stuff and that's it. The only time I personally see the levels mattering is when you're tying mechanical things with the fluff of storytelling. It's much easier to show off you're a powerful caster if you can bust out a Holy or drop Flares. I played a Pirate Captain NPC once that was supposed to be flashy and agile (dressed up a Ninja), but the only effects I could actually display in game was stealth and the dagger spam. I hadn't even unlocked the Mudra to drop the AoE field or the short range teleport jump that would've added to the flair of things. And his "crew" consisted of a low level Lancer and... one other class that escapes me right now. And yet this group still emoted doing over-the-top things and setting the stage for some more RP. It's all about suspension of disbelief, I suppose. If you cleave close to keeping tabs on the mechanical, it's definitely going to be harder to believe this little CNJ is supposed to be a great healer when all she can do is 200-or-so healing with her Cure I. Nor can she add weight to her words by dropping a 2k Cure II to cement said claim. However, I'm of the opinion she really doesn't need to - her power should come through her storytelling in an RP scenario more than what her level or gear looks like. If she can convincingly portray that she's a great and powerful healer despite being level 5, then I'm willing to roll with it. On the flip side, it's difficult to take seriously someone who RP's they're a great and powerful master-of-all-things with no explanation beyond them having actually leveled the class to cap. That all said, I can totally understand the situation since - as mentioned - it's hard to "show, not tell" when you're limited on what you can show based on level and gear restrictions. It's hard to cling to the idea of your character being a durable wall of meat when you get into a party for RP and you have lower health than someone playing a caster class. And it's hard to show how mighty your aetheric skills are when the most powerful thing you can do is summon a basic Carbuncle. Your only discourse, then, is to rely solely on your writing skills and doing the best with what you have available. I mean, before MCH was added, we still had folks RPing that they used guns... which likely was just as difficult to pull off considering there were no actual usable guns in the game yet. Link to comment
Magellan Posted June 24, 2015 Share #5 Posted June 24, 2015 This is why I prefer dice and simplified char sheets with any combat related rp. Because otherwise... people just cheat. Suddenly become capable of things they hadn't been capable of before. Dice keeps people honest. Dice, or heavy OOC communication before the conflict. However, I personally don't think ooc level matters, only authenticity of how you've played ur character up to that point. I do prefer rolls. Especially when matched with character sheets. I'm talking about non-roll based combat though, which seems to be rather popular. There is no ultimate decider for non roll based combat, so yea... you run into people building enough power levels to slay a Primal when they are sitting at lvl one. They have not signed on to an agreed set of rules so they go as far as their imagination allows... which can be pretty far. I avoid combat rp unless I'm comfortable with the other rper, or unless there are established groundrules. EDIT: @ Gege: I had someone comment icly on my characters archery, because they checked to see I was oocly an archer. But... I had my bow hidden. I was oocly archer because it was a higher lvl class, therefore access to more clothes. Icly, my character explained they'd never touched a bow in their life. They preferred to do their talking with their fists. The other person seemed sorely confused ^^; Link to comment
LadyRochester Posted June 24, 2015 Author Share #6 Posted June 24, 2015 I find, in an RP experience, that I rarely actually look at the person's actual class and level unless it's being called to attention. Or they're not hiding/unsheathing their class' weapon which makes the former kinda obvious. In fact, the only reason I level some characters at all is for the wider spread of clothing options (Judge's outfit is almost exclusively level 50 gear minus the helmet, and the sword I want him to use when he gets DRK leveled is from the Saucer and also level 50). Without it, I would be happily content to only level dudes just enough to get the basic quality of life stuff and that's it. The only time I personally see the levels mattering is when you're tying mechanical things with the fluff of storytelling. It's much easier to show off you're a powerful caster if you can bust out a Holy or drop Flares. I played a Pirate Captain NPC once that was supposed to be flashy and agile (dressed up a Ninja), but the only effects I could actually display in game was stealth and the dagger spam. I hadn't even unlocked the Mudra to drop the AoE field or the short range teleport jump that would've added to the flair of things. And his "crew" consisted of a low level Lancer and... one other class that escapes me right now. And yet this group still emoted doing over-the-top things and setting the stage for