Grandmaster's Guide To Becoming An Élitist

[HeySeuss]

I don't think you understand my complaint. It is not that you have lofty standards or view your roleplaying as art - I have no issue with that. My issue is that instead of following that art, you rant about it on here, and consequently everyone observes that you are an arse.

There's little percentage in doing what he's been doing, both with his original account and this one. I suppose this is an attempt to market oneself, but from my perspective, this does not look like an effective marketing strategy. Well, egotistical self-promotion rarely is, that's why Chuck D had Flava Flav as a hype-man; because there is nothing more epic fail than being your own hype-man.

I know for a fact I wouldn't want this guy anywhere near me in an RP. One of the things I do, when I am looking for a new RP, is to note who is in it and decide whether or not I want to put up with them. One of the things I do when running a new RP is to consult my list of 'rut-roh, trouble' people.

I'm pretty sure a lot of other people do as well, because we've all seen the egos derail our RP threads.

Most of the 'Advanced' players on here are intelligent, thinking writers who can string paragraphs together and, most importantly, not be a self-aggrandizing wanker about it.

But carry on. Carry on using your superfluous accented 'E' and putting yourself on a high pedestal, you hipster. While you rant about loving roleplaying, we'll just get on with it, and not a damn thing will change.

tl;dr: Stop.

It's like Act I, Scene 2 of Julius Caesar, except the guy crowns himself anyway and just gets laughed at. Oy vey.

There is also something deeply unsettling about the attempt to make it sound more pretentious with the addition of an acute to the e. It makes me never want to use that word again. Ever.

Look, basically Grandmaster is trying to feel better about himself by mounting that pedestal, except it's more like a scaffold and he's got plenty of rope. My advice to anyone in here is to stop worrying about getting approval from guys like him, who set themselves up as authorities precisely so they can playact that authority role and get off on it, and just enjoy your RP. Write for yourself, not for some grandstanding egotist with delusions of his own greatness who is just using you as a vehicle for his validation and egotistical self-gratification.

tl;dr: Dear reader, heed generaldisaster's advice on here, not Grandmaster's.

[Rilla]

This is truth. Guys like the original poster make Advanced sound like a bunch of pretentious types all criticizing each other and judging every word, every misplaced comma.

That's not what Advanced is, guys. Come see us, most of us do not bite. We like to have more new blood, we aren't trying to keep people out.

Even Mahz's siggy thinks you're wrong.

"The reason Advanced section is arrogant and pretentious?
We're better than you, in every conceivable sense of the word. Deal with it."
- The Absent Mare

:P

[Kestrel]

I know for a fact I wouldn't want this guy anywhere near me in an RP. One of the things I do, when I am looking for a new RP, is to note who is in it and decide whether or not I want to put up with them. One of the things I do when running a new RP is to consult my list of 'rut-roh, trouble' people.

Actually dealing with the 'élitist' (hah I made a funny) is rather easy. Then again that's prolly largely because advanced RP's are easier to keep peace in. Different opinions as to what is good roleplaying/behaviour itself is not an issue. For a clash between opinions in advanced there's an easy four-reply program for the GM.

1. "Hey guys, mind taking your discussion somewhere else? That's not what the OOC is for."
2. "Dude, I warned you. I really don't wanna be like all threatening you with GM-powerz and whatnot, but this really oughta stop or there'll be consequences, aight?"
3. "Right... So, remember how I asked you to keep the BS out? Now I'ma have to ask you to leave the RP, think that'd be better for all parties their sanities."
4. *report*

In case you're not the GM, we got only three replies.

1. "Listen mate, we disagree, that's cool, but I really don't think the OOC is the place for this or that this is going to lead us anywhere. So let's just agree to disagree and focus on the RP, shall we?"
2. *PM GM* "Hey, X keeps hassling me about Y even though I asked X to stop. Could you step in? It's becoming rather bothersome."
3. *report* or leave the RP

Advanced tends to have a more side-line attitude and people are slower to reply and so retaliation is more aimed at a single person than an entire thread, so people aren't focused on destroying RP's entirely (casual RP's can be so much harder when shit hits the fan.) Also because people reply less frequently, it often doesn't escalate to major levels overnight. These things can be resolved really easily, more often than not.

