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| On Godmodding... | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 22 2011, 04:45 PM (1,623 Views) | |
| Devilman | Feb 22 2011, 04:45 PM Post #1 |
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On Godmodding Mal: "Well, look at this! Appears we got here just in the nick of time. Whaddya suppose that makes us?" Zoe: "Big damn heroes, sir." Mal: "Ain't we just!" Everyone seems to have their own definition of godmodding. Some PbP games rip you for doing anything without a GM's approval. Others give the player carte blanc for everything short of killing another PC. Given that no one can quite come to a one-size-fits-all definition of godmodding, I thought I'd share some personal thoughts on the subject. Wikipedia has an article on godmodding that's worth a read here: Godmodding can also refer to the case where a player definitively describes the outcome of their own actions against another character or interactive object. For example, if player A states, "A strikes B and B takes damage", they could be considered to be godmodding. Another example of this might be where a character is facing multiple enemies, and they redirect one foe's attack onto another. For example, Player A states, "B misses A completely, and strikes C instead." This form of godmodding is also referred to as "Autoing". Active godmodding can also take the form of controlling characters that belong to someone else. My opinion is this, we don't want to godmod, but then again we trust that you're a good roleplayer and we're all "Big Damn Heroes". If you've had a character application approved, that means that we trust you to roleplay in the spirit of your character and the storyline. If a player has to wait for narrator approval for so much as ordering a drink at a bar then the narrator will have much more maintenance overhead roleplaying trivial NPCs and actions, and the game will slow down significantly. This will absolutely kill any sort of cinematic feel to a story. For example, what do you think gives a more cinematic, smooth feel? Player: Joe entered the bar and took a seat. He lit a cigarette and scanned the room. With a wave of his hand he called the bartender over. < a day of real time later...> Narrator: The bartender comes over. < a day of real time later...> Player: Joe orders a shot of whiskey. < a day of real time later...> Narrator: The bartender brought Joe's whiskey. Or Player: Joe entered the bar, lit a cigarette and ordered a shot of whiskey while scanning the bar. Grimacing as he downed the shot the bartender brought him, he looked for his contact. I advocate an abstracted approach to godmodding. If you're dealing with a PC or a "named" NPC (a developed NPC who is important to the plot and has a name and background), then don't write for them, assume success or failure of their actions or your PC's actions in relation to them, put words in their mouths, write action for them, or anything else without approval of the controlling player or narrator. A narrator or admin is completely within their rights to, at their discretion "retcon" out the godmodding action if they see fit. Here's an example of bad godmodding, where Jacob Cain and Helena Cain are both PCs (this is for example only): Jacob: Hey Helena, you dyed your hair red? It looks nice. Helena: I didn't dye my hair. In this example, Jacob's player is godmodding because he's implying that Helena dyed her hair when her player wrote no such action. That said, if your character is dealing with a non-named NPC, feel free to write actions for them as long as it's in the spirit of the storyline and is believable. If your character throws a punch at an enemy thug or soldier, feel free to knock them into next week! You're a Big Damn Hero! Send 'em flying through the window if it adds to dramatic effect! If your character flirts with a pretty barmaid, feel free to have her smile back! You're a Big Damn Hero! If your character is searching for clues in the city, feel free to pepper your post with a contact or two who helps them out in some way. After all, you're a Big Damn Hero! As long as you keep your writing in the spirit of your character and the storyline, you'll do fine. Now, if your writing borders on the ridiculous, such as your character fawned over by EVERY young lady at a Persephone society ball, or your character single-handedly wiping out an entire legion of Alliance infantry without breaking a sweat, then such abuse will be dealt with by an admin or a narrator. They have ultimate "retcon" power to prevent abuse from dragging down the storyline. Under no circumstances should you ever kill or injure a fellow PC or named NPC unless the other controlling player or a narrator agrees upon it! Note that individual narrators are free to relax or tighten godmodding rules in their storylines as they see fit. For example, on The Lucky Seven, I allow Sybil, the ship's Virtual Intelligence construct to be roleplayed by anyone. It's a narrator and player's toy that I've given them express permission to play with. |
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2:37 PM Jul 11