some more RP. It's all about suspension of disbelief, I suppose. If you cleave close to keeping tabs on the mechanical, it's definitely going to be harder to believe this little CNJ is supposed to be a great healer when all she can do is 200-or-so healing with her Cure I. Nor can she add weight to her words by dropping a 2k Cure II to cement said claim. However, I'm of the opinion she really doesn't need to - her power should come through her storytelling in an RP scenario more than what her level or gear looks like. If she can convincingly portray that she's a great and powerful healer despite being level 5, then I'm willing to roll with it. On the flip side, it's difficult to take seriously someone who RP's they're a great and powerful master-of-all-things with no explanation beyond them having actually leveled the class to cap. That all said, I can totally understand the situation since - as mentioned - it's hard to "show, not tell" when you're limited on what you can show based on level and gear restrictions. It's hard to cling to the idea of your character being a durable wall of meat when you get into a party for RP and you have lower health than someone playing a caster class. And it's hard to show how mighty your aetheric skills are when the most powerful thing you can do is summon a basic Carbuncle. Your only discourse, then, is to rely solely on your writing skills and doing the best with what you have available. I mean, before MCH was added, we still had folks RPing that they used guns... which likely was just as difficult to pull off considering there were no actual usable guns in the game yet. This is quite a sensible response, I like it. And yes, I don't support characters who are"powerful just because" regardless of their level. It does boil down to writing skills, but I am still biased against low-level characters regardless of their writing skill at times. I believe that part of the fun of RP is watching your character grow IC and OOC, but I know many do not share this opinion. I'm a level 50 BRD and Sasha would never use the bow--Ever. IF she did, she'd... Fail miserably. I try to keep my options open towards those who are low-level, but I would be lying if I said I didn't have a harder time taking them seriously--Unless they are villains or it was pre-arranged OOC. Link to comment
Hammersmith Posted June 24, 2015 Share #7 Posted June 24, 2015 I don't tie my char's accomplishments or abilities to in game mechanics. Hammer's a siege smith and a gearhead, but most of his real "power" sits in his ability to grease the wheels of a war machine and get large-scale logistical work churning out weapons and war supplies on a large, ugly, mass blacksmithing scale. There's no in game equivalent class for that. Blacksmithing exists, but it's not going to stock a platoon's armor racks anywhere in game. It means he knows a bit about black powder, but doesn't mean we now have trebuchets or cannons in game outside of the Ishgarde instances. Conversely I'm working on culinarian with Hammer, and he is NOT A GOOD COOK (Unless it's meat). He enjoys singing and song but I'm never going to call him a bard and will probably never level the class. Having (some) of the points of a class does not require you to have that class leveled. In short a char's life experience isn't defined by game mechanics. Really you can claim anything and bam, it is. The trick is, as it always is in RP, knowing what not to claim and embracing the flaws/shortcomings/lack of knowledge in your char and making THAT fun as well. Link to comment
Dis Posted June 24, 2015 Share #8 Posted June 24, 2015 I'm of the opinion that OOC game mechanics should be their own thing, and RP skill and player experience should be the most important tidbit to pay attention to. My character is a world traveler (or was, she's settled on Eorzea as home), and came into the game with her previous experience. That said, initially, she was very poorly adept at using the skills on Eorzea, despite her experiences in other places. Even cutting down that aspect of her character, Meallaire, which is who Glioca was before she 'changed' after the Calamity, was over 200 years old thanks to Aether boo-boos. She had experience. Just because my character level was 10, that shouldn't negate either the work I'd put into her backstory, nor the work I'd put into her as a character. That said, I do understand what you mean, and from a D&D perspective, character level being equated with experience is perfectly understandable. That's how a character grows, and you have life/world experience as you adventure and complete tasks, interact with the world, etc. In this case, those interactions are strictly with other players, and not with the pre-set NPC's designed by the Dungeon Master. As such, you have to account for time role-played as the equivalent of your character's 'experience', rather than the game mechanics displayed by popping Cure II after a particularly riveting post. The perspective is definitely something I understand, but not something I can agree with, because you're basically cutting out a section of role-players who come to the game strictly to role-play, and maybe level their character only casually, and so aren't as high level as others. There are some good low-level gear sets that look good on characters, and so being forced to max level in order to display how 'strong' you are isn't very fair. Especially for those who spend most of their time RPing, and very little time involved in the PvE aspect of the game due to time constraints, etc. I think there has to be that suspension of disbelief to afford fairness to those who prioritize one aspect of the game (RP) over the other aspects of the game (PVE, PVP). Link to comment