I haven't been in a lot of advanced threads lately though, given what generaldisaster and heyseuss got to say, the 'elitist-era' is over (we actually had a period of a lot of advanced rp's being filled with stuck up assholes) and things are back to normal; which sounds great. Now if only the writing surpassed one notable event every three paragraphs ;p

Seriously though guys, I think we're all done with this thread.

[ProdigalMadness]

Hi, Keeper!

Élitists of an even higher calibur were recognized as grandmasters.

They do not act arrogant or self-centered.

They are normally humble and polite, honorable and respectful.

Not to be an ACTUAL elitist, but I've seen you write. It's nothing spectacular. Nor have I ever once seen anyone call a truly amazing writer a grandmaster. I've played an ACTUAL grandmaster(chess) as a kid. It's offensive you're trying to take a title of respect you've not earned.

Élitists generally try to fight unarmed or with melee weapons only, since they view skill differently as one's ability to restrain themselves. If you try to use magic against an Élitist, they will most likely assume you're either a novice at hand-to-hand or a coward at fighting.

So a preference for lacking magic and the ability to do truly unique and amazing things makes you an "Élitist" because you do not have the capacity to do it and keep it from being god modding? It makes ME an elitist for looking down on melee combat. I find it dull and tedious because there's a limit and only so much you can do. Even the best writers can only do so much with melee, without resorting to magic/tech to make it interesting. I live close enough to LA that if I wanted to watch a REAL street brawl instead of some nerds "punching" it out online, I could go do so. Or just visit a hockey game.

To be fair, I'm more annoyed you've not been banned off for multiple accounts. Or this threat been put into spam, where it clearly belongs.



Oh, and to add in - General, your words are both elegant and OBVIOUS(no slight intended toward you), yet he will never quite understand your meaning. You're always a good read. <3

[deathbringer]

I've read this thread with an expression of bafflement and confusion that makes me wonder if my face will ever return to its original format, because I'm quite honestly in awe of the simple diagnostics of managing to place ones head so far within ones rectum. I also dont understand where the guidance in this guide was... i was personally hoping for some form of guide on to the best things that make a good rp post, hopefully looking for something i could add to my own.

To be honest, I had no idea that elitists or masters and grandmasters were present within the roleplaying community until today, admittedly i've been shut off in a far off cornor of a forum and this is really the first site i've branched out to.o I also thinks that sucks if its true, I think good posts should be rewarded and good writers should know it but I mean who would bestow the title of elitest. I've met some reportedly excellent rpers and thought their posts were shit, their attitude arrogant and irritating, the best writer i've ever met was a proverbial noob, she taught me more about writing than any teacher or elitest.

I guess a forum i think its natural the more posts you have and the more good comments people give to you that you'll get more respect from people and be bestowed such titles. However i dont think you should be able to transfer the respect from rp to rp, as each of us have different standards and different qualities and different expectations. Some people might look for grammatical accuracy, evidently not myself, some people impressed by detailed histories, myself, i look for posts that make me feel like I'm there, i love the description of a post, especially if its put in an elegant and flowing manner, you turn a lovely metaphor, i'm in the palm of your hand, shove in a bit of alliteration and some vivid imagery and well.... lets just say what happens isn't pretty.

However I'm sure alot of people find all that flowery crap dull, they dont want to know what i smelt like thus just want you to kill it in a badass awesome way. Things that are foreign and foreign expectations mean that our elites on one sight might have a different impact on another.

I'd just like to add you were bestowed the "title" of grandmaster and congratulations too you but you seem to have made little positive impact with the posters of this site. Quite honestly i would have had far more respect for you if you'd given some form of advice on rping and actually shared your experience rather than given us a very wordy speech about your awesomeness.

