Because Dom Asked So Nicely...

[magicaddict]

...and because I've been getting more and more angry about it every time I am slapped down, behold what I consider would improve BLADES and larp in general. It's being said here so a) it doesn't go on the official boards and so is only a discussion, b) TheTony doesn't take the regular leave of his normally very reasonable senses and come out with words-to-the-effect-of "Normally I'm very nice, but right now you're citicising, so remember it's my ball and I don't particularly care for your complaining" comment that is rolled out every time someone complains about a rules change (example available on request if the boards go back that far), and c) it's on my LJ, so I can say what I damn well like, and so can you if you wish. All you will do is piss me off - not ruin the club.

It is behind a cut, because not everyone who's friends list this appears on will be interested in it.


Most likely, this will turn into a "let's see how many times we can tell Doug he's wrong" session, so I'm going to cut pretty much loose and issue a standing "I really don't care what you think" to anyone who might disagree with me.

Things I feel I need in order to roleplay better:
1. A comprehensive contemporary history of the Barony, dating back twenty years - Hell, knowing how well the farmers did last week would be nice.
Currently, my parents are aristocrats who have done positively nothing in their lives, because I can't create anything for them to have done. They've never raced a horse (even though Edran is a keen rider), or somewhere there would be records of point-to-point races. They've never had a party (and Juilin has never been to one), because someone would have been sober enough to remember them and that requires backstory. Nothing happened in the Barony last week, because that would require a news service to report it. I can't say anything did, because I'll get sat on for defining the world. If I want, as a freedom priest, to look back over past mission reports for recreational purposes (the same as reading technical journals, as professional scientists tend to do), I can't kick back and enjoy an evening's reading - I have to tell someone else I'm doing it and have them go and get the information for me (if the GM I am asking is disposed to do so).
Ergo, I dread guarding medders because if someone asks "so what do you think of...", or "so what did you do this week?", I am forced to answer "well, nothing really." This, for a seeker of knowledge, I find tantamount to imprisonment. What is the use of being a protector of knowledge if there isn't any bloody knowledge out there to protect, with the exception to the uber-tome of necrodhoom that turns up each week? How can I be interested in current affairs if nothing is happening outside of the patrols? So I can't be interested in current affairs? As a seeker of knowledge? *Dies laughing*.

2. A map of the Barony and how its borders have changed in the past twenty years, for crying out loud. Where do I live? Um...I don't know. Where did Daenaram come from? Um...nowhere in particular. Was his village outside the borders? Couldn't tell you - I only lived there for over two-hundred years. Where did you last take Anneri for dinner? Um...nowhere you've heard of. I don't know where I live - just think about how ridiculous that sounds. I can't tell people about House Fortrayre's wonderful orchards because I don't know they exist. I can't tell them about the view, because I don't know what it is of. Mountains? Pasture? Seashore? Moonscape? HELLOOOOOOO? COMMON SENSE????? Where is the Barony? What does it look like? What are some good night spots in Van Heusen's capital city? What's the first village along the Lannister road called? Where's Lannister?

Before you answer - I DO.

3. People to bother knowing who their character is - I dislike intensely characters who aren't even one-dimensional - who are, to quote Dave, "A walking set of stats". There is no excuse for this - you're too busy are you? Great - I have just oodles of spare time clanking around my schedule. This final year of the PhD lark is a complete doss, you know, and being active in three societies is hardly a crimp on the endless holiday that is my life either. Stop being so bloody arrogant and claiming that you are magnitudes busier than I am. It just isn't true.


Things I feel I want in order to roleplay better:
1. People who want to roleplay to putting time into creating their character - at least two thousand words worth. It's not hard to give them more than a name - a height, build (no - they do not need to look like you), gender, brief history and names of parents. It's amazing how quickly the words fly on to the page if people would bother to try - the creative talent present in BLADES is easily high enough for just about everyone present to do so. If people had to submit a couple of thousand words of backstory and a family tree of at least one generation, they might be committed enough to dedicate themselves in a way that holds me back when they don't. I'm tired of having my wings clipped because of other people's indolence - and the fact that I am saying that confirms just how indolent some people are.

