When they come to Valucre for Role-Play.
That's right, if you come over to Valucre for a bit of writing and Role-play, you are a guaranteed winner, and believe me- we don't hand out participation ribbons. You're not winning just because you're that unique and special snowflake that no one can get over- of course not! You're a winner because you joined up with the best place to find some fine Role-play and quality writing. While I can't promise you the keys to paradise (Supernal jealously guards those and says I can't have them until I get more work done -cringes-), I can promise you that you're not going to find the same level of talent anywhere else- period.
Bold statement? Perhaps.
Hyperbole? Absolutely not!
There's plenty going on, so we have a good deal to cover before this blog is done. As January is another one of our long months, you are getting four full weeks of blog, the skip week being on that rare 5th Thursday that comes sneaking around from time to time. Even though you get an extra helping this month, I'm not going to skimp out on anything!
All that said, let's see what's going down.
All that said, let's see what's going down.
What's Happening Valcure?
School of the Rising Sun- Hey there folks, do you like playing magic users, but think the same old same old has gotten a bit stale? Well, isn't that such a wonderful coincidence that Genesaris has a city that boasts an array of unique magic users, and they seem to have some openings in that school of theirs. If you like school based role-plays, and perhaps like magic as well, you certainly have something going on. Come on over, and then hit the books.
Prophecy in Tea Leaves- A brand new people have joined Islyer lore, and now someone has an interesting idea on how to incorporate this new group and their recently added lore. A fortune teller get's more than she bargained for after giving a fortune of dire importance to a character (or characters), and well, ends up dragged along for the ride in whatever mess was predicted. It's always bad enough being the bearer of bad news, well now not only do you not get to kill your messenger, you're stuck bringing her along in your disaster ride as well. What do your fortunes hold?
Skirmish with the Mer Folk [Quest]- Looking for opportunities to participate in canon effecting events, and make VB while you are at it? Well then, quests are by and large the best way to go about this! In this case, we have a quest taking place in Morgana City, an Orisia Isle City, who seem to be having some troubles. You can come assist in the quest over this way.
Genesaris Ranger Corp- I love it- it seems like that Guilds may yet make a comeback, and now we have an organization putting together a group for the better of the people. This Corp is comprised of truth seeking investigators seeking to up hold the values of Honest, Trust, and Brotherhood. They function independently of lands and answer only to the Council of Union City. If this tickles your fancy, maybe they will have use for you.
Valucre 2012 Awards!
Did you think I could go right past this without saying anything? Of course not! In fact, it got me to thinking- I need to be including any time someone earns a medal, not just this big event- so I am going to work on doing that as well. With that in mind, let's get this Week's medal earner put out in the front, separate of this so she doesn't get lost in the lists of other awards coming through.
Congratulations Shades of Grey, on Receiving the Activity Award!
Shades has put a tremendous amount of work into making Shrine City more than just a city on the Genesaris map, contributing lore, bringing in other members, and just writing like crazy. Definitely hard earned and long over due. Congrats ;)
That is our award for this week, so now let's go look at these 2012 results, just in case you live under a rock and missed it. Hell, even if you didn't- these hard working folks have earned a brief moment to shine. :)
Valucre 2012 Fan Favorites: King, Praetorian, Roen, Acies ab Vesania, and Supernal!
Valucre 2012 Role-Play of the Year: The Masquerade Gala! Started by .Irénè Gabriela DuGrace.; participating members include: Acies ab Vesania, Aleksei, Alexei, Alukai, Ayden, .ϾђɑɍĮόϯϯɛ. , Eternity, GodlyUnderdog, Liontolamb, Lunadrakla, Malaysia NightReaver, Master of Chaos, Neru Amhran, onyx2047, Paradise, Praetorian, Roen, S0m3thingr4nd0m, Sickly Sweet, Suta, Teddy-Son, Thaiis, The Hummingbird, Titan, Transall Abyss, Vehement Agony, & Wolfbat9008
Valucre 2012 Role-Player of the Year: King!
Valucre 2012 Best New Role-Player: Rounini!
Valucre 2012 Most Improved Role-Player: Suta!
Valucre 2012 Character of the Year: Roen, By Roen!
Valucre 2012 Best Hero: Alazar, By The Hummingbird!