LadyRochester Posted June 24, 2015 Author Share #9 Posted June 24, 2015 I don't tie my char's accomplishments or abilities to in game mechanics. Hammer's a siege smith and a gearhead, but most of his real "power" sits in his ability to grease the wheels of a war machine and get large-scale logistical work churning out weapons and war supplies on a large, ugly, mass blacksmithing scale. There's no in game equivalent class for that. Blacksmithing exists, but it's not going to stock a platoon's armor racks anywhere in game. It means he knows a bit about black powder, but doesn't mean we now have trebuchets or cannons in game outside of the Ishgarde instances. Conversely I'm working on culinarian with Hammer, and he is NOT A GOOD COOK (Unless it's meat). He enjoys singing and song but I'm never going to call him a bard and will probably never level the class. Having (some) of the points of a class does not require you to have that class leveled. In short a char's life experience isn't defined by game mechanics. Really you can claim anything and bam, it is. The trick is, as it always is in RP, knowing what not to claim and embracing the flaws/shortcomings/lack of knowledge in your char and making THAT fun as well. See, I never said anything about high level characters not having flaws. Flaws are absolutely necessary for a character, OP characters are boring and annoying to RP with. My stance is that between two good RPers, if they are fighting (without rolls and no OOC arrangement) I will not be able to take a level 20 character as seriously as the level 55 one. I once had someone oocily make veiled threats towards my character, claiming she had been "an expert ninja and dancer and sorcerer" because she was "trained all her life". She was level 18. She was threatening my level 50 character OOCily. I'm sorry, perhaps I am horrid, but I find that laughable at best. Perhaps it was the unprovoked veiled aggression that left a bitter taste in my mouth towards such individuals. Does it mean I would never allow my character to get beaten by a low level character? Absolutely not. In fact, she has lost many fights and has been nearly killed by low-level characters. But I believe that for such scenarios, there has to be an OOC agreement beforehand (and trust), while I am more open to a level 50 random seeking a fight with my character. Link to comment
Gegenji Posted June 24, 2015 Share #10 Posted June 24, 2015 I once had someone oocily make veiled threats towards my character, claiming she had been "an expert ninja and dancer and sorcerer" because she was "trained all her life". She was level 18. She was threatening my level 50 character OOCily. Would her claims be any more substantial is she had Ninja and Black Mage leveled to 60, though? Unless you're heavily summarizing what she's saying... it sounds like she's trying for "respect my power because I say so." Something that, in my opinion, would be grating regardless of level. Even if she leveled the classes OOCly, she only has an OOC claim to them unless she had quite the narrative involved on how she mastered both magic and ninjitsu while still also having time to become a super-great dancer. Link to comment
Jaran Posted June 24, 2015 Share #11 Posted June 24, 2015 I think there has to be that suspension of disbelief to afford fairness to those who prioritize one aspect of the game (RP) over the other aspects of the game (PVE, PVP). It does sorta even itself out, doesn't it? Most PVEers get more exclusive shiny things to show off, most RPers have more people to show their shiny things off to. As much as I'd like to answer the initial question with an "it doesn't matter at all" ... it kinda does. I get where the other side is coming from (and I know that good RPers usually won't do this) but if I bust my ass to get something, I often do so because I'd like to use it IC or implement it into my character. It feels cheap, to me, to have a person say 'yeah, well me too!' when they didn't do the work to get there. This can be anything from levels to items to mounts to minions. Take your pick. Link to comment
