Viewpoint Unpopular roleplay opinions?

[Epiphany]

Every pet peeve I have, unpopular or otherwise, can be inferred from the following flowchart.

What it says about me as a person, that I have a flowchart, I won't presume to know.

 

[SP3CT3R]

What it says about me as a person, that I have a flowchart, I won't presume to know.

...That you're living in 3050 while the rest of us are stuck in 2020?

 

[Epiphany]

Spoiler: When you put it that way...

 

[defenderofberk]

Constantly setting stories in America is pretty boring actually. Even if you only want to play Americans, can't they ever leave the country and experience something new? Why do all foreign characters have to come to you, we don't all think America is that great you know.

Also it does mean that every non American has to try and pick up on American culture in order to do any sort of realistic role play. Look, if you don't want to do any research that's fine, but you're basically saying everyone who role plays with you needs to be able to pretend they're American to fit into your narrative (and thus have to do research on their end). Why not try to accommodate some one else's country, like Germany or Russia? Sure it might not be perfect, in fact it might be laughable, but isn't the point of role playing to have fun? Being some great big Russian man who wrestles bears and tanks a litre of vodka for breakfast could actually be really fun if you both decide to have a bit of a laugh with it.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Constantly setting stories in America is pretty boring actually. Even if you only want to play Americans, can't they ever leave the country and experience something new? Why do all foreign characters have to come to you, we don't all think America is that great you know.

Also it does mean that every non American has to try and pick up on American culture in order to do any sort of realistic role play. Look, if you don't want to do any research that's fine, but you're basically saying everyone who role plays with you needs to be able to pretend they're American to fit into your narrative (and thus have to do research on their end). Why not try to accommodate some one else's country, like Germany or Russia? Sure it might not be perfect, in fact it might be laughable, but isn't the point of role playing to have fun? Being some great big Russian man who wrestles bears and tanks a litre of vodka for breakfast could actually be really fun if you both decide to have a bit of a laugh with it.

Honestly this sounds like you need to find better partners. If they aren’t letting you pick the setting or ethnicity than that is indicative of a much bigger issue than “everything America”. As this reads to me that you partners are all railroading you and not letting you contribute to the roleplay. Which just means you need to find less asshole partners.

Personally I run into the opposite problem. People who refuse to contribute to anything then get pissy when they magically don’t get exactly what they want.

Like in my own opinion (general) you don’t have to contribute to the plot. I know a lot of people insist on this but I’m fine doing the work on the back end. What chaps my hide is (general) you can’t have it both ways.

If I am doing all the work than you can’t turn around and act mad cuz your ideas aren’t heard. Cuz guess what if you don’t tell me the idea I can’t add it in.

Same reason I hate surprise plots. It’s the same problem. If you don’t warn me of something I can’t set it up, so don’t get mad if the subplot you never told me about doesn’t happen cuz I didn’t set it up.

 

[defenderofberk]

Honestly this sounds like you need to find better partners. If they aren’t letting you pick the setting or ethnicity than that is indicative of a much bigger issue than “everything America”. As this reads to me that you partners are all railroading you and not letting you contribute to the roleplay. Which just means you need to find less asshole partners.

Personally I run into the opposite problem. People who refuse to contribute to anything then get pissy when they magically don’t get exactly what they want.

Like in my own opinion (general) you don’t have to contribute to the plot. I know a lot of people insist on this but I’m fine doing the work on the back end. What chaps my hide is (general) you can’t have it both ways.

If I am doing all the work than you can’t turn around and act mad cuz your ideas aren’t heard. Cuz guess what if you don’t tell me the idea I can’t add it in.

Same reason I hate surprise plots. It’s the same problem. If you don’t warn me of something I can’t set it up, so don’t get mad if the subplot you never told me about doesn’t happen cuz I didn’t set it up.

It's less to do with them railroading everything as they'll let me contribute (in fact I'm usually the one that has to make the plot) but more the instant assumption that of course it'd be set in America. Like you've previously said you dislike worlds where everyone is instantly presumed to be straight.

 

[rae2nerdy]

It's less to do with them railroading everything as they'll let me contribute (in fact I'm usually the one that has to make the plot) but more the instant assumption that of course it'd be set in America. Like you've previously said you dislike worlds where everyone is instantly presumed to be straight.

