((OOC - Discussion tiems!))

[sharpestscalpel]

((OOC - So, this mirror game is an off-shoot of the very first online RP in which I've been involved. I've done a lot of table-top, some LARP, and some single-player computer-based RPG but using LJ this way kind of fascinates me. And I was thinking about that and thinking about the things that I love and the things that have been driving me crazy and I started to wonder:

What does your ideal online RP look like?

I'm posting this here because I'm interested in the thoughts of other players but also, if anyone wants to speak on it, the thoughts of readers. It's such an interesting performative way of playing and I'm pondering the back-end portion of it, the meta of it, the tendency of myself to forget that other people can read any of this, that sort of thing. Let's assume that all discussion is out of character - if, you know, there actually IS discussion and not just me rambling along in my little corner here.

To me, the best RP is a form of collaborative story telling. It becomes a tapestry of lots of different stories that all touch on and influence each other. I feel like there are some barriers to that in this format (LJ) - but that in other ways this format is ideal for games that result in a collaborative narrative.

And now we've started Twittering and I'm kind of in love with the idea of a game that works across social networking platforms. But the drawback is that then you have to put in the work to make it happen across social networking platforms and readers have a hard time following everything. I used to play a table-top game that involved a lot of websites and internets research, though, and it was phenomenally fascinating. I'm not sure where the trade-off is for that.

Anybody? Bueller?))

Comments

[ephram-green.livejournal.com]

I really like the LiveJournal format for RP, probably better than any other format. You're right about it being collaborative storytelling. Having so many different creative minds all thinking up ideas makes it more dynamic and more enjoyable. I love the meta too.

I think my ideal online RP would be in LJ format, though instead of on a loosely connected friends list, players would post to a community. I like the notion of a central community to keep all the IC stuff in one location. It actually surprised me how this RP works so damn well without us having a comm.

I started out RPing on mIRC, after someone read my Matrix fic and basically recruited me into their game. It let me develop the skill of thinking fast since it was done in real time over a chat format. It also made me a better writer I think, because I was able to really get into the mind of a character. Apparently IRC is "hardcore" RP, so I was pretty proud of myself for being able to hold my own. I moved on to LJ and did some stuff in a community for a while, which is when I decided I prefer that format. I like the written and visual aspects of LJ, and the silliness with polls. I also love the collaborative effort of interacting with other characters. It's very open-ended and unexpected stuff can make the storytelling a lot stronger.

[sharpestscalpel.livejournal.com]

Since the main game was my first online RP experience, I really have no idea how community-based play functions. It sounds interesting though.

[ephram-green.livejournal.com]

It's a lot like this game, except instead of posting to our individual journals, anything that's meant to be "game canon" and in character is posted to the community. The only real difference is it keeps posts all in one location instead of having to search through friends lists. I like both the community style and individual journal style about equally...it might be easier for people who follow the RP to just watch a community but it's not a huge deal to me.