Roleplay Petpeeves

[Clirkus]

Oooh, I got one.

When people post "Reserving for a character" without posting a character or when they post a "WIP" Character Sheet. Like, no, I want a whole and complete character not a half-made sandwich or the promise of making a sandwich that you may or may not finish later.

When I GM I make everyone PM me a complete CS for review, no reservations and no first-come-first-serve which usually eradicates the problem but I see it all the time in other people's RPs and it just irks me.

 

[Brovo]

Personal pet peeve of mine: People who play the same character over and over and over again. You learn nothing doing this, you don't grow at all as a creator. It stagnates your imagination, and often the people who do it, repeat the same blank slate character.

"My name is Generios, and my parents burned in a fire. I hate everything." Wow. Much character, very thrilling. What's your next character? "My name is Memerios, and my parents burned in a fire. I hate everything."

Please do something different at least once. It won't kill you, I promise.

 

[Goldmarble]

Personal pet peeve of mine: People who play the same character over and over and over again. You learn nothing doing this, you don't grow at all as a creator. It stagnates your imagination, and often the people who do it, repeat the same blank slate character.

"My name is Generios, and my parents burned in a fire. I hate everything." Wow. Much character, very thrilling. What's your next character? "My name is Memerios, and my parents burned in a fire. I hate everything."

Please do something different at least once. It won't kill you, I promise.

I just explore the range of ways one can play, "The Tank."

Apparently.


Pet Peeve? Fellow players who feel the need to make their characters' incapable of teamwork.

 

[Noctis the Devious]

I just explore the range of ways one can play, "The Tank."

Apparently.


Pet Peeve? Fellow players who feel the need to make their characters' incapable of teamwork.

When done right, this can be fun to do :) Specially when the point of the roleplay is for characters to overcome their flaws and weaknesses in general.

My pet peeve, and I can't remember if this was stated before, is when a roleplayer claims they're good just because they can write several paragraphs, and most of their replies is 90% recounting events, reacting to them, and failing to include anything that may progress the scene; and 10% irrelevant character monologue that is often repeated because eventually they run out of things to say and depleted all reason for their character to exist. Pacing is your friend.

Oh, and needlessly large paragraphs. Some are wordy by style and can pull this off without breaking the ever binding laws of proper grammer. Others feel the need to crame several thoughts and a whole conversation into one paragraph and pride themselves in doing so.

No. Just no.

 

[KamrenReed]

One of my pet peeves...
Don't hate me for it. I wont even bother you about it. I just don't like it.
I'm not fond of the images people use to represent their characters. I would rather people not use photographs/images at all. There are a few reasons why.

1. People rely on the photo instead of taking the time to give us an impression of what their character looks like through their writing.

2. There is a strong dissonance with how their writing makes their character look in my head and how they look in the photograph.

3. Everyone gravitates toward using beautiful models/ actors/ celebrities for their characters. No one is ever ugly or unique looking.

4. Whenever people use the character image and it is larger than the actual post...

I know not everyone is an artist and cant paint their characters like I do. They may not have the money to even commission an image. If you are going to use a photograph or image, for the love of god, don't add to the endless swaths of angelically perfect looking people. Most of the world doesn't look like that. I wouldn't be as annoyed by the pretty characters if every picture in a thread wasn't of only gorgeous people.
Find an image better suited to your type of character. Hell, I'd rather you not use one at all. I'm really here to be immersed by the game and writing not visit a modeling agency.

I probably made myself sound more annoyed than I really am. Please don't take it personally. In the end it doesn't matter as long as we are all having fun. This doesn't reflect anyone's writing ability after all.

 

[Roose Hurro]

Personal pet peeve of mine: People who play the same character over and over and over again.

I play the same character(s) over and over again. If I only played them once, then never again, I'd be wasting a perfectly good character. Not to mention never getting to develop my character(s) beyond one storyline. So... I play the same character(s) over and over again, so I can build from story to story. And so I can have fun.

