Yeah, gonna +1 here on what folks are saying about incorporating player backstories. Most people I know would love to have their PC history come up, it’s a great bit of collaboration and an excuse to get some great melodrama in.

There are only two big things I’d caution about, which amount to either retconning or resolving the PC backstory, which can seem like good ideas but can wind up upsetting players if they’re not handled carefully. (I’ve seen these more often in TT than online, but I think it still holds.)

Retconning is when you drop a big reveal that the PC only thought they knew what happened in their history and there’s some (usually dark) secret going on there. Ranging from your classic “Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father” to full-on, like, “your history was actually a Total Recall implant by the bad guy and your life is a lie.” This can actually be really fun! But it’s a big change to the character going forward, and one that people might not appreciate implementing in RP. It’s not something I’d recommend doing without explicit permission from the player; even if it diminishes the impact of the big reveal, it’s just a huge risk unless you know how they’ll take it.

Resolution, meanwhile, can seem like it’s an unambiguously good thing but can actually wind up making a character unusable. The A-Team was sentenced by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit, so if someone offered them a pardon for a job they’d presumably be over the moon… and then if they got it they wouldn’t be the A-Team anymore, they’d just be Some Guys. If my character wants something they don’t have as a fundamental part of their character concept, getting it can be a great plot point that changes the character in an entertaining way that’s great to work through, but if it feels like it happens too fast or too easy it just winds up a letdown at best and makes the PC unplayable at worst. (“Oh, the banishment that forced my PC to leave their old lives behind and fall in with the game’s setting has been rescinded, and they’re free to leave the game and return to their comfortable happy life? I guess they… do… that, then.”)

Hailee Steinfeld >.>

Also whatever classifies as a “science nerd” in the theme, or total occult junkie.

@Herja @kalakh @sao @Evilgrayson

Encouraging me to be the evil character I dream of being, in their own ways, and listening to me scream as I struggle. It’s a small thing to anyone else maybe but I appreciate you guys because it’s really really really difficult for me. Maybe one day I’ll graduate to stealing food from babies and mixing skittles, m&ms, and reeses in the same candy bowl.

it’s so hard guys

@SpaceKhomeini If it’s someone I’ve actually had no contact with and the tone is sharp, I take it as flirting for PVP so… if you open that door, don’t let me hear any shit when I walk through it.

It’s impossible to play on a Mu* anymore for me. Asking for RP and finding RP is such a chore and then when it’s found it’s usually some weird slice-of-life stuff that people want to play, which in a lot of cases isn’t what I’m looking for.

So it’s a constant circle of building PCs, getting amped, trying to find something to do, and failing and just realizing hours/days/weeks/months/whatever of my life has been wasted.

At some point, in a few years, someone’s gonna launch an Ares with a few AI players on async, and see how long it takes for someone to notice.

@Raeras Thank you! And I agree, I’ve been spoiled by Ares as well, especially with async scenes. I’ve spent a lot of time and effort developing systems that I hope will be respectful of your time in a traditional public scene pace.

And if something isn’t working as I hoped, I’ll always be open to suggestions on how to improve it.

@Faraday said in Game Handing Overs:

FWIW, I’m making an admin command for Ares that will clear out private info, similar to what’s done when a char idles out or goes on the roster. The pragmatic issue though is how someone would reclaim their character after the wipe - how would you know who was who if everything got wiped.

Just to follow up - this ended up not being a command, per se, but a set of instructions/guidance in the game management tutorials: Transferring a Game.

Keeping evidence of supernatural stuff from being revealed to mortals at large impossible? People will leak all the details?

Sure would be a shame if an omnipotent being were to decide they didn’t want any evidence to be found, because of mysterious ways…

This one is a bit more of an OOC amusement, and technically not MU* related, but it still makes me laugh, so I will share.

There was an RP mission going on, and there were a couple different characters along. Our two main players I will call Kaz and Quill. Kaz is still learning to fight, and as such is taken aback when a group of enemies sets on the party.

Kaz rolls really well. Remarkably well. The best kind of dice you can get well. Kaz decides to RP it as kicking one of the enemies in the balls.

Enemies have been listed by numbers, so Kaz pose identifies the target of this kick as [1]. The thing about this system is that… listing with these brackets will pull a name from the party list.

What Kaz means to pose is,

Kaz , now spun around, is seeing red. How DARE this guy try and stab him from behind! Bringing his leg back, he immediately sends his foot right into [1]'s crotch before turning and giving Quill a thumbs up for the attempted help.

What everyone actually sees:

Kaz, now spun around, is seeing red. How DARE this guy try and stab him from behind! Bringing his leg back, he immediately sends his foot right into Quill’s crotch before turning and giving Quill a thumbs up for the attempted help.

Gwenna-Victoria (2) (512x640).jpg

Ida-Victoria (2) (512x640).jpg
❤

Edited to make smaller sizes

@Tez Thank you, I was probably being overcautious. The post you linked was exactly the kind of thing that prompted me to start a satellite community. It was an excellent post, polite, prudent, and mature. Having to walk on eggshells around mods just to have that discussion didn’t sit right with me.

Portal for most things about scenes.
Client for channels, pages, and handling fs3 combat.

@Argh said in What Is Your Preferred Play Style?:

@Faraday said in What Is Your Preferred Play Style?:

Hiding information to appease them? Not so much.

Lack of transparancy encourages them.

I think there’s a difference between “lack of transparency” and “privacy” and people conflate the two a lot.

I forked off a few posts, old and new, related to a former and now-banned player. They can be found here: https://brandmuday.mythicus.net/topic/359/eto-drama-fork/11

@baron8550 Message Testament for an invite to the Discord. I would invite but not sure non-staff can invite.

@Roz You’re an angel, thank you for this.

Congrats to everyone that made this place what it is.

@Aria That’s the one I was thinking of, yes.

@Faraday said in Really random Ares question:

custom CSS tools to hide the hearts if they also bother you

I do that on games that have them, but I can’t install custom CSS tools on my work browser, and there aren’t any for mobile devices to my knowledge.

So I still kinda gotta see them most of the time. 😛