- Feb 12, 2008
- 27,732
Right then!
So I have been doing some serious speed reading (over 200 A4 pages worth!) and have caught up. Now I have decided to give some feedback, something which I would normally do anyway when posting. Now I’ll be honest, the below would be classed as criticism however it is constructive, unbiased, and should be taken at face value. It is just based on previous experience with the last TVC and to be honest, pretty much all of it happened with us oldies back then. We just had to learn the hard way, instead of having someone with more experience around to give us feedback.
But, just before we get to that I do want to say one thing. You all, especially the new players (as the old ones know what they are doing anyway xd ), have done really well. The level of detail and effort put in has been fantastic, you have been inventive, and considering I disappeared for a good while, it was handled very well. The below comments are a small part; overall you should all be pretty pleased with your efforts so far.
So then, onto the feedback….(dun dun DAH!)…..
You are not invulnerable….
One of the first things I noticed is that some characters are acting with impunity. Not all the times, but certainly some of the time. By that I mean not just the battle where some of the characters just went on a mental killing spree, but also previously by their words. It seems that all the players think that as they control their characters, they are reasonably immune to really bad things happening – you are not. Basically the RP is worked on a “realistic” response. So an example, if your character (alone) walks into another vampire’s castle, calls him all the names under the sun (moon?) and then spits in their face…..well I would actually let the other player have his powerful bodyguard beat the crap out of you and stuff you in the dungeon. It would be your fault for having your character do something so silly in the first place. I did almost face palm when Graveclaw came bowling in a Simon (loved how Simon resolved it).
So basically, think before you act. Whilst there are rules to stop others kicking the crap out of you, if you do something silly, the other player can PM and ask if they can respond “realistically” if they are unsure.
The other part of this section is dealing with battle. At first it was exciting……and then not so much……and then at certain points I’ll be honest, I did glaze over a bit. Why? Because in many cases it was Minor bad guys > Character slaughters ten at a time > Bad guy leader > character slaughters > powerful bad guy / machine > character(s) show own uber powers / deux ex machina and slaughters.
Yes we know your characters are powerful, but they are in no way invulnerable, and many of the powers are weakened at the moment. I am not saying you won’t win, but make it interesting. You should get hurt, take a blow. You might even fail but something else happens. Be inventive, but please don’t just have your character walking around like an untouchable god slaughtering everything in their path. Remember, your enemies are smart and powerful too. They have their own tactics and abilities. We want this to be interesting and fun reading as well. My post with Rowhaine (will be up shortly after this) will give some kind of indication what I mean.
Also one important think – vampires etc are intelligent and as such do feel fear. There is no shame in accurately portraying this, even if your character feels it but does not express it.
No mind reading!
Unlike some RP’s, TVC II is a story. So unlike say the VAU, where you shouldn’t write your character’s thoughts, it is positively encouraged here, to add to the depth of the story. However players must make it clear they are thoughts, and more importantly, other players must not react as if they can read them! I saw some posts where one character was saying something and then thought something, to which another player responding something to after somehow seeing it in their eyes or movements. “Oh god, I need the toilet Spongebob thought. Squidworth could see the flicker in Spongebob’s eyes, seeing the almighty dump he was holding deep inside”. NO SQUIDWORTH! – You cannot read minds like that! xd Again, remember that all the other characters are powerful characters in their own right, no doubt having spent many time hiding things etc. They will not be an open book for you to read. The only exceptions should if a character is noted as being expressive / emotive, your character has the noted ability to mind read / read other characters (which should show in your bio)……or the other player actually posts that their character let the thought show on their face.
You will respect my authority…….ahem….powers…..
So some players have unusual or special abilities which are very noticeable……yet somehow many characters seem to not even notice (which could just be down to not realising) or more annoying in my mind, immediately developing immunity to it. Granted some characters are exceptions due to their abilities / equipment, but they should be the exception rather than the norm (and should check either with me or the player with the power). A good example is Karl; his bio shows he has an impressive aura of respect etc, especially being the direct son of Vlad. Yet most players (whilst some recognised it), acted as if it didn’t exist. I am not saying the players had to be grovelling on their knees, but even a passing reference now and again, say when speaking to him….With a flare of anger Milosh made to retort to the Regent, fighting against the smothering effect his aura emitted. The character might still go onto to say something insulting, but at least he has recognised it was not easy.