Kurt S. Posted June 24, 2015 Share #12 Posted June 24, 2015 I guess I'm of a different branch here. I mean if I level someone I'll try to reflect all those hours I spent to get there. If I have a crazy rare weapon, I claim it as a replica at best, something inspired by but not really the actual thing. That demon armor he's toting? Totally an inspired design by this armorer he knows. But the point is I reflect it and not just hide it to make it look like your everyday run of the mill steel set because RP said so. I didn't spend hours upon hours of run and runs of WoD just to hide it or not use it. Of course when it comes to skill level, I try to reflect that too, give or take cut it in half. Sure, Kurt's a warrior, he can swing an axe and all and he's got the inner beast shtick. But can he control it? No. Does he fight like a fighter? Hell no, he's an animal, screw finesse. Granted, I've only combat rp'd a handful of times. I try to level what's relevant to the character. She's a lancer? Well by god, Imma level DRG to 60 on her and no other classes than the bare necessity to get to Dragoon. Even if it means several characters instead of that one god character I spent hours and hours 50/60'ing classes he's not even gonna use or reflect IC. But that's probably me being fickle, I tend to get bored looking at the same face day in and day out. So yeah what level they are OOCly is kind of important at least for how I play my characters. 1 Link to comment
Magellan Posted June 24, 2015 Share #13 Posted June 24, 2015 I don't tie my char's accomplishments or abilities to in game mechanics. Hammer's a siege smith and a gearhead, but most of his real "power" sits in his ability to grease the wheels of a war machine and get large-scale logistical work churning out weapons and war supplies on a large, ugly, mass blacksmithing scale. There's no in game equivalent class for that. Blacksmithing exists, but it's not going to stock a platoon's armor racks anywhere in game. It means he knows a bit about black powder, but doesn't mean we now have trebuchets or cannons in game outside of the Ishgarde instances. Conversely I'm working on culinarian with Hammer, and he is NOT A GOOD COOK (Unless it's meat). He enjoys singing and song but I'm never going to call him a bard and will probably never level the class. Having (some) of the points of a class does not require you to have that class leveled. In short a char's life experience isn't defined by game mechanics. Really you can claim anything and bam, it is. The trick is, as it always is in RP, knowing what not to claim and embracing the flaws/shortcomings/lack of knowledge in your char and making THAT fun as well. See, I never said anything about high level characters not having flaws. Flaws are absolutely necessary for a character, OP characters are boring and annoying to RP with. My stance is that between two good RPers, if they are fighting (without rolls and no OOC arrangement) I will not be able to take a level 20 character as seriously as the level 55 one. I once had someone oocily make veiled threats towards my character, claiming she had been "an expert ninja and dancer and sorcerer" because she was "trained all her life". She was level 18. She was threatening my level 50 character OOCily. I'm sorry, perhaps I am horrid, but I find that laughable at best. Perhaps it was the unprovoked veiled aggression that left a bitter taste in my mouth towards such individuals. Does it mean I would never allow my character to get beaten by a low level character? Absolutely not. In fact, she has lost many fights and has been nearly killed by low-level characters. But I believe that for such scenarios, there has to be an OOC agreement beforehand (and trust), while I am more open to a level 50 random seeking a fight with my character. But their life didn't begin at lvl 1. Their training didn't begin at lvl 1. Their story began long before the ooc player ever set foot in Eorzea. That's why it's called a BACK story. Ooc lvl has absolutely nothing to do with it. Dnd rp is not the same as mmo rp Link to comment
Dogberry Posted June 24, 2015 Share #14 Posted June 24, 2015 It doesn't count for everything, but I'm going to be more inclined to have Dogberry take the boasts of a level 50 in Dreadwyrm more seriously than a level 15 in Plundered set. Link to comment
Magellan Posted June 24, 2015 Share #15 Posted June 24, 2015 It doesn't count for everything, but I'm going to be more inclined to have Dogberry take the boasts of a level 50 in Dreadwyrm more seriously than a level 15 in Plundered set. So the Scions shouldn't be taken seriously because of the clothes they wear? Link to comment
Kage Posted June 24, 2015 Share #16 Posted June 24, 2015 For me, it sounds far too much like taking in OOC factors for something that should be IC only. The only time I wonder about a low level character is if a person has been able to experience the "job lore" of what they're playing. A lvl 20 conjurer talking about being a white mage? OOC I will wonder exactly what the player knows about the lore for their class and job. Does it matter then in combat? For me, no. After a few bad experiences, I much prefer to get into combat RP with those I trust. You only know of their level through OOC means. How would your thoughts change (or not) if we were unable to see another person's level? Or, if you actively had it so that names and levels were not shown when in RP? Edit: Another factor I'd take into consideration is... if you are actively doing a dungeon or trial that requires you to fit a certain mechanic but most will try to make it easy now. You can't take a lvl 40 Tank into Coil. You'll have to improvise certain dungeons if a character is X level. Link to comment
