Post by Spookypatrol [Delia] on Feb 18, 2019 17:00:20 GMT -5
Hello everyone!
So, I wanted to start laying some guidelines down for all players just to ensure that we can make these boards the best experience possible for all players. Because of some lulls in activity in certain areas, the rest of the admin/mod team and I felt it was best to ensure that all players are on the same page in regards to the importance of communication and consideration of other players. This is not about general conduct, this is merely about activity and awareness to ensure that no one inadvertently holds up enjoyment for another player unnecessarily.
Now that that's out of the way, let's break things down!
So, we know that life gets in the way for everyone, and, of course, life comes first. Many of our players have other priorities, and cannot commit quite as much time to DnD. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, and everyone should be encouraged to be understanding and flexible! However, there should also be open communication about this, and players who know they will be busy should make sure to let their team know so that they can appropriately plan for the event of a hiccup in activity from their character. We all understand that it's not always possible to plan for when you'll be busy, and sometimes you're busy for extended periods of time with no way of communicating that to your team - and that's okay, also! These guidelines are not a punishment, merely an encouragement to make sure that DnD stays active and fair for those of us who dedicate a little more time to it than those who can't.
Please remember that while DnD is on a much laxer format due to the play-by-post system allowing people to respond when they have time instead of being dedicated to a set date and time for play sessions like traditional tabletop RPGs, you are still being relied on by the rest of your team, be that in dungeons or in roleplay! Because of this it is the responsibility of players to keep your fellow allies up-to-date on whether or not you won't be able to be active for a while, or what your expected level of dedication will be. While we all know no one wants to be intentionally inconsiderate, it's easy to be inadvertently so, and we want to make sure no one gets stuck without any communication waiting in vain for their teammate to show up.
Remember: When you're away, your character is away, and that can make things very awkward for your companions who may have asked you a direct question, or are relying on you to move forward!
Moving On
Okay so, let's say you know you'll be busy and you're with an active group of players right now. Here are a few suggestions for what you can do to ensure that the group doesn't risk ending up at a standstill because life decided to happen:
1. You can write that your character is currently occupied and is following (or otherwise inform your allies of this and they can imply that for you in their writing).
2. You can opt out of participating in a certain activity in order to not risk slowing it down, or join late.
3. You can temporarily write your character out entirely until you have enough time to dedicate to the session.
Of course, anything else you can come up with personally is fine, too; these are just suggestions!
So, what happens in these situations, or in a situation where a player just doesn't tell anyone they're going to be inactive, and merely disappear for several days?
If communication happens, then the team can decide amongst themselves when and how they choose to move on. However, if no communication occurs, then after ~2 real-time days the player is considered to be away or distracted, and the thread is free to move on without their input until the character owner is available again.
Catching Up
Once the player chooses to return, they are always welcome to join right back in on their old session, unless otherwise noted (usually that is a discussion to be had amongst thread participants). If the player has been gone for a while and they are having trouble catching up with everything that has happened or are feeling discouraged, then it is our responsibility as a community to help that player get back on track. Remember: we are all friends here, and we should be encouraging each other, not punishing each other.
Sometimes your group may have a mutual understanding that everyone will be posting more slowly because everyone in their group is busy, and that is absolutely fine! If there is a mutual agreement, there is no need to abide by the prior guideline about "moving on" without a character. Ultimately these guidelines exist to help move things forward and keep things fair to players who wish to be more active, so no one gets stuck waiting on people needlessly. If your team has a set up already in place and that set up is a little on the slow side, everyone is in agreement and no one is harmed, so it's all good and fair!
I know that this is a lot, but it comes down to this: Communicate with your fellow players. We are a team, and we all rely on each other's cooperation to have a good time. It's okay to be inactive, and it's okay to get unusually busy when life gets in the way. But just remember: there are people who rely on you, so make sure that you can settle on something that'll work for everyone involved, that way people who are busy can still be welcomed back with open-arms, and people who are active don't feel punished or bored because they are stuck waiting for someone who is unavailable.
Most importantly...