Honestly, if you've got shit to teach hell i'll learn it, i'm nervous about trying the arena simply because the clinical level of detail doesnt suit my style of writing and that intimidates me.

I'm trying to work out my point but I'm happily rambling, reading back I dont think i had one really but i guess it suits the nature of this "guide".

(sorry my bad, didn't see the length of time on the last post sorry to perform necromancy, delete if you wish)

[generaldisaster]

Oh, and to add in - General, your words are both elegant and OBVIOUS(no slight intended toward you), yet he will never quite understand your meaning. You're always a good read. <3

tl;dr: Dear reader, heed generaldisaster's advice on here, not Grandmaster's.

I love you guys. Sigged.

[Grandmaster]

http://www.historyofrp.proboards.com...ead=468&page=2

The real issue wasn't with the people on Guild - some trolled, to be sure - it was with the terminology and the way you presented your message. When you spend the vast majority of the post talking about how great "Elitists" are (and by extension how great YOU are, as you self-identified with the group), people automatically viewed it as some sort of self-aggrandizing wankery. So what you basically did was say "I'm an elitist by definition" because you made an argument from a pedestal that they didn't give two fucks about, and that was formed around an idea ("Elitists") that isn't present in their community. I mean yeah, some people were just jumping in to troll your shit, but there were several serious replies pointing out their issues with the subject.

You know, I never actually saw what you were talking about until just now. That's a pretty good point, I have to admit. I feel somewhat humbled now by the realization that perhaps I came off way too strongly. Afterall, they were not the outsiders, I was, and yet I presented myself as an advanced roleplayer on their website. That makes me look arrogant, and I never really understood that until now. I am afraid I owe everyone a huge apology. I forgot how different things were outside of my own training. I'm sorry.

So what does it mean to be a "good roleplayer"? No matter where you are from, the standards are usually all the same (or at least I hope they are). To be a good roleplayer is to be a good role-model for roleplayers. Whether you consider yourself to be an "elitist", or whether you consider yourself to be someone who just likes to roleplay, there are always standards we should follow, and which often are neglected by the roleplayers who have the most responsibility.

Do I regret having started this discussion? No, because if I had not started this thread, I would not have learned anything by it. Personally, I think everyone should have something to gain from their mistakes. If you do not learn from your flaws, then you will remain flawed, well after you have already been recognized and labelled as an advanced "veteran" of roleplayers. In order to become good leaders, we must be willing to follow, and at times, accept when we do things the wrong way. Only then can we expect to grow, and thus eliminate those flaws in our personalities which hold us back.

My guide is this, so let it be simple. A "good roleplayer" is one who is honest. It is someone who is kind and friendly, yet discerning and cautious. It is someone with discipline and wise judgement, someone with respect and dignity who is able to lead by example through actions, words, and good moral behavior. A "good roleplayer" does not have social problems. A "good roleplayer" can communicate openly and honestly, with a sense of familiarity and comfort. It is someone who is not easily angered or upset, someone with patience who does not like to argue, but who is also unyielding to misconceptions. A "good roleplayer" is someone who is brave enough to fight, but smart enough to restrain themselves. It is someone with manners who does not go trolling, flaming, cussing or lying. A "good roleplayer" is one who has honor, who practices diligently and constantly seeks new learning. It is someone with a respect for roleplaying, someone who strives to improve their typing skills and social skills. It is someone who knows the history of roleplaying, who is up-to-date with current events around and within the roleplaying community. A "good roleplayer" is not arrogant, but someone with a sense of humility who serves the roleplaying community, and finds honor in its traditions. In short, a "good roleplayer" is someone who is fun to roleplay with, and someone who has fun roleplaying.