Valucre 2012 Best Villain: D'eon, By Hiss the Villain
Once more, a big congratulations to all of this year's winners. :)
Question of the Week!
Well, I did get three answers this week, so I guess that's not all that bad. I don't know what I have to do to get some of you folks to participate! Well, in the mean time, let's answer last week's question: If there was one aspect of Writing and/or Role-play that you could suddenly develop perfect skill, what would that be?
Response One: Imagination and character development. In all my writing, I have a lot of very similar characters. When I do make an attempt to give someone a unique personality, I find myself having trouble staying true to that character. I'm always making the mistake of having the character behave the way I want the plot to go, regardless of whether that's something the character would do. I'd also like to have a better sense of where I want the character to go—how I want them to grow, what I want them to learn.
The whole process of roleplaying—controlling just one character in a story—helps me practice staying in character. It's easier to write actions and reactions when I don't have an idea of how the plot's going to go and I don't know how the other characters are going to react. But I still don't think I'm very good at it, and I would not object to becoming so overnight. :)
In my writing overall, I wish I had a better imagination for characters, settings, plots… everything. I know there's nothing wrong with drawing on existing works for inspiration, but sometimes, it feels like all my writing is just a mashup of hundreds of things that have been done already. I don't desire to be completely ground-breaking, but I'd like people to read what I wrote and go, "Oh, that's a cool idea. I haven't seen that before."
As an afterthought, I'd like to be better at not worrying about achieving perfection the first time through. I hit major roadblocks in my writing because I can't think of a good way to word or explain something. Roleplaying actually hinders me a bit, here, since I don't really get the chance to go back and change the way a post goes. Once the next person posts, it's set in stone; while I can always go back and fix spelling or grammar errors, I can't completely rewrite my character's actions. But in my personal writing, I want to be less afraid of sounding clunky or making mistakes on my first draft. I'd like to be a little more dedicated to working and re-working things until I get them just right.
Response Two: If I could magically make a writer's or roleplaying skill perfect which one would I do?
Well if the option was there, I would say interacting with confrontations I'm good at running from fights or unfavorable situations but not staying and fight it out with that sense of confidence.
If I can't have that...than I would want to perfect the skill of making my characters unique and different from each other.
Response Three: If I had to pick one to instantly become a master of it, it would be description. There are some beautiful writers on this site that writes some amazingly flowery things that are pretty awesome to read. I'd like to have the ability to write like that. That being said in all honesty I'd rather not put all of my stat points into a single category. I'd much rather elevate all categories to the point in which I am actually happy with my writing. I mean let’s face it I could be the most descriptive person in the world but if my grammar sucks the post is going to suck.
There you have it, what a few of our readers would like to improve, should they have that ability. Wait! You do! It's not magic, it's not a pill, but each and every one of you can achieve these goals- hard work, perseverance, a willingness to learn, and the refusal of giving up- all you need. ;)
Anyway, I expect that you would like to get your question of the week. I had a reader send this one in to me, so thanks for the free question!
Hey Valucre- How long has it taken you to develop your current writing style?
Hey Valucre- How long has it taken you to develop your current writing style?
I suppose all of our styles are always evolving, but how long did it take you to get to what you consider your style, more or less, at this time? I'm interested to see the response to this one. :)
Say Hello to Our New and Returning Friends
Uh oh, a strike through. That doesn't mean I am going to start neglecting returning friends, does it? No, of course not. I just didn't really have anyone who qualified for it these week. Instead, we can shower all of our attention on the small handful of members who joined us this week- short week this time. It happens, but I bet we'll have more join our ranks soon enough.
Welcome, Cry
Welcome, Ilexiariever
Welcome, Esana Bridges
Welcome, Sharksaremyfriends
Welcome, Drake
Welcome, Lethe
Welcome, Firehair
And that's it. Yep, really- when I said a short list, I meant it, ha. Seven this week, perhaps double that next week! Considering double is only slightly ahead of our average, I say it's perfectly doable. Hell, we should shoot for triple. :)
Other Highlights?
You give and you give and you give, and yet, someone is always there ready to take and take. How many words have I showered you with already? How many more will I give you in a short time here. I'd tell you, but I don't think it will change anything. Have your highlights then.
Complaint Process- That's right, we do have one, and not everyone follows it the way they should. If you want to know what that process is, come check it out over here in the code of conduct.