Of course, you may be talking about character "type"... not the same "person" character. As in how I like to play my Nism character Peet over and over again. So I can develop his character, build his history. Give him a life. Plus just having fun "being" him.

Isn't that the whole point of roleplaying? To pretend you are this "person" you've created? To play a role...?

As for peeves, I tire greatly when people just drop out of a roleplay without a single word... vanish, leaving behind that distinct flushing sound of the thread/storyline going down the tubes. I hate not finishing what I start. And I'm very pet-peeved when the character(s) I'm trying to develop have their "lives" cut short, one more bit of history left hanging.

 

[Hellis]

Personal pet peeve of mine: People who play the same character over and over and over again. You learn nothing doing this, you don't grow at all as a creator. It stagnates your imagination, and often the people who do it, repeat the same blank slate character.

"My name is Generios, and my parents burned in a fire. I hate everything." Wow. Much character, very thrilling. What's your next character? "My name is Memerios, and my parents burned in a fire. I hate everything."

On this note. If you use the same name, the same powerset, the same basic archtype for several RP's that has nothing in common. You are a fucking hack. If I catch a player doing that, I kindly tell them to make a charachter from scratch or gtfo. Understand people, I am not talking about similair charachter. I am talking about reusing the shame character name, the same powers, the same everything. And then use the same for both Sci-Fi and Fantasy and any other setting you might get away with. This is the defenition of lazy. It shows the GM you lack creativity and motivation.

 

[Izurich]

As for peeves, I tire greatly when people just drop out of a roleplay without a single word... vanish, leaving behind that distinct flushing sound of the thread/storyline going down the tubes. I hate not finishing what I start. And I'm very pet-peeved when the character(s) I'm trying to develop have their "lives" cut short, one more bit of history left hanging.

This! So much! Yes! Take all my likes! *Press like like like like!*

 

[Imbroglio]

I got one. A small offense, but a pet peeve all the same!

When you're playing with someone, and they begin using really odd verbiage.
Suddenly you realize they are clearly writing from a thesaurus as the sentences become something to the affect of: She navigated the stairs and maneuvered down the rotunda before halting to gander at the fenestration.

 

[Noctis the Devious]

Horrible GM. I swear a lot of games die because the GM doesn't know how to run their game. I am by no means perfect, considering I tore a character skeleton apart in a considerably strict manner (how do you even go about telling someone they need to fix their character nicely?). But at least I have an idea on how to tell the story with put leaving anyone behind.

Two play styles I particularly despise:

The hands off approach, which can be interesting when done right, but if people are dropping the roleplay because you're not dropping hints as to what the remaining cast should do while you create a plot targeting a small portion of your players, chances are you need to change up your style. Seriously, nothing is more frustrating than a GM who expects their players to throw in characters and interact without direction while the rest get to do a thing. You should at least have an idea on where the character interaction is leading to.

And the second is the GM who micromanages their roleplay down to the last detail. They have everything planned from plot to character roles to what you can and cannot do and end up suffocating their players and their muses. They may even sell their character as the main character and expects their character to be the focus of everyone's attention. At this point this isn't a roleplay, its a cleverly disguised novel collaboration.

 

[Izurich]

I got one. A small offense, but a pet peeve all the same!

When you're playing with someone, and they begin using really odd verbiage.
Suddenly you realize they are clearly writing from a thesaurus as the sentences become something to the affect of: She navigated the stairs and maneuvered down the rotunda before halting to gander at the fenestration.

*Raises hands* I'm guilty! Being a 2nd English speaker, Thesaurus means everything to me.

 

[Imbroglio]

*Raises hands* I'm guilty! Being a 2nd English speaker, Thesaurus means everything to me.

Then you are exempt from the florid language-o' meter ;D

 

[Roose Hurro]

And the second is the GM who micromanages their roleplay down to the last detail. They have everything planned from plot to character roles to what you can and cannot do and end up suffocating their players and their muses.

