Playstyle Poll

At a Final Haven event, I am satisfied most by:

Poll ended at Sat Nov 03, 2007 2:55 am

Combat
3
10%
Roleplaying
22
76%
Puzzles
3
10%
OOC Socializing
1
3%
 
Total votes: 29
Torakhan
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Post by Torakhan »

Wyrmwrath wrote:2) you reffer to "pure roleplaying"; and id say the player that runs out to save friends because the PC would to that IS acting based on pure roleplaying.
What I was referring to was the fact that when you are talking character to character, it is just roleplaying. There aren't game mechanics, there aren't calls and typically not a whole lot of phys-reps to be concerned about. It's roleplaying purely. There's no "game" to it.
A Game is an activity with rules that dictate how it will be played by its players. When you're in combat, or when the mechanical rules of the game start to become involved, you can be roleplaying, but there is also the game involved. And since Live Action means moving around rather than just sitting at a table... that's what a Live Action Roleplaying Game is for me. So I wasn't saying that being able to RP without combat was better than RPing with combat... or even RP without the need for mechanics was better than RP with the use of game mechanics. I was just separating the RP from the mechanics. I like not having to worry about what rules I'm using at the time, how many minutes I have to pretend to be doing an action, or how many points something might have.

For me, I appreciate that pure character-to-character interaction without the need for mechanics. Arguing in-character, problem solving in-character, etc. that doesn't require bringing in the rule system.
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Esmerelda
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Post by Esmerelda »

My vote most definately was role playing. I'm not a big combat fan, so I created Esmerelda to be a non combat character. However, some of my best role playing moments in game come from being a no combat character being swept up into combat situations. I think one of my favorite moments last game was when after playing for over a year without a weapon, I was finally informed that I would take a sword with me when I went out on a plot. And it was an agonizing decision to go all the way to the portal to attack the elves but then decide at the last moment to stay behind because I didn't want anyone killed because they were to busy trying to protect me. Puzzles are fun, (which is why I picked Sage) but by far my favorite aspect of the game is the interaction with the other players.
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Post by GM_Chris »

Speak for yourself, Dugar and his group kept combat going for 3 hours until the NPC's pleaded with us to let them kill us.

And it was AWESOME RP the entire time. No one broke characetr and we had a hospital int he middle.


It was a great time!
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Tullus
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Post by Tullus »

I think that's the point, Chris. We are all speaking for ourselves. :)
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Post by WayneO42 »

It was a great time!
Until someone in the group decided to kill someone elses character in the group on the Forums by ripping them in half with magical energies...I'm not bitter :)
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Atrum Draconus
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Post by Atrum Draconus »

I think it's great that Ried can come and hardly ever roleplay and Art can come and never fight and they can play the same game for years. I think that says quite abit about the game. I just wish that everyone could see that. :cry:
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Malphus
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Post by Malphus »

Atrum Draconus wrote:I think it's great that Ried can come and hardly ever roleplay and Art can come and never fight and they can play the same game for years. I think that says quite abit about the game. I just wish that everyone could see that. :cry:
here, here!
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Esmerelda
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Post by Esmerelda »

And a second Amen to that!
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Slisk
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Post by Slisk »

That's what I'm talking about - character focus determines what I enjoy most. Basically I'm going to enjoy what I'm good at - it's human nature. Slisk was good at fighting, but was dumb and anti-social. So I enjoyed combat but not so much puzzles or RP. Dallid was all about relations and tackling problems, but wore no armor and had few offensive abilities - so with him I enjoyed RP and puzzles - not quite so much combat.

What would I enjoy most? What would be my ideal character? My ideal character would have a focus. And ideally I'd be able to play a variety of characters (goal achieved!) So what I value most about LARPing is always varying. :P But no matter what I value most, all elements must be there for a LARP to be fun.
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Post by Durgan »

Oh, good god, I love roleplaying as Durgan- although I also like it when other people recognise when he does something on the battlefield, too, even if he's not a 'Conan the Barbarian', just a Guthrie with an overly large hammer. It's defenitely a combination of all things.

In my last Winterhaven (2 events ago), my favorite part of the weekend was constantly going on scouting missions, not because I begged for the job, but because several times I was specifically asked to by other characters. That really makes me feel like a part of the world.

Hell, I was all amped up upon coming home from the CARPs time-travel event, because I had this wonderful idea about how Durgan was befriended (by a Drake of all things), and was given one of her scales "for luck". (Alas, I couldn't do it due to rules)

It would have had nothing of an in-game connection beyond being a roleplaying device, but that's why I love doing these events. I could regale all Durgan's buddies about my wonderful adventures back in time, but five minutes later I could be getting thanks for getting a raging Ga'vin off a healer's back as they tried to save someone.
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Post by Kidwynn »

I like the role playing I have to admit that. Granted I'm out on some combat plots and all, but it's the role playing and well seeing some of you all that keep me coming back.

:D
Dead pirate betrayed by Corbyn...ah well least I made him do his own dirty work when he killed me.
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Tullus
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Post by Tullus »

I do have to admit. The last game I played a living Ravinal, I really enjoyed being the only one who could effective defend against "the beast". Though I'm sure the people who npc'd "the beast" got pretty tired of seeing me. I may have roleplayed being tired of going out and defending the town, yet I had a blast doing it.

Edit: Being one of three people to run after the dragon and take him down was fun too. Though I still would say that the most powerful moments in the game for me have been roleplaying oriented rather than combat oriented.
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General Maximus
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Post by General Maximus »

Here is a couple points I would like to make

1. First, this is a game with rules. When you play a game, don’t you learn the rules before you play? Why are there so many people who play FH that do not know the basic rules and even what there own skill do? It is hard to play a game when people play by different sets of rules.

