Post by chromalfean on Mar 30, 2009 13:33:12 GMT -5
Started to post this in the OOC thread, but since it turned into more of a rant, decided to move it here.
There are a few things I need to get off my chest, unload and vent. Just for the record, I'll be the first to admit that as a person and player, I'm not a social butterfly or particularly "team-oriented". I’ve been around conflicts as long as I can remember and grew up as an outsider. Growing up at odds with the world is pretty much how I was hard-wired to function as a kid, which is probably why I prefer "loner" PCs because I can relate to them. If this game is dead then so be it. What’s done is done, but I really would like to make an attempt to clear the air here.
There is not anything personal going on and the personality conflicts are all "IC" the way I see it. If the comments between Osiris and Streetwise are an issue here, I gotta point out that Streetwise comes off as a bit of a freebooter, and Osiris, as active-duty military, is naturally going to regard him with some level of cynicism, skepticism and suspicion, and view him as a possible loose cannon. At least until Streetwise proves himself or Osiris figures out otherwise. They don't know anything about Streetwise since he literally came outta nowhere and Osiris has absolutely no intel.
Maybe I shoulda played it different, but that's just the way I saw it. I seriously hope nobody got the impression that any of the comments Osiris made to Streetwise was in any way, shape or form of a personal attack on the player. That wasn't it at all. Something else I'd like to get off my chest is that I do prefer "edgy" characters that add a bit of "dramatic tension". Again, I always hope that it adds an element of depth, drama and personality to what would otherwise be very boring, shallow 2-D characters.
I usually lean toward the "Wolvie" types, but this time decided to try for a different approach and went for Osiris to be the "Cyclops" to Streetwise "Wolverine". I sincerely hope this wasn't misinterpreted because I was enjoying this game. Here’s the way I see it. How interesting would the X-Men have been if everybody always acted like one big happy family? Not very. At least, not to me. Sounds kinda boring, actually, so is that gonna be a condition of the RP in all these games? That everybody always behaves, gets along 100% of the time and acts as a cohesive team?
I just don't think that's a realistic expectation to place on everyone. Different players have different styles of play they prefer, but I've gotten the same complaints from the same player(s) in different games. I was trying to RP and act "in-character". I didn't imagine it would distract from the game or other's experience. Conflict doesn't bother me, never has, especially character conflict. Conflict is natural, normal and doesn't have to automatically escalate by default. It’s not something I shy away from because to me it's a key part of storytelling and something I've always seen as a means to understanding differences and resolution.
It’s the result of a natural, normal and healthy response to anything that challenges you, but it seems to be hitting some player(s) buttons that have a “peacekeeper” complex or personal conflict issues. Usually, people who’ve been exposed to unhealthy forms of conflict like abuse, aggression or violence, and in turn, fail to recognize or refuse to admit the role of conflict as the existence of differences and the need for resolution, or demand that others conform to their views that conflict automatically escalates and leads to abuse, aggression or violence rather than resolution, doesn’t solve anything, isn’t natural or normal, shouldn't happen, and there should be no differences from their point of view.
Hate to put it like this but just maybe it's not all me and the player(s) having the difficulty should work on sorting out their personal issues and keep it out of the games because, frankly, some of us *WERE* having a good time, but it's getting more than a little annoying and frustrating having games stall over immature antics and getting the constant message that I'm at fault or directly responsible for other player's “comfort-zone” issues or discomfort in dealing with conflict situations that normally come up in my attempts to play my PCs "in-character" and true to their nature. I'm open to suggestions on how we can fix this. I would very much like to get this resolved so we can all move forward with our respective game(s).
What good does it do to join and try to participate if someone’s going to lose interest and bail or just stop posting every time things get a little heated or there’s a character conflict, whether it involves an NPC or another PC? All these attention-grabbing tactics accomplish is bring the game to a grinding halt with the GM looking at me like I’m responsible and the one to blame for running someone off by playing my PC “in-character”. Maybe this is the player’s intention, maybe not, but whether it’s a form of calculated behavior intended to elicit a specific response or not, the outcome is the same, and the GM is certainly giving this type of player a great deal more control over the game than a player should normally have, if not “training” them to behave this way by feeding into this behavior.
It’s effectively the same thing as acting out “play my way or I won’t play with you any more. I’ll take my marbles and go home!” Wake up call for the GM. These people need to grow up, or at least grow a thicker skin. Character conflicts are going to happen. It’s a normal part of human nature, so I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be doing differently other than making my entire PC collection start acting like the Partridge family for the benefit and comfort of certain people. I don’t see this adding to my level of enjoyment, which is why I’m here in the first place; to relax, have a good time, maybe blow off a little steam, and have a little bit of fun with friends. This hasn't affected just one game but several, so here's my 22 cents towards the toll on the road trip to resolution.
Group hug?
