Science Reality in your role plays?

Erreul

New Member
How many people prefer realistic grounding in their role plays over fantastical explanations? Does it change on how you feel, maybe you like both in the same?
 
Well, it depends on what you mean by fantastical explanations. I love fantasy to the point that I dislike RPing non-fantasy, but I also really hate it when people write something ridiculous/incredibly unrealistic and then handwave it away as “”magic””. Even magic needs to be consistent and well-grounded. It drives me up a wall when anything - be it books, movies, TV shows, or RPs - have inconsistent rules within their own world.
 
I have to agree with PhoenixMire PhoenixMire at least as far as the "it depends" part goes. The level of realism depends on the kind of roleplay I am playing, be it tone, genre and also depending on what exactly we are talking about. For instance, in most IC situations I would be a little annoyed if your normal human character somehow reached the top of a building faster than someone could jump, but when it comes to superpowers I will instead be pissed if someone tries nitpicking every little attempt at creating some justification.

Generally speaking though, realism is always better except in three scenarios:
1. When it detracts from the tone- AKA if your character for a more light-hearted RP is packed full of overly complicated IRL scenarios and complications that just ruin the mood or lead to you being upset if someone makes light of them in any way shape or form.
2. When it misses the spirit of a character, plot or any other narrative element- Tropes, misrepresentations and other such things get a bad rep, but often they can be done in a way that enhances the story/character rather than detract from it. Sometimes even certain unrealistic elements are brought in for obvious narrative reasons. In those cases, adding realism will probably break the story or character.
3. When it only serves to nitpick- If there isn't anything of substance to be gained by the roleplayers as a whole, nitpicking is just a d*ck move (unless you're the GM of the roleplay, in which case it's part of the job description)

That said, while in those situations realism makes the situation worse, whereas in most it makes them better, realism is not needed. Internal consistency, whether it be a fantastical or realistic, is what matters most.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top