Players with this type if powers should also mention them, not in every post, but now and again to gently remind us as we hardly memorise the bios.
…but also respect my body
In conjunction with the last post, another noted thing was that players were posting what other characters felt when they did something. DoN turned his smouldering gaze onto Darvy, eyes like obsidian, seemingly burning into his very soul –. Now unless you are a long term player with permission to RP other characters (for example, myself, GoW, Simon are all happy for small actions because we have done this together so long), this is where is should stop. However I saw many posts like -Darvy felt a chill down his spine, his legs turning to water as he leaned forward with…. xd . That is not for me to say, that is for the player controlling that character to say. Yes I know that some players don’t react as they should (hence my previous point), however the best way is to instead say something in the OOC thread / PM me etc. Better you stick to doing the right think, posting just for your character, rather than posting the actions of someone else just to get the right reaction. If a player is not being fair and is making his character immune to every possible negative thing that could affect his character I will deal with it.
Stick to your character
One other thing I noticed is that some characters varied quite substantially from their bio and / or started as one preset and suddenly morphed into another character either due to conversations, maybe wanting to get on with other characters etc. Please don’t do this, remain true to who you are! The best examples I can give are Simon and Mircea. Those who have read TVC I will know how Simon and Gree stuck to their characters traits through hell or high water, regardless of how much they didn’t get on with others etc. They were arrogant Carsteins who drank human blood and looked down on everyone else, and they stayed that way! Not only was it more interesting than having a room full of nice twilight vampires, those players gained a lot of respect (including my own) for really sticking to their ideas.
So if you are a vampire hater – stay as one. Yes you may be diplomatic if your character has the brains to be, however that doesn’t mind you need to start hugging one another xd Likewise please stick to your presets, the most notable one for me was Morturian (not picking there were others), doing a lot of close combat with his scythe. As above, the enemy are skilled, smart warriors as well. If you character does not rank high in close combat, then it would not be expected for you to go around killing lots of people in this fashion.
I hope the above all makes sense, and again I hope no one takes this negatively. As a said, in general the posts have been great. Things just need reigning in a little and players need to remember you can be hurt / be affected by powers / be outsmarted etc.
Let me know if there are any questions.
So I have been doing some serious speed reading (over 200 A4 pages worth!) and have caught up. Now I have decided to give some feedback, something which I would normally do anyway when posting. Now I’ll be honest, the below would be classed as criticism however it is constructive, unbiased, and should be taken at face value. It is just based on previous experience with the last TVC and to be honest, pretty much all of it happened with us oldies back then. We just had to learn the hard way, instead of having someone with more experience around to give us feedback.
But, just before we get to that I do want to say one thing. You all, especially the new players (as the old ones know what they are doing anyway xd ), have done really well. The level of detail and effort put in has been fantastic, you have been inventive, and considering I disappeared for a good while, it was handled very well. The below comments are a small part; overall you should all be pretty pleased with your efforts so far.
So then, onto the feedback….(dun dun DAH!)…..
You are not invulnerable….
One of the first things I noticed is that some characters are acting with impunity. Not all the times, but certainly some of the time. By that I mean not just the battle where some of the characters just went on a mental killing spree, but also previously by their words. It seems that all the players think that as they control their characters, they are reasonably immune to really bad things happening – you are not. Basically the RP is worked on a “realistic” response. So an example, if your character (alone) walks into another vampire’s castle, calls him all the names under the sun (moon?) and then spits in their face…..well I would actually let the other player have his powerful bodyguard beat the crap out of you and stuff you in the dungeon. It would be your fault for having your character do something so silly in the first place. I did almost face palm when Graveclaw came bowling in a Simon (loved how Simon resolved it).
So basically, think before you act. Whilst there are rules to stop others kicking the crap out of you, if you do something silly, the other player can PM and ask if they can respond “realistically” if they are unsure.
The other part of this section is dealing with battle. At first it was exciting……and then not so much……and then at certain points I’ll be honest, I did glaze over a bit. Why? Because in many cases it was Minor bad guys > Character slaughters ten at a time > Bad guy leader > character slaughters > powerful bad guy / machine > character(s) show own uber powers / deux ex machina and slaughters.
