RPG annoyances/pet peeves

[Cheile]

rather odd that they have issues with you pairing YOUR OWN chars....not like you are forcing them to have their chars involved with yours.

this one happened to a friend so i'll mention it: if you create NPCs and declare them to be "open season" beyond what YOU have already established, there's don't bitch if someone tries to give them some character development.

in the game this friend was in, the GM was running a large starship (Galaxy or Sovereign class size) so he decided to throw a bunch of random names on the crew roster as named open NPCs for use as background/filler people. there was little to nothing on these people...95% of them were nothing more than a name on the website.

so friend spent a few weeks in one particular plot hinting that her character was interested in dating one of these NPCs. this NPC had a few bare hints written about her by GM in a previous plot....mainly that parents were dead and she had low self-esteem and as a result was one of those types who had few friends.

GM said zero. only when nearly a month had passed, and a post was written where her character finally did the asking out and the NPC said maybe, did he have a shit fit, claiming that the way he had "developed" the NPC she'd NEVER ever date anyone, and forced friend to find some way to "change the NPCs mind".

note that GM had read the posts leadin up to this for three weeks...and didn't say anything.

tl, dr point of this post: if you want full control over your NPCs, then mark them as PNPCs, NOT open NPCs where other players will assume they're safe to do most anything with except kill off.

[CamSPD]

Ya know, that's an interesting thing about the PBeM group I'm in: we're actually not even allowed to use an NPC mentioned by another player without asking first. That's something I actually like, because what if I just throw a name into a post for the sake of that one post, but decide later I want to do more with him/her? Couldn't exactly do that if someone has taken off with the name before I've had the chance, right? That's why they established that rule--that you can't even use an NPC someone's mentioned only once just to fill your own story unless you've actually asked the person who first mentioned them.

[raymondjames89]

One word FLEETS

I don't know what is with the craze to be part of a "Fleet." There are way too many RPG/SIMMS asking for members to join and you can see its part of Blank Fleet. I am sorry but if I see a Fleet listed, I have lost any interest in joining or even looking. I admit I apparently live under a rock (My RPG) and wasn't aware that it is so hard to not only run an active RPG these days but to find more than 3 or 4 people to join you. Bless my members and all the support I have and still have as I never have nor ever will Join a Fleet. I run a RPG with over two dozen active players, talented men and women from the United States, Scotland, England and other countries. On top of the members are a few that play one or two sub characters. I take a look at these RPGs and shake my head, I know that they join a Fleet in hopes to gaim members but half of them in Fleets are dead or inactive, and the ones that are "active" have less than 10 members? My plea is this, You don't need the Fleets, you can run a active RPG on your own, it really can still be done.

[Asinaenth Draoughack]

I agree with above post.
To many people tend to make it to big when they start, they have a big fleet with mostly NPC and empty ships. The people commanding the fleet are given all high admiral ranks and the boss a 5 star admiral with the title of commander-in-chief, Other positions like chief of operations and other totally unnecessary admiral ranks that are totally not necessary. You don't need high admiral ranks to command the fleet ooc. One NPC admiral that is IC leading the fleet and the rest are all OOC positions. Start small you can always expand to a fleet if you grow but start with a taskforce or even a taskgroup.

[raymondjames89]

I agree with above post.
To many people tend to make it to big when they start, they have a big fleet with mostly NPC and empty ships. The people commanding the fleet are given all high admiral ranks and the boss a 5 star admiral with the title of commander-in-chief, Other positions like chief of operations and other totally unnecessary admiral ranks that are totally not necessary. You don't need high admiral ranks to command the fleet ooc. One NPC admiral that is IC leading the fleet and the rest are all OOC positions. Start small you can always expand to a fleet if you grow but start with a taskforce or even a taskgroup.

Agreed. I look around at these RPGs that are part of Fleets and they are pretty much dead or have a limited amount of members. Are Fleets really worth it?

[James West]

Okay, as a GM... I've gotta say it...

WHAT THE F**K IS GOING ON WITH THE SUDDEN INFLUX OF MIDGETS?!?!?

I swear, I've gotten SIX (yeah, 6) Midget applications this week alone... The last one's name was "Gucci Pucci" and was just over 3' tall; Of half Klingon and half some species I've never heard of with some flying saucer thing over it's head that "extended" when the character got angry or horny (Which one is worse, I don't know).

How the hell am I supposed to take an application like this seriously? Because I didn't! I think I might've cracked a rib while reading this, they spelled Starfleet- sarflat, Klingon-Klangon and Phaser- Phazah.

I contacted the player (You knew I did), and I asked them for their PB just because I HAD to see this poor, short, ridged forehead, circular powerplant headed character in action... Maybe I should warn everyone, because my eyes burn from the image I was e-mailed......





She applied for "Assistant Chief Medical Officer"...

I can't take no more of these...

[CamSPD]

I do sympathize with getting completely ludicrous character appligations....

[Asinaenth Draoughack]

I don't see a problem with the character

[captainuniverse]

She looks like an escapee from Quark's.

[Michael]

Seeing that picture makes me want to gouge my eyes out and take a bulk eraser to my brain.

[raymondjames89]

I have spotted that saucer this before! This woman who is always on these rpgs, her characters have them.

[QuintonBeck]

Yeah, I saw a guy once who had one of these tram things, his profile was the dumbest thing I've ever read and he had already been accepted onto the ship and was a lieutenant commander I believe. I knew then and there I didn't want to apply to that ship, but this, this is way worse

[Analog Kid]

I don't know what is with the craze to be part of a "Fleet." There are way too many RPG/SIMMS asking for members to join and you can see its part of Blank Fleet. I am sorry but if I see a Fleet listed, I have lost any interest in joining or even looking.

Whenever I see the words Fleet and Simm in an RPG ad, I switch off. They're usually run by people who take their character's rank entirely too seriously and act like they are an Admiral in the real military (or their perception of such a person). I tend to view my RPGs as simple social writing groups and stay well clear from such terms.

You don't need the Fleets, you can run a active RPG on your own, it really can still be done.

I hope so Would bode well for my V-Trek relaunch once I get it going.

[Bry_Sinclair]

I did a lot of PBeM Simming when I was at uni, found it a great way of avoiding course work. Even got my own command as well, which was nice.

- Alien character with human names (there haven't been anu Bolians called John Smith!)
- Hybrids I don't mind, but when they're made up of more than two species it gets annoying, and when they have eight different species in the genome I get angry
- Fleet politics, all the bitching and back stabbing spills out into the fleet and everyone is caught up in the mess
- People who join and don't post
- People who create a character and give their bio a single line of detail
- Captain's at 24
- Former Borg everywhere, seriously is the Collective putting them up for adoption or something?
- People who can't seem at accept, yes my character just kissed a man, that's because he's gay
- Ship's with all human crews (just because!)

Just remembered another one:
- Name dropping, their PC went to the Academy with Riker or they dated Crusher, its a big universe out there!

Hmm think that's about it for now. Some more may come to me later though.

-Bry

[Bry_Sinclair]

Also Mr West, could you please take that pic down now. It's just too distressing!!!

-B