Well i do love it when people RP... But the thing is i am new and not so great at it... I had a struggle trying to act drunk correctly in keeping with my characters personality (although i think i will invent some tavern jokes and games later if i get a chance)
Now some players not participating irk's me slightly but rude players irritate me more... I would prefer help from a leet speaking but kind and well intended child as opposed to crusader who tries to skewer any outlander who scarcely speaks his language and only accepts an elite circle of guardians to be worthy to set foot on to his land. (this is not directed towards someone and i am not saying anyone here is like that)
Roleplay + 5 points
Kindness + 5 points
poor roleplay speaking - maximum number of points + 8 (given he follows the top two and how poor his ) minimum number -5 (anything below 1 deals with behavior)
Outright being mean to other players just because they do not RP (but do not intend any harm) to simply RPing poorly 0 to - 5 points (point variable depends on behavior)
Maturity (not lack of) + points
Now starting from rouge and earlier games... i have played hundreds if not thousands of games and i always wanted to find a (non text) RP game with what you here call "Game mechanics" so realize that i do not take people affecting my experience in it lightly... But i also think a person and their feelings should be valued above RP (and admittedly in some cases my point system shows that under some conditions i only hold a slight higher opinion for people who do not have the patience to try)
"Maybe a few less names like "Elfy Earpoint"."
I chose the last name Elvenspirit, now admittedly it's from getting fed up with trying to find an accessible name... But whenever i introduce myself it is done so with only my first name, i see no need to tell most people... If anyone my last name, My apologies if i took characters not knowing another's name till told too seriously... I was also trying to consider how hard it was to make my first name and how difficult it can get to find a unique name the more and more characters (not people... Characters) are made. Maybe i am guilty of breaking the rules :S My first name is certainly unique though and it is not as if Elven sub races do not exist
"The GM team does try to do their best. It is not an easy job that I would ever want. Sometimes how they handle things are not always to everyone's liking. As I said it is a hard job."
This is a very important point, and one many people NEVER even bother to consider. People have excessive expectations of others in authority positions, they are like us... Maybe there are guidelines like there often are for such positions of course, and probably a lot of them complain just as much about the players often not holding up their standards either (if they know it or not) maybe some innocent bystander who intended no harm even?
Of course a moderator in most games seems to be chosen partially by their ability to deal with such situations... But that does not mean that they are perfect - People view thing's differently or people make mistakes... I'm sure there are moderators or admins that go "Oh please tell me he/she did not say that" but for any person that has one idea there are normally at the very least an equal number of people that have a different look on it (and more often than not it's just a muddle of them)
This is what people need to look past, no matter how strongly you feel about something you need to consider more than yourself IF you wish to even attempt to make a considerate opinion.
"so when I am RPing and a newbie comes up to us to ask where they can kill something [unless they ask the question the right way to make it IC (without all the acronyms and such)] then I usually ignore them, usually doing so by standing very still and saying nothing. If it is not a busy RP I'll show them and stuff."
I say put information on how to get help in game with as much instructions on RP as possible, Direct them to a "New Player" guide that does just that (while only going OOC when absolutely a necessity... Do not overdo the RP and forsake lack of clarity)
I understand where you are coming from but understand that you are being just as unsocial (the player is doing it by not participating in the social activity and you by not being social in return)
"but we invite every single lesser-being to play this game"
... That comment is just unforgivable, you have no right to assume you are better than someone... Yes if someone does something criminal such as mugging then what they did was wrong, no i would not want to associate with that person... But they are not less than human and you are not more than human.
"Runescape kiddies looking for a free game, for example"
There are more people (not a larger percent...) that try to roleplay in that game than are even in this game... And i have met a great deal of wonderful people that play that game. No i do not like the general community, but let's get thing's straight... If this game had such a large community then it would be extremely difficult if not impossible (even with being aggressive) to keep the population well behaved, yes admittedly it is partially because this game is free - and i do not think this community would fall that low... But i think a certain awareness should be kept that the first step in a community like that is a progressive decline in friendliness and respect for the common player. I understand how you came to your view... But he without sin throw the first stone. (no i am not religious but i think the point is sound as long as you understand it)
"I also have personally seen PLers that really don't want to do the "RP thing right now, but might try it later","
And that's a mixed bag i think, i am sure most of us would love to see them RP
"Definitely not more than RPers who stop roleplaying to rudely "correct" other players and tell them how to do it "properly". An unwelcoming community can be the biggest barrier for a game to reach more users."
And this goes both ways, a non roleplayer should probably try to make an effort to make a roleplayer feel welcome also, i feel that this is the center of this debate... Keep in mind though that both sides are guilty, it would be sad for this issue to turn into a witch hunt
I realize there are others who have felt as i do and gotten fed up with thing's, and that is something that saddens me. But realize that instead of trying to rally the support of GM's to force the change we should try even harder to encourage other's to RP, i do not mean to force other's into RP - i mean let's try to structure everything as best as possible to make it easier for other's to roleplay, Then maybe with GM help try to make it so people who choose not to roleplay can fit into the game somehow and still be in character... The only solutions i can see involve either hand signals or unique area's and such for non RP'ers, the latter i do not like as it discourages RP and the former may be too harsh unless thorough (with the option for RPers to "speak their language")
Now encouraging non RP'ers to participate with RP'ers in activities? Maybe. I do think a better solution though would be to create conduct rules... With the condition that players must keep borderline in chat when answering questions - just specific in game answers like i do not like mining or the square is that way, mundane responses sure... But while it is my choice if i wish to discuss my life with someone, i do think it should be discouraged... And i also think better spelling should be encouraged... This is both helpful for foreign players and children who may be learning from our community.
In essence, encourage maturity safety and clarity... I realize my grammar is not the best and i apologize for that, and i also apologize for being long winded -.-
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