Did You Know- About the Bestiary? This is our ever growing collection of nasties you can find in the world of Valucre. It's organized by land, and you can find your future beast here. For more on the Did you Know Series, take a look this way.
Closing Thoughts?
As I often do, I thought I would use the closing thoughts
this week as an opportunity to spread a little bit of knowledge. As of late, I
have noticed that many of our incoming Storyteller requests are marked as
requesting a GM, but nothing about the following request suggests that someone
is looking for a GM (Game Master, a non-D&D version of a DM). In fact, the
majority of those who say they want their thread to have a Storyteller GM it
are actually looking for something much less involved than what typically a GM
does within a thread. It makes me think that what defines GMing is perhaps a
little unclear.
Now, by no means do I need the space of these closing thoughts to clear up the distinction, but I thought I would tie it in with another piece- some information on GMing itself. Here on Valucre, there is no requirement for a GM to be a storyteller- in fact, we ask people to avoid having us do the DMing for threads, because of how much more time consuming and involved it can be. The service is available for those who feel it is of absolute importance that a storyteller GM their thread (a high-level quest perhaps, or something intended to have great impact on canon), but in many cases, you could have another member fulfill that role for you. Anyone can do it, but whether you can do it well- ah, that takes a little know-how.
I started DMing D&D campaigns about ten years ago, and over time, I have certainly had my share of ups and downs with the experience. You learn a lot as you go along, experiencing a myriad of growing pains and headaches. However, as you go along and do it, you do learn useful skills and means of managing a group, keeping things on track, and providing a quality story that folks enjoy playing. I'm going to detail some of these things I've learned, and see if they can give you a good foundation for GMing role-plays. I've personally found it enjoyable- maybe you will too.
So, you want to GM a game. What do you need to this?
Patience, Patience, and even more patience.
Yes, the number one thing you should develop is your patience. Imagination is nice. Organization helpful. The ability to adapt is quite nice too. Patience, however, is going to make you or break you as you try to lead a game. If you don't have patience, you are going to find yourself quickly frustrated by not only trying to keep things on task, but also in dealing with the players innate talent for messing up plans.
Innate talent for missing plans you ask?
Oh yes, all people who participate in GM'd role-play have this quality to some extent, some more than others. You make a nice plan; you have all these details laid out and events to generate when, BOOM! Some character just went and did something that made everything completely irrelevant. Does this mean you should stomp your feet and get angry? Should you force them back on course and chastise them for their inconsideration? Should you rip all your hair out and run around babbling like you just lost all your wits?
I'm sometimes inclined towards the last option, but the answer to all of them is no. We have to suck it up, think of a way to modify plans and in doing so, salvage what we can and want to, and toss out the rest. Sometimes, people have this unusual ability to find your plot and then wreck a train right into it- must be one of those natural phenomena or something. If you are going to deal with this constant disruption, you have to have patience. Especially because this is not going to be the only place that people get you.
Depending on whether or not you are in a game with some actual rules, you might get people who want to argue with you every step of the way. Can't do this, doesn't work like that, I hate your shoes... you never know what is going to come up. Now, you can bite someone's head off, but that is a little bit much to chew, and who knows where that thing has been. I find the more practical solution is to just be patient, be firm, and redirect them back to the game. Patience also helps when you are leading a group (in person) who are as task oriented as a box full of kittens.
If I haven't made my point well enough yet, I am going to have to drag a dead horse with the word "Patience" branded on its side and then beat it with my bat imprinted with the word 'Point'. I'm going to assume that you haven't fallen asleep yet and you're understanding the virtue of patience.
Once you are feeling ready to deal with all those possible headaches, we can get into some of the more actual GMing related stuff. As I mentioned earlier, a bit of imagination, organization, and adaptability are all helpful as well. You want to keep your people interested, and that means you are going to have to come up with new and interesting stuff so they don't get bored. You have to keep track of what everyone is doing, where they are going, what they are doing, and what their motives entail- all in addition to trying to setup your plot and follow through with it- this takes having some organization (Keep notes!!!). The last one is quite helpful as well- being resilient. If someone blows up your plan, be ready to modify and/or completely change plans on short notice.
So, you have patience tucked away. You are a regular writer, so I am going to assume you have some imagination at the very least, and you feel like you can adapt and change as needed. Great, you are on your way. From here, it's more about how you are running the game and where you are going with it.