Yes we know your characters are powerful, but they are in no way invulnerable, and many of the powers are weakened at the moment. I am not saying you won’t win, but make it interesting. You should get hurt, take a blow. You might even fail but something else happens. Be inventive, but please don’t just have your character walking around like an untouchable god slaughtering everything in their path. Remember, your enemies are smart and powerful too. They have their own tactics and abilities. We want this to be interesting and fun reading as well. My post with Rowhaine (will be up shortly after this) will give some kind of indication what I mean.
Also one important think – vampires etc are intelligent and as such do feel fear. There is no shame in accurately portraying this, even if your character feels it but does not express it.
No mind reading!
Unlike some RP’s, TVC II is a story. So unlike say the VAU, where you shouldn’t write your character’s thoughts, it is positively encouraged here, to add to the depth of the story. However players must make it clear they are thoughts, and more importantly, other players must not react as if they can read them! I saw some posts where one character was saying something and then thought something, to which another player responding something to after somehow seeing it in their eyes or movements. “Oh god, I need the toilet Spongebob thought. Squidworth could see the flicker in Spongebob’s eyes, seeing the almighty dump he was holding deep inside”. NO SQUIDWORTH! – You cannot read minds like that! xd Again, remember that all the other characters are powerful characters in their own right, no doubt having spent many time hiding things etc. They will not be an open book for you to read. The only exceptions should if a character is noted as being expressive / emotive, your character has the noted ability to mind read / read other characters (which should show in your bio)……or the other player actually posts that their character let the thought show on their face.
You will respect my authority…….ahem….powers…..
So some players have unusual or special abilities which are very noticeable……yet somehow many characters seem to not even notice (which could just be down to not realising) or more annoying in my mind, immediately developing immunity to it. Granted some characters are exceptions due to their abilities / equipment, but they should be the exception rather than the norm (and should check either with me or the player with the power). A good example is Karl; his bio shows he has an impressive aura of respect etc, especially being the direct son of Vlad. Yet most players (whilst some recognised it), acted as if it didn’t exist. I am not saying the players had to be grovelling on their knees, but even a passing reference now and again, say when speaking to him….With a flare of anger Milosh made to retort to the Regent, fighting against the smothering effect his aura emitted. The character might still go onto to say something insulting, but at least he has recognised it was not easy.
Players with this type if powers should also mention them, not in every post, but now and again to gently remind us as we hardly memorise the bios.
…but also respect my body
In conjunction with the last post, another noted thing was that players were posting what other characters felt when they did something. DoN turned his smouldering gaze onto Darvy, eyes like obsidian, seemingly burning into his very soul –. Now unless you are a long term player with permission to RP other characters (for example, myself, GoW, Simon are all happy for small actions because we have done this together so long), this is where is should stop. However I saw many posts like -Darvy felt a chill down his spine, his legs turning to water as he leaned forward with…. xd . That is not for me to say, that is for the player controlling that character to say. Yes I know that some players don’t react as they should (hence my previous point), however the best way is to instead say something in the OOC thread / PM me etc. Better you stick to doing the right think, posting just for your character, rather than posting the actions of someone else just to get the right reaction. If a player is not being fair and is making his character immune to every possible negative thing that could affect his character I will deal with it.
Stick to your character
One other thing I noticed is that some characters varied quite substantially from their bio and / or started as one preset and suddenly morphed into another character either due to conversations, maybe wanting to get on with other characters etc. Please don’t do this, remain true to who you are! The best examples I can give are Simon and Mircea. Those who have read TVC I will know how Simon and Gree stuck to their characters traits through hell or high water, regardless of how much they didn’t get on with others etc. They were arrogant Carsteins who drank human blood and looked down on everyone else, and they stayed that way! Not only was it more interesting than having a room full of nice twilight vampires, those players gained a lot of respect (including my own) for really sticking to their ideas.
So if you are a vampire hater – stay as one. Yes you may be diplomatic if your character has the brains to be, however that doesn’t mind you need to start hugging one another xd Likewise please stick to your presets, the most notable one for me was Morturian (not picking there were others), doing a lot of close combat with his scythe. As above, the enemy are skilled, smart warriors as well. If you character does not rank high in close combat, then it would not be expected for you to go around killing lots of people in this fashion.
I hope the above all makes sense, and again I hope no one takes this negatively. As a said, in general the posts have been great. Things just need reigning in a little and players need to remember you can be hurt / be affected by powers / be outsmarted etc.
Let me know if there are any questions.
