An In Game school? I am not too excited about the idea, I think it breaks the whole RolePlaying concept...UNLESS...
...Unless the In Game school is set in the OOC grid. Perhaps weekly or monthly meetings at the Player\'s Lounge, if such space ever exists in PlaneShift, can be dedicated to a \"School for RolePlaying\".
These meetings would be some kind of interactive tutorial for new players. Or a series of tutorials! In each session different topics and situations could be discussed and those who wish to do so may voice their opinion.
Each session would be logged and uploaded to a site so any who was unable to attend may read what was talked about and offer their own input.
I would also like to reiterate an idea of staff members holding the position of \"RP Administrators\". They would guide new players, help them with the basics, encourage them to RolePlay and try to make them feel comfortable with the style of the game.
However, this position can be very demanding in terms of time and dedication. Not to mention that not everyone owns the gift of being able to teach something to a complete stranger, and being patient enough with thick-skulled newcomers
In addition to being filtered, developers would have to keep an eye on these staff members, because since they would have extra powers and commands (the ability to teleport from one place to the other, to aid new players in an IC manner, for example), abuse and preferences towards a clique must be prevented.
And volunteers that wish to become a RP Admin should be aware that they would sacrifice personal In Game time to help others.
Many considered me to be an \"anti-newlie\" because yes, this sort of RolePlaying style can be a tad elitist. But no, I do not cast new players away from the game. Totally the opposite, I would welcome them and be willing to give them a few tips so they begin to learn how to RolePlay and behave in a game of this genre.
Now, Ice Pheonix, the lawful good Knight you describe may react in an infinite number of different ways.
First of all, assuring that your character is \"Lawful Good\" does not necessarily mean that said character has a pleasant personality, or is not greedy, or has many notable flaws
For example, a character I enjoy RolePlaying is the one who has the values and honour of a Paladin, yet he is not the classic well-mannered, polite and always correct stereotype. Think about it, a Paladin with an arrogant gait and that is easily angered leads to many fun scenes, and is a nice target for roguish characters who enjoy mocking and teasing the \"good guys\".
I once played a brutish thug whose most heartful desire was to become a Knight. First, he had to be a Sir\'s Squire, and then be deemed worthy of Knighthood. His biggest flaw? He was not well-mannered, he was not subtle, and prone to swear like a sailor. Not to mention that he had serious problems with his diction and a terribly rude accent.
Yet he was truly a loyal, noble man with ambitious and honest goals. I had much fun playing him and he became a loved character for many people due to his unique-ness. But right there you have an example of different character that breaks a stereotype. And probably he would have never been a Knight, yet he was fun to play for me and others, and that is what matters the most.
Now, Yann touches a very delicate nerve: Villainy. It is not very hard to come up with the personality and ideals for a villain, or an \"evil\" character. But it is extremely hard to pull that off.
A bully is the lowest form of a villain, although that does not mean playing as one is boring or dull. Just think of all the bar fights and thrilling encounters
But the leader of an organisation that has power and riches as ulterior motives, for example, is very hard to RolePlay. Why? Because one cannot be this kind of villain without being surrounded by other loyal followers ready to fight for the sake of their leader and organisation.
Villains also have to be aware that, in the long run, their characters may have to serve jail time, or be punished due to their criminal actions that have a negative effect on society. We all would like our characters to succeed in their goals, but a psychotic wizard that wishes to take over the city of Yliakum has little to no possibility of success.
How can we reward these players, to encourage them to grace us with their enjoyable evil characters?
First, they should be supported by the plotters (You know, those people in charge of designing major plots for the game, and that supervise some player plots as well, there should always be many of those since sometimes special actions and scenes need of a particular code or command that only a member of the staff can use.) as much as the \"good guys\". If there is more preference towards one side or the other, an imbalance will be created and the fun can be ruined by having the good guys defeating the bad guys more often than not, or viceversa.
Secondly, as there are many organisations that back up the actions of the characters whose ways are noble and honourable, there should be certain power cells that wish to see their own goals and needs fulfilled. For example, a corrupt Vigesimi that is wealthy enough to organise some sort of mafia, and is conspicuous enough to hide his true intentions could offer a portion of his riches to a villain so that he pulls off a special assignment.
Or circles of wizards may wish for their magic arts to be purely and unconditionally free, thus encouraging their apprentices and mages to use their talents to weaken and defeat those who wish to stablish a limit in the use of magic (That is to say, those who want to promote laws to decide to what point the use of magic is acceptable, and regulate these arts so that they are not abused. A \"Magic police\", to be more simplistic)
Events and ideas like these allow for characters alligned to evil to BE apart of the society and plot of the game. They would play major roles when telling the classic story of good versus evil, and it would be interesting if evil could win once or twice. Not an absolute victory that means the world changes forever and the government of Yliakum is overthrown, or anything extreme like that, of course
*Gasp!* The sixth Octarch was assassinated by an unknown bandit! His corpse was taken away so that he could not be revived! What will we do? What will happen now?
Imagine that as the main gossip the day after the poor Octarch was chosen as the target. :-]
To sum up, evil characters need to be backed up and encouraged by the community as much as good characters. If there is an extremist predominance of one or the other, the lack of balance would cause the game to quickly become dull.
In some games, villains are marked and cast away. Craftsmen will not sell them items and armour, they are attacked by anyone and everyone because they have a flag toggled on that allows for everyone to see his negative reputation, and they end up being chased to death.
We should not be this way with those that give us a little excitement in our RolePlaying. Evil characters are fun, after all
Villainy is a tough stunt to pull off, but do not be discouraged! It is rewarded with unforgettable moments when the RolePlay is good.
- Golbez
