What do you look for when checking out the Rules?

[Narrator 7]

I'm surprised to see "word count" as such a common item people look for.

I didn't put a word count in my own Rules, rather I wrote "try to keep your in-character posts at least a paragraph long".

 

Wondering if I should stabilize that with a firm #...

 

What would you guys say would be a good average? @featherstone you make a good point about sometimes 100 is better that 700.

Especially if there's a lot of dialogue happening, that can wrap up a lot of info in a post without even that many lines. I guess it's a case by case thing once people actually get to playing but good to have a ballpark minimum in place for people starting out and trying to get the hang of it.

[Death Kitten 200]

4 minutes ago, Evereras said:

I'm surprised to see "word count" as such a common item people look for.

I didn't put a word count in my own Rules, rather I wrote "try to keep your in-character posts at least a paragraph long".

 

Wondering if I should stabilize that with a firm #...

 

What would you guys say would be a good average? @featherstone you make a good point about sometimes 100 is better that 700.

Especially if there's a lot of dialogue happening, that can wrap up a lot of info in a post without even that many lines. I guess it's a case by case thing once people actually get to playing but good to have a ballpark minimum in place for people starting out and trying to get the hang of it.

Honestly, if your existing rule has been working for you, then you probably shouldn't change it. I personally don't set a word count in my game, and my players range widely on how much they add to a mission log each time they tag. If your focus is quality, setting a hard floor word count can be a hindrance, especially if you have players who like to rapid fire back and forth.

 

 

Edited September 11, 2017 by Death Kitten
typo

[Morrigan 1,826]

7 minutes ago, Evereras said:

I'm surprised to see "word count" as such a common item people look for.

I didn't put a word count in my own Rules, rather I wrote "try to keep your in-character posts at least a paragraph long".

 

Wondering if I should stabilize that with a firm #...

 

What would you guys say would be a good average? @featherstone you make a good point about sometimes 100 is better that 700.

Especially if there's a lot of dialogue happening, that can wrap up a lot of info in a post without even that many lines. I guess it's a case by case thing once people actually get to playing but good to have a ballpark minimum in place for people starting out and trying to get the hang of it.

 

One paragraph is a word count just an FYI. But as @Death Kitten says, if it works leave it be.

[Narrator 7]

8 minutes ago, Death Kitten said:

Honestly, if your existing rule has been working for you, then you probably shouldn't change it. I personally don't set a word count in my game, and my players range widely on how much they add to a mission log each time they tag. If your focus is quality, setting a hard floor word count can be a hindrance, especially if you have players who like to rapid fire back and forth.

 

 

 

Rapid fire posts are definitely a thing, especially as plots thicken and players get all revved up. I wouldn't want a hefty word count standing in the way of that kind of flood of creativity.

 

6 minutes ago, Morrigan said:

 

One paragraph is a word count just an FYI. But as @Death Kitten says, if it works leave it be.

 

Oh I know, I just meant it's not a firm number. A paragraph can vary numerically, to some people that means only a few sentences - to others, waaaaay more. I wanted to leave it open-ended but found this thread interesting since so many people mentioned the count itself.

But I think I'll leave it alone then because so far there's been no problems. Just interesting food for thought. Glad I read this thread.

[Morrigan 1,826]

Anything that tells that you want a minimum is a word count. I don't join sites with word counts so I wouldn't join something that requires a paragraph or 10 words. So the "firm" number is not the factor, at least not for me.

 

@Evereras

[Narrator 7]

16 minutes ago, Morrigan said:

Anything that tells that you want a minimum is a word count. I don't join sites with word counts so I wouldn't join something that requires a paragraph or 10 words. So the "firm" number is not the factor, at least not for me.

 

@Evereras

 

Fair enough.

[Quell 249]

I guess I look for weird things... ._.; 

 

- AC -- obviously just like everyone else. I want to know how much time I'm going to be expected to dedicate to this site

 

- Rating/Limits -- I want to know exactly what I'm allowed to write (and where).

 

- [M] Tags/Forum -- [M] Tags don't bother me, but I avoid sites if they have a "mature" forum, only because I know myself and I write a lot of dark themes--so I've had characters that can't leave the "mature" forum before and that's infuriating.

 

- Trigger Warnings Requirements -- for the same reason as above, I just sit around trying to figure out if ____ or ____ is a triggering topic and it stresses me out.

 

- Word Count -- I like these to be none, just because I usually naturally write above reasonable WCs, but I get so nervous about them it sometimes destroys my muse.

 

- Hypocrisy -- "There is no word count, but please make sure to write at least two or three full sentences" makes my skin crawl.

 

- NPC Allowance -- I love NPCs. I think for a realistic RP, you need to be able to have your character interact with the grocery store lady without admin involvement? (Also for the sake of kid/pet characters who aren't adoptable)

 

- Character Variance -- This is mostly with personality traits. I like the option to play morally/ethically questionable characters. So when I read things like "No IC bigotry," I usually walk away, because I know the community and I have different expectations in what themes are interesting to explore.

Edited September 11, 2017 by Thyme

[Jinx 5]

First things I look for are usually posting requirements, word counts, and character limits, because a lot of rules are pretty standard in RP. Secondary to those are things related to aesthetics such as FC instructions and template/signature requirements. If I don't see a word count, I assume it's zero. I like the flexibility of lower word counts, even though my posts are typically 250+ even on a bad day, unless I have absolutely nothing to work with. But even though I could do a 500+ WC requirement, I wouldn't want something like that as the minimum. I'm sure it's a way to weed out the players who don't write as well or give you as much to work with, but it doesn't always work that well. You can write 1,000 words and 900 of them are fluff and introspection or description that you can't respond to. That might be a little off topic, though. XD