Oooo... the first roleplay I participated in here had that problem, a GM who wanted to "bunny" everyone's character (I don't like people controlling my characters... they're mine, not yours). Killed the whole storyline dead as the proverbial door-nail. I even had to cut out a quarter (or more) of one post, because the GM wanted to tell my character what to do. Again. (Though it was actually another player who reminded me.)

Yeah... when I have my character licking the slime off, don't tell me he licked it all off. Not when I had no intention of having him finish the job. Especially considering said character happened to possess shoulder quills, and therefore would most likely lose an eye (or two) if he tried.

 

[redblood]

I've developed a new rp pet peeve today o_o

People who write plots and then comes a list of pairings. Pairings are not plots D: They are pairings! It doesn't say anything about the plot other than it is about someone with this occupation (ex. Nurse) or someone that is this (ex. vampire). Just no. Do not call that plots. \(>_<)/

 

[razorrabbit]

It really annoys me when someone I'm rping with derails the rp simply because they didn't like how my character reacted to a situation a small situation. I've actually had someone reply to a response with me with confused emoticons and a 'read it again I don't think you got the joke' when my character would simply ignore something like what they had written. I also really really hate it when someone brushes over any ideas I have to spot light hog for themselves its even worse when its in split style because there is zero reason for it, I'm still surprised that an idea I came up with was not responded with a 'You know I don't think that'll work' or a 'It could use some tweaking to fit it better' but instead with a 'I rescue x from y then go continue to make out with z.' I mean really if you didn't like the idea you could of spoken up so long as you aren't a jerk about it I really don't mind criticism heck I encourage it! I think my biggest one is though when its clear that the person I'm rping with refuse to communicate at all from not sharing ideas and expecting me to go along magically knowing what they want when they jump all over the place to coming up with very obvious fake reasons not to talk to me because they think I insulted them. If you think I crossed a line while speaking to you I'd rather you speak up about it so I can learn from that since I do try to be a flexible partner. I get not everyone wants to chit chat with their rp partners but I at least think there should be talking about plot and ideas and characters if you get any ideas for the rp in question.

 

[Brovo]

I've got another one: A total lack of communication.

Look, I get it. You can be nervous, you can be shy, you can be busy, you can even be angry, but how am I supposed to know how you're feeling or what you're thinking over the medium of text? I'm never gonna see your face, I'm never gonna hear the tone of your voice. It doesn't matter how long I've been GMing, I'm not going to suddenly develop psychic powers to discern how someone is feeling, or what someone wants. People have to communicate that to me. Are posting periods too long? Is the plot not doing what you wanted? Confused on how to post next? Angry at another player in the same RP? Don't know how to develop your character? Want to develop your character with another? Want to roll up a new character or change your current character? Do you want a pet doge?

How can I know any of these things without communication? Simply spitting in my face and quitting without even so much as giving me the chance to try and resolve whatever dispute one might have really isn't fair. Now some players, they just get bored of the story and they leave. That's fine, no amount of changing stuff is going to prevent that, and I wish them fun on their future endeavours. I'm not talking about those people, though. I'm talking about the people who typically have easily resolved grievances that they let boil underneath the surface until they explode and turn what should have been a series of simple solutions into a nightmarish cacophony of verbal abuse and rage quitting.

At the end of the day, I can change a lot of things. I can change features, I can change elements of the story, I can change the direction the NPC's are taking, I can change the difficulty. I cannot change how someone feels. A lack of communication is to role playing what cyanide is to the human body.

And every time it happens, I feel frustrated by it. At least momentarily.

 

[Izurich]

Do you want a pet doge?

Such advice, much wisdom, wow!

On a serious note, Brovo, I didn't mean the above phrase to be sarcastic (which 'Doge phrases' usually are), I am genuinely agreeing with it! :D

 

[Nemaisare]

I really don't like when a character's personality is written more from the point of view of everyone else than it is just plain telling you how a character acts. It's not that I mind the occasional suggestion that this is how the writer would like your character to perceive theirs, so much as I'd rather not be told that's how everyone has to see them. I much prefer learning about the character's actual inner workings.