Gegenji Posted June 24, 2015 Share #17 Posted June 24, 2015 I get where the other side is coming from (and I know that good RPers usually won't do this) but if I bust my ass to get something, I often do so because I'd like to use it IC or implement it into my character. It feels cheap, to me, to have a person say 'yeah, well me too!' when they didn't do the work to get there. This can be anything from levels to items to mounts to minions. Take your pick. I can completely understand that. I busted my ass to get Chachan his Vulcan Lucis - solely for him to use in RP since I play him as a master smith. Plus, I thought it would be hilarious to see him using a hammer the size of his torso (still super bummed that it "shrinks" when you unsheath it). However, I would like to believe I could still RP him as a great smith even if I hadn't gotten it or leveled BSM and ARM to cap. In his history, he was born to a long line of smiths and had his skills hammered into him since he was but a little spud (ha ha popoto joke). He's also a 50 PLD, but he's nowhere near a master swordsman - if anything, it's his self-made armor and weapon that is making up for his lack of battle prowess. Even after moons of training with a Free Paladin and attending the Grindstone on a fairly regular basis. To take things further, how would one mechanically prove skills that they're are RPing but don't have a mechanical equal in-game? To go back to that Master Dancer, Ninja, Sorceror as an example... how would she "prove" that she was a master dancer? There's no dancing class, and all the dances are exactly the same (minus straight /dance, which is still the same as everyone else of her race and gender). Before the advent of the MCH, how would one prove they tinker with Magitek or even just use a gun with any sort of skill? RP is a lot more... freeform, I suppose would be the word for it, and is oftentimes difficult to constrain to the mechanics of the game they're in. As I mentioned before, I don't look at levels and I'm of the opinion one shouldn't... because you're there to RP with them and not run a dungeon with them. So, their actual game stats matter less than their "roleplaying" stats - i.e. how well they tell their story in roleplay. I mean, would it be fair to deny... say... a full-time working mother of three who wants to RP being an accomplished swordswoman solely because she hasn't leveled Gladiator (or better yet, DRK) - something she hasn't done due to real life leaving her with precious little time to actually commit to grinding out those levels? I'm not saying this is always the case, but one really shouldn't discount people who are just using the game as the vehicle for their RP - to hang out with their friends and tell pretend stories rather than run dungeons and gear up. Link to comment
Dogberry Posted June 24, 2015 Share #18 Posted June 24, 2015 It doesn't count for everything, but I'm going to be more inclined to have Dogberry take the boasts of a level 50 in Dreadwyrm more seriously than a level 15 in Plundered set. So the Scions shouldn't be taken seriously because of the clothes they wear? The scions shouldn't be taken seriously regardless of the clothes they wear. Link to comment
Magellan Posted June 24, 2015 Share #19 Posted June 24, 2015 It doesn't count for everything, but I'm going to be more inclined to have Dogberry take the boasts of a level 50 in Dreadwyrm more seriously than a level 15 in Plundered set. So the Scions shouldn't be taken seriously because of the clothes they wear? The scions shouldn't be taken seriously regardless of the clothes they wear. Lol this is an awesome answer Kudos Sir. Link to comment
Kurt S. Posted June 24, 2015 Share #20 Posted June 24, 2015 Also just one more reason why I think OOC achievement is kind of important. Because of you're like me and your extent of combat writing in general is smaller than the width of your pinky, but you're playing a character who is, let's say a war scarred veteran, you want to validate that. Except that again, a rat's ass is broader than your knowledge on how to show that power. I mean sure you get better over time, as you practice, which I haven't been doing. But I think that works better with a fresh faced adventurer whose grasp on fighting is about on par with your own. When you know no shit. tl;dr sometimes OOC player writing skill holds back the character's IC skill. So OOC leveling and achievements could help make your character a bit more credible in whatever they do. Unless you're Hamon Holyfist. Link to comment
