Roll Call - How active are you?

[recoveringgeek]

If you are a Gamemaster, and actively plan or run Role-Play Events, please add a comment. While most of us are here for the Role-Play, how many of us are crafting new stories in addition to passive role-play?

I'm curious to see what the Poll tells us about the size of our mighty but dwindling community. 

[Imazi]

I have a hard time hanging out for RP when I find it hard to keep playing a game. That's where I'm at with SWTOR now. If played more, I would be around for RP more.

However, I log in periodically to check my mail, try to decorate with limited stores, and will occasionally hop into casual RP since none of my characters are really hooked into anything more involved anymore.

[Hawking]

Honestly, not hugely active. Got some vague plotlines in the pipeline, but I'd be lying if I said I had the time and motivation to see them through currently. SWTOR itself hasn't held much interest for me in years for a few reasons (particularly the fact that now I'm playing on 320 ping at a minimum due to where the server is located), and the current state of content essentially being a bunch of weird side-stories hasn't really left a whole lot to work with for RP. As a result, haven't been on much! Looking forward to the next expansion to put some life back into the game.

[Imazi]

I really hope the new content can turn things around. I understand that writers can get burned out and that this may have been a fun concept for Charles to work on, but I don't think the experiment worked. Time to go back to basics.

[Seraphie]

Time, I think, to be bluntly honest.

At the moment I'm in SWTOR for hosting Dancer's Palace and that's it.

I started playing ESO and realised just how bored I was with SWTOR gameplay. And as much as I tried to stretch myself into the story twists, turns, detours and completely off the rails dead ends that Bioware threw at as, I managed, for a while, I have a really high level of voluntary suspension of disbelief, but really, in the end, I got tired of that too. That's most of why I'm only doing rp at the moment.

I still have rp stories I'd like to finish, others I'd like to start, some ideas I think could be interesting for others to get involved in or could be a good backdrop for their rp. Real life has made leading much rp difficult this school year. That's part of why I'm around so little. But more recently, I've become so frustrated and dismayed with some of the behaviour I've witnessed directly and indirectly in the community, how people are treating other people. lack of flexibility in rp, lack of proper, respectful communications out of character, that, at the moment, I'm not even sure I'm sticking around. I spend my days trying to teach pre-teens and teens to play nice. I have little desire to spend my evenings around adults who need the same lesson. We've just lost a strong community leader, very publicly, but there are others we've silently lost because of the same issue. I'm trying to decide if I'm next.

And, just a side note, my comment on behaviour was intended as an explanation of my current status. If anyone wants to talk about said behaviour, please start another thread! It isn't my intention to derail this one with that discussion.

[Orell]

Work's kept me from RPing as much as I'd like, plus other non-MMO's, plus... look, Obsidian just released something, I'm gonna play it!

But I've honestly not been playing the game to, uh, play the game in a while. I still enjoy it when I do, especially when I'm healing an uprising or something, but I don't have the headspace to get into Ops groups, and not doing Ops... kinda leads to a "What's the point of playing?" situation for me.

Still, showing up for the regular events, hopping in if people want to do stuff with one of my chars, stuff like that. Even writing a whole thing!

We hit a drama patch recently, though, no question. And Bioware's handling of the game has been... well, Ziost was the last time I really, truly loved a piece of content, and that was literally 3 years ago. Maybe they can right the ship now that we're through the worst of the Alliance stuff. But I still love the RP, I still love the chars. I do hope people will return over time, shit sometimes gets ugly when different people in different spaces have important conversations... but if it doesn't, well, I'll be among the people to turn off the lights and lock the door. I don't intend on leaving before its done.

[SquigglyV]

I'd like to keep being active, but it feels pointless when I can't find any of the kind of RP that interests me. It seems like nobody is interested or able to help make some either. Heroics and such are nice to do on the side, RP is honestly the only reason for me to play an MMO though, and if it's sporadic at the very best of times then what's the point?

That's all it is for me. Nobody will tell me what's going on with drama so I have no idea about that, and i've just been ignoring all the story developments after Ziost both ICly and OOCly, so those don't play into it for me.