2. A comprehensive history of the Kingdom of Exiles, since its inception (or at least five hundred years back) - if you want to tell me that there are no notaries, librarians or historians in the Barony, I will tell you that your world is so unreasonable as to be unplayable. What next? Gravity works in reverse? Water doesn't contain hydrogen? These are as fundamental concepts as history - if there is a now, there was a then, and someone will be documenting it. This is the way the world works. Get over it. While going all the way back is a luxury, it would be nice to see how the world has developed, rather than all those knowledgable Seekers not knowing anything about what happened fifty years ago. Mass amnesia, anyone?

3. Players to realise that their characters are important, but not that important. Why should story, or plot, or the world, end where they cannot touch it? How can te world stop moving during time out? How up yourselves are you people to assume the only people in the world of TL who matter or who can change the world are the ones being embodied by people every Sunday afternoon? I am sure that as soon as they game finishes every Sunday evening, the rest of the Barony populace freezes in place, waiting for the next exciting installment of arrogant sods who they have never met going out and saving their asses from things they don't understand. I'm sure the Barony patrols are viewed as heros by people they don't even know exist. I'm certain of it.

4. People who come up with original plot not being ignored in favour of parodying the latest film release, or because of who they are, or because of what people's opinions of their past larps are, or because someone who has been in the club longer has come up with something else. Rest assured I will never be submitting anything plot-related to any part of this society ever again. Go ahead - jump for joy. You got your wish. I was clearly misinformed in thinking I should ever try to write something that people might find engaging and stimulating, or that would be left alone. I obviously haven't been here long enough for that to be the case, as we all know that how long you have been there is the only important thing in deciding how reasonable your suggestions are. Larp - one of the few true gerontocracies left in the world.

5. How long you have been here ceasing to be the limiting factor in deciding what you are allowed to do.
It's strange, isn't it, that no-one has tried to change, alter or speak up against the inception of "optional" insignia for the patrolees. If Juilin came out wearing anything other than the tree, he shouldn't get a second glance, but he would, and undoubtedly people would think it was sour graps on my part not to be joining in. Think how hurtful I found the dissection of all I had been asked to create by the committee, then, that had been vetted and okayed by them. Nope, the longer standing members of the society, who aren't even full members so somewhow think themselves above the ones who are actually answerable to the university (who have to do the work to ensure we get to canvas on the parade and hire at the socs fair next year and actually get a new intake come october), decided that they weren't going to allow it to pass. So it didn't. I fucking hate it.

No. I don't have a low opinion of you. I have a low opinion of your opinion of me.


Damn. That felt good. Cue the flaming, the patting the upstart youngster on the head and the grumpy hurrumphs of "who's he think he is?" I couldn't give a flying buttmonkey what you think.

The programs are here. They charged me more than expected and used slightly less high-quality paper. I don't care - I won't be using them again because I won't be having anything further to do with publicity for anything that might use them. Ever. Suffice to say that more or less ands my commitments to publicise the show, and leaves me with a total of nine days left to survive and not kill someone.

The show itself is still a bad joke in a box.

The two leading roles, so cast because one of them does a radio show with the casting director and the other one wears her clothes (me? Bitter? nah...), are suddenly realising that they actually have quite a lot of lines, and requiring a prompt for every other one of them doesn't bode well with less than a week to go until we open. Pay attention and stop finding everything so funny - you aren't on the village green now.
The supposedly outstanding band is surprisingly good - for people who haven't been together a week. This means they sound like a crap band who have been together for a month.
The costume debacle seems to have been forgotten by everyone, so come tomorrow's tech when everyone suddenly realises they don't have this, or that and blames backstage because it's clearly their fault, there will be an almighty argument and someone more important might walk out. Like a member of the cast.
Helen wants us to finish the techs by eight at the latest each night. *Dies laughing again*. Let her try to argue people round to that if she wants. We'll be there until BTS are good and ready, probably gone midnight. If we run unbelievably smoothly, we might get done by then, but the day that a tech runs smoothly is the day that Satan...does something involving ice.

The Dow meeting went really quite well - more definite targets to head towards, more crystal structures got, all looking good, really.
It looks as if I am heading to San Francisco come September (well...damn. I suppose that'll have to do), the only crimp on which is the fact that I attend my cousin's wedding not two days after it finishes. Thankfully the parents had booked hotel rooms for us on the previous evening (we're staying down in London rather than driving there and back on the same day) so I can fly straight into London and go to sleep for the rest of the day. Might even work.

Right. End of day. Very little done but I have another crystal structure. That'll supplant work on any day of the week.

Comments

[drabbit.livejournal.com]

Hmm... I'd like to comment, very much, but don't want to be seen as attacking when I'm not agreeing...

