MEME-ish: Tips and Tricks!

[nabooqueen]

Hey guys!

So as we all know, we have a super awesome wiki that tells you everything you need to know to get started in the game. That being said, we're also a reasonably insular group, and we tend to structure things a little bit differently even from most other DW RPs, and as a result, there's a fair amount of unspoken knowledge - things like how to structure posts and where to go to chat with other players - that we've all picked up over time but that obviously isn't accessible to the occasional newbie we manage to drag in here. That's where this post comes in.

Got something you wish you'd known when you were a new player? Got something you wish more new players knew? Just got any form of advice that's probably too informal to go on the wiki but would be good for people to know regardless? Drop it in here! Be as broad or as granular as you like, it's all going to be helpful to someone.         

Comments

[nabooqueen]

Okay, so, first bit of advice for newbies: don't be discouraged if your debut post doesn't get a lot of tags! Remember that while it's your first time doing the "where am I and wtf is going on" conversation, a lot of us have been in this game for years, and there's only so many ways you can spice up the same conversation. People may well be really interested in tagging your character, but just don't want to have to play through the intro spiel for the 20th time, so don't take it personally. That said, here's a couple of pieces of advice for getting more traction on your first debut, especially if you're playing a less well-known character or one without canonmates:

1) Don't post your debut on the last few days of the month. Most people who are trying to make reqs will already have their threads sorted out for the month by then, and are more likely to want to wait until the next month to start tagging in to new things - and while they might come back to tag in to your debut then, it's definitely less likely. If you get accepted at the end of the month, you can always wait a few days before posting!

2) Train station debuts, while extremely traditional, are also hard to tag into - the train basically doesn't serve any purpose in Darrow aside from delivering new arrivals, so it can be really hard for people to come up with reasons to have their characters be there. Having your character arrive in another public place, like at the park or in the middle of a street, is much more likely to get you results.

Also! Follow us on Twitter! A lot of informal planning goes on over there, as do the calls for threads that can get you private threads with characters. It's also a really good way to get to know us as people, which is great, because if you've decided to join the game, we all automatically love you and want to be your friend.

[pylades_drunk]

I would add to this that the traditional debut -- eg, person arrives in Darrow, everyone who responds as a top-level introduces them -- can itself be very difficult. Most players with more than one character give it up after a while, both because having six people explain what Darrow is to the same character can lead to some tedious threading and excessively needing to lean on the "every thread is a slightly alternate timeline" form of RP time management.

This is not to say that one SHOULDN'T have a traditional debut, especially if you enjoy the confusion and/or can handle multiple introductions and sorting out how you describe those events later. But sometimes what we tend to call a "non-traditional debut", eg a private debut or one where only the first into the thread gets to explain and everyone else has to find the newbie later on around the city, tends to be easier to manage and more interesting to play.

[pylades_drunk]

I think one of the biggest pieces of advice for especially writing top-levels and posts/EPs that I've picked up over the years is: give people multiple points to jump into. A lot of other RPs on DW do this all by normalizing literally having multiple totally different options with titles that the other player indicates. That isn't generally how it's structured here, but you can still imply the same sort of branching structure within the narrative -- first, Grantaire goes to the art store, later in the day he's heading to work, etc.

It's tempting to leave off every post with bumping into an unspecified person (and it is always kind to give your taggers an easy in!), but this also helps people get an in and doesn't get you stuck feeling like the only way to meet people is by being chronically clumsy. AND if you're from one of the previously mentioned RPs, it'll feel more comfortable as a segue from that style.

[gripyfish]

I guess I'm going to be the contrarian here and say that the rules and guidelines that matter most are the ones you make for yourself.

I'm well aware that 90% of what I write is hot garbage, and that the way I choose to play and post and thread doesn't always mesh with the way other people choose to play and post and thread, but that's...okay? I'm having fun regardless, and other people (I'd hope) are having a good time with the things they're doing, and at the end of the day, I think that's what matters. The openness of the game and the freedom we have to play how we want is honestly one of the things I like the most about this place. I don't know that it's made me a better writer, but it's absolutely made me a more confident one, and I'd hate to see that go away. For any of us, and especially for someone new.

Also, sometimes EPs and toplevels don't click for some reason, and while I get that's frustrating--it is to me, definitely--that's also a thing that happens? I'm not saying don't be bummed about it, but framing it as "these are the things you did wrong" instead of "not all EPs click the way you want them to, which sucks but happens sometimes" seems counterproductive. Be upset, be frustrated, but don't ever feel like it's a problem with the way you write or the timing of your post, because it's not.