Sincerely,



Grandmaster

THE
ROLEPLAYER'S CREED:

Standards all roleplayers should embrace:

I will maintain the illusion of the game by staying in character whenever possible. I will withhold out of character comments until absolutely necessary and even then I will whisper or privately message them to the other players.
If I discuss the game with other players out of character, I will not allow my character to be influenced by this knowledge without express permission of the other players. I will take the time to allow my character to learn these things on his or her own during the course of the game.
I will separate myself as a player from my character as much as possible. While I understand that a lot of myself goes into my character and because the game is so very intense often real emotions will be drawn from me as a player, I also understand that my character is not me.
If I am not in the mood to play, I won't interrupt other people's games by coming into it out of character. I will find others who are not in character and go somewhere meant for out of character discussion.
I will not use my character as a vehicle for racism or bigotry. I will not use my character to promote child pornography or bestiality. I, as a player, understand that there is no room in the real world for such things and will, to the best of my ability, not let it seep into the virtual world as well.
If I, as a player, feel that my character has been treated unfairly or that another character has overstepped the bounds of their abilities, I will approach the other character's player privately and discuss the situation in a calm adult manner and try to come to a resolution or compromise.
I will accept the hand that is dealt me in the game, understanding that it is a game and it's not about winning or losing, but about playing.
I will not allow setbacks in the game to be blown out of proportion. If I am overly emotional about what is happening, I will step back and not play until I can compose myself.
I will not carry grudges against fellow players. My character might not like another character, but again, I am an adult and understand that they are 'characters' and not the player that portrays them.
If I find that I simply can not get along with another player, I will avoid playing with them. But I will do so in a way that does not draw attention to this and I will not badmouth or otherwise slander the other player as such actions only makes myself look bad.
If my character is killed, I will obviously grieve for the loss, but I will also view the situation as an opportunity for me to grow as a player. By starting anew with a fresh identity, I will be able to leave all the negatives of that character behind - any grudges, dislikes or just plain bad habits- and take away the good, thus making my next character even better and more interesting.
I, as a player, will keep an open mind and allow people to play their characters the way their imagination leads them regardless if their interpretation matches that of some book, guideline...or creed.

Written by Calista of Dark World By Night.
The original document can be viewed on DarkWorld by Night.

With that said, I will gladly hand over my title to anyone who can authentically defeat me in turn-based online fighting. But until that happens, I will wear my title, as it was something given to me which I deserved, and which I do still take pride in...

And actually, scratch that. I will hand over my title, if you can even beat one of my disciples in turn-based online fighting. Forget about challenging me or my dignity, let's see if you can even defeat one of my trained students, or any of the masters who teach along with me. If you can just beat one of them, I will drop my name and close down my school...

Does that sound fair?

[generaldisaster]

You just don't understand our complaints, do you?

You're a lost cause.

[HeySeuss]

I don't understand this drive to continually and unsuccessfully import the standards of another site to a community that is perfectly comfortable with itself. Especially since the community that we're supposed to be in awe of is comparatively puny. I'm pretty sure much of the Arena feels the same way about this as well.

You never earned a title on the Guild, in the Arena on this site. You never put in the time to do that and therefore don't have the chops (that's what we say in professional cooking to denote whether or not someone has proven they warrant the position they are in.) You just showed up and crowned yourself and that's probably why you encounter a lot of static from members of this community. Some of us came from other communities where, hey, some of us were kingshits. But the thing that always happens in any community is that unless they know your former community and respect it, you always start at the bottom again.

That's true if you change careers and it's true if you change roleplaying communities -- instead of long treatises on how awesome you are, you have to prove it...from the ground up.

The tl:dr is tabbed below, however, and this encapsulates the thrust of this post.

[Elendra]

Greetings Everyone,

Hi

Before we get started, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on what it means to be an Élitist any way.

Well, this was a turn for the worst.

Forget everything you think you know about Élitists, including whatever you've been taught before in the past.

Should I forget the dictionary too?

Élitists have developed a bad reputation over the years,

Yes, they have.

due to the many misconceptions about them.

Misconceptions? Like?

