Roleplayer of the Month, and race/class requests

[Kirin]

Currently, in order to have the chance to even apply for an ECL subrace or restricted class, a player is required to win a Roleplayer of the Month award. This seems to be as a measure to keep these races and classes rare, and to ensure that those player who do play them are capable of playing them responsibly. These principles I agree with completely, and I am in no way suggesting the floodgates ever be opened for people to freely roll either. There are a lot of servers that do that, and I don't play on them for a reason.


However, I am suggesting detaching them from the requirement of Roleplayer of the Month, for a number of reasons. RPotM, at it's heart, is a system that can unfortunately overlook a number of great players that would otherwise be fully capable of playing a unique class or race responsibly, and bringing an extra layer of flavor and depth to Sundren's playerbase. Players that play less often, but play well; or players that for whatever reason just are not quite as well-known or as popular among their peers have a disadvantage to winning RPotM.


I fear Sundren may be missing out on a number of potentially brilliant characters by not allowing people to apply for races or classes outside of RPotM. The title itself already gives a number of benefits, not to mention the mere prestige of acquiring it; separating race/class apps from it will not lessen or cheapen the achievement or accomplishment of those who earn it.


Playing a unique race or class should be hard, unforgiving, and for the few rather than the many. And it should take an application that moves the DM staff to tears, or near to it. But I'm not convinced that it should require RPotM, and would like to suggest it be a completely separate process. For those of us who play less, or are less well-known, but know that within us we have the potential to tell a grand story with a unique race or class if only given the chance.


Thank you for hearing me out, even if you disagree.

[Yastin]

More power to you, sir. I'm new here, and love the RP, but I'm seeing very few people on, and know that much of the group I changed server with may just keep looking because of the restrictiveness here. Now, while I think that's a bit extreme (skipping over because they can't make their favorite characters right off), I also see where they're coming from. The restrictions seem tough as all hell for newbies, and even if one's good at RPing, it would take a long time to be nominated for the current system. I'll personally be toughing out this slow patch because I love what I've seen so far, but I'd love to know I wasn't competing to get certain races and classes, and that my normal group won't be running off to places unknown. Although my regular character is perfectly legal on your server, being a Human rogue. :P

[Vonjan]

aying a unique race or class should be hard, unforgiving, and for the few rather than the many. And it should take an application that moves the DM staff to tears, or near to it. But I'm not convinced that it should require RPotM, and would like to suggest it be a completely separate process. For those of us who play less, or are less well-known, but know that within us we have the potential to tell a grand story with a unique race or class if only given the chance..

Why should it be all that? I mean how many people you know understands the psyche of races and the discipline of a class? is there a university someone needs to attend?

[Root]

I do agree with this. In the past I've been part of a group working for a server that looked through and voted on character applications (perhaps this could even be done by existing RPoTM's, to save staff time?).

IMO, should be put through as a request requiring, for example, a character already level 15+, a minimum time on the server (three months for instance) and approval by the voting folk.

I in no way want to see genasi running around in hordes or goodly drow, or warlocks magic becoming unfeared as it should be, but a little variation from the norm would be great.

Fully support this stuff.

[Vonjan]

haying a unique race or class should be hard, unforgiving, and for the few rather than the many. And it should take an application that moves the DM staff to tears, or near to it. But I'm not convinced that it should require RPotM, and would like to suggest it be a completely separate process. For those of us who play less, or are less well-known, but know that within us we have the potential to tell a grand story with a unique race or class if only given the chance..

Why should it be all that? I mean how many people you know understands the psyche of races and the discipline of a class? is there a university someone needs to attend?

[Root]

Why should it be all that? I mean how many people you know understands the psyche of races and the discipline of a class? is there a university someone needs to attend?

No, but if you spend 15-30 minutes reading up information on a race or class from the internet before making them, you'd be suprised how well you can ground a character in lore and setting. It substantially improves RP, and makes it far more believable when you do strike out against it.

It's the difference between Drizz't Do'urden and his father, who was a far cooler non-evil drow.

[Vaelek]

Come closer, Kirin, I would like to stamp you with the honorary deMoin/Blurry stamp of approval.

The restrictions have always been a source of frustration for many experienced roleplayers with very well thought out ideas in Sundren. As has been said, many times before in-game and likely on the forums, RPotM is a popularity contest.

That's not to say it shouldn't exist, but a popularity contest does not support the actual roleplay value or integrity of a character a surprising amount of the time.

More often, it seems to be who has the most time online and who most easily befriends other characters.
It hasn't always been that way, and there've definitely been villianous characters that were well disliked that made RPotM.

But letting players actually prove their integrity to DMs through either in-game action or extremely well thought-out biographies, aswell as evidence of an understanding of the setting really would promote RP that has been neglected for.. Well, a long time.
Even if there was a set limit for a certain class or race active at a time, which I don't entirely approve of.. It has worked to some degree for the vampire population.

It's a pain that that process adds to the staff's workload, especially when things seem to be a bit on the lowside at the moment, but it would offer a lot of new RP in what's gradually becoming a somewhat stale routine.