I mean I also just tell people that they aren’t though. I don’t care if you start out assuming everyone is straight as long as your willing to add in non-straight characters.

Which is what I meant. If you can’t alter the setting to allow for non-Americans than they’re railroading you. It doesn’t matter what preconceptions they have. It matters that they insist on those preconceptions being canon (for lack of a better word).

 

[defenderofberk]

I mean I also just tell people that they aren’t though. I don’t care if you start out assuming everyone is straight as long as your willing to add in non-straight characters.

Which is what I meant. If you can’t alter the setting to allow for non-Americans than they’re railroading you. It doesn’t matter what preconceptions they have. It matters that they insist on those preconceptions being canon (for lack of a better word).

No, that was I was kicking off about. Many people would be fine with bringing another character in from abroad as long as they had to adapt to the American way. It's like if someone said "we can have gay characters as long as they act straight".

 

[Peryton]

My unpopular opinion is that sometimes people try too hard to make their characters interesting. In almost every case, I'd rather interact with a character who's more "average joe" and less "tortured past with deep and hidden special powers". Also, if a sentence can be written simply, then write it simply. You can show your skill as a roleplayer with effective writing rather than pretty writing. If your post is full of big words and descriptive language but does nothing to move the scene forward or contribute to any sort of development, it's not a good post.

 

[Crayons]

Every pet peeve I have, unpopular or otherwise, can be inferred from the following flowchart.

What it says about me as a person, that I have a flowchart, I won't presume to know.

Omg I'm in love with your flowchart. XD

 

[rae2nerdy]

No, that was I was kicking off about. Many people would be fine with bringing another character in from abroad as long as they had to adapt to the American way. It's like if someone said "we can have gay characters as long as they act straight".

I had someone say literally that exact thing to me once. “You can have gay characters but only if they act either straight or asexual.”

That’s not an American problem though, that’s an asshole problem. It’s like if I said all British people are bigots who hate gay characters. Because I have roleplayed with British people in the past who went on angry tangents about homosexuality.

 

[defenderofberk]

I had someone say literally that exact thing to me once. “You can have gay characters but only if they act either straight or asexual.”

That’s not an American problem though, that’s an asshole problem. It’s like if I said all British people are bigots who hate gay characters. Because I have roleplayed with British people in the past who went on angry tangents about homosexuality.

Honestly we don't care what you are as long as you don't hate Britain and act politely.

I just dislike how everything is American centric, frankly you're not the centre of the universe you know. I mean you've only emerged as a world power in the last few hundred years, there's a whole world history out there to explore but it's just "wild west" or "American College". The closest we get to anything else is Ancient world or medieval, but that's only because America as we know it hadn't been founded yet.

 

[Grey]

Empire is a hell of a drug.

 

[welian]

Epiphany I see you put my entire DMing career into a single flowchart.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Honestly we don't care what you are as long as you don't hate Britain and act politely.

I just dislike how everything is American centric, frankly you're not the centre of the universe you know. I mean you've only emerged as a world power in the last few hundred years, there's a whole world history out there to explore but it's just "wild west" or "American College". The closest we get to anything else is Ancient world or medieval, but that's only because America as we know it hadn't been founded yet.

Heartily disagree. I think British people are every bit as bigoted as people anywhere else. And they sure as hell aren't polite about saying so. The person I'm thinking of specifically flat out said that they only looked at the world from a white middle class perspective so anything outside of that was just lies. Very much "I don't see color so therefore I'm not racist." While simultaneously complaining about black people pushing for better representation and rights. Like okay, Karen if you can't see how what you just said is intolerant bullshit I quite literally don't know what to tell you.

Come to think of it she also acted like Britain was literally the center of the universe as well. Like everything Britain did was correct, anything anyone else did was wrong or weird or whatever.

So like I said this isn't an America specific problem. You have people who act exactly the same way in your neck of the woods. And they are toxic assholes same as whoever you happened to be roleplaying with.

