Viewpoint Unpopular roleplay opinions?

[rae2nerdy]

Zipper Man yeah I think that is just a matter of trial and error/experience.

It’s because the more traditional media is a passive experience that involves the reader/watcher only seeing the finished product not the creative process.

So it’s easy for people to not realize that the finished product took months to years to create. Usually with a lot of planning and editing involved to get it to fit a desired narrative.

Like with books you are not reading the first draft, or likely even the second draft. Your reading the draft that has gone through editors, possibly beta readers, I think the publisher, etc.

With TV/Movies your seeing the finished product after it’s been edited for time and cohesion, possibly after reshoots if something didn’t work the first go round.

 

[Gowi]

Immersion is better than toothless escapism.

 

[just_patches]

imo, RP set in a completely normal setting with no magic, supernatural, or science fiction, set in our world with no changes, are super boring.

 

[ashwynne]

imo, RP set in a completely normal setting with no magic, supernatural, or science fiction, set in our world with no changes, are super boring.

Haha, I felt this one deep in my soul XD I live in the real world, I don’t want to write in it too lol.

 

[silvercharizard]

Haha, I felt this one deep in my soul XD I live in the real world, I don’t want to write in it too lol.

I felt it too lol. Or those people that have to have a fandom roleplay exactly as it is in the game/show/book. If I wanted that experience I'd just go play the game or read the book lol.

 

[Crayons]

imo, RP set in a completely normal setting with no magic, supernatural, or science fiction, set in our world with no changes, are super boring.

I generally agree! Modern realistic is just going outside. XD However if there's a good enough concept then I could be down for it. Like there was one I applied for about students from a rival classical music school and popular music school having to form a band together and that seemed like a great hook.

 

[just_patches]

I generally agree! Modern realistic is just going outside. XD However if there's a good enough concept then I could be down for it. Like there was one I applied for about students from a rival classical music school and popular music school having to form a band together and that seemed like a great hook.

I can see that honestly
If a story pushes the plausibility of things without it being too outrageous can be good... Hard to put I mean into words.
Like if it's a completely grounded in modern day reality but has stuff that would be unlikely but still possible. Like making a character who is a 6 foot 5 engineer muscle chick. Still possible, just not something you are likely to see.

 

[Wert]

I actually dislike having a set standard for posts. I apply them in roleplays, and understand why others also apply them, but it still bugs me a bit. Mostly because not every situation characters go through will need three+ paragraphs of description and dialogue, and I end up having to really stretch some descriptions out just to reach the standard. Or adding something to it that wouldn't really make sense. Also, inspiration fluctuation sucks, and sometimes my writing comes out fairly decent even after fluffing the post, but other times it looks like a cheap mess after hours of writing. I like having the freedom to write with someone without having to worry about setting a standard, some post's will be massive and others will be minor descriptions with multiple lines of dialogue. I currently only have one writing partner that doesn't set standards with me and I love it. If either of us feel that a post is way too small, we just apologize and move on with it.
People who do novela type role-play posts, I respect you, but it's not what I find enjoyable.

 

[Idea]

I actually dislike having a set standard for posts. I apply them in roleplays, and understand why others also apply them, but it still bugs me a bit. Mostly because not every situation characters go through will need three+ paragraphs of description and dialogue, and I end up having to really stretch some descriptions out just to reach the standard. Or adding something to it that wouldn't really make sense. Also, inspiration fluctuation sucks, and sometimes my writing comes out fairly decent even after fluffing the post, but other times it looks like a cheap mess after hours of writing. I like having the freedom to write with someone without having to worry about setting a standard, some post's will be massive and others will be minor descriptions with multiple lines of dialogue. I currently only have one writing partner that doesn't set standards with me and I love it. If either of us feel that a post is way too small, we just apologize and move on with it.

Breaking News: This ain't an unpopular opinion. In fact the opposite opinion is almost non-existent.

 

[Wert]

Breaking News: This ain't an unpopular opinion. In fact the opposite opinion is almost non-existent.

That's good to know.

 

[rae2nerdy]

I would say with realistic it depends on if it mirrors your actual lived experience or not. Like if I made a realistic roleplay about being a princess going to art school that would actually be kind of fun because it doesn’t remotely mirror my lived experience.

Or if I made a realistic roleplay about winning the lottery and becoming a famous actress. Also realistic but doesn’t remotely mirror my lived experience.

As a general aside on this site modern/realistic just means set in the real world. It covers historical roleplays, roleplays with superheroes, roleplays with alternate time lines where every country is a monarchy, or even magical roleplays with magical beings.