[Dassalya]

I like this game. I like Lana and Theron, seeing Jedi Knights and Sith duke it out, bounty hunters and smugglers being sassy, taking on the bad ("bad"?) guys, and generally being a Big Goddamn Hero. Lemda Avesta was my first same sex romance, and, as a newly outed bisexual, it was fantastic to watch my toon kiss another girl and think "ha ha! That could be me!". This is the game in which I discovered MMO roleplay, and it's been one of the most delightful discoveries of my recent life. It's given me joy, it's given me heartache, and it's given me everything in between. The idea of this game not being around anymore, nor the community and friends it has given me, is a thought that brings me sorrow.

That being said, I'm still doing a lot of learning about myself. One of those things is figuring out how to say "no" and understanding my limits. I would like to facilitate more roleplay events. I have a couple going! I'm just... not great at keeping the momentum up, apparently. You know the quote that goes, "never make promises when you're happy and never make a decision when you're angry"? That's me. I do the happy bit all the time. The wrong happy bit. I feel good and have lots of energy so I put together a bunch of grand ideas and set them in motion. Then I... start to feel less good. Maybe work is getting busier. Maybe anxiety got me on the ropes when I thought I was going in for the KO. Or maybe I just said "yes" to too many fun in-game things and spread myself too thin. (That's the one that really gets me all the time.) So, long story short, I'd like to be a crafter of stories, but I have to be honest with myself and admit it's something I can only occasionally do. I'm not going to be the person who's consistently running events... but I can and am the GM who will have something set up for folks every once in a while.

As for being an RPer... if I could fill my day, every day, with RP, I'd probably do it. But there's that thing about being a responsible member of society and taking care of oneself, you know? Which... see the above paragraph. Is something I'm working on being better at. So I'm around, and often very happy to hop in-game or participate! It's just that sometimes I have to take time for myself, which is why I'm not logged in as often as I used to be.

[Cyone]

Reports of Begeren Colony's (no, we're not calling it Satele Shan ) sickness and demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Seriously, folks, it ain't over 'till it's over, and... it ain't over. Personally I intend on sticking around in some form until it is. We will all know what that looks like, and this is not it. At this point I don't think it's just this latest melodramatic episode hanging over the community nor even the admittedly regrettable state of the game itself, but rather the collective communal anxiety monster that has been created by it all being blown so wildly out of proportion. I've wrestled with an anxiety monster or two in my time—as I'm sure many of us here have—and the thing about them is they only have the power you give them. In the wise words of God A.K.A. Aaron Rodgers (I know, alright, I know, I know, sportsball, ick, ahh, banish them; hang on a sec): R E L A X

Everything is ok. Yes, things are not what they once were. That's how time and change works. Yes, people come and go and come back and go again and so on and so forth. I've seen it before, I've seen it here, I've seen it with some of the people and things that are "gone" from here right now and that's far from a unique observation. I've even been gone "for good this time" once too. In the... *thinks* decade, now, that I have been participating in this RP thing, that has always been how it goes. In any game, at any time. The notion that what we have here is static and concrete and built on irreplaceable pillars is a false one, fostered by the way our human brains are wired. This thing we call a community, like the roleplay it is built for and around, is dynamic and fluid by nature—one big nebulous matrix of people who like things at times connecting with other people who like similar things at the same times. And that is ok.

I suppose what I'm trying to say here, as I've been wanting to say for a while and it seems this thread has unavoidably become a platform for, is I would like to caution everyone, for whatever it's worth coming from yours truly Joe Rando, against sounding the alarm and abandoning ship in a big sweeping exit. Or do that, if that's what you need/want to do. But remember that this too shall pass, and rather than trying to predict the future just be here now, whatever that means for you. I believe that everyone should do what they feel is right, that's all any of us can do, but I urge everyone to take a step back and take a good, clear headed look at things before deciding on what that is.

As for the game itself, it has obviously changed over the years. Some things for the better, some things for the worse, but I think it's hard to argue it's all one or the other and that in the end it doesn't at least even out. Even if you're one who thinks the aforementioned proverbial ship needs righting, I would have a hard time believing anyone who takes an honest look back at "the good old days" and doesn't find at least some stuff they'd sorely miss—or really like to change. Particularly since, on the whole, I believe the game itself has grown more and more friendly to roleplay as an activity from various angles and that's ultimately why we're all here. I, for one, still see plenty of joy and entertainment to be found in SWTOR, but I think it's safe to say it won't be if you assume it's not there from the start.

In any case, I leave thee with a nugget of badly quoted wisdom from honestly who cares where (I can't remember, not the point),

Make friends with change, as it is the only thing you will meet everywhere.

