Reputation & Influence

[Gowi]

What it means to you and how to handle it?

Question 1: How does player reputation affect you?

What I mean about this is— being a member of a RPing community for some length of time, we’ve heard things when it comes to player habits, personality issues, activity fluxes, and general behavioral bits. How does what you’ve heard and perhaps seen about individuals affect you as a GM or player? Do you avoid games with them, do you ignore them outright when they are applying for your games, do you consider it a non-factor instead, do you let personal feelings effect how you treat them in general?

I’ve heard a variety of answers on this case ranging from straight out “blacklisting” to reaching out to the community for understanding to best comprehend the issue. Personally, I’m not sure I’m aware of the “grapevine” so to speak so much to really have it be a factor— but there are exceptions to that rule as after three-to-four years on RPG (and longer on other sites) you sort of hear things when you don’t even seek out that kind of knowledge.

To me there are certain people I’m wary around, but I will generally try to give them a chance and even if they are in a game I’m tentatively interested in I’ll not dismiss the game because of that fact; I mean, maybe I’ll read the OOC to see the social atmosphere but if I think I’m going to have fun I’m going to ignore any prejudice I have to the best of my ability. What about you guys though?

Question 2: Are you influenced by how the RP community looks at you?

And now the spotlight is on ‘you’.

I suppose this question is more therapeutic for me than anything, but at a certain point it is useful to know things. Anyway, as a member of the community my habits are generally looked at both OOC and IC— and I’m sure it has affected some outlook. It wasn’t until recently that I was told by a former friend that people want “nothing” to do with me and won’t even “bother” with any games I host because of certain perceptions of me. This made me, being the self-improvement sort that I am, look at the situation to see if I was really being that toxic and out of line— but I got vague answers involving on how the community perceived me so it’s been kind of concerning. Was it a bunch of hot air or was I in the wrong blatantly?

These kind of self-perceptions are ones I’m sure others have wound up dealing with. Any stories or answers on how the RP community thinks of you affects you personally? Is it just inane gossip or does it bear some blunt truth? And how do you approach it?

Question 3: How important is learning from your reputation?

Extension to question 2.

Do you value learning from your reputation and how it influences others? – Where does it become an issue that you have to “start over” with a fresh start through a new account or by other means? and how can we strive to understand in silence?

For me, I’m trying to see the RPing habits (OOC and IC) I’ve made and try to confront what I have found out about. For example, some people say as a GM and perhaps even as a player am a “control freak” and from learning that I’ve looked at how I appear to others and what I can do to fix that. It’s not exactly easy, but I think it’s doable— I’ve looked at myself in earnest before. What about you guys?

[Gendarme]

1. I'd think that some role-players have a reputation for a reason. Whatever that reason is however, I've no clue. Though it does in general make me feel either wary or a bit happy to see certain reputations; wariness if they have a bad reputation, or happiness if it's a good one.

2. I dunno. I'd imagine most people look at me as someone who shows up every once in a while and asks a few questions, so I don't think there's too much positive or negative yet. Ultimately if someone viewed me as a plague I might feel a bit hurt, but I'm sure I'd shrug it off. I might ask myself if I did anything wrong to warrant them seeing me as a plague before I shrugged it off however, maybe try and rectify what I did wrong. If they didn't give me a chance though? Well, the only thing I can think of in regards to that is not wasting time on that individual. On the other side of the coin, if I were viewed as alright by a few people I'd be feeling pretty decent.

3. Learning from my reputation? Depends if I did anything particularly bad, or needed to improve. If the reputation was unwarranted, or was blown out of proportion, I may feel a bit distraught at that. Hell, I may even become vocal about it sometimes. Though I don't think I have that much of a good or bad reputation. Haven't done anything too cringe-worthy yet, though there is work to be done on my writing.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

[Jig]

1) Believe half of what you see, not what you hear

Speaking as GM and as a player, I will not join an RP with more than one player that I simply can't work with. This is brutal, but true. I do this for fun and self-development, and while people who are willing to learn and teach are great people to work with because they test you in surprisingly similar ways, people who will not patiently learn or patiently teach, as I discovered in a game reasonably recently (by my own standards), are people that I simple cannot work with. I won't fight other players to 'work something out' - I like to be able to trust others to work with me to find a compromise. A good example, I think, is that of myself and @McHaggis in my latest game, literally in the last twenty-four hours. We were both pitching for a mutually exclusive role, but because we have played together in the past and there is a degree of trust, we were able to work together on a compromise that serves both our characters well.

If I didn't know McHaggis previously, this wouldn't have been possible. I would have been reluctant to suggest an idea without knowing how she would respond and without being confident it was a good idea she would work with based on her interests as a player and trust in her, her trust in me as a fellow player and in this case a GM, and an understanding of how she worked.

What I'm getting at (and, I have to say, reluctantly), is that understanding of other players matters. I won't say reputation, as I've played with other players with great reputations and found them to let me down and, I'm ashamed to say, feel I have something of a reputation I've also dishonoured to other GMs through one reason or another - so hopefully no hard feelings either way there. But, ultimately, sometimes you know who you click with and who knows what you're getting at, and that they're good people to focus on. From there, I feel one can expand and take a chance on people who're somewhat untested in a given group without worrying too much as group should carry them in (as I found with the newcomers to the reasonably successful if short-lived Wolf Manor).