[nabooqueen]

Oh, absolutely, and this isn't meant to be prescriptive at all! Just, speaking as someone who's joined the game twice, it was a hell of a lot easier the second time around, and at least part of that, I think, was down to already knowing how this game runs. I know I'm not the only person who's had the experience of being like "why are my posts getting ignored, how am I meant to get threads short of DMing total strangers out of the blue," and that just... really, really sucks, and it can be hard not to take it personally, especially when you don't really know anyone in the game.

This isn't "these things are objectively wrong," it's "if you're having problems getting people to tag you, this might be why," so that people have an explanation rather than just assuming that we're a bunch of insular dicks and bouncing.

[gripyfish]

Setting it down in a game community certainly makes it seem like we're codifying it, though.

Honestly, addressing the perfectly reasonable situation of people making the choice not to tag someone (which happens to us all) by pointing towards a post that's essentially Have You Considered The Problem Is You, Actually feels like the more insular move. I get that I'm in the minority here, and I can appreciate that the idea for this post came out of a desire to help, or make things more accessible for new people who may come after. I just had to say something, because even as a member of the game who's known some of the people here for years and years, this is making me question whether I and the way I've approached the game has really ever had a place here or not. I can't imagine how it'd feel if I was completely new.

[sir_samuel]

Just to jump in--in theory, I like the idea of offering tips to newbies, but I also think it's important not to universalize experiences with the game that might not be universal, if that makes sense? Like, the tips listed so far are great if they work for you! But they don't match my particular experiences in game or represent my tagging patterns. Which is fine! That doesn't make them bad or wrong! But I think, perhaps, something like this would be more helpful if it was less "this is how things work here" and more "this is what makes me excited about a post." I think we'd end up seeing a whole lot of variety in the way people rp, which could give new players a lot of ways into the game that might better fit their own comfort and style.

[sir_samuel]

I think that the "general going about your day" posts are great for all the reasons you mention, BUT I have to admit that the "hyper specific situation that gives someone a clear in" is actually what I, personally, respond to best. To continue the Grantaire theme, I can see a post where he's practicing his stick fighting thing in the park to be a lot of fun for me because it would give my character a clear reason to approach him (in Vimes' case, probably, "wtf is this dude doing??") I really like that we get both kinds of posts in Darrow! If I were to turn this into a recommendation, I suppose I'd say to try a few different styles to see which one jives for you best.

[thetinydemon]

For the most part, this game is designed to work however you feel the most comfortable. Some people tag really quickly, some people tag slowly. Some people have very specific posting styles, other people are more loosey-goosey, and that's fine. I hesitate to say DON'T do this or DO that, because what might work for me doesn't necessarily work for everyone. I think the big thing is to keep at it. To experiment. If one style isn't working for you, try another. If you're the type of player who gets frustrated if your EP only gets a tag or two, keep in mind that the game isn't always as active at certain times, and remember that tagging around is an option.

And it's okay if it takes a bit of time to get into the swing of it. It's been a long time since I was a newbie anywhere, but I remember fucking up for a LONG TIME, while I got used to it. And it's okay if your playing style doesn't mesh with every single player's— you're not required to tag everyone and everything. You're not doing it wrong if you're most comfortable with only an active thread or two at a time. It's great to cast a wide net, and a whole bunch of bustling activity is great for the game as a whole, but only if that's what you as an individual player are comfortable with.

One thing that I find really helpful, and somewhat universal, is that the majority (not all) of our players use Twitter, and that's a really great place to find people making plans. It's also just a great way to keep up with each other in general. That, and I do think a fair number of us still use Discord, maybe less for plotting these days and more for general chatting, so that's another resource to keep in mind.

Communication is really important, but it isn't a REQUIREMENT that players interact with each other socially outside of the game. However, for me, it does make it a lot easier. I can definitely see how newbies might feel like the game is moving along without them if they're not at least aware of our community on social media. But it's also fully possible to make it in the game, so to speak, without any social media contact, and that's fine, too. Opening avenues of communication can be rough, especially when you're jumping into a pack of tight-knit strangers, but email and city hall are there, too, and I swear we're all really excited to talk about our characters and yours.

[thetinydemon]

Yeah, I think it's very important to distinguish between this being "these are things that helped me" and "these are things you should or should not do."

I don't think you're in the minority here, at all. I think we all have certain things we do in whatever way feels most comfortable for us, and the game allows us flexibility to do so. If your goal is to cast a wider net and get more toplevels, then yeah, suggestions like these are possibly, and for some newbies, getting a lot of interactions in at the offset might help them get over the hump of getting to know the game. But I just wanna write what I wanna write, and I expect everybody else is doing the same. And whatever it is they want to get out of the game, I hope they're getting it.