My thoughts

[Colin]

When I posted last night, it was not something I wanted to do. To be quite honest I do not believe in online roleplaying on the boards. For 2 years I gave my time and effort to create a larp, not a mudd. This is what the game is turning into. More is done on the boards than on the field. I have come to terms with roleplaying on the board. However, this is too much. I will never accept online combat. What’s next “you and me, 20 siders at dawn?”

The reason I feel this way is that not everyone has the time, the inclination or access to the internet to do it. Therefore those people who come to larp miss out on important things in game. This is inherently unfair to them, since they show up to the events and pay their money to play a LARP. I can not stress this enough this is a LARP not an online roleplaying game, despite those who compare it to Diablo, EQ, or Neverwinter.

I realize that I myself posted last night, however you can look for yourself that the number of posts from my character doubled in one night. I did not want to do it but I felt it necessary at the time. I now wish I hadn't because I can not keep up with it. I do not have the time at work, and when I get home from my IT job the last thing I want to do is sit in front of a computer. In my opinion I have better things to do with my time. I understand this is my opinion, and not shared by all. Like I said I am ok with some roleplaying on the boards, but the extent seen lately is a travesty. We have enough rules to tweak and re-write without making up an entirely different form for online encounters. Are we going to allow online assassinations, I think not.

Do not think I’m deluding myself, I do not think this post is going to change anybody’s mind, but this is where I stop being a PC and go back to someone who helped create a game, but not this one. I see this as a determent to the game and could not in good conscience not let the community know how I felt.

Thank you for hearing me out

Colin

[Ian_McAllister]

I too would like to say that on-line role-playing has never been a big thing for me. Mind you I have table-top role-played for many years, and this is only my third LARP experience, and my first with this much realism. I enjoyed it very much. I do feel very bad for those without internet access for in-between events, and while i am a participant of the current events I would much rather be doing them in person, but I cannot sit by here and let things be said and done, my character would not, so if I have the power to say something I will.

I think the biggest problem here is that with so much downtime between games, especially this one and a great deal unresolved it led to many things being said and then led to this fiasco.(not to say anything against the GM's but we can all agree this has went way farther then it should have on-line). I do not know what else to do but play my character as I can, but I do hope things resolve themselves soon.


And Colin, while i do not know you, I do appreciate the work you have done with this game and hope you continue to enjoy it and appreciate it like we all do.. Sometimes the darkest nights bring upon the brightest days!

[Ug]

...and that is why online RPing is necessary for Final Haven. I have a feeling we would quite possibly lose players simply to loss of interest if there were not online adventures. There are only 4 events a year and with so much downtime inbetween events, this helps to provide filler for those who want "continuance".

[Colin]

I guess I should have stressed the point more that it was the combat that I really have a problem with.

[Ug]

The problem with combat being 'outlawed' is that, well...here's a perfect example:


"Hi Guys, I'm Pentag. How you doing? You all suck because you can't attack me. Muahahahahhaha!!"


This would not bode well. Likely if I did this, I would be nerve pinched by 8 different directions and taken into custody.


In the case of what happened online, they pissed off a King. We could simply wait until next event and have no resolution/online roleplaying for months and months, or we could have the GMs resolve the conflict with a mock battle.

[GM_Chris]

I think people who have issues with the online thing are taking things WAY WAY too sereously.


We provide intertainment for multiple types of people.

1) We have a LARP and hey it is fun if your a stick Jock
2) We have a system where you can Min/max great for power gaming
3) The system is pretty balaned in that a person who does min/max isnt some uber dude on the field
4) We have a nice political system for those who enjoy it
5) We cater to the RP'ers by providing them intertainment.
6) We cater to those who enjoy the online environment.
7) We allow PvP for people who enjoy that while maintaining mechanical balance and accountability.

We have always maintained an in-between events section in our 2 LARPS. The online adventures are just a dynamic version of that.

We can sit around all day and discuss what about the dissenfranchized people. The fact of the matter is the online adventures add to the game. They add to the enjoyment level ofthose who participate and I personally condone all things that transpiered on the boards.

Chris

[Dallid]

Lots of things take place inbetween each event, and I appreciate the chance to role-play them. We all know we will be back at Haven next event - I see nothing wrong with filling out time in-between and 'going through' the journey.

Disallowing combat would unfairly limit the PCs. So long as all parties involved are willing to conclude combat on the board and abide by GM decisions, no problem. The moment someone says 'we need to settle this live', that part of the online RP must go on hold until the next event.

[Donovan Thynedar]

From what I have seen, the online adventures are an enjoyable way for people to continue roleplaying between events. While I was not part of the Brokehill quest, I have found the online adventures to be enjoyable in the past and would expect that they could continue to be a valuable part of the FH experience.

That said, I do see an inherent problem with LARP combat online. The entire FH system is physical and based on an honest personal accounting of life and armor. It combines paper abilities with personal skill and tries to represent the character in real-time combat. Simply put, there can be no clean translation of that into an online venue.

From my memory, the majority of combat online was decided in narritive form, but even this leaves people griping about what they would or would not have done. As Colin said, we have enough to do without making up an entirely different system for online encounters.

I think Doug's approach may be best. Offer people the chance to resolve it live, but let them know if they choose to do it on the boards that they are at the mercy of the GM's.

[Ug]

The thing that everyone needs to keep in mind though is that if you feel the need to do it live, then everyone with you is paused for months.

[Donovan Thynedar]

True, but I can say from personal experience that there is no single emotion more likely to rip me out of a game and smother any enjoyment I may have been having than absolute helplessness. I remember times in table top where my character would literally sit down on the ground, drive his weapons into the dirt, and wait for the events to play out. The point of gaming is interactive storytelling, and if the "interactive" part is removed, we may as well watch movies. If someone seriously feels that a combat situation needs to be resolved live, it seems to me that as part of a LARP they have the right to ask for that.

[Ug]

I am not saying they do not have the right, I am just saying they have 40 or so other people to think about too.

[Donovan Thynedar]

Just as the 40 or so people have to think about whether their desire to keep an online adventure moving overrides someone's discomfort with having their character puppeted through what may be a vital encounter. It's not easy from either perspective, I agree, and hopefully this discussion can generate a solution.

[GM_Chris]

Remember that the online adventures are a means to create a story.

That is all they are there for.

[Curufin]

Oh, I think they succeeded at that.

[Faerykin]

4) We have a nice political system for those who enjoy it

Really? Where? Did I miss it when it came through?