Maril Posted June 24, 2015 Share #21 Posted June 24, 2015 I segregate gameplay from roleplay by far most of the time. The only reason why I level classes related to my characters skills, is because usually those classes have gear that I would like my character to wear and look pretty in. I do not mind if someone is level 15 or 60, if they're a fresh character or a two year old character. What I do mind is if someone hasn't bothered to give good reason as to why the character is strong, or how they became strong. If they're more powerful than people older of their age who have studied whatever they're practicing for longer, I'd expect there to be a reason as to why they have attained more strength. It shouldn't just be because it sounds cool and there's an OOC motivation to be stronger than everyone else, so you can win fights. There has to be ample reason and justification.. There's no way I could take it seriously if someone tomorrow just became a powerful astrologian from one day to the next, because they hit 60 astrologian, to give an example. I'm also a fan of progressing characters over time as you play them, so you may stark out weakish, and then get a stronger character during the course of whatever events they might partake in. It was one of the first things I was taught about roleplay back in the day, that level did not matter. I'm also quite a slow leveller, I like to take my time - in another game it took me 6 months to reach the level cap because I was roleplaying so much. I'd be in a terrible position if people hadn't taken me seriously just because you are slow.. And if anything needs to be rated, the time a player spends roleplaying should surely be more important than time spent on their pve level. 1 Link to comment
Magellan Posted June 24, 2015 Share #22 Posted June 24, 2015 What If we take combat out of it? Claire is a master chef icly, but oocly I am only lvl 15 CUL. I often go to great lengths describing her actions in the kitchen. Should I cease to do so because a game mechanic shows she shouldn't be able to cook? Link to comment
Kurt S. Posted June 24, 2015 Share #23 Posted June 24, 2015 What If we take combat out of it? Claire is a master chef icly, but oocly I am only lvl 15 CUL. I often go to great lengths describing her actions in the kitchen. Should I cease to do so because a game mechanic shows she shouldn't be able to cook? If you're referring to my posts I point you to this handy-dandy tl;dr I put at the bottom tl;dr sometimes OOC player writing skill holds back the character's IC skill. So OOC leveling and achievements could help make your character a bit more credible in whatever they do. Unless you're Hamon Holyfist. If your knowledge on how to work metal is lacking but your character is a master goldsmith, the divide might just be noticeable. Again, OOC achievement is there to help credit the character, not an end all solution. Especially if you're none too familiar with inner workings, but then 'why make a character like that if you don't know how to do what they do or have no knowledge of it?' I unno, player preference. Sure reading more can help immensely or finding actual RL opportunities to get hands on with the subject matter would help too, barring asking advice/methodology from people who actually do it. I'm only using combat as a general and very common thing in RP. Link to comment
Roen Posted June 24, 2015 Share #24 Posted June 24, 2015 RP is a lot more... freeform, I suppose would be the word for it, and is oftentimes difficult to constrain to the mechanics of the game they're in. As I mentioned before, I don't look at levels and I'm of the opinion one shouldn't... because you're there to RP with them and not run a dungeon with them. So, their actual game stats matter less than their "roleplaying" stats - i.e. how well they tell their story in roleplay. This. I too separate game mechanics from RP because how many hours someone has spent leveling and running dungeons says nothing about what kind of roleplayers they are. I actually know a few players that play this game just to roleplay. Yes they run dungeons or what not to gain certain levels for certain RP things (one of them HAD to have the weaver AF for a certain look for their character), but they also run around with level 10 gladiators to insert them as thug NPCs for a scene or what not. I think though the wariness of the initial OP came from the fact that it was dealing with a stranger who was claiming all sorts of power, which... in my opinion would be hard to believe anyways given the character's age and what not. And for such reasons, I usually avoid conflict with random strangers (I say usually since on rare occasions I have had Roen step into a situation where I knew no one but she had been watching the scene on the side for some time...) and limit confrontations with players I know and trust. But if a low level character approached me and it is a well written RPer? I usually will run with it unless it is WAY far fetched. I did have a friend surprise me (not letting me know OOC) by rolling a new character, a level 15 guy in some tattered robe, who had been RPing a street begger for a couple of weeks (me and others had seen him for days) before he actually approached and tried to kill someone. An assassin in disguise if you will. If I had ignored him based on just his level, that surprise would have been totally ruined. Link to comment
Aaron Posted June 24, 2015 Share #25 Posted June 24, 2015 I judge skill by how descriptive the writing is. People who just want to win stuff and be the strongest generally don't go great lengths to describe how they dodge or similar. Same applies to DoH. A chef that's really good is more likely to describe how than one who just goes "I can cook" 2 Link to comment
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