 

[BackSet]

Heartily disagree. I think British people are every bit as bigoted as people anywhere else. And they sure as hell aren't polite about saying so. The person I'm thinking of specifically flat out said that they only looked at the world from a white middle class perspective so anything outside of that was just lies. Very much "I don't see color so therefore I'm not racist." While simultaneously complaining about black people pushing for better representation and rights. Like okay, Karen if you can't see how what you just said is intolerant bullshit I quite literally don't know what to tell you.

Come to think of it she also acted like Britain was literally the center of the universe as well. Like everything Britain did was correct, anything anyone else did was wrong or weird or whatever.

So like I said this isn't an America specific problem. You have people who act exactly the same way in your neck of the woods. And they are toxic assholes same as whoever you happened to be roleplaying with.

Also the post you were quoting was a good example of brits not being polite.

 

[Grey]

[eats popcorn in Irish]

 

[defenderofberk]

Heartily disagree. I think British people are every bit as bigoted as people anywhere else. And they sure as hell aren't polite about saying so. The person I'm thinking of specifically flat out said that they only looked at the world from a white middle class perspective so anything outside of that was just lies. Very much "I don't see color so therefore I'm not racist." While simultaneously complaining about black people pushing for better representation and rights. Like okay, Karen if you can't see how what you just said is intolerant bullshit I quite literally don't know what to tell you.

Come to think of it she also acted like Britain was literally the center of the universe as well. Like everything Britain did was correct, anything anyone else did was wrong or weird or whatever.

So like I said this isn't an America specific problem. You have people who act exactly the same way in your neck of the woods. And they are toxic assholes same as whoever you happened to be roleplaying with.

We're really not, I mean we're all basically the most tolerant people outside Sweden. We just dislike three things:
People taking the piss
People who can't be polite
People who can't have a discussion

We're a very "you live your life and I'll live mine and we'll all enjoy British culture together" sort of people. We just get annoyed when people hate Britian but stay for the economy (not that it's doing well or anything). Like you're not forced to stay here if you're miserable. Have a pint, have a cup of tea, wave a union jack and let's all get along. I mean of course you get exceptions but as a society we're so easy going you'd believe weed was legal.

While I don't agree that Britian is the centre of the world, we actually have a better claim to fame to that than the Americans, but that's not the point. It's not just "toxic assholes" that fall into this trap. Have you (and your peers) ever considered life outside of the American perspective? I actually enjoy reading blogs of foriegn people saying "well I'm Ugandan and I love my country and this is why" because it's something new. Sure it's not my culture and never will be but if someone else is taking enjoyment from it, great and maybe we can learn from each other. I wouldn't want the entire world to adapt to British Culture but the American attitude seems to be "well the world should adapt to some interpretation of American culture and only then will I interact with other cultures". The world should be full of American Asians, American Muslims, African Americans, European Americans and Latino Americans, which seems to be the American view of diversity. This isn't just you, it's pretty much every American I've come across, because they seem to view any culture that hasn't been adapted to them as so Alien it might as well be from Mars.

 

[Grey]

 

[BackSet]

[eats popcorn in Irish]

Can I have some of that. I've said my piece and therefor am bowing out.

 

[BackSet]

Though, just for the sake of it since we're talking Britain, your biscuits suck and ours are better. Goodnight.

 

[defenderofberk]

Though, just for the sake of it since we're talking Britain, your biscuits suck and ours are better. Goodnight.

Our biscuits are awesome, you're just meant to eat them with a nice pot of english tea.

 

[BackSet]

Our biscuits are awesome, you're just meant to eat them with a nice pot of english tea.

It's a frikken piece of shortbread!

Shortbread cookies are decent but we don't go out of our way to differentiate them from other foods.

Also I don't like tea. Sue me.

 

[Grey]

I thought US biscuits were savoury scones, and on this side of the pond we used biscuits to refer to what yanks call cookies.

Also the tansplaining is getting out of hand.

 

[rae2nerdy]

[eats popcorn in Irish]

lol. That actually brings up another unpopular opinion. That you can’t roleplay outside of your own ethnicity without it being stereotype city.

I think it’s hard, especially if you don’t bother to do any research. But I have found actually talking to people from wherever helps.

Plus it’s always fun to see how people see themselves versus how the rest of the world sees them.