Staffing Should staff attempt to RP with all members?

[eleholly 118]

As an admin and a member, I do not think that admins should try to write with every single member. I don't, I don't expect my co-admins to do it either, and I would never expect another site's admin to RP with me just because. I'm a firm believer of working in people into plots where they can fit, but when you get down to the very basics, admins are RPers too and as such, we have some styles we click with and some styles we don't. It's just the fact of it. I do probably have the most RP threads out of all of my players, and I know I have the most characters, which means that I do touch threads with just about everyone.HOWEVER, I am not actively RPing with all 40 members on my site because that is just chaos. 

 

As a staffer, perhaps connecting people together is a better role instead of RPing with everyone. You're just going to overwhelm yourself and lose interest if you spread yourself too thin. 

[Shades 676]

As an admin: I feel staff should be OPEN to roleplaying with every member, which doesn't mean they have to actively roleplay with everyone. When I had a site open, I would offer new members a choice of all of my characters (at least one in every member group) and come up with a few possible plots. But I wouldn't and couldn't force myself to just write with everyone if we didn't mesh or they didn't want to.

 

As a member, I'm in the 'as long as SOMEONE is writing with me, I'm staying'. It doesn't matter if this someone is a member of staff, if I have plots, I'm in.

[Kit the Human 759]

I do not expect every member to write with every other member. I do not expect every member to RP with me, or to enjoy RPing with me. I have no desire to pressure people to RP with people that they don't want to, for whatever reason.

 

As such, I won't make a special effort to RP with everyone. I will absolutely RP with you when you join, because "don't knock it til you've tried it" but if we don't gel for whatever reason. It doesn't help them or me to spend energy on a plot or RP that I'm just not enjoying. I'll just feel gross and start dreading having to do my replies. Not a good thing for a staffer or member to feel!

 

I like what @Jones said about it being misleading. I sincerely believe that we all have different values and get different things from RPing and we all benefit from being honest about that and recognising when values just don't align. 

 

Granted, some of those values mean....making a special effort to RP with all of your members to craft a cohesive story 😄 so I'm not pretending that people who ensure they RP with all members are in the wrong, by all means. It's just something that I find detrimental to my experience as both writer and staffer.

[The Rebel 44]

I definitely like to put in the effort myself as much as possible, but given the number of threads I have, it's a bit difficult sometimes if there is no good reason for interaction and I shouldn't actually be taking new threads yet.  A lot of our new members take canons that already fit into the storyline (or we work with them during the application process so their OCs will have sufficient interactions) so it's just kind of natural to offer to rp to further the story.  I do try to rp with all the members at some point, but I focus mainly on ensuring that the new members do have people to post with.  I don't think it's an obligation of an administrator to post with new members, and I must admit I'm a little wary throwing two unrelated characters together if we cannot determine a particular reason for the interaction if only because I don't think they are quite as engaging for either rper and that's not the greatest first impression for the new member.   That being said, this isn't ALWAYS the case. It can work out marvelously.  I'd rather risk a thread be flat and be welcoming, but  I feel it's more important to ensure a new members character becomes integrated into the board, is getting threads etc, whether with me, my co-admin, or the board members.   What I do think can be very off putting to new members, though, is when threads are offered and then two posts in the threads become inactive because then it really does seem like an empty gesture and  I think that can be more damaging than members/staff not offering to thread in the first place. 

[CovertSphinx 710]

When a player first joins a site, SOMEBODY has to thread with them. It doesn't matter if its the Admin, Moderator, Coding Specialist, or another member who joined the day prior.

Nobody should ever feel obligated to be the Welcome Wagon Threader for the new player, but I feel like it's something people (all levels of membership) should want to do for the sake of the game itself.
Since the story(ies) is a Team Effort, I feel like the Welcome Thread should also be a Team Effort rather than a "staff job", by the sheer nature of what it means to RP. 

As a member and an administrator, I try to keep a character or two on standby who make good "introductory" partners. These are characters who can IC-ly introduce the Newbie to other characters that would make good plotting partners within a thread or two. Using my 2 main Pivot Characters (I haven't found anybody they DON'T mesh with, in over a decade of use) as examples:

• A Vampiress whose mastery of potions and ritual alchemy gives her many IC connections to....well...it usually ends up being EVERYONE no matter which incarnation I've used her for. You can topple a whole kingdom just by introducing the right characters to each other (or by marrying the Global Domination Narcissist, but that was an unexpected turn of events). 
• A mercenary leader (Usually as an Imp or related demonic species) possessing the typical bubbly-friendly chaotic-good lack of impulse control. Everyone is her friend (complete with nickname), and she's famous for dragging characters (usually some "arm-twisting" needed) on what she calls "Adventures". Usually these adventures tangentially involve the New Character's goals but quickly spiral into getting that character connected with much "larger" plots. 

 

As a Head Administrator/GM, I feel like part of my Purpose is to get the new player's feet wet. For me, part of keeping the site/plot running smoothly is making sure people can connect with it so I like to consider myself a Quest Giver by nature. If I can't spare the time to dedicate to a thread/plot, I will find an opening somewhere to offer them. It could be any number of ways: 

• A specific thread that's either just been started or ongoing but could use the shake-up (Obviously I'd ask the other members if I can have the newbie invade them first)
• PMing the new member and an older member about a specific pairing of characters that I think they would enjoy threading together (And, in my deviousness, further the bigger plots using side-plots)
• Linking directly to particular Plot Crumbs/Missions/Plotters/Wanteds/Lorepoints that their character seems to be a good fit for
• Ask specific members on a case-by-case basis to offer up a character to thread with the new member.
• Anything I'm forgetting, or avenues of plotting other Admins utilize on their own sites

I can't make the new member actually TAKE the "Quests", but I think its definitely part of my job as Admin to make jumping in as easy as I reasonably can. 