First: I recommend that until you get more experienced; do not play a character at the same time. Some DMs never feel comfortable playing a character in addition to DMing a thread. It takes some work, as you want to play your character, but also have to devote time and energy to the plot itself. You have to work at identifying what your character can or cannot figure out or do, so that you don't accidently metagame based on your knowledge of where the game is going. This can be a little tricky at first, but the easy way to go about it is to pretend that you're not just GMing, but writing a story. If you were writing this as a story, ask yourself- would your character be able to do this or have that knowledge on their own?
If not, make sure your character doesn't have those advantages. If in doubt, underplay, not overplay .
Second: Keep everything reasonably fair. In D&D, it's easier to pull off- use random die rolls for who finds what or gets what help, and how good it is. In a setting more like ours, make sure you treat everyone equally, and if you find any one person is getting more of the help/hindrance than another player, give the other player a hard time for a while instead.
Third: Maintain enough control to avoid having the game thrown off because of a player unknowingly creating problems. If you really need the Bartender to act in a certain way, by no means should you allow a person to play that bartender. With that in mind, decide ahead of time: Can players play non-essential NPCs, or do you want them to stick to their characters only. This can vary depending on your style and on how the game needs to flow.
Fourth: Give a little here and there. If people are really struggling, or if someone is arguing a lot and they are just getting to you- it's okay to give a little now and then. Throw them a bone so the game can keep flowing. Let someone win a minor argument so you are not always the badguy- hell, for that matter, pick your battles as well! Some stuff is not worth arguing about, and it's just much easier to let something go. Now, if one person is chronically abusive, undermining, and unfair- it might be time to give them the boot.
That's a lot to chew on, so let's summarize this up all nice and pretty:
GMing takes a lot of patience, and other helpful skills include imagination, organization, and adaptability. As GMing is time consuming and sets up a potential for abuse, I recommend not playing a player chacter until you get practiced with dividing attention, and can comfortably separate what you know from what your character knows. Metagaming is never any fun for anyone, so avoid it at all costs! You should maintain fairness among players (although a character reaping what they sow is fine, just don't pick on players). Maintain the degree of control needed for your role-play, and absolutely make sure that key people or items are out of player's reach. Last, remember that power struggles end in futility, so it is okay to give a little here and there, especially if it gives you more leverage later where it's more important. ;)
Well, that's all I got for this Closing thought for today, hit me up if you have more questions!
Now, by no means do I need the space of these closing thoughts to clear up the distinction, but I thought I would tie it in with another piece- some information on GMing itself. Here on Valucre, there is no requirement for a GM to be a storyteller- in fact, we ask people to avoid having us do the DMing for threads, because of how much more time consuming and involved it can be. The service is available for those who feel it is of absolute importance that a storyteller GM their thread (a high-level quest perhaps, or something intended to have great impact on canon), but in many cases, you could have another member fulfill that role for you. Anyone can do it, but whether you can do it well- ah, that takes a little know-how.
I started DMing D&D campaigns about ten years ago, and over time, I have certainly had my share of ups and downs with the experience. You learn a lot as you go along, experiencing a myriad of growing pains and headaches. However, as you go along and do it, you do learn useful skills and means of managing a group, keeping things on track, and providing a quality story that folks enjoy playing. I'm going to detail some of these things I've learned, and see if they can give you a good foundation for GMing role-plays. I've personally found it enjoyable- maybe you will too.
So, you want to GM a game. What do you need to this?
Patience, Patience, and even more patience.
Yes, the number one thing you should develop is your patience. Imagination is nice. Organization helpful. The ability to adapt is quite nice too. Patience, however, is going to make you or break you as you try to lead a game. If you don't have patience, you are going to find yourself quickly frustrated by not only trying to keep things on task, but also in dealing with the players innate talent for messing up plans.
Innate talent for missing plans you ask?
Oh yes, all people who participate in GM'd role-play have this quality to some extent, some more than others. You make a nice plan; you have all these details laid out and events to generate when, BOOM! Some character just went and did something that made everything completely irrelevant. Does this mean you should stomp your feet and get angry? Should you force them back on course and chastise them for their inconsideration? Should you rip all your hair out and run around babbling like you just lost all your wits?
