Membership What's Your IC Posting Jam?

[StormWolfe 557]

Everyone manages their site's in-character sections differently. This topic is an open discussion (not debate) on managing and promoting the IC aspects of roleplay. Some items to think about and add to your replies are below. However, don't feel like these are the only subjects you can discuss in this topic or that you need to cover all of them in your reply.

1. How does your site encourage IC writing?
2. Do you prefer that sites are activity oriented or story-focused? Can they be both?
3. Do you find site-wide plots useless or intimidating? Do you enjoy them? Should joining a site-wide plot be optional?
4. Same as the above - do you prefer a sandbox-only type site? Why?
5. Post Splicing, Joint Posting, Post-by-Post - what are your thoughts and preferences?
6. Anything else that you want to add specifically focused on the in-character aspects of roleplay?

 

How does your site encourage IC writing?
For one thing, our IC forums are the first ones you see when you arrive at our site(s). Our story posts take place in one forum so that our members only have one place to go to both read scenes and write tag responses or start a new scene. Should our sites grow and add more writers, we might revisit how we do this. Right now, everyone likes being able to see it all focused in one place.

 

Do you prefer that sites are activity oriented or story-focused? Can they be both?
Story focused! If someone wants to write, they will! That old adage that says 'you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink' is very apt in this situation. Sites can encourage their members and offer tools to help them with their writing. Incentives are great, however, in the end, the player has to 'want' to write. 

 

Do you find site-wide plots useless or intimidating? Do you enjoy them? Should joining a site-wide plot be optional?
I do like well-run and organized site-wide plots as long as joining them is optional. Sometimes, a character simply does not fit into a specific plot or a person's time to write is limited. It is good to encourage them to join in, but be understanding if they decline and make sure the site offers other writing opportunities.

 

Same as the above - do you prefer a sandbox-only type site? Why?
In my experience, sites that are sandbox only with dozens upon dozens of tiny one-on-one plots often stagnate as players come and go. Threads can die without a goal or direction which means they wind up abandoned. Of course, this is not true of all sites and all RP writers. I am sure some thrive the sandbox style of doing things.

 

On the reverse side of this opinion is that if some sandbox style writing is not allowed, it makes it hard to develop character relationships. Being allowed to only write in a single plot can derail the more intimate character stories (not talking about just romance here).

 

Post Splicing, Joint Posting, Post-by-Post - what are your thoughts and preferences?
Is post-splicing the same thing as joint-posting? I ask because I only recently heard the term.

 

In the old-school of RP, a joint post (JP) is any post that is collaboratively written by two or more players whereas post-by-post is requiring that 'all' responses be made in their own standalone post.

 

Many people use a shared Google document to do this. Some sites, like mine, offer it to active approved players via giving them IC moderation permissions so they can edit posts to add their tag responses in. With Nova, you can actually create a new post, add all the characters to it that you want, save it, and each person then writes responses as they are tagged. When completed, the post can be published. Nova also offers post locking so that only one person at a time can edit the post.

 

My sites offer a combination of standalone posting and JPing. We prefer post-by-post for setting up scenes and adding characters to them. However, for direct interaction and dialog, we move to writing them as a joint post. For me, this makes the flow of conversation feel more 'normal' and 'natural.' It also alleviates having dozens of very short posts in a thread.

 

So, y'all, wade in! Share your thoughts!
 

[Elena 546]

1. How does your site encourage IC writing?

By having chronicles, spotlighted quotes, it used to have IC interviews too. It has site-wide plots, faction-wide plots... I will read this thread to see what more encouraging methods could be adapted.

 

2. Do you prefer that sites are activity oriented or story-focused? Can they be both?

 

I think both, because they are story focused, and writing a story (and more subplots besides) generates activity.

 

3. Do you find site-wide plots useless or intimidating? Do you enjoy them? Should joining a site-wide plot be optional?

 

I love site-wide plots and I think they are necessary, not useless. I don't think joining a site-wide plot can be optional. You chose to write a character who belongs to a certain faction, not to another. The character has a role in the story, so he should be in the story. Can the captain or the master gunner be on shore when the ship is engaged in a battle at sea? No, he has to be at duty, on the ship... Can a governor miss from opening a public festival? No, it's his duty to open it... And so on.

 

4. Same as the above - do you prefer a sandbox-only type site? Why?

 

I never prefer a sandbox site. There are too many possibilities and no coherence, no connection. I am writing a story, I am not only playing pretend with my character. I need a structure for the story, even if the structure is flexible. And having several personal subplots besides the story-wide or faction-wide ones doesn't mean sandbox, for me!

 

5. Post Splicing, Joint Posting, Post-by-Post - what are your thoughts and preferences?

 

I don't mind post splicing, it's a necessary evil if the forum software doesn't allow for joint posting. Post splicing it's a style when, on the forum, which doesn't allow for joint posting, in order to reply to all the things said in the previous post, they are spread through the reply, one by one. If joint posting is possible, then it's not post splicing, because all the conversation pieces can go to where they belong, the reply right after the previous question. I love joint posting but I hate Nova, so... I do it sometimes on e-mail for certain scenes, and I post the result.

