This is another thread in a series of Role-playing Game issues like this one: Waiting For Slow Players In Role-Playing Games. In this one I want to talk about the role-play gamers that love melodrama going on and on for pages and pages but can't get one action out. I can't stand playing a game with players like that. I guess that is the downside of forum role-play gaming because normally at a tabletop you can kind of wager who is there and what kind of playing you will expect but with forums people just feel they can go on and on for one point and forget they are really in a game with other people. Luckily, most of the games I am in are not like that. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with melodrama but it has its place and if you want to know something weird - I like it! The point is it has its place. In Gwynedd and Love Bytes it has its place and is very easy to use but then those ARE melodramatic role-playing games. Then you have Dungeons & Dragons, a game that [..] surrounds solving problems and combating monsters, but nope... Some think its time for the Twilight movies. What do you think?
Melodramatic Role-Play Gamers (Hover)
Well Krusten I have seen this before but in Bruconero's RPG, (Yes, I have read what this game contains and the player's posts in there too even though I do not participate in it for several reasons) I find that some players love melodramatic role-playing but I don't really find it wrong, the problem is that it affects people because they want to move on with their characters and not go back to the same story again.
Edited: Felipe on 31st Jul, 2013 - 9:11pm
(laugh)! the banners for these threads are hilarious. Again its not something I experience but its looking like Member Wars is making you rant Krusten. Have you ever thought about running your own Role-playing Game there so you can like set a precedent?
Considering that melodrama was the first type of acting, maybe it's a good stepping stone in the right direction. Characters are different to players and sometimes a caricature of their personality is required to change into their mindset. If it's too subtle, the player's personality can come through.
Also, Dungeons & Dragons doesn't have to be pure crunch. Even if they're not real, characters should have their own thought process, much like any decision made in real life. But I will agree that the melodrama cannot span multiple pages in such games.
So long as they can get some actions in there then role-playing should be an 'in the mean time' thing. Plus it has to fit. Just imagine you're in the middle of battle and a couple of characters are batting eyes at each other at the same time.
There is a time and place for melodramatic role playing, I like to write descriptively but I have noticed on the forms here most people just post their actions and a little conversation so I toned it down to match my surrounding party members. But to be brutally honest I think it adds flavor when you post a lengthy post about your character's personality, physical descriptions, and interests / dislikes. It really makes you pay attention to the character as a 3 dimensional being rather than an array of stats able to output X and Y variables of damage. But this type of posting only works if its responded to in the same manor and I agree that in battle this would take too long in a Play By Post setting.
Character description and melodrama is two different things. Description is like the background story so you can picture why a character is the way he is at present. Melodrama is the conversations and interaction between characters. If you want to make long winded descriptions to me that is a personal preference so long as it is towards an action. However melodrama is whole other story because it slows things down usually to petty dialogue that is only important for a couple of characters.