Happy Roleplaying!
So, I wanted to start laying some guidelines down for all players just to ensure that we can make these boards the best experience possible for all players. Because of some lulls in activity in certain areas, the rest of the admin/mod team and I felt it was best to ensure that all players are on the same page in regards to the importance of communication and consideration of other players. This is not about general conduct, this is merely about activity and awareness to ensure that no one inadvertently holds up enjoyment for another player unnecessarily.
Now that that's out of the way, let's break things down!
The Importance of Activity
So, we know that life gets in the way for everyone, and, of course, life comes first. Many of our players have other priorities, and cannot commit quite as much time to DnD. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, and everyone should be encouraged to be understanding and flexible! However, there should also be open communication about this, and players who know they will be busy should make sure to let their team know so that they can appropriately plan for the event of a hiccup in activity from their character. We all understand that it's not always possible to plan for when you'll be busy, and sometimes you're busy for extended periods of time with no way of communicating that to your team - and that's okay, also! These guidelines are not a punishment, merely an encouragement to make sure that DnD stays active and fair for those of us who dedicate a little more time to it than those who can't.
Please remember that while DnD is on a much laxer format due to the play-by-post system allowing people to respond when they have time instead of being dedicated to a set date and time for play sessions like traditional tabletop RPGs, you are still being relied on by the rest of your team, be that in dungeons or in roleplay! Because of this it is the responsibility of players to keep your fellow allies up-to-date on whether or not you won't be able to be active for a while, or what your expected level of dedication will be. While we all know no one wants to be intentionally inconsiderate, it's easy to be inadvertently so, and we want to make sure no one gets stuck without any communication waiting in vain for their teammate to show up.
Remember: When you're away, your character is away, and that can make things very awkward for your companions who may have asked you a direct question, or are relying on you to move forward!
Moving On, and Catching Up
Okay so, let's say you know you'll be busy and you're with an active group of players right now. Here are a few suggestions for what you can do to ensure that the group doesn't risk ending up at a standstill because life decided to happen:
1. You can write that your character is currently occupied and is following (or otherwise inform your allies of this and they can imply that for you in their writing).
2. You can opt out of participating in a certain activity in order to not risk slowing it down, or join late.
3. You can temporarily write your character out entirely until you have enough time to dedicate to the session.
Of course, anything else you can come up with personally is fine, too; these are just suggestions!
So, what happens in these situations, or in a situation where a player just doesn't tell anyone they're going to be inactive, and merely disappear for several days?
If communication happens, then the team can decide amongst themselves when and how they choose to move on. However, if no communication occurs, then after ~2 real-time days the player is considered to be away or distracted, and the thread is free to move on without their input until the character owner is available again.
Catching Up
Once the player chooses to return, they are always welcome to join right back in on their old session, unless otherwise noted (usually that is a discussion to be had amongst thread participants). If the player has been gone for a while and they are having trouble catching up with everything that has happened or are feeling discouraged, then it is our responsibility as a community to help that player get back on track. Remember: we are all friends here, and we should be encouraging each other, not punishing each other.
Mutual Agreements
Sometimes your group may have a mutual understanding that everyone will be posting more slowly because everyone in their group is busy, and that is absolutely fine! If there is a mutual agreement, there is no need to abide by the prior guideline about "moving on" without a character. Ultimately these guidelines exist to help move things forward and keep things fair to players who wish to be more active, so no one gets stuck waiting on people needlessly. If your team has a set up already in place and that set up is a little on the slow side, everyone is in agreement and no one is harmed, so it's all good and fair!
Last Word
I know that this is a lot, but it comes down to this: Communicate with your fellow players. We are a team, and we all rely on each other's cooperation to have a good time. It's okay to be inactive, and it's okay to get unusually busy when life gets in the way. But just remember: there are people who rely on you, so make sure that you can settle on something that'll work for everyone involved, that way people who are busy can still be welcomed back with open-arms, and people who are active don't feel punished or bored because they are stuck waiting for someone who is unavailable.
Most importantly...
Happy Roleplaying!