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Story-based promotions


Elena
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I know many RPGs where the characters advance in the story. They make their mark upon the story, progress and get promoted for their achievements and reliability.

Some people love this. It is a way to reward fidelity, creativity, involvement in the story, and at the same time to show the fact that no story can remain static.

Others don't like it. They want their character to remain the same way as it was initially designed, and for them a promotion, no matter how much it makes sense in the story, means their character turns into someone they aren't interested in writing about anymore (no matter that the promotions always do show new paths to explore, and the characters have further potential for development in their new positions).

What about you? Do you like promotions or not? And why?

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I don't know if I've ever come across anyone that didn't want to accept character developments and 'promotions'. Personally I LOVE developing my characters and bringing them to places I never expected when I first created them. To me that's the joy of roleplay! It's so unpredictable and fun if done properly. A lot of sites don't really give you the opportunity for your character to rise from a little, less important (maybe not less important but if they were gone, they wouldn't drastically affect the plot) role to a 'canon-tier' one through roleplay, but this is something I love to see happening.

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I don't care for promotions for just any character, but if I'm making  character who's ambitious its nice to have a chance at being recognized, I prefer it to just applying into a rank in many cases too, cause I have to show that the character deserves what they're after.

 

As a promoter, to avoid the awkwardness of promoting a character that a player doesn't want to have advance so far, it helps to contact the player oocly and ask how they feel about it rather than springing the promotion on them icly. It also helps to really check that the character in mind will work for the role.

 

Once, one of my characters, a trouble making child with cognitive issues, was promoted to a middle ranking position, just because I was one of the more active players in the group in question. Naturally she got demoted just as fast, but that's an example of promotion done poorly, as not only should the player be involved, but the character should show potential to have the maturity or talent needed for the role being offered.

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16 minutes ago, Kazetatsu said:

As a promoter, to avoid the awkwardness of promoting a character that a player doesn't want to have advance so far, it helps to contact the player oocly and ask how they feel about it rather than springing the promotion on them icly. It also helps to really check that the character in mind will work for the role.

 

I agree with this 100% but at the same time part of me thinks it'd still be just as fun for a character to tell yours they've been considering a promotion and for yours to try and squeeze their way out of it if you didn't want it OOCly. Even if a character springs a 'promotion' of some kind on yours unexpectedly, it doesn't mean you have to reluctantly go along with it.

 

I love putting my characters in awkward situations, but that's me. 😄

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I agree with @Rivfader! If it's IC, as long as the character is provided with a way out it shouldn't really matter. I mean, that's how real life is. When your boss comes to you with a promotion, you can totally reject it! I actually did this once in college not realizing my bosses were trying to promote me. It only clicked for me a few months later and my current bf, who I worked with at the time, still won't let me forget about it xDD 

 

But I agree that there should also be some sort of OOC communication about it, too. If you're promoting a character, just send that player a DM like "hey so this is happening bc x did y & z or whatever, but you totally have the choice of declining it if you want." Or approach them beforehand to be like "hey so we'd like to promote your character bc of x! Do you want to play this out ic? they don't have to accept it, but this would be a great story development if we did a thread about it" or something to that effect. 

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The problem is that in character, in some cases, the promotion comes automatically - if the first lieutenant died or got transferred, the second lieutenant becomes the first. If the master gunner falls, the gunner's mate takes his place, etc. Some of my characters got promoted during the story and I loved this. One got even elected captain. (We did captain elections on my site too, when it was the case, as well as exams for promoting midshipmen to lieutenants or master's mates getting the navigator certificate).

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I can absolutely see the need for IC actions to make it necessary for someone's character to take command. With your one example, let's say the master gunner on my ship got himself killed in a combat thread and I played the gunner's mate. As a player, it would be rude if I said "No my character won't step in to take up command while there's a battle on". Especially if my character not doing so would cause problems IC with the hands not knowing who to report to or take orders from. For someone in that position, it would probably be a bit OOC as well but that's a rabbit trail. 

 

I completely agree with the idea that IC actions have IC consequences. But only if it's something where I chose to put my character in that situation with the knowledge that that could happen. Even if it's something my character wouldn't know about, I still I need to know ahead of time that there's a chance my character could be promoted or killed or whatever before I apply for them or toss them into a plot. Now realistically, a SIC for anything knows that they will eventually be expected to be a leader. You shouldn't have to tell people that, and honestly, there's no OOC way to justify "but I didn't know it could happen". 

 

But if I said I didn't want to do something and came up with a logical way for it to not happen IC, I would honestly leave the site if the admin said I had to do it anyway. It would make me uncomfortable for me to be deliberately ignored when it came to my own character. That and I'd honestly take it as a sign that the admin was rude, controlling, and would abuse their power again down the road. Now I'm not saying that that's you at all, since you seem like a pretty level-headed person. It's just the impression that I would get from any staff member who treated me like that. 

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1 hour ago, kita said:

IBut if I said I didn't want to do something and came up with a logical way for it to not happen IC, I would honestly leave the site if the admin said I had to do it anyway. It would make me uncomfortable for me to be deliberately ignored when it came to my own character. That and I'd honestly take it as a sign that the admin was rude, controlling, and would abuse their power again down the road. Now I'm not saying that that's you at all, since you seem like a pretty level-headed person. It's just the impression that I would get from any staff member who treated me like that. 

 

I agree with you, if there is a logical way not to happen, I am fine with it. Or if it means taking charge in that moment and finding someone else to be appointed afterwards, for having... better social connections, let's say. (Which could happen as well, not all acting leaders become full-fledged leaders). Usually, however, this should have been agreed from the start, not during the battle 🙂 when I start wondering why you took that role first and foremost.

 

Again, for taking a role or another, someone might have wished a promotion for their character, but the position taken doesn't allow for it. That had happened too, and then we found at a certain moment a creative way for it to happen, as it was well deserved.

 

But I have always wondered, about those who want a static character (and yes, their desire was respected, nobody was promoted against the writer's wish). How to find a character less interesting to write for having developed? He might have new challenges to meet, and further development ahead...

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I started out where OOC accomplishments earned promotions. You made it work IC. The requirements were being active. Because of this, I’m good with either. One nice thing about promotions being important was that by earning it, the important leadership roles were given to characters who were less likely to disappear in a week.

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To be honest, I kind of stared at this thread for several minutes wondering exactly HOW somebody manages their character in such a way that they do not NOT develop as a character or get promoted in some way or another. I honestly can't imagine NOT jumping on the chance to explore with my character in a new light, new social status, new duties/responsibilities. I feel like promotion and development is a natural part of the course. 

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For me, it is awarding the person for their contribution towards the story. But in Star Trek, it is quite easy to put into it. Because it is military based I can use various forms of promotions, awards, medals, promotions in rank or positions is seen as an award 😄 It keeps the writing group morale also up high and recognized for their work 🙂 

 

12 hours ago, CovertSphinx said:

To be honest, I kind of stared at this thread for several minutes wondering exactly HOW somebody manages their character in such a way that they do not NOT develop as a character or get promoted in some way or another. I honestly can't imagine NOT jumping on the chance to explore with my character in a new light, new social status, new duties/responsibilities. I feel like promotion and development is a natural part of the course. 

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Honestly? That is possible, I have seen players having their character being an ass or work against the rules, so I demote them, take their awards away or in extreme measures I remove them from the group. So it is possible. But I agree it is more natural course in rewarding someone that is doing their part. 

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