LogFAQs > #936338887

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Some people are so self-conscious about speaking in character that they shut completely down. Text can create a buffer where they can play in character while they'd never be able to do so in person. Especially if they're playing with strangers or other people they feel are more likely to be judgemental. For those sorts of people, the difference between text and speaking is going to be the difference between playing as your character and playing the entire game saying things like "My character does this" and "My character says that he's interested in hearing more" or "My character describes the battle to the merchant". And trying to force them to speak in first-person or describe their actions in first-person isn't going to encourage them to get better/more relaxed as much as it's going to encourage them to stop RPing entirely.

Promoting roleplay is, weirdly, a GM issue. If someone says "I want to use deception to get past the guard", it's a simple "all right, what do you say". So if they don't want to go further, it's super easy to just say they don't do anything. If they want to keep not speaking in character, that's also fine, they just need to give a broad description of what they're saying. It's really easy to work around it, and move the game forward.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Though in my case, it's not that as much as the fact that I'm and old man stuck in a 90s tech mindset and I hate anything more advanced than AIM or ICQ. And I tend to find group chat with cams/mics can be distracting in its own way because it can be a cacophony of noise, which is more of an issue over mics than it is in person. Especially if the tech involved is being kind of s***ty. Or if you're using older/less powerful hardware (which you very well may be, if you're notoriously anti-PC gaming and only ever use your computer for e-mail and message boards).

I_Abibde posted...

My Wednesday night D&D group has moved to Roll 20, and the results have been ... difficult. My laptop can barely run it, everybody has microphone issues, etc. Going to keep trying until the lockdown lifts, but I do not enjoy playing D&D this way.

There's a baseline level of technology required. Yeah. Taking a physical game and moving it online is awful unless you know every single person has the technical skills to operate a microphone and not leave it on while munching on chips. Microphone etiquette is required.
However, starting out online, and making everyone comfortable with microphone etiquette before, is actually just fine.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Though it's also worth noting that people who are frustrated theater majors are much more likely to want that direct personal interaction (similar to why the Crit Role cast play up the blatant acting aspects of RP), whereas people who are frustrated writers may absolutely prefer to lean heavy into text because you can convey a hell of a lot with descriptive writing. You can talk about things like tone of voice and body language all you want, but if you're not a skilled actor you probably aren't conveying what you want your character to be thinking/emoting most of the time anyway. Because YOU aren't personally feeling what your character is most of the time (especially if you're playing any sort of character who is different from your actual personality). Whereas, if you're dealing with GOOD writers, they can introduce a lot of subtly and nuance that is completely lacking in face-to-face games (I can honestly say I've felt far more emotion from some of the text-based games I've played in than I've ever felt in any face-to-face game ever).

I don't know about you, but I naturally do a little bit of acting while roleplaying. I sit differently, move my hands differently (or not at all). It takes a tiny amount of practice, but it's a skill that's honestly one of my favorite things to do, it's fun as hell to inhabit someone else's ticks. It doesn't require a lot, just sitting up straight with quick, precise hand motions. Or slouching to the side and making exaggerating sweeping gestures.
Even just talking loudly and laughing with people makes all of the difference in the world.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

I'd never say that text-based RP is always objectively better than the alternative, but I also would never say that face-to-face is better than every other style either. Ultimately it depends on the players and what sort of game they want to play. In some cases, for some people, text will absolutely be 100% better. In other cases, it won't be.

Me neither, I just judge you for being wrong.

EvilMegas posted...

As for the DnD debate.

Both is actually the worst of the two.
It mixes the slowness of typing, with the logistics of timing.

---

ImmortalityV, "I would like to kiss Icoyar to be honest in a non gay way though"