wolf (freeform) roleplay

[doghead]

A pity really, because this game seemed to have some juice. I was contemplating an older wolf, once a pack leader, but now somewhat reduced by age and his wounds. Would have been a nice counterpoint to Tichondrius I think. I liked the way Tichondrius was shaping up; a nice darker note to the story. It would have been intersting to see which path he ended up following.

The difference between roleplay and writing a story is that in the former, the characters are autonomous enities; they can and do act in unexpected ways. For examples of how collaboration between GM and players can lead to exceptional narratives, read some of the story hours. Welcome to the Halmae is my favourite. Its an excellent read.

thotd

 

[Jdvn1]

The difference between roleplay and writing a story is that in the former, the characters are autonomous enities; they can and do act in unexpected ways.

In order for it to work well, though, the players and their characters have to be willing to work together. I think Tichondrius threatening to kill everyone wasnt' a good idea, and also rather silly considering that the people he wanted to kill were enemies of his enemy (Redpelt).

 

[doghead]

Perhaps. I was working on the assumption that PB was setting up a starting postion that his character could move from, moving from antagonist to allie. Or not, the possibilty of betrayal was what made Tichondrius interesting, I thought.

But yes, I agree, he came on rather strong, which is where I thought an older, dare i say wiser wolf would have been a good addition. A claming influence, a moderator between the various parties.

thotd

 

[timidwolfchild]

i know pb. he got mad at me for stopping the roleplay just because i did not really get the whole point of this roleplay. i started it and he was kind of taking it over in his own hands. when he told me that he was mad he said i was having a hissy fit, then he saisd that i also have a hissy fit with one of my friends. i mean i just don't get the whole point of this roleplay and he gets mad at me. if you can tell me the whole point (what we do) then it may start again.

 

[doghead]

In general, the point of role play, like with any other hobby, is to have fun. And if you are not having fun, there is no point in doing it.

But I don't think that that was the question you were really asking.

In the case of this game, it seemed to me that you were looking to use role play as a mechanisim to create a narrative. Role play can be used this way, but it differs fundamentally from writing a story in that the actors/characters are autonomous entities. As an author you have complete control over what happens. As a GM, you don't; the end result is a collaboration between the players and GM. The actions of the characters can surprise, delight, horrify and puzzle you as the GM. And there in lies the one of the real pleasures of role play as I see it. Its a social activity. And when it works, what you get can be more complex, multilayered and interesting than what you would just think of yourself.

Personally, I really liked the way the game was going. You had two strong characters, each suggesting a fairly common architype. In Star Wars you can see similar character types; Luke Skywalker (the idealistic young hero) and Han Solo (the scoundrel who is in it for himself). The actions of Tichondrius may not have fit your idea of how things should go. But as a reader, I though Tichondrius was an interesting character, and immediately had me wondering; How will this play out? In other words, he got my attention. As a GM, I like the way PB played because although his characterisation was quite aggressive, he didn't derail the story line as it was established so far.

As a GM, I hope to try and create a game that is fun for my players. Hopefully, it also results in a narrative that is interesting and engaging for both the players, and anyone choosing to read the thread. If you have a very sppecific image of what happens, and how the characters should act, then perhaps role play is not the way to go. But if you are looking to sharer the experience with others, and hopefully come away with an interesting story, then role play can be a great way to do it. And the more you do it, the better you get at getting the best of both worlds. As I mentioned before, have a look at some of the Story Hours to see what I mean.

I hope that this helps.

thotd

 

[timidwolfchild]

that helped alot. but pb said i was kind a bossing hima round, but i thought i made it quite clear when snowdrift was walking away that she did not really care if they came with her or not. i mean if i am supposse to wait for him to say that his charecter would like to find another pack, then until he syas that i can't really play with minenow can i. there was once that snowdrift did walk away and how pb made her still be there. did i wan't snowdrift ot still be talking to tichondrias. i was going to make snowdrift turn around and come back, but he did that for me all ready. then saying that he was going to kill redpelt, maybe the thing was that i did not wan't redpelt to die. if i told that to him then he would just start yelling at me again saying that i just don't wan't to play by the rules. may i ask who's rules they were? i mean i made up redpelt that should give me the right to say that he won't die, doesn't it?

 

[doghead]

I thought i made it quite clear when snowdrift was walking away that she did not really care if they came with her or not. i mean if i am supposse to wait for him to say that his charecter would like to find another pack, then until he says that i can't really play with mine now can i. there was once that snowdrift did walk away and how pb made her still be there. did i wan't snowdrift ot still be talking to tichondrias.

I think that this wsa more a case of miscommunication. You stated Snowdrift walked way, but didn't specify that it was away from Tichondrias. PB seemed to have read it that the direction Snowdrift chose took her past Tichondrias. He didn't change Snowdrifts actions, but interpreted them in a certain way. This obviously wasn't how you saw it, but as you hadn't specified the direction, I don't think PB did anything wrong.

then saying that he was going to kill redpelt, maybe the thing was that i did not wan't redpelt to die.

I think it is OK for Tichondrias to wish to kill Redpelt. Whether he does is a different matter. Once again, his intention doesn't really derail the central game concept. But it doess give the character a solid motivation to cooperate. It also sets up the possibility of conflict with the group, which is a fundamental source of narative tension.

may i ask who's rules they were? i mean i made up redpelt that should give me the right to say that he won't die, doesn't it?

A good question. So far, you haven't established any rules of conduct. So technically, PB could have had Tichondrias set on Snowdrift and rip her throat out and leave her dying in the snow. Common courtasy would suggest that on player doesn't mess with another player's character, by hijacking their actions, or killing them.

I thought it was very brave to set up the game with no guidelines at all. And so far, I think it has worked. But freeform doesn't necessarily mean rules free. I've never played it before but I seem to remember seeing guidelines for freeform games before.

Hang on, let me work my Google Fu ...

This is from the Wikipedia entry on Improv Theater: [bq]In order for an improvised scene to be successful, the actors involved must work together responsively to define the parameters and action of the scene. With each spoken word or action in the scene, an actor makes an offer, meaning that he or she defines some element of the reality of the scene. This might include giving another character a name, identifying a relationship, location, or using mime to define the physical environment. These activities are also known as endowment. It is the responsibility of the other actors to accept the offers that their fellow performers make; to not do so is known as blocking, which usually prevents the scene from developing. Some performers may deliberately block (or otherwise break out of character) for comedic effect -- this is known as gagging -- but this generally prevents the scene from advancing and is frowned upon by many improvisers. Accepting an offer is usually accompanied by adding a new offer, often building on the earlier one; this is a process improvisers refer to as "Yes, And..." and is considered the cornerstone of improvisational technique.[/bq]

This page is about freeform, and also seems to link to some forums where yuo might be able to get advice, suggestions etc.
> http://www.simnet.is/icelandknight/rpg/freeform/index.htm <

This is a one page sheet with information as to starting a freeform game.

> http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache...eeform+rules&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6&client=safari <