There are a few things I need to get off my chest, unload and vent. Just for the record, I'll be the first to admit that as a person and player, I'm not a social butterfly or particularly "team-oriented". I’ve been around conflicts as long as I can remember and grew up as an outsider. Growing up at odds with the world is pretty much how I was hard-wired to function as a kid, which is probably why I prefer "loner" PCs because I can relate to them. If this game is dead then so be it. What’s done is done, but I really would like to make an attempt to clear the air here.
There is not anything personal going on and the personality conflicts are all "IC" the way I see it. If the comments between Osiris and Streetwise are an issue here, I gotta point out that Streetwise comes off as a bit of a freebooter, and Osiris, as active-duty military, is naturally going to regard him with some level of cynicism, skepticism and suspicion, and view him as a possible loose cannon. At least until Streetwise proves himself or Osiris figures out otherwise. They don't know anything about Streetwise since he literally came outta nowhere and Osiris has absolutely no intel.
Maybe I shoulda played it different, but that's just the way I saw it. I seriously hope nobody got the impression that any of the comments Osiris made to Streetwise was in any way, shape or form of a personal attack on the player. That wasn't it at all. Something else I'd like to get off my chest is that I do prefer "edgy" characters that add a bit of "dramatic tension". Again, I always hope that it adds an element of depth, drama and personality to what would otherwise be very boring, shallow 2-D characters.
I usually lean toward the "Wolvie" types, but this time decided to try for a different approach and went for Osiris to be the "Cyclops" to Streetwise "Wolverine". I sincerely hope this wasn't misinterpreted because I was enjoying this game. Here’s the way I see it. How interesting would the X-Men have been if everybody always acted like one big happy family? Not very. At least, not to me. Sounds kinda boring, actually, so is that gonna be a condition of the RP in all these games? That everybody always behaves, gets along 100% of the time and acts as a cohesive team?
I just don't think that's a realistic expectation to place on everyone. Different players have different styles of play they prefer, but I've gotten the same complaints from the same player(s) in different games. I was trying to RP and act "in-character". I didn't imagine it would distract from the game or other's experience. Conflict doesn't bother me, never has, especially character conflict. Conflict is natural, normal and doesn't have to automatically escalate by default. It’s not something I shy away from because to me it's a key part of storytelling and something I've always seen as a means to understanding differences and resolution.
It’s the result of a natural, normal and healthy response to anything that challenges you, but it seems to be hitting some player(s) buttons that have a “peacekeeper” complex or personal conflict issues. Usually, people who’ve been exposed to unhealthy forms of conflict like abuse, aggression or violence, and in turn, fail to recognize or refuse to admit the role of conflict as the existence of differences and the need for resolution, or demand that others conform to their views that conflict automatically escalates and leads to abuse, aggression or violence rather than resolution, doesn’t solve anything, isn’t natural or normal, shouldn't happen, and there should be no differences from their point of view.
Hate to put it like this but just maybe it's not all me and the player(s) having the difficulty should work on sorting out their personal issues and keep it out of the games because, frankly, some of us *WERE* having a good time, but it's getting more than a little annoying and frustrating having games stall over immature antics and getting the constant message that I'm at fault or directly responsible for other player's “comfort-zone” issues or discomfort in dealing with conflict situations that normally come up in my attempts to play my PCs "in-character" and true to their nature. I'm open to suggestions on how we can fix this. I would very much like to get this resolved so we can all move forward with our respective game(s).
What good does it do to join and try to participate if someone’s going to lose interest and bail or just stop posting every time things get a little heated or there’s a character conflict, whether it involves an NPC or another PC? All these attention-grabbing tactics accomplish is bring the game to a grinding halt with the GM looking at me like I’m responsible and the one to blame for running someone off by playing my PC “in-character”. Maybe this is the player’s intention, maybe not, but whether it’s a form of calculated behavior intended to elicit a specific response or not, the outcome is the same, and the GM is certainly giving this type of player a great deal more control over the game than a player should normally have, if not “training” them to behave this way by feeding into this behavior.
It’s effectively the same thing as acting out “play my way or I won’t play with you any more. I’ll take my marbles and go home!” Wake up call for the GM. These people need to grow up, or at least grow a thicker skin. Character conflicts are going to happen. It’s a normal part of human nature, so I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be doing differently other than making my entire PC collection start acting like the Partridge family for the benefit and comfort of certain people. I don’t see this adding to my level of enjoyment, which is why I’m here in the first place; to relax, have a good time, maybe blow off a little steam, and have a little bit of fun with friends. This hasn't affected just one game but several, so here's my 22 cents towards the toll on the road trip to resolution.
Group hug?
but that was IC and so far as I know other than slight Personality of characters clashing there was nothing that should have stopped the HU: First Impression Game. After all the a similar Conflict arose in CSOG between Rhys and Cabal. 