I'm sometimes inclined towards the last option, but the answer to all of them is no. We have to suck it up, think of a way to modify plans and in doing so, salvage what we can and want to, and toss out the rest. Sometimes, people have this unusual ability to find your plot and then wreck a train right into it- must be one of those natural phenomena or something. If you are going to deal with this constant disruption, you have to have patience. Especially because this is not going to be the only place that people get you.
Depending on whether or not you are in a game with some actual rules, you might get people who want to argue with you every step of the way. Can't do this, doesn't work like that, I hate your shoes... you never know what is going to come up. Now, you can bite someone's head off, but that is a little bit much to chew, and who knows where that thing has been. I find the more practical solution is to just be patient, be firm, and redirect them back to the game. Patience also helps when you are leading a group (in person) who are as task oriented as a box full of kittens.
If I haven't made my point well enough yet, I am going to have to drag a dead horse with the word "Patience" branded on its side and then beat it with my bat imprinted with the word 'Point'. I'm going to assume that you haven't fallen asleep yet and you're understanding the virtue of patience.
Once you are feeling ready to deal with all those possible headaches, we can get into some of the more actual GMing related stuff. As I mentioned earlier, a bit of imagination, organization, and adaptability are all helpful as well. You want to keep your people interested, and that means you are going to have to come up with new and interesting stuff so they don't get bored. You have to keep track of what everyone is doing, where they are going, what they are doing, and what their motives entail- all in addition to trying to setup your plot and follow through with it- this takes having some organization (Keep notes!!!). The last one is quite helpful as well- being resilient. If someone blows up your plan, be ready to modify and/or completely change plans on short notice.
So, you have patience tucked away. You are a regular writer, so I am going to assume you have some imagination at the very least, and you feel like you can adapt and change as needed. Great, you are on your way. From here, it's more about how you are running the game and where you are going with it.
First: I recommend that until you get more experienced; do not play a character at the same time. Some DMs never feel comfortable playing a character in addition to DMing a thread. It takes some work, as you want to play your character, but also have to devote time and energy to the plot itself. You have to work at identifying what your character can or cannot figure out or do, so that you don't accidently metagame based on your knowledge of where the game is going. This can be a little tricky at first, but the easy way to go about it is to pretend that you're not just GMing, but writing a story. If you were writing this as a story, ask yourself- would your character be able to do this or have that knowledge on their own?
If not, make sure your character doesn't have those advantages. If in doubt, underplay, not overplay .
Second: Keep everything reasonably fair. In D&D, it's easier to pull off- use random die rolls for who finds what or gets what help, and how good it is. In a setting more like ours, make sure you treat everyone equally, and if you find any one person is getting more of the help/hindrance than another player, give the other player a hard time for a while instead.
Third: Maintain enough control to avoid having the game thrown off because of a player unknowingly creating problems. If you really need the Bartender to act in a certain way, by no means should you allow a person to play that bartender. With that in mind, decide ahead of time: Can players play non-essential NPCs, or do you want them to stick to their characters only. This can vary depending on your style and on how the game needs to flow.
Fourth: Give a little here and there. If people are really struggling, or if someone is arguing a lot and they are just getting to you- it's okay to give a little now and then. Throw them a bone so the game can keep flowing. Let someone win a minor argument so you are not always the badguy- hell, for that matter, pick your battles as well! Some stuff is not worth arguing about, and it's just much easier to let something go. Now, if one person is chronically abusive, undermining, and unfair- it might be time to give them the boot.
That's a lot to chew on, so let's summarize this up all nice and pretty:
GMing takes a lot of patience, and other helpful skills include imagination, organization, and adaptability. As GMing is time consuming and sets up a potential for abuse, I recommend not playing a player chacter until you get practiced with dividing attention, and can comfortably separate what you know from what your character knows. Metagaming is never any fun for anyone, so avoid it at all costs! You should maintain fairness among players (although a character reaping what they sow is fine, just don't pick on players). Maintain the degree of control needed for your role-play, and absolutely make sure that key people or items are out of player's reach. Last, remember that power struggles end in futility, so it is okay to give a little here and there, especially if it gives you more leverage later where it's more important. ;)
Well, that's all I got for this Closing thought for today, hit me up if you have more questions!
Well, that's it for this week's blog. I'll see you next week folks!
- Acies
~If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative.
Woody Allen
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