Khorvale wrote: ↑Fri Apr 14, 2023 3:49 pm
What I'm saying is that the issue the OP tries to address is, IMO anyway, systemic and it'll never change to any meaningful degree as long as that isn't addressed, and the complications I've tried to outline is part of that systemic issue. Which is probably why this conversation is more or less the same as it was 3 years ago, and maybe 10 years ago as well?
I'm sorry, but I very strongly disagree with this perspective, and I really want to encourage everyone to understand why it's an unconstructive stance to take: It detaches oneself from any personal responsibility to their fellow roleplayers. If the issues - assuming they even are "issues" and not simply a style of experience that you don't personally enjoy - are, in fact, "systemic," then that leads to the natural conclusion there's nothing the average roleplayer can do to meaningfully and positively change the environment they play in. It's exactly that kind of nihilistic mindset that creates the kinds of shallow narratives and jaded players that occasionally make this place unbearable.
To me, it seems a massively excluding and rather patronising principle, that the only way to find like-minded people to play with, players with matching time-zones, interesting faction/group concepts or even just knowledge of the historical or political landscape of the game world your character is supposed to already exist in, is to make a character in the game and then discover the socio-political landscape they've existed in for years.
I'm not going to speak towards your original complaints too much because I don't want to make this thread a "let's all dogpile Khorvale" conversation, but your opening statements really express such a fundamental misunderstanding of the server that it, genuinely, boggles the mind. By my reading, you essentially say, "The only way to meet people is to talk to them, and the only way to know things is to learn about them." And that's somehow a complaint, which is concerning given how it's also a plain statement of fact about life and reality. Additionally mind-boggling is the implication that you have yet to realize that every character comes to Arelith from somewhere else in the Forgotten Realms, a place of your choosing that you can study and build a story immersed in the world of the game using resources like source books and wiki articles and the eager participation of our resident lore nerds (contrary to your claims of exclusivity), despite having played on this server for at least a year by your own admission. I genuinely don't know what your expectations are, nor do I understand how you don't recognize the patronizing tone in your own initial post that intended to call out the patronization.
The reason why this conversation hasn't meaningfully evolved in years and years is because roleplay is difficult to do well, and you only get better at it by putting in an earnest effort to improve. You need to care about the community, you need to be genuinely interested in the stories being shared around you, you need to truly want to immerse yourself in the grand narrative that stretches out far beyond your sight. It's hard to tell people how to be a good roleplayer or what habits make an inclusive roleplayer, because that advice can be rotely followed by someone who doesn't really have their heart in it and that will inevitably translate into a lackluster performance. The best piece of advice for becoming a better roleplayer is to simply WANT to become a better roleplayer, and that desire will, over time, form itself into better habits and a considerate attitude and noticeable improvement in quality. What we do is a skill, and it's honed through years of consistent effort. It comes from entering every scene with the thought in the back of your head to elevate the moment and bring intrigue and entertainment to all your fellow players who share in it.
And the thing is, most of the people in this thread, whether participating or only mentioned, have been around long enough to intuitively understand that. The veterans here don't need this conversation, they're engaging because they want to share a helpful perspective for those that might not even have a sense for what good roleplay looks like. Xerah is a fantastic writer who puts a unique voice and soul into every character that makes each persona feel engaging and truly alive, sometimes in alien and unsettling ways. Ilphaeryl Xun'viir's player is one of the most mindful and insightful individuals I've ever interacted with, whose consistency of presence isn't nearly as tiring as so many other seemingly immortal PCs because they know exactly how to contribute to a storyline in a way that elevates the players participating in it and introduces them to new and challenging ideas that are always EXACTLY what that character needs to evolve. D4wn is very well known on the server at this point for the length and complexity of their narratives, as well as their dedication to the characters they play that gives their storylines a sense of stability and consistency that's easy for any roleplayer, new or established, to hop on board and engage with - and, perhaps even more remarkably, they even seem to have a good sense of when and where to let a storyline end, which is honestly one of the most difficult things to understand when you're in the midst of a narrative. I could easily go on, but the point I'm building towards is that all these people are incredible at what they do, and they each have identifiable strengths that other "good roleplayers" might not have. But something that is rarely recognized is that what they're doing is really difficult, and really stressful, and takes a lot of effort to do well even once, let alone consistently. They're not putting on these amazing performances for their own sake. They're doing this for us. They're doing it for you.
If you want to be a better, more engaging, and yes, more inclusive roleplayer, this is exactly the consideration you have to bear in mind: "What am I doing for the people around me?"
Systems and admins and DMs and mechanics have absolutely nothing to do with it.