As long as it is set in the real world it’s realistic.

Alternatively fantasy does not require magic. It just means the setting is made up.

 

[Yunalescaa]

Just because this has happened recently...

Dont RP with someone just because they have one thing in common with you but you hate the rest. Someone messaged me like “I’m not compatible with you as a role player and (insert some more backhanded compliments here that are actually insults) but you’re the only person willing to RP this one thing so I guess I’ll reach out.” If I see someone who isn’t compatible with me I just don’t message them. What was the point of that message?

 

[BackSet]

Here's an opinion. Roleplays using discord for any part of them suck and shouldn't be a thing. Because I don't and probably never will use discord and always feel abandoned and left out when the ooc uses discord. It's not a nice feeling.

 

[Yunalescaa]

BackSet

I use Discord only because it’s on my phone so I can check whenever. I don’t really use this site on mobile. But discord’s character limit is super frustrating and you often have to break up replies really awkwardly so it’ll fit.

 

[Cassie Lang]

BackSet

I use Discord only because it’s on my phone so I can check whenever. I don’t really use this site on mobile. But discord’s character limit is super frustrating and you often have to break up replies really awkwardly so it’ll fit.

People are usually online more on Discord than on the site, too. Easier to @ mention people and get a response on the fly instead of waiting for a reply back

 

[Kylesar1]

Long Character Sheets are unnecessary and, in group RPs with a lot of action (specifically fantasy and sci-fi), it can invite HEAVY meta-gaming as everyone knows your character and what they can do, so they counter it with a character with a magic type that's effective against it. Besides that though, I don't think I've ever strictly stuck to the CS I've made. It get more restrictive the longer and more detailed your CS has to be. The only thing I strictly stick to are the magic and technology my character has.

A CS can discourage growth in an RP. If you set your character with armor and equipment and magic, they may be stuck with that the whole RP instead of changing as they go. This means a player may have their character with the best sword they can get at the moment and never change their weapon

If you GM an RP with things like magic or scifi technology, I would recommend getting your players to send the CS to you in PMs to prevent meta-gaming. I can't tell you how many times I've GMed an RP and see some sly alterations with some people's CS's. When I accept people's CS's I quote them, so if I suspect some unauthorized changes (usually because a player's character is doing some OP magic that wasn't discussed), I compare their CS with the one I quoted. If I notice some magic differences as well as a recent edit date, I've caught my cheater. I've booted plenty of players from my RPs for this reason. It's a slimy form of god-modding. Same with equipment. If I notice that your character suddenly has stuff he didn't have before that he never acquired in the RP that he's now using in battle, it's a slimy form of god-modding. I've booted players for this if they want to lie about it if I catch it

You're in a world. Just buy the items you feel your character will need in the future. Don't pull a god's hand an make that shit just appear ready to be used.


In my RPs I don't require a personality, backstory, or anything like that in the CS because it takes away the discovery of the character from the player. It forces them to know this entire character before they even start the RP. If the character doesn't fit the vibe of the RP going on, tough. They're stuck using a character they don't feel comfortable with.

 

[Jannah]

Unpopular? Hmm...the only one I can think of right now is not having romance as a requirement in 1x1. I love the platonic stuff too.

Edit: Okay, I lied. There's more:
-I don't care if my partners ditch without warning. People have lives, I get it. Plus I'm mentally ill so am not always reliable myself.
-I prefer not to use FC's and character sheets as RP is about writing. Characters should be revealed through the story itself.

 

[PopcornPie]

Oooh, I'm taking these to heart. I just assumed that CS threads were required.

Also I don't mind one-liners and short replies. As long as they're legible, I'm okay.

 

[Redfork2000]

Here's a few of my own:

-I don't like age limits. I understand why some people use them, but still, i personally wouldn't ever add an age restriction to my interest check (If i had one!). Though that might be connected to how I usually keep my RPs PG rated myself. But if it's about how mature the user is, I'd rather just ask for a mature roleplay partner instead, no age limits whatsoever.

-I agree to the post length requirement thoughts as well. I personally am not a fan of "must write X number of paragraphs per post", specially when they're higher numbers, like say, 6-8 paragraphs er post as a minimum. I know this ties into each roleplayer's writing style, but sometimes I've seen an interest check that really catches my attention, but then they drop the high post length requirement and it's all over. I see a 1 or 2 paragraph requirement as a reasonable rule, but 6-8 paragraphs as a minimum isn't something I can feel comfortable with.