Uh, in summary, I agree with everything the OP said.
And I think he/she should be running for Mayor.

[Vonjan]

I think that even if you read up on a class or race your still going to have to come up with the story for it . Now here i wont disrespect but to even consider playing such a class you got to come up with a hell of a misfit.
I understand the whole idea of rare i just don't think one needs an award to play the race or class just a little research.

[Vaelek]

Well, even with just a little research, actually interacting in character can become relatively challenging.

For instance, prior to my first character becoming a Doomguide, I played for about half a year and took my time to get to know the mindset of the church, local and abroad, as well as many specifics of the faith and their enemies before I was ever considered for the actual event leading up to it.

That was absolutely fantastic.
In retrospect, had I been given the event right away, I may have managed to impress a DM sufficiently to give me the necessary feat.. But I would have been in no way close to the same proficiency that I later was as a Doomguide.

This is why new Red Wizards don't start at the top of the ladder.
When they make a newbie mistake and fall off, it looks bad.
Really bad.

By the same token, races like Drow pulling a Drizzt and a warlock that keeps an orphanage for homeless rabbits, while acceptable when you work through a fifteen minute reading of the guidelines, isn't necessarily good RP.

Make people work for it, really make them work, but at least give them the chance to.

[Kirin]

I do agree with this. In the past I've been part of a group working for a server that looked through and voted on character applications (perhaps this could even be done by existing RPoTM's, to save staff time?).

It's my understanding that staff still have to review and give final approval on any apps...but a sort of "player council" of RPotM winners to vote on it first (and filter out bad ones to cut down on staff workload) is a pretty awesome idea.

IMO, should be put through as a request requiring, for example, a character already level 15+, a minimum time on the server (three months for instance) and approval by the voting folk.

I'm not sure I understand the level requirement you're suggesting. It doesn't have anything to do with RP; quite the opposite, many players aren't as concerned with XP and level very slowly. I'm not sure it's wise to encourage people to "grind" to hit that kind of requirement.

[Root]

I'm not sure I understand the level requirement you're suggesting. It doesn't have anything to do with RP; quite the opposite, many players aren't as concerned with XP and level very slowly. I'm not sure it's wise to encourage people to "grind" to hit that kind of requirement.

It suggests a certain amount of time on the server, and an amount of playing, and therefore being comfortable enough in the server to play an exceptional race or class. This also gives the player enough exposure to mean that the voters can vote more easily on them.

It could just as easily be replaced with a time requirement on the server, but since getting to level 15 requires playtime and time on the server due to the level cap, I thought that would fit well.

Most of the exceptional races would (or at least, very much should) face opposition in most interactions, and would therefore be unsuited to a beginning player.

A character that just grinded up then demanded to play a good drow would get caught up by the voting process, so it seems logical enough.

[Atmosphere]

I always wonder why people attach class onto this. The only class locked to RPotM is warlock and hellfire warlock. All other restricted classes can be requested by posting a well written character request that includes character bio (or link to bio) with detail on how the character plans to progress. Then we take the request and slap it up on the big ole DM white board and discuss it. Sometimes we might make you do things but its suppose to be fun. I believe Root here was pretty successful with her request with Helga, who I believe to be one of her first characters on the server if I'm not mistaken.

[Root]

I always wonder why people attach class onto this. The only class locked to RPotM is warlock and hellfire warlock. All other restricted classes can be requested by posting a well written character request that includes character bio (or link to bio) with detail on how the character plans to progress. Then we take the request and slap it up on the big ole DM white board and discuss it. Sometimes we might make you do things but its suppose to be fun. I believe Root here was pretty successful with HIS, THE MANLY MAN THAT HE IS, I BET HE WRESTLES BEARS USING ROPES MADE OF HIS CHEST HAIR WHILST ON FIRE, request with Helga, who I believe to be one of THE THUNDEROUS STALLION-RIDING BEACON OF MASCULINITY THAT WE KNOW AS ROOT'S first characters on the server if I'm not mistaken.

...Quote to correct.

Perhaps you were thrown for confusion by how realistically womanly my eight foot tall half-orc half-dragon ogre-eating behemoth is.

Hel was my second char here, the first being an Ubtao druid whose brother was a raptor.

I didn't get any events for my class-application, but that was due to DM time, I believe. I put the RP in by the bucketload, mindya, and intend to be continuing to do so once I get the incentive to dig my bio up to continue posting in it.

And the class-locked thing I believe is primarily referring to the Warlock being locked.

Thing is, with freakish races/classes (genasi, drow, and warlocks), the burden is on the community as well as the player playing them. We're expected to react. A demon-horned being wielding abyssal magic should provoke significant reaction. Vows to destroy it, running in fear, attempts to form evil alliances, steal it's blood for rituals, or for the occasional Drizz't lover, defend it from all of the above. Might as well not be an odd race at all if there's no difference in reaction between a drow and a moon elf.

[Atmosphere]

I stand corrected.

[Seheren]

Not everyone wants to be good. I have a very hard time not being evil, so given the chance I think any race I would go for would be CE and try to take over the world.

Just saying.