Several advanced roleplayers prefer not to be labelled as Élitists,

Many people who try to work harder also like to not be called douche bags.

simply because of the many comments people say about them.

Douchbags.

However, you must keep in mind that most of the great on-line fighters

... no such thing.

who battled against Élitists

Inflated-egoists**

in the past were only spreading lies and negative comments about them because they felt sore for losing.

... another turn for the stupid.

With such ugly gossip about them happening over a long period of time, and because most Élitists never tried to argue or gossip back,

Yeah, they just wrote incredibly long boring walls of text.

eventually the crowds would play a part in spreading the false rumors about them,

False?

until eventually the Élitists fell out of favor and became fewer in number.

Douchebaggery is on the drop? Yay!

I'm one of the few who remain.

Dangit.

Élitists do not care about winning or losing,

They only care about sounding pretentious. Hence the title.

therefore they do not become proud

... okay, yeah, not true.

when facing a victory, nor sore when faced with defeat.

And yet, you posted a wall of text on butthurt about defeat.

Élitists are a different breed of advanced roleplayers

Pretentious ones!

who evolved over time,

*double take* wait, what?

improving the skills they passed down from generation to generation.

Okay, sir, you have now reached the point of being incredibly silly. I wonder if you're taking this from some obscure Monty Python skit now.

They are Élitists because they do not have a written set of rules that they follow when roleplaying,

How many guides have you posted?

yet somehow they still manage to display an advanced set of skills as if practicing an unspoken code of honor.

Unspoken means unspoken... not spammed across a forum online.

This silent tradition

See above point.

has been a part of Élitist history since the very beginning.

I totally wanna see this history book now.

Almost everything about Élitist fighters is different from non-Élitist fighters,

... how so? Proof?

even their very thought process is different.

It's called aura of pretentiousness.

Élitists are not competitive on-line fighters by any means,

Again, lol.

they are just advanced roleplayers with an interest in textual combat.

Then they aren't elitists. Elitists are people who are full of themselves, and it is a very basic form of discrimination.

The reason Élitists evolved so differently

... I need to make a drinking game for your post. Every time you're absurd or silly, I take a shot.

is because they originated from small secluded web-sites

What a vast old tradition!

that were completely segregated

*racism joke*

from the rest of the roleplaying communities

Yeah, in that corner of the internet that no one else could get into.

which were all connected together on the internet during the earliest years of chatroom fighting.

So, they put themselves aside and circle jerked to their own egos.

Élitists did not need written rules in order to roleplay,

Why make so many rules up then?

because the sites they originated from were already well advanced.

Did the sites have rules?

Instead of newbies and oldies, Élitists recognized a difference between novices and masters.

It's called e-peen size.

Élitists of an even higher calibur were recognized as grandmasters.

By who? Other elitists?

It wasn't until later on that Élitists started recognizing founders of different writing styles and fighting systems.

Wait, did you just capitalize elitists mid-sentence? Really? Have you done that already before? That's just silly *takes a shot*

Before there were founders, Élitists did not differentiate between roleplaying and textual combat.

Character development and plot were the original fighting styles.

It was all the same thing to them, because they had not learned to develop a competitive ego.

They were above humanity, obviously. Except, that, you know, that contradicts the very meaning of the word.

Élitists weren't nearly as concerned with winning

... *takes a shot*

as they were with evolving their characters and developing their story-lines.

So, roleplaying?

Despite the slight differences between them, Élitists made no distinctions between novices and masters.

WAIT, you lie, you just earlier said they DID make distinctions. Heck, they even make distinctions in their names alone! *takes a shot*

Everyone was treated equally,

Just some people were treated MORE equally.

as roleplayers who all had something to learn and share with one another.

... *takes a shot*

Élitists kept a tight OOC bond to one another,

Circle jerk?

as they believed that OOC relationships between players was more important than any dispute or argument that might happen due to an IC misunderstanding.

Which is a nice thing. Too bad that contradicts the nature of elitism.