-Dark themes being obligatory. I'm a person who can get uncomfortable pretty quick with dark themes. I prefer lighthearted roleplays. Dark roleplays just aren't my cup of tea, and I really don't get the appeal. I won't criticize anyone for their tastes, but I just can't roleplay with someone who considers dark themes a must.

-Faceclaims! I really don't like using faceclaims! Many times I've seen a roleplay I'd really like to join, but I leave as soon as I realize a faceclaim is obligatory. Simply put, I don't feel comfortable using images for my characters. Not only for the artist's rights, but also because I feel it like just an unnecessary step that really doesn't add anything to the roleplay in my opinion. I prefer writing my character's appearance if needed, but I mostly prefer to just imagine in my head what the characters look like. I usually tell my roleplay partners that I'd prefer skipping faceclaims when I make character sheets with them. The good thing is that this doesn't seem to bother most of the people I roleplay with.

-Coding. I really don't have anything against making your post more appealing to the eye. What I really don't appreciate is when the coding makes the text harder to read. Many times I look at an interest check, and then leave immediately because the text is too hard to read. I prefer simple text, but any changes that don't make the text hard to read are welcome. Now, one thing is hard to read coding, but some go the extra level and demand you use coding for their group roleplays. It happened once to me. I was super excited about joining a group roleplay that I was very interested in. Then the GM created the CS thread, and said it was obligatory to make a coded character sheet. I tried to reason with them, and see if they'd allow me to use just normal text, but they insisted it was obligatory. I had never left a roleplay quite as disappointed, specially because the concept and the setting really interested me. And I only think to myself if other users have experimented similar problems before when joining a group roleplay.

 

[Jannah]

-Coding. I really don't have anything against making your post more appealing to the eye. What I really don't appreciate is when the coding makes the text harder to read. Many times I look at an interest check, and then leave immediately because the text is too hard to read. I prefer simple text, but any changes that don't make the text hard to read are welcome. Now, one thing is hard to read coding, but some go the extra level and demand you use coding for their group roleplays. It happened once to me. I was super excited about joining a group roleplay that I was very interested in. Then the GM created the CS thread, and said it was obligatory to make a coded character sheet. I tried to reason with them, and see if they'd allow me to use just normal text, but they insisted it was obligatory. I had never left a roleplay quite as disappointed, specially because the concept and the setting really interested me. And I only think to myself if other users have experimented similar problems before when joining a group roleplay.

Not using complex coding is just a courtesy thing too I think. I check in on this site from my phone a lot and there's been times when I could not even read an interest check thread due to the coding not being compatible with mobile. I have likely missed out on some good RP's that way.

 

[The River]

Age is not the same as maturity.
Some of the most immature people I've ever met where 25+.
And I've met some perfectly mature teenagers in my time.

I think it applies on a case by case base. I absolutely hate the who biting the lip thing or people that just go rogue from the planned roleplay.



I have ran across some real immature people here.

 

[peritwinkle]

-I prefer not to use FC's and character sheets as RP is about writing. Characters should be revealed through the story itself.

This. This. Yell it louder. Please and thank you.

 

[peritwinkle]

To add to what Jannah said earlier about CS - characters should be revealed progressively, as the story unfolds. I don’t want to read a list of traits and flaws that I will most likely forget by the second reply. I want to discover the character throughout the RP and decide for myself what they truly are like.

For me there’s almost no interest if I know everything about a character from the beginning and, frankly, I don’t know much about mine either when I start. I learn more about them, gradually, as well, and I love that.

 

[Jannah]

To add to what Jannah said earlier about CS - characters should be revealed progressively, as the story unfolds. I don’t want to read a list of traits and flaws that I will most likely forget by the second reply. I want to discover the character throughout the RP and decide for myself what they truly are like.

For me there’s almost no interest if I know everything about a character from the beginning and, frankly, I don’t know much about mine either when I start. I learn more about them, gradually, as well, and I love that.

This is pretty much how I feel. I like the surprise of learning something new about the character that I didn't know before. Plus when I write out the bios of my characters beforehand I feel more confined in how I portray them since I would feel awkward deviating from what is in the sheet at all. Plus people react a specific way based on the circumstances they're in. I can't expect to know how my character would react to specific scenario before it even occurs.

 

[BakaTheIdiot]

Tiny fonts are a menace to society. You're already giving me a great deal of fantastic detail mixed with an essay's length of writing. For the love of God, please stop making me strain my eyes to figure out what you're even saying, and if you ARE using tiny fonts, then stop expecting same day responses!!!

I know it sounds like I'm ranting, I've just had so many unpleasant experiences with tiny font RPs that it has become a bit of a pet peeve.