2. There are many reason people come to play FH, but in this game, you should be expected to encounter the following, fighting with foam covered sticks, role playing, puzzles, and hanging with fellow like mind people. If you come just for one of these reason and complain about encountering the rest of the different actives and things that happen at FH, maybe you should not play.

3. I have heard people say they aren’t good in combat, so they choose not to fight. That is fine, but there are many was to join in combat that do not require you to swing a foam covered stick, but still get involved in combat. Healers are critical in combat, empaths are great support people (Need to just throw packets), rouges can set traps, etc....

I come to FH to roleplay, fight, and hang out with friends. I hate puzzles, but that’s just me.
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Post by GM_Chris »

Where did the rules thing come from. :)
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Post by Kalphoenix »

I didn't say any choice was any better or worse than any another reason to come (I have my preferences, but I tried to not express that in this poll), I just wanted to get a handle on what people's #1 reason was for participating. We have already established that they are all integral parts of the game.

Now, that being said, if folks like Reid (I put that puzzle vote in just for you, Reid, I know you love em ;) ) feel that they can't or don't want to roleplay but like other aspects of the game, like combat and folks like Art enjoy the roleplaying but abhor combat, I feel those are both valid viewpoints. Everyone is still following the rules and neither viewpoint is disruptive. Now, if Reid was walking around at the game saying roleplaying is lame and stupid or if Art wasn't taking shots because he chose not to participate in combat, that would be a problem. Neither style player is any more disruptive than the other, nor any more disruptive than those who fall more in the middle ground.

This "put up or shut up" attitude really needs to stop. I'm trying to figure out where that is coming from all of a sudden the last few weeks. You do have a point...if the FH participants/staff consists of close-minded elitists who don't care about hearing what others have to say and only care about their own wants and needs, then maybe this isn't the game for me, or for a lot of our players or future players. Fortunately, I know this is not true and I hope it remains so. The major complaint I have heard about ANY LARP is that the community is already so focused inwards that it is hard for new players to come in and assimilate. They are made to feel like outsiders if if they attempt to fit in. That wasn't the case when I started playing and I want to see it continue.

I have no problem having my mind changed on why certain things are the way they are. I want to hear opinions other than my own and I want to be convinced when there is a reason for something. I feel I'm pretty reasonable in that aspect. I may not always be happy with the final result, but I almost always feel satisfied that I understand why. I know that if someone is really not happy with the game, there is usually a reasonable explanation for it and there is usually a resolution besides telling said player to "get out."

Heaven forbid anyone question the almighty rule-book on the forums between games...after all, there are never any holes, errors or clarifications missing, nothing should ever be added or removed and it is written in stone. Also the forums are only a place to post links to flash videos and blogs, not to discuss aspects of the LARP ;)

I talked with Chris briefly on some of this last week: My only problem with combat is that I personally find it terribly scene-breaking. Calls can't be avoided -- discussions of tactics based on the game-manual or telling people to use certain abilities can be and should be. In MOST cases, roleplaying goes to hell as soon as a fight breaks out and it turns into listening to a MMORPG raid over headsets. There have been a few notable exceptions, but I fear they are in the minority. I remember it being much better when I started a few years ago, but maybe I just still had my rose-colored newbie goggles on, but I feel like people (Including myself, so I am part of the problem too) have gotten really lazy.

What I would like to see:

Remember your medications. This has been a problem this year. People forget things they need to stay healthy and spend the most of the weekend miserable, making things miserable for others.

People taking better care to hide non-period items - wrapping your soda bottles, covering modern labels or transferring food items into something more appropriate. Covering backpacks and out-of-game things like toiletries with blankets or the like. Take better care to turn off cell-phones and other electronic devices...nothing pisses me off more than to finally get to bed at 6 just to hear someone's cellphone go off at 7:45 and said person leave it ringing because they are hard asleep. This has happened to me a LOT this year. Rota Kiwan is a nice camp, it's also very modern looking on the inside of the lodges and I think this has contributed to the downward spiral of effort. I'd like to see people encouraged to do better and I would like to see the community push this line harder with newbies and especially oldies who know better.

Keep those IC and OOC relationships separate. This one shouldn't even have to be stated but it's been pretty frequent this year. Presume that anything said in-game is said in-character and DON'T take it personally. Your friend owes you nothing in-game, just as you owe your friend nothing in-game. Don't take it with you at the end of the weekend.

Following that line --->
Leave the out-of-character drama at home. You don't have to show up just to keep tabs on a friend/significant other/relative. If you don't want to be there (Or you only want to be there because they are), let said person come alone and you can stay home. Don't show up and make things miserable for yourself, said person and everyone else. And you ARE making things miserable for others by remarking how you shouldn't be at the game. If you really feel you have to give it a shot, take separate vehicles and head back home after a couple of hours if you don't feel any better about coming.

On that similar note, stay home if you really don't feel good. You aren't going to feel any better at the game with lack of sleep and lack of food, trust me, you will only feel worse.

Taking more care to NOT slip out of character when combat strikes. If you are a tactician in battle, fine, but find a better way to describe it. Stay in character. Roleplaying is NO LESS VITAL than combat stats and I will continue to beat that drum until I am either evicted from the game or people get some comprehension on what a LARP is. You want the roleplayers to enjoy combat? Great, stay in-character and try not to break a scene with book jargon. Rules are important. So is keeping them in the background. A play is no fun if you can see the wood and strings hanging the set better than you can hear the characters.

These are the peeves that came to mind in the last hour, so they must be the ones at the forefront of my mind.
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