RP Chat Etiquette?

[Bubba]

(I tried searching for answers to this, as I am sure it's beendiscussed before. But, I found nothing. Please don't bite.)

Do long-time players have an established means of Chat Etiquette? I don't mean in terms of content (the rules are pretty clear here), I mean in terms of how you signal to your partner that your 'turn' is up and that you're ready for the next player to take their 'turn'? To be more specific:

There are many different styles of RP Chat out there. I am the type of player that likes to add some narrative comment whenever appropriate during my RP. This might be a narrative comment prior to or after my character's line. For example:

Jiraiya says: What you're seeking is right through that door.
Jiraiya points at the large wooden door at the end of the hall.
Jiraiya says: Just follow me.
Ogul follows Jiraiya's slender feline figure through the door and is overwhelmed at the size and beauty of the chamber beyond it. He gives out a rumbling grunt of approval.
Ogul says: Mmm. Pretty. Ogul like.

The problem - and this is not peculiar to PS - is that sometimes you just don't know if your partner is typing something or is waiting for you to type. I don't like interrupting the flow of narrative comment and character line for others, just as I feel a bit robbed when it happens to me.

In some of the RPG communities I have been in - several of which have less developed chat features as that on PS - we developed ways to indicate to others that we have 'finished' and are ready for others to respond. In one group, it is an unobtrusive ° at the end of your 'turn'. We found that this cleared up most of the 'dialogue jumble' that can otherwise occur.

So, my question is: What do the folks here who really get into their RP do in the above situation?

[Raa]

Well... People just post when they feel like it. So, if you take too long to post... Sucks for you. If you're fighting, though, then players take turns (ABAB...). There aren't really turns.

[Mythryndel]

Careful with that example... you specify what you are *feeling* (overwhelmed)... According to the etiquette I have read about on the forums that is frowned upon.

But seriously, the only thing close to a "i'm ready" queue i have seen in-game is for the character to "jump" when ready to proceed.

[Bubba]

Mythryndel,

Thanks for your comment. I wasn't aware that using narrative comment to express emotion was a "bad" thing in PS RP. Is there a post you know of somewhere which gives more detail on that kind of thing?

And thanks for the hint regarding the jumping. I noticed that in one brief encounter (interestingly with another Kran), but wasn't sure if that was a character tick or a signal.

If anyone else has 'signals' or 'queues', please do mention them. I am completely new to PS, and just need a bit of help adjusting to the community RPing style. All the info I can get would be helpful.

[Prolix]

I would suggest that it is often very apparent when someone is overwhelmed so this is not all that bad. I can just see him walking in and going whoa! with his jaw dropping. It is not like:

* Prolix remembers the jupinerberries in his porridge this morning and smiles happily.

[Mythryndel]

@Prolix: That is why I said be careful, and expressed a general guideline.

I am not sure I could pinpoint a single forum article that supports it, but the general tone of the many topics I have read seem clear that they prefer both the description of your character and emotes like you used, to be for things that people can physically observe. I can see your mouth dropping open, or you going "wide-eyed" or something like that... and as prolix mentioned, overwhelmed is probably borderline.

Now... me personally, I'm not a stickler, but you asked for general guidelines, so... that's my 2 trias.

[EDIT] Ok... so I recalled a thread that tried to answer part of your request:

Community RP Protocol
http://hydlaa.com/smf/index.php?topic=32251.0

[Bubba]

Mythryndel,

Thanks again. The thread you posted to is a good one to have handy for new players. 

Do other people notice any problems with "dialogue jumble"? If it happens, do you ignore the jumble and go with the last coherent statement, repeating if necessary? (I noticed this worked well with one player in the Temple in Hydlaa.) Is this just something that works itself out with time in this community? Am I thinking/worrying too much about this? 

[Farren Kutter]

As a note, a work around is this (using your example):

[[/me action]] Jiraiya says, "What you're seeking is right through that door", and points at the large wooden door at the end of the hall. "Just follow me"

Ogul follows Jiraiya's slender feline figure through the door and is overwhelmed at the size and beauty of the chamber beyond it. He gives out a rumbling grunt of approval.

Ogul says: Mmm. Pretty. Ogul like.


I use the combination of words and actions a lot in RP as it allows you to do several things within one 'post', instead of confusing others by having multiple posts to the same thought, such as words, then an action, and then accompanying words. Also, you can make this a way to have your character doing something in the middle of a pause in a sentence.

[Bubba]

Farren Kutter,

Very nice tip! That is a great work-around for what I was worried about.

I guess I should have thought of that myself... 

Thanks again!

-B.

[Farren Kutter]

Always happy to help a new player and budding RPer

[Myron]

Hi,
I'm completely new to PlaneShift so it might be a bit odd to response on your question  but I recognize the issue you describe from other games I played. In UO we used to add three dots (...) after a line if the poster was intending to continue his words or emotes. It worked very well for me, especially because it looks quite natural in the text. Your example would become:

Jiraiya says: What you're seeking is right through that door...
Jiraiya points at the large wooden door at the end of the hall...
Jiraiya says: Just follow me.
Ogul follows Jiraiya's slender feline figure through the door and is overwhelmed at the size and beauty of the chamber beyond it. He gives out a rumbling grunt of approval...
Ogul says: Mmm. Pretty. Ogul like.

-- just my two trias --

Myron