Idea
The Pun Tyrant
I have never done doubling, nor would I want to. It's not as though I have anything against playing multiple characters though, in fact one of the things I typically ask my partners is that they also be able to roleplay multiple characters so I'm not having to run the whole world myself. Rather my problem with doubling is that I just don't see how it could possibly work.
Assuming there is any necessity for doubling (this is, the partner wouldn't accept the pairing you want if offered without doubling) then I don't think I'm saying anything shocking in declaring what each partner wants is different, and what's more likely an entirely different focus of the roleplay. If the players each have interest in their own character then just having them interact is already giving some satisfaction to that interest, but often doubling (to my understanding) isn't something where the two pairs are simultaneously together, but more akin to takin turns in terms of focus. Here's where the problem in this is: Because each player is there because of one of the sides of these turns, at a psychological level even if they want to try to be a good partner and actively attempt to dedicate a fair amount of time and focus on the pairing that doesn't appeal to them, the one they are there for will inevitably get more love, passion, dedication and effort, simply by nature of one being the thing they want and the other not. In many if not most cases, it would seem to me, one of the pairings in the doubling would be the thing a partner is looking for, and the other pairing is the chore they have to put with, or the thing they need to go through to get to the stuff they actually want.
You could say, in a sense, that playing one pairing is a price to get the other. People actively seek to lower the price, and maximize what they get from it, and by a similar logic one would simply not dedicate themselves as much to the thing seen as a price to pay, which is of course assuming both parties entered things fully in good faith. Now, once the results of this play out, partners would feel their efforts were not translated into rewards because each party is putting their effort into the part of the RP that interests and likely affects the other the least. Everyone gets a subpar experience.
Now I'm sure some of you are thinking "hold up, that can't be right" and honestly I'm inclined to agree. While what I just described is a very long-winded way of explaining something more intuitive than it may seem (and I'm not by far the only one who's noticed it I believe), the fact of the matter is people not only double but I have no doubt many enjoy doing it. The issue above is built into the structure of doubling though, with only the underlying assumption it is at all needed for the creation of those RPs (and if it wasn't, then it would be redundant to have doubling). As such, I am curious about how people who do enjoy doubling overcome the issue I described.
So, how do you do it? Do you have some method to bypass this issue? Do you just learn to accept it as a part of doubling experience, and pay this price for what you see as a greater reward? Or am I totally wrong and you just never actually had this issue?
This post is merely driven by my curiosity, but I would love to hear your thoughts!
Have a great night or day.
Assuming there is any necessity for doubling (this is, the partner wouldn't accept the pairing you want if offered without doubling) then I don't think I'm saying anything shocking in declaring what each partner wants is different, and what's more likely an entirely different focus of the roleplay. If the players each have interest in their own character then just having them interact is already giving some satisfaction to that interest, but often doubling (to my understanding) isn't something where the two pairs are simultaneously together, but more akin to takin turns in terms of focus. Here's where the problem in this is: Because each player is there because of one of the sides of these turns, at a psychological level even if they want to try to be a good partner and actively attempt to dedicate a fair amount of time and focus on the pairing that doesn't appeal to them, the one they are there for will inevitably get more love, passion, dedication and effort, simply by nature of one being the thing they want and the other not. In many if not most cases, it would seem to me, one of the pairings in the doubling would be the thing a partner is looking for, and the other pairing is the chore they have to put with, or the thing they need to go through to get to the stuff they actually want.
You could say, in a sense, that playing one pairing is a price to get the other. People actively seek to lower the price, and maximize what they get from it, and by a similar logic one would simply not dedicate themselves as much to the thing seen as a price to pay, which is of course assuming both parties entered things fully in good faith. Now, once the results of this play out, partners would feel their efforts were not translated into rewards because each party is putting their effort into the part of the RP that interests and likely affects the other the least. Everyone gets a subpar experience.
Now I'm sure some of you are thinking "hold up, that can't be right" and honestly I'm inclined to agree. While what I just described is a very long-winded way of explaining something more intuitive than it may seem (and I'm not by far the only one who's noticed it I believe), the fact of the matter is people not only double but I have no doubt many enjoy doing it. The issue above is built into the structure of doubling though, with only the underlying assumption it is at all needed for the creation of those RPs (and if it wasn't, then it would be redundant to have doubling). As such, I am curious about how people who do enjoy doubling overcome the issue I described.
So, how do you do it? Do you have some method to bypass this issue? Do you just learn to accept it as a part of doubling experience, and pay this price for what you see as a greater reward? Or am I totally wrong and you just never actually had this issue?
This post is merely driven by my curiosity, but I would love to hear your thoughts!
Have a great night or day.