 

 

 

 

BUUUTTTTTTT, this all still hinges on the fact that a New Member has to be Pro-Active in their entrance to the community, and WANT to do the things with the other peoples. 

[Hysteria 56]

I don't think a staff member should roleplay with every member, but I do think a staff member should roleplay with their members. I say this because I've seen staff members only roleplay with other staff members, or only occasionally roleplay with "favorite" members. While it is obvious that a certain level of favoritism comes with writing as there are writing styles we're bound to like more than others, giving people a chance to write with us and by extension, giving your members a chance to write with you - could be seen as courteous. You might even enjoy it. 😛

[daedric prince 19]

No. Staff are members of the site just like everyone else and should not be forced to roleplay with people they have no chemistry with. If you don't enjoy writing with someone and you force it, it's going to be a terrible story and no one will really have fun.

Been there, done that.

[Sage 289]

On ‎6‎/‎30‎/‎2018 at 11:36 AM, featherstone said:

I'll help people find a thread, create events where they can meet others, I'll play NPCs whenever needed, however I won't force interactions if they don't fit (or if I don't have the time for so many threads).

 

On ‎6‎/‎30‎/‎2018 at 7:15 PM, eleholly said:

As a staffer, perhaps connecting people together is a better role instead of RPing with everyone. You're just going to overwhelm yourself and lose interest if you spread yourself too thin. 

 

I agree with both of these statements! Staff shouldn't be obligated to rp with everyone - that's not possible and you can end up neglecting your other duties in the process. However, I do think that staff are obligated to help their members find other characters they can plot or thread with, whether that be by creating some sort of general thread or discord channel or actively helping others find ways to be engaged. Sometimes your members, new or old, can be a lil shy in finding avenues to get into the rp, and a little staff push or plug can help them. It doesn't have to be much, and it doesn't have to be a lot of effort on staff's part. But just being open to help make connections is what I feel is a staff responsibility.

[clipsed 231]

Yes, but not as soon as they join up. It should be a more organic process and then, if you don't have a lot going on, you approach the people you might have missed in the past. Avoids burnout AND spreads the love!

[Marin 14]

It's a nice ideal to strive for but not necessarily one we should expect to achieve.

[Nixie 13]

I would personally try as best I could, especially when the community is still tiny, but as it gets larger I'd probably have to pull back a bit. However, if they want to plot then I'd be happy to do so and RP with them down the line.

[Rivfader 76]

I try to write at least one thread with every new member that joins my sites, particularly when the site is just getting up and running. But eventually it becomes too much for me to handle. I will admit that I sometimes get members joining that aren't necessarily bad at writing, but I personally don't have much interest in plotting with their character(s). Other people do, so they aren't alone and left on the sidelines! But in situations like that I just can't make myself write an entire thread with someone that I don't really want to write or I'm interested in. I just end up procrastinating and that never looks fair when you're replying to other people, lol.

 

From the perspective of joining a site as a member, I don't expect staff to write with me constantly. As long as I'm not being ignored by them in OOC chat, I don't really mind!

[Monroe 26]

I think interaction through chat and keeping site wide plots going is more important than trying to roleplay with everyone that joins the game. At least when it comes to an active game. I tried to roleplay with everyone and I am still in over 20 threads. I am beating myself up just trying to involve myself with everyone. We support a welcoming environment and new people that seek to be involved are always brought into the mess. XD So I do have members that make up for where I can't give another piece.

[Rhindeer 217]

Oh god, no.

 

I think staff should be welcoming and friendly and helpful! But staff members are also members who are doing this as a hobby, and the entire point of a hobby is having fun. The instant fun becomes an obligation is the instant it stops being fun and people check out.

 

I don't expect members to play with people they don't want to play with, and I don't expect my staff, or myself, to either. I don't have time to play with everyone, for one--life is busy and it's difficult enough sometimes to keep up with my favorite threads! For two, I'm just not interested in every plot or character that comes along. Sometimes, I just don't mesh with someone. That someone may be perfectly awesome, that someone may be someone I love chatting with, even! I just may not like threading with them for whatever reason. And that's just how it be.

 

Everyone chooses who they want to play with, and I wouldn't have it any other way. As long as everyone is friendly, then that's all I ask for.

[Muse 121]

Yes and no.

 

I have 4 PCs and also moderate site-wide events alongside my other 3 staff members. We have plots that are both site-wide as well as focused to certain areas of the game.

 

Do I try to shove my PC at everyone? No, even if I'm a friggin' threadwhore and won't say no if you offer to write with any of my peeps. Like, yeah ... always ... let's write! 

 

Do I try and get new players involved in on-going plots? Do I like to play matchmaker between players? Do I make sure everyone has a place in my plots, big or small? Yes. Yes. And more yes. That's my job, isn't it? As site administrator, story teller, moderator, passionate all-knowing person about the world I am building and the stories we're making? So, yes. Usually, those folks who don't engage with other players, who don't take staff up on a storyline, and who don't want to be moderated at all ... don't stick.