I shall risk comment, as much as I can, and hope you will give me the benefit of the doubt.

The problem that I see coming up between yourself and a large chunk of the club repeatedly is when you say "comprehensive map". No one has grounds to really object, though they would of course ;) , to a map that says "mountains up north, plains down south, huge Barony border, Lannister on this bit of border, Bogglehampton in this area, ish, and loads of room for new villages and stuff", but when you say "comprehensive" people see the possibility of making up a new village to put a completely different game in shrinking away. A chunk of the club sees a threat to not just their creativity, but also to the creativity of future club members. Where did Darren conjure Earl Grey from? Hard to say, though we've got some good theories.

I have come to believe this is the nubbin of every disagreement you seem to have with the club as an entity - when you give a background or a description, it feels that you don't just define how your characters life went, you define how everyone's characters lives go if they do that kind of thing/are that class.

Take for example Pathfinder Orchid, who went to Pathfinder Academy. (this is not a criticism of that player either, just an example) Pathfinder Academy? What's that? say several older Pathfinders to other PCs questions, and look a bit daft in the process. Now, if Orchid had been to a Pathfinder Academy in the town of Torn, founded by Pathfinder OverCaptain Springs on her retirement five years ago, of which Orchid is one of the first graduating or close to graduating years, then Orchid has his Pathfinder training backplot, but nobody else has to have it either. And the best bit is that anyone else can have it! A brief word with Adrian and bingo - another graduate from Springs Pathfinder Academy. Meanwhile, Pathfinders like Kendal can blissfully carry on, having been given a sword and shoved towards the Barony's enemies.

Which is what happened with your npcs, who were all beautifully crafted, however most of them told us how the entirety of their area of PCdom worked, albeit sometimes in very subtle ways.

Looking from my own stand point, I want to retain the option of one day having a Freedom priest whose temple raised him to believe drink, drugs, the opposite sex and strong food addle the brain and destroy thought and knowledge, so they practise abstinence. However, if Tobin Whitt's background is established, it's underlying statement says that there are no Temple of Freedom priests in the Barony who think that way.

Right that's the end of my serious comment seeking discussion and a hope of mutual communication for now. Or ignore me - I can live with that.

My only other comment will be taken back to my journal shortly as I don't want to put it here - it's not part of a discussion.

[magicaddict.livejournal.com]

So, in order that everyone is able to do as they wish with their backplots, I can't?

In order that everyone can come from where they came from, I can't have come from anywhere? Who is to say Torn exists? What if my home village was called Torn, but was somewhere else? Wouldn't that be overly defining my world in order to preserve someone else's? Where's the difference? Yet others are allowed to, and I'm not.

I am left feeling like the kid in South Park who didn't get a football helmet because there weren't enough to go around, and when he said it wasn't fair on him, Chef replied "but if I gave you one, it wouldn't be fair on anyone else, would it?"

Because Tobin is a wine, women and song freedom priest, all other freedom priests have to be the same? Eh? There is nothing in his backplot that any other priest has to have followed. If I haven't got to use the insignia, you haven't got to use the backplot, yet you feel compelled to, as I do the insignia, because it was supplied for use.

[drabbit.livejournal.com]

I didn't say that.

You can come from anywhere! Torn exists because I say it does! No one needs so much of the Barony that you or I can't have a piece to make our own! Names occur more than once - perhaps Torn is the name of a famous hero who travelled - we realise we've used the same name, get together, take five minutes creating the hero and bingo. We have a link between our characters to roleplay around. Or it's just a coincidence - a common word, a name for something familiar. I grew up in Coombe House. Do you know how many Coombe streets, Combe Streets, Coombe Roads, Coombe Houses, etc there are? I see them everywhere.

The thing is, I know from my experience of you that if you made a map of the Barony, then if Torn wasn't on it, there wouldn't be room for Torn. But I want to create it - now I can't. So every character I ever have will probably come from outside the Barony after that.

And your right - there are a hundred ways to get around any restriction of background from your NPC backgrounds, which is why I didn't even notice the supposed restrictiveness of them until people started shouting on the boards. All I can say is people should have more imagination when bending what has already been said... but that kind of comment makes people think I'm twinking instead of creating enjoyment for myself that doesn't impinge on others.

In case I've misrepresented myself, I fully support the npcs you crafted, continue to use Tobin and don't see the problem as a real problem. But there we go - I'm no longer in a position to push that, as you so artfully point out.