Friendship was a key thing,

Friendship is also Magic.

and many Élitists would even PM their opponents in OOC to discuss IC actions ahead of time,

... so, like, most every single roleplay on this site I've been a part of?

instead of trying to explain their actions afterwards like most roleplayers do.

Citation needed.

Skill was also an achievement that was viewed differently by Élitists,

I had a level 80 pretentiousness score.

and earned differently as well.

Earned writing skill? What? *takes a shot*

To most on-line fighters nowadays, one's skill is usually determined by how many wins they have on record.

... citation needed.

The more wins you have, the better you are at fighting.

Or godmodding.

However, this is considered a foolish idea to Élitists,

Oh, coming full circle then.

who don't really care about winning or fighting.

They have transcended that nonsense, amimrite?

Élitists view skill as one's ability to be disciplined without rules.

You know, following all those rules and stuff without them being there.

It's almost as if they are handing you all the power in the universe,

... almost? *takes a shot*

and then telling you never to use it.

*headdesk* yeah, hyperbole times infinity.

In fact, a more powerful or higher level character on most roleplaying forums is usually considered to be a weaker or lower level character to Élitists,

However, a more pretentious person is a higher level person.

since they view energy as being a limited source which should not be abused.

Yeah, cause all that imaginary energy is so limited, and shit. I need an imaginary power generator in order to write my roleplays, I swear. Bills are piling up too

Élitists generally try to fight unarmed or with melee weapons only,

Because they have no rules. Right?

since they view skill differently as one's ability to restrain themselves.

I fight by doing nothing. I'm more restrained. Am I the greatest elitist now?

If you try to use magic against an Élitist, they will most likely assume you're either a novice at hand-to-hand

But they don't think anything different of you, as there are no distinctions, ja? *takes a shot*

or a coward at fighting.

Because staying away from other types of fighting isn't cowardice.

Restraint plays a major role in Élitist culture,

Not traditional elitism. They tend to be overly present and pretentious. Like you.

as it applies not just to IC, but to all things in general.

Oh dear lord, this is just getting worse.

Élitists are highly disciplined roleplayers

Following oh so closely that series of rules that doesn't exist. Also, highly disciplined roleplayers. Really? Really? I think you're taking an online hobby WAY too seriously.

in that they show restraint even during OOC sessions.

This is OOC, and I'm getting levels of egocentricism WAY over 9000. *breaks scouter*

Élitists do not go around flaming, trolling, arguing, or calling people names.

They only call themselves names. Pretentious names.

They do not act arrogant

LOL

or self-centered.

LOL * 2

You will usually never catch an Élitist posting one-liner sentences to a forum,

More pretentiousness!

nor do they usually post large paragraphs that would cover the whole screen in a real-time chat room.

Following more of those rules you don't follow, right?

They are normally humble

LOL

and polite,

LOLOL

honorable

LOLOLOL

and respectful.

LOLOLOLOL Do I need to quote you back all the stuff you've said that goes against that?

Élitists do not need to be told how to act,

Which is why you're teaching people?

because they do things naturally.

So the people you teach can never be as good as you, because they were told what to do?

Restraint has become like a golden beacon to them,

Not really, from what you've posted here.

in that it is the highest skill most of them wish to achieve.

For some reason, the following quote has come into my head.

"The best kind of abstinence is the involuntary kind"

This very notion of skill even applies to the way they write.

So, why do you guys scoff at one-liners? Isn't that showing restraint on size?

Élitists love to socialize with other players,

And talk down to them.

so being articulate and literate is another one of the many skills they wish to master some day.

... *takes a shot*

It's also good to note that Élitists will never achieve their goal because they believe that perfection is impossible.

Also, they are self contradictory. That doesn't help either.

Yet they will strive for it any way, because they also believe that practice makes perfect.

And they are quite pretentious. Also, how many times did I use that word?

Also, I believe I'd be dead if I took real shots for every time you were absurd.

This concludes our session for this evening.




~ Grandmaster

Thank you for reading, folks!