[Karmic]

Im sorry, Cyone but I think you really missed the mark with thinking the latest "drama" is what is "pushing" anyone out of anything - nothing's been blown up.  I get what you're saying, but I think you missed the point of what others are saying.

No one's talking about anything's death or demise.  Our RP numbers are down and have been for a very long time now.  This isn't news and it didn't just happen this month, or even this year.  Just as the game's numbers have been down (which is why they united servers). 

We've had all of maybe three active Sith roleplaying at all (regularly) in the last year and then some.  That isn't an exaggeration or guesstimate of time.  As one of those Sith who've been regular and active since launch, in this community - trust me, its something I've paid close attention to :).

Makes perfect sense to me that Jaade put the poll up not only to find out how many are left in our small community, but how many actual storytellers are left in the community.   

Because without storytellers you really don't have much of an RP community that RPs.  I've been a part of guilds and communities with no storyteller - its pretty dead.  RP revolves around *only* bar/cantina type RP and rarely is there a plot of any mention to be found.  It takes storytellers to give people plots and events to participate in, to color and fill the IC characters daily conversations when they go to those bar events and conversations just interacting with other Rpers.

So its quite important to know just how many storytellers are around in this community, and who they are.

And I am not one of them.  I know that about myself.  I suck at it.  I didn't grow up with tabletop gaming so its never been a mindset I could take on easily.  I didn't get into creative writing in school, so its not something I have a lot of tools for.  I can roleplay within a scene or plot given to me - I can be a great actor (IMO of course) in another's movie.  I'm just no good for coming up with actual story plots to involve others in.

I've tried - I keep trying - I just come up with zilcho nada!

But I am around - though not in a daily or even weekly sense anymore.  I'm not playing the game at all and except for a few days after new content is released, I don't play the game at all.  I don't like this game - it isn't fun.  Mechanics suck and the storyline is just as bad now.  I have no faith in bioware or EA at turning anything around as they've not showed yet they are able to do that with anything else they've done so far. 

But I don't stay around for the game anyway.  I stay around for the RP.

And I agree with Sera's post 110%.  This place has changed in the last year or so and it hasn't been for the good.

There have been very few plots to participate in, over the last couple of years.  As a whole in the community.  There have been less community events Sith side in that time and less Sith RP *at all* to be had to the point that there's almost none and has been next to nothing for over a year.

I've logged in for any events I could participate in, however far apart they were.  But outside of that I've only logged in game for scheduled RP one-on-ones, and Dancer's Palace.  And I've taken a break from that as well these last couple of weeks.

I've craved more reasons to be able to login and see anyone around Sith Side to get RP going with of any substance.  But it doesn't appear and I can't make it happen myself.  I'd love to be able to. I WISH I could.  But writing plots doesn't come from wishin'.

So I'd love to see RP events and would love to jump in with both feet.  I really hope things pick up again and people get more open with what they are doing.

But the serious lack of any RP activity to participate in and lack of plots to talk about - along with, as Sera stated, "become so frustrated and dismayed with some of the behaviour I've witnessed directly and indirectly in the community, how people are treating other people. lack of flexibility in rp, lack of proper, respectful communication" - has me questioning if the people left are people I can trust enough to RP with, anymore.

Again, like Sera stated, this isn't a pointing finger and blaming.  Its a response and explanation of my own head right now and why.

I hope it turns around.  I hope I continue to have reasons to login and find more RP to join in with.  Only time will tell that.

[Rivoso]

Hi, yes, hello. I'm peeking out from the shadows once again.

As far as game mastering goes, I haven't exactly taken the GM role and "run" an event persay. However, in the past, I've tried to push a few self initiated plot-lines forward with the intent of including a good handful of players and having some fun. To those who are well acquainted with me, you know that the behind the scenes spying and espionage/intrigue tend to be what I enjoy most. But, that type of play comes with a host of issues in of itself that I won't digress into at this moment.

Recently however, I'm trying my hand at a more direct method of DMing as I have a plot-line in the works (and utilizing the years worth of IC progress/building I've done) for the small guild I'm a part of. As a student though, in addition to being a newbie, it's taking longer than I'd like because as Dassalya said, life gets pretty hectic.

