Daomei (atys)
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An extremely problematic kind of RP, and a mistake frequently made, is "power RP", meaning RP actions which force the own RP behavior and its consequences onto others without their consent and without leaving them ways to develop their own RP responses. There is, unfortunately, an example in the event thread which led to this discussion. I mean the two "chronical articles" by Tao Sian, which indeed are an abhorrent example of power RP in two ways.
First, the form of a chronicle makes the contents uncontestable, as it is describing present and near future events from a wider future perspective (unless one assumes that the author was suffering from serious confusion when writing it down or is living in some parallel reality). So we "know" that the major threat of that year 2574 were not the Kitins, not assassination attempts of the clans of the marauders, not the Goo or anything else, but the Atys Rangers threatening the living planet with "the Ruin of Atys".
This does not leave many alternatives to those who have worked since many Atys cycles on the solution the Rangers had proposed. Either they agree to Tao Sian, then they cannot but abandon the damaging undertaking. Or they judge that either the dynastic healer has swallowed some wrong medicine, or even the heads of the Theocracy have lost their senses. While the Rangers never have condemned the search for alternative solutions of the Kitin tunnel threat, this approach practically calls for destruction of the "competing" event series with the termites.
I was a bit sad to see such from a member of the animation team. I hope that grave mistake in the arrangement can be corrected. I consider it intolerable that the players who contributed to the Rangers' event are vilified and frustrated in that way.
And that is an example how roleplay must not be done.
This is actually very interesting.
Let’s clear up some things first:
- The form of a chronicle does not make the content uncontestable. It only show the vision a character has/had on a certain event. A chronicle is not objective, it only shows what it is meant to show. Why do you think scenarists like to refer to things like “History is written by the victor”. Or, let’s say, that History as we know it is made by a great number of Chroniclers. All these Chroniclers do not make the facts uncontestable.
- The chronicle is probably an excerpt of a greater number of Chronicle. So, we can safely assume that Tao Sian mentioned a lot of other events in her complete Chronicles. So basically, we can safely assume as well that the Atys Rangers were not the main event of year 2574.
I think we should wait for further developments before reading into what the storyteller does.
Furthermore, the Rangers are still up and running. They will continue their experiences and, I guess, try to cope with the Zoraïs (who loves Zoraïs anyway? – annoying bunch of fanatics :-D).
Now, I would tend to agree that the event manager/guide who prepared these events did not think it fully through. This can be seen due to errors in the casting of characters. Let’s say it’s probably miscast (but that’s another matter). Anyway, it is just one side of the story, not the whole story.
Finally, I would insist on the difference between Power RP and Storytelling. Par essence, story telling is Power RP. But this is normal because the storyteller tells us how the world our characters live in is evolving. The storyteller is the game master, he has every right to set the constraints we have to act in. It is part of what makes the game interesting to follow.
Now, Power RP, as what the Maraudeurs often apply for instance, is annoying. It feels like “Let’s say we are the terriblest baddassest warriors evah with overpowerful stuff and overpowerful technology and overpowerful, overlong and overthick masculine attributes”. And it’s rightfully annoying, because they are no game masters. They don’t set the rules of the world of Atys.
Hmm, I think this answer is already long enough, I will wait for your answer and answer back after :-p. Let’s share our thoughts.
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Brinnen Tu'Ly, le poisson noir