[magicaddict.livejournal.com]

Then I trained to be a Freedom priest the way I say I did! Tobin trained in the way he did! Freedom Priest no. 2746, passed out as full priest in October 2011, trained in the way he did!

No, wait, can't have it like that, because for some reason, other people seem to think they have to do it the same way as well.

Incidentally, those people being the ones who don't write backstories for their characters, so I could codify that everyone on the planet at greens three times a day and only a select few would ever have the need to care.

[drabbit.livejournal.com]

Absolutely! No one that I'm aware of has batted an eye lid at any part of Juilin's background, or of Vaexarius's background - which was really way out there. They were PCs and can't set things in stone for other PCs (and there's a warning there for James for when I decide to play a Barbarian and make up my own clan). Daenaram only created upset because his background contradicts some of the few campaign facts - otherwise no one has any real issue with it, evidenced by how fast people moved on to other discussion when it was released.

The problem with Tobin's background is that it's general and is placed in a position of predominance over the players. When the Committee present the approved commanding NPCs and their background states that all the guilds, everywhere in the Barony, recruit people as if they were universities, even the Temple of Might campaigning for students like everyone else, then that suddenly gains officialdom status. It's the generalisation of the statements which create the problem.

If Tobin's background stated that he grew up in the town of Torn, where the presiding Lord was heavily Freedom aligned and had ordered, erm, requested in strong terms, all Guilds within that town to respect the rights of his subjects and ask them to join, then that doesn't state anything about how Seeker Harold Cumberland got to where he is today, or indeed about how Master Sarevok did. If Rich wanted, Sarevok could have been clubbed round the head in a back alley at age six and dragged in by a recruiting/enslavement of homeless orphans party, but now there's this thing saying he must have petitioned to join the Temple of Might voluntarily, at age of adulthood.

That's what's got people so riled up - it was the level of official approval, suddenly stamped out by people that others didn't trust to make that decision.

It's like your posting Daenaram's backplot and immediately stating that it had committee approval as being non-harming to anything. The assumption is that the committee's approval gives it official strength, which it does, to a degree. Yet that rolls on into everything else and when Dom finds that the committee line is revealed for the year, telling him his character can't be played after he's already played him once and invested in plate armour for him then Dom gets upset. And so do other people.

The problem comes when people aren't given the choice to care or not.

And that's where the symbols get through and the npc backgrounds don't. Nowhere does it state the npc background stuff is optional. Everywhere does it state that the symbol stuff is optional.

You and I could come up with a map of the Barony and post it on a website and post links to it on the Blades boards, saying "Hey, we came up with this which matches what we know of to date, as a potential map of the Barony. As usual for the style of time period (feudal) the map doubtless has errors that will be discovered with time, however if people felt like using it as an aid, we'd be happy to add anything we can and juggle things around to give people a world to look at. Of course, it's all strictly for fun, so please don't harrass us if you don't like the idea of any kind of map at all." A few people would mutter in corners about it existing, but they wouldn't have to use it. And a few people are muttering in corners about the symbols, so that's par for the course.

[magicaddict.livejournal.com]

The reason no-one has batted their eyes at Juilin's background is because I haven't given him one - it's too much hassle to spend the time and effort creating it only to have it shot down in flames.

Nowhere in the NPC plots does it state that the various entities campaign for students on a multilateral basis. In some cases it states that someone was out looking for recruits, but at no point does it say that this is the only line the temple takes. It was the perogative of Tobin's parents to show him everywhere. The temples, colleges and military arms all viewed this differently (and I didn't say how they viewed it, so make of it what you will). Tobin saw it like a university open day thing. No-one else did.

Might priests do not have to petition for entry to the temple. Where does it say that?
Read again how Fornax came to be a priest - his parents were slaughtered and he was lucky enough to run into a passing High Master on the lookout for souls to steal. This predatory manner seemed a good way of finding might priests, and while I would imagine that the temple does not use it officially, it would hardly complain at some of its members taking matters into their own hands.

I was not aware that Dom was told that Cumberland could not be played. I do not see why, given the NPC structure for this year, why he was told that. However, I'm just a writer for the committee. It would, however, explain why he poured so much scorn over them when they came out.

I maintain that using other insignia will be viewed as being different for the sake of it i.e. people will quietly feel that it should be official.