 

Edited October 6, 2018 by Elena

[ChrisOwl 59]

How does your site encourage IC writing?
Just keep up on the plotting and stories, and read other peoples threads so everyone can get interested in everyone else's writing! I like to bring up topics on the discord chat about what people are writing so I can see everyone chat about what they like and at least those who like to chat ooc can get an idea of what is happening ic and come up with plot ideas based on it. I like to encourage the interconnectedness of stories, so even though there are a lot of 1:1 plots going on, they affect other peoples stories.
 

Do you prefer that sites are activity oriented or story-focused? Can they be both?
Story focused! We do not do activity check, so I don't encourage people to post for the sake of posting, and I love to do some plotting so that threads have something to move forward on and don't just fizz out because it's a 'hi how are you' sort of deal.
 

Do you find site-wide plots useless or intimidating? Do you enjoy them? Should joining a site-wide plot be optional?
I love sitewide plot. Obviously our site is fandom so it has that overarching plot of what is going on at the time as far as the fandom lore goes. Then we have our own site-canon things that are happening in particular regions which may or may not affect the people who live there. It's optional as in... so this wraith has come into the city and murdered some people. People who were in the general vicinity obviously were affected and it will have a heavy thread to their stories for that time period. Especially if you are playing some of the 'higher up' ranking characters King/Prince/Captains/etc who have to handle the political/military side of it. And if you're playing city watch even on your side plots you might account for the fact that you've been working more often. Or there's some fear and hesitation among civilians. You can play into it as much as need be... I started keeping a timeline on the site of "big things" that happen in threads that would affect whole communities so people can look at is as they plot and add those things into their characters stories if they fit htere.
 

Same as the above - do you prefer a sandbox-only type site? Why?
I like sandbox, and our forum is pretty sandbox style where there are a lot of 1:1 plots going on. But I really love the overarching plots that bring all those together too. Or when some peoples plots affect other peoples plots. Soooo I love a mix as it goes.
 

Post Splicing, Joint Posting, Post-by-Post - what are your thoughts and preferences?

I let people write whatever they prefer on our forum, it's kind of for writing partners to figure out on their own between each other, and since I'm not super picky on it I will shift to match whatever style the other person likes to use. However there are a couple aspects of post splicing I do not like at all. If I'm doing long posts that require post splicing it has to be with someone who is going to look at the big picture here and make sure they are not inserting something into a splice that would have made what comes after it not happen in the same way.

I have written with some people who are really good at this because they know my character and I know theirs and it hasn't been an issue. They insert things where it is necessary. I have had an issue when some people will splice and they will insert dialogue or some kind of action into the middle of something and I read it and go WHOA, that would change the whole of what has already been written if we do it that way... so in that case in particular it has kind of shaped a character I write into being super 'unobservant' with reading people. So it's just where he is now. This person will splice something in and my character basically ignores it as if it didn't happen because he doesn't notice those things lol... Also sometimes post splicing seems to open it up to someone writing a really long response because they are reacting to every single thing my character does, but they are not moving the story forward at all. So like... their post ends at the same place mine ended, so I end up guiding the whole thing and when I'm writing I kind of like a split on that.

Honestly I like writing with everyone, even when they do the above stuff listed that annoys me lol... but in the last couple cases I mentioned I would rather not use post splicing, but just write shorter posts with those people so there is less to react to within each post. It would flow smoother and I could play my characters "in character" without having to modify their personality so much.

[Pegasus 6]

I guess, for me that "sandbox" idea is about scope? Because even in a static world with a large overarching plot, like we have on my site  - there are a thousand individual stories going on - and they're each a tiny part of the whole but also stand alone.

 

So maybe, the question is more - how much sandbox is the right amount? I love seeing things from X years ago popping up in RP now. It's great. Things that happened one side of the world impacting things on the other side. Love it.

 

I suppose for me, then, it's a series of interconnected sandboxes which make one big, moving picture. Erp. 😄

[Kit the Human 758]

How does your site encourage IC writing?

On 10/7/2018 at 5:47 AM, DireWolfe said:

For one thing, our IC forums are the first ones you see when you arrive at our site(s).

^^ This. The most important thing on my site is the writing, so it's the first thing you see.

 

Otherwise, I just encourage people to write the kind of things that they want to write about. Whatever gets them excited. Then I (hopefully) provide a pressure free environment in order to enjoy that stuff.

 

Do you prefer that sites are activity oriented or story-focused? Can they be both?

Personally, I don't mind how other admins do it. If I'm enjoying what I'm writing, than the question is moot. I'll enjoy the incentives, but I don't need them.

 

Do you find site-wide plots useless or intimidating? Do you enjoy them? Should joining a site-wide plot be optional?

Depends entirely on the site. I have no preference as a member. As an admin I prefer not to have site wide plots.

 

Same as the above - do you prefer a sandbox-only type site? Why?

I prefer the geographic location to be small because it's much easier to get involved. Things can expand as needed. Otherwise, you can do what you want within the restraints of the world.

 

Post Splicing, Joint Posting, Post-by-Post - what are your thoughts and preferences?

I've never done joint posting so no comment.

Hate post-splicing.

PBP is by jam.

[Starlit 7]

For number one its usually a mix of discussion and plotting. For number two I prefer a mix with a leaning towards story based just a little. For number three, I love site wide plots providing they advanced the over all plot. They should always be option imo. For number four, sandbox is something I never truly taken part of so I can’t say. For number five, I have no idea what the first two are but I always have done post by post. As for number six, I can’t think of anything else to add!