 

[Brovo]

I really don't like when a character's personality is written more from the point of view of everyone else than it is just plain telling you how a character acts. It's not that I mind the occasional suggestion that this is how the writer would like your character to perceive theirs, so much as I'd rather not be told that's how everyone has to see them. I much prefer learning about the character's actual inner workings.

I don't like character personality fields at all. Period. Either they have extremely vague terms that could be easily discerned from the very first post in the IC, or they lock a person down to playing a character they may not know how to play at all. Assuming, of course, that the personality field isn't simply tossed away when the first IC posts come rolling around. I've seen people break plots because the "personality of their character would compel them to do it." Like recently, a friend of mine was in a 1x1 where his character held the key to saving all of humanity, but his partner forced themselves into a blank, unchanging, tsundere mindset, and they just walked away unimpressed by the ability to save all of mankind. Like, wot? Why would you break the entire story with a sickening crack just to prevent your character from acting out of their nature? If you're in a situation that isn't normal to begin with, wouldn't it be normal for them to change to adjust to the new situation? At which point, their old personality field is rendered totally useless because if the character grows at all they'll end up having to change or disregard those traits they once assigned themselves?

A biography is immediately more useful, as a biography is a melding of personality and history. You can use it to gauge a person's comprehension of English, if nothing else. It also immediately tells you why they are who they are to begin with. Like a guy with a lot of secrets about his past probably doesn't like talking about himself much to begin with.

 

[Nemaisare]

I don't like character personality fields at all. Period. Either they have extremely vague terms that could be easily discerned from the very first post in the IC, or they lock a person down to playing a character they may not know how to play at all. Assuming, of course, that the personality field isn't simply tossed away when the first IC posts come rolling around. I've seen people break plots because the "personality of their character would compel them to do it." Like recently, a friend of mine was in a 1x1 where his character held the key to saving all of humanity, but his partner forced themselves into a blank, unchanging, tsundere mindset, and they just walked away unimpressed by the ability to save all of mankind. Like, wot? Why would you break the entire story with a sickening crack just to prevent your character from acting out of their nature? If you're in a situation that isn't normal to begin with, wouldn't it be normal for them to change to adjust to the new situation? At which point, their old personality field is rendered totally useless because if the character grows at all they'll end up having to change or disregard those traits they once assigned themselves?

A biography is immediately more useful, as a biography is a melding of personality and history. You can use it to gauge a person's comprehension of English, if nothing else. It also immediately tells you why they are who they are to begin with. Like a guy with a lot of secrets about his past probably doesn't like talking about himself much to begin with.

Considering I've just spent the last week on another site going over a problem in the exact opposite direction, where people were telling someone else that their character wouldn't be in character if they acted a certain way in a very specific situation where it would be hard to predict anyone's response, simply because the overall personality on that character's sheet didn't mesh, I should be agreeing with you. But really, someone can still say it's against the character's personality to act that way, whether or not they've got the personality explicitly written down.

I certainly don't think that a character sheet personality should be the end all be all of the character's character, nor that it should exclude character development during play, or ignore extenuating circumstances, and definitely not be used when it just breaks the whole story, but I do still like to see it written out. Not always, it isn't necessary, sheets in general aren't really necessary, but provided it's not going to be disregarded come first IC post, it can be useful for others to know quick generalisations, especially if their character should already know something about that character.

Not everyone is good at picking those out from biographies, especially if those are as short as most personality sections... >.> But it probably just comes out to matter of opinion. I like seeing that the writer of the character understands the basics of the personality they've created in the history. Or that they understand the way the personality might have shaped the history. I've never seen them as supposed to lock that character into specifics, just that they should give a general overview with a few examples and some traits that might be of interest to people trying to come up with plot ideas. In a group rp, that dynamic probably comes out IC, but on a larger forum rp, I find it mostly helpful. Usually.