The committee okayed what was written for Daenaram's history because the Marshal makes it very clear that he cannot confirm what was being said. I don't know how much more vague and incoherent I can make it.

Once again, in order that people who couldn't care two hoots one way or another get not to care about anything, as someone who does I am forced into a tiny little box that I can't touch anything on the outside of? Marvellous. I like that set up.

[drabbit.livejournal.com]

First, I spoke out of turn for Dom with inexactness. I believe that is simply how he felt rather than that he was told Cumberland couldn't have that background. I should not have stated the example as I do not have exactness.

Second, I'm sorry, I really am, but I can't resist - Juilin doesn't have a background written? No one can tell the difference.

[magicaddict.livejournal.com]

Not true. At least one person can.

Me.

I'm not having any fun playing someone so utterly inert. This is in stark contrast to the fun I had playing Daen and Vaex, which were crawling with backstory.

[drabbit.livejournal.com]

Touche.

[same-difference.livejournal.com]

Scorn, you think that was scorn? With the NPC backgrounds I read them twice, I considered them, I formed opinions of what could be improved, re-read them, and then I provided those opinions. I did however do so in the wrong forum, a mistake I regret.

I emailed my support for them to the committee, requesting they be modified, but kept. Not big edits just minor rewording here and there, along the lines of 'In the shire of XXXX...'.

My problem was that there were sentences worded in such a way, often minor additions that neither added nor took away from the story, that changed the feel of them from 'What this person did. To what everyone did.'. Yes I felt I could not fit my character into the world that was suggested, but never did I think it would stop me playing my character.

The reason why the NPC backgrounds were pulled is because you requested them to be. How you chose to react to critism of your work is up to you.

[magicaddict.livejournal.com]

Yes. I did think it was scorn. I think you did as well.

I did not request them to be pulled. I removed my involvement from them so any further flaming could be directed at the committee rather than me. I repeat, I did not request them to be pulled.

[same-difference.livejournal.com]

I didn't feel that was scorn. Believe me scorn would have been much harsher. However, in hindsight I do realise that should have relaised yoy would have taken it that way, based on your past reactions. However, how you take critism of you work it up to you.

'I repeat, I did not request them to be pulled.'

Then who did?

[magicaddict.livejournal.com]

Well, the way you and Alex went after it sure as hell looked like attacking with purpose to me. I wonder what annoyed him so much.
The irony of the matter is that had they not been published, no-one would ever have known or cared what they contained other than their player. Before you ask, it wasn't me who wanted them made public.

No-one - to my knowledge they are still in existence.

[same-difference.livejournal.com]

'sure as hell looked like attacking with purpose to me.'

Unfortunately that's at least in part due to the selected medium, which as I said was the wrong way to do it.

They still exist? I made a mistake, sorry.

[drabbit.livejournal.com]

They do, and are still at leat partially in use. (though not being much of a wine, women, song person, I'm not sure I portrayed it very well when I used Tobin Whitt for a briefing.)

[same-difference.livejournal.com]

'So, in order that everyone is able to do as they wish with their backplots, I can't?'

The only thing that stops you doing whatever you want with your back plots is you. If you can't have a backplot without someone elses map to begin it in, someone else storys to base it on, if you can't find a place in the avialable creative possibilities to carve a niche, with out carving up other peoples or carving out from theres, perhaps you need to rethink your approach.

'There is nothing in his backplot that any other priest has to have followed.'

And there wouldn't have been the impression there was if you had written it in different ways.

[magicaddict.livejournal.com]

My approach is the only one I know. If I need everyone's helpt to tweak, change and nudge my backgrounds, I might as well have them write it for me.
I can't write an inert backplot. I just can't. I haven't got the skills that other people have, and I'd rather not have to be reliant on everyone else to provide them for me.

You mean, had it written it in your style. I'm afraid I'm not as good as that, and had to write it in mine - as I said, it's the only one I know.

[same-difference.livejournal.com]

What do you mean by 'inert' in this instance?

No I don't mean had I written in my style. I certianly don't think that writing in someones else style is something any person can really do. It's their work they will always have their own style, their own personalities influence on it.

Still again what is with the absolutes? Why is it written only by you, or written by someone else? How many works of literature are purely written by one person without any input and suggestions by others?

[magicaddict.livejournal.com]

Inert as is "does not affect or define the existance or world of any other character, past, present, or future".

You see why I'm not an author, and have never claimed to be.