I would be open to including others to take part in other areas that may not be directly connected to the main focus I have with the guild (as they're a small group of people I can trust to help me with mistakes and such), but again, it's a slow process for me right now. Plus, I don't want to take off more than I can chew especially with school coming up again here shortly.

[Maryck]

I'm willing to operate as a plotter + story element GM/brainstorm buddy by request! Granted I am a student so my availability is lower than one'd probably like, I'm always open to playing a character of my own as an NPC/quest-giver/companion element. Anything to make the galaxy feel that little bit bigger 

[Imazi]

I'm willing to operate as a plotter + story element GM/brainstorm buddy by request! Granted I am a student so my availability is lower than one'd probably like, I'm always open to playing a character of my own as an NPC/quest-giver/companion element. Anything to make the galaxy feel that little bit bigger 

Now there's an idea. Maybe those of use that don't form plots very well can be guest stars and help those that do. I can probably help drive an element of a plot but I'm no good at forming plots. These days, I might be rusty at driving BaRP too.

[Cyone]

I too think more co-GM'ing or even group GM'ing (if that makes sense) is an excellent idea, and something I've actually already been doing with some folks, and certainly a colorful cast is always a help. I'm not going to just blanket say I'd be game to be any/all of those things, but I would on a case by case basis.

Then again, really, that's just RP, folks.

If I may make another suggestion here, I think perhaps a different frame of mind with this sort of thing would help the activity level. Many people are frustrated at the purported lack of organizational leadership and so forth, but really, that is not a requirement for RP. And no, I don't just mean cantina RP and weekly events. Just go. Do. Do scenes with people. Follow up on those scenes. Do group RP. It used to be that cantina RP was just a nexus point from which those things often spawned. Go to Indie Night looking for a job. Go to Dancer's Palace and make a friend. I've literally done both of those things exactly myself and spawned years-long runs of RP with multiple guilds—and that's just in TOR. Do whatever the heck you want, but just do something. You don't need a GM, you don't need a Stronghold, this isn't a tabletop game. The galaxy is not far away, it's in your head and at your fingertips.

[Elaeis]

I remain steadfast.  I am the old, discarded sock under the bed. No matter what you try to do to get rid of me, no matter how often you toss me in the trash, I keep turning up in a corner somewhere.  Whether it is at the bottom of the hamper, trunk of a car, under the water heater in the garage, or wedged under the sofa cushions conspiring with a stale Cheeto. I will never go away, though rarely am I ever seen.

That said, I do think us small-but-mighty Begeren Colonists were dealt a shitty hand with the last server merge.  It upsets me that the Devs never considered merging both East and West Coast RP servers together.  That was an incredibly inconsiderate decision on their part.  At first, I thought it was because of latency issues due to server locaions but when I learned they had moved all US servers over to the east coast I can see no good reason for them to keep both RP communities separated.  Begeren Colony, through no fault of its own, ended up continuing to be this isolated little RP island.  We're like the Cuba of Star Wars.  I've read in past posts how some players here have expressed misgivings about mingling with the Ebon Hawk community, but the fact is there are going to be jerks no matter where you go.  That generally applies to pretty much every RP community, big or small.

I agree with Karmic that every RP community needs storytellers to provide content for folks to sink their teeth in.  Storytellers, especially quality storytellers, are always going to be in demand and also hard to come by. Personally, I feel like the problems our little community faces is just a microcosm of what SWTOR faces at large, or any long-running MMO for that matter.  Players in general are ravenous gluttons for new content.  It is SO much easier to consume content than it is to produce content.  When the producers are saddled with only a skeleton staff and a limited budget you end up getting this huge imbalance of supply and demand.  It's like trying to keep a 24 hour buffet open for the morbidly obese when all they have is a vending machine.  Things are bound to get ugly sooner or later. 

As a role player, most of what the game has to offer is secondary to me.  I play it, and I will enjoy bits and pieces, but ultimately my prevailing thought tends to be:  Is there anything here that I can use for RP?  That is how I generally approach SWTOR.  I regard the game as a really fun, expansive, colorful stage to help facilitate whatever story I would like to run for people I enjoy playing with.  I think that reason alone is why I've managed to play since launch without ever growing bored.  Sure, I'll take breaks from time to time just like everybody but if my interest in this game hinged on every morsel of new content I probably would have left a long time ago.  What keeps me engaged and interested is having stories to tell and having quality people to share those stories with!