Tl;dr - know your strengths, as a group. Then, build on them.

2) Know yourself, know others

A funny question. I feel like I've earned something of a reputation, which may or may not be borne out through retrospective appraisal, for murder mysteries, based on Wink Murder and Wolf Manor, both of which were too short-lived, mostly based on my own failures but also unfortunate timing with regards to a personal meltdown. Either way, at least while the two game were running simultaneously, I was highly buoyed and thrilled by people indicating in this section of the forum that they were reading the games that I was driving (though I by no means take full credit for them - good players are as important as the GM), even though they weren't participating in them. They were interested in and actively following the storylines, presumably based on interest in the plot (which was me) or the writing (the players).

Now, it's funny. Even though I feel I screwed both games up, through, as I will freely admit, over-ambitiousness and personal distractions (in both cases), they were, I feel, were well-regarded at the time and highly valued by the players now. Your (@Gowi) positive attitude to Wink Murder, which I really feel I personally felt I really let down, both for myself and others, inspires my current profile title, and, apparently, you regard me as a decent GM. That means a lot to me. But, at the same time, while violently doubting myself, and trying to foolishly start a game called Hardly Divine at an obviously inopportune time for me to take that commitment seriously (while asking others to do the same), I maybe have something, at least among my friends, as something you might call a 'reputation'.

So that's the background I'm coming from as I return to RPG. Nobody is perfect. But people that 'get' what I do seem to really 'get' it, in spite of my very obvious flaws. Then again, people who might've been judging me might've kept schtum out of politeness or understanding or both or some other reason. You never truly know what people think of you - but there are some people, I find, you can rely on time and time again to take a punt on your ideas, or who bring their ideas to you based on mutual understanding of what kind of response each can expect. I don't want to say 'strangers are bad' and I try to make a point of giving my games nowadays space for newcomers to prove themselves.

Tl;dr - I don't think forum-wide reputation is a thing. Knowing the circles you're working in and the expectations and eccentricities of them is key, not that I advocate elitism or exclusionism.

3) Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

My reputation is, I think, a mixed one. Some things I drop out of just because it doesn't 'click', and some games I've had to allow to die because of my own failings and distractions. I fully expect people to take my strengths and weaknesses on board as they assess me as both a player and a GM. The thing is, RPing is so frequently random or dependent on factors beyond one's prescience that it's simply not a reasonable proposition to judge people forever based on their mistakes nor to be so over-awed by players who seem good only to find oneself feeling let down. All of this stuff changes from game to game anyway: I recently tried an NRP properly (rather than previous half-hearted efforts) to find myself simultaneously bogged down in the difficulties and thriving on the opportunities. Everything is always in flux in this field and to try to control for every variable is a fool's mission.

[Ammokkx]

Question 1: How does player reputation affect you?

I do not pay attention to what people say about other players, unless it's an overwhelming majority and they are all negative. Even then, I'll probably give people a chance. I'm a very open and helpful person and, even if I'm a bit rude, I try to at least work with my peers instead of sabotage them. The only time when I'm wary or outright refuse someone is when I have had a bad experience with them before, or multiple. So it is that I know at least two GMs on here that I can not trust, for the life of me, to keep their stuff alive. They've given up on too many projects for that. Also, I have had the pleasure of dealing with someone in the past who has taken a toll on my mental health. That person I will refuse to RP with, accept as a player or refuse to accept as GM. Unlike the other two who I just won't accept as GM, them I outright ban.

So how the guild perceives someone does not affect me, only the personal experiences I've had with them. This goes in the opposite direction, too, since I don't immediately accept someone as a 'good' RPer unless they have proven it to me whilst I played with them. Luckily, I know a few of these and I'm glad I do.

Question 2: Are you influenced by how the RP community looks at you?

Interesting question, because I know for a fact that some people on the guild think I'm an insufferable brat while others consider me a good RPer. I wouldn't let it affect me joining an RP or accepting someone, at least, since that's what the above is for. But I would probably be wary of someone and dance around their words a little if I know their opinion of me is... less than stellar, to say the least. Hell knows I piss off at least one person by accident every time I pop into chat.

So I'm influenced in the way that I'd be cautious around a person, but not change my preferences because of it. I'd mind my wording and try to come across as less of an asshole (read as: failing to not be an asshole) but otherwise, I'd pretty much be the same. One thing I don't let it affect, though, is my writing IC. People are not their characters and their characters should not reflect IRL beef. I've seen this happen before and it's... silly. I've always kept my characters with a neutral impression of everyone at first, and depending on how the actual player handles it, I make them like or dislike theirs.

As a GM, though, it's a little different. I take very cautious steps and frequently ask what people think of me, how I should handle things and get their opinions. Communication is key, and I feel that a good two-way communication channel is crucial to keeping an RP going. I'm not afraid to slightly modify my original vision to suit the whims of players as long as it's not a complete overhaul, at which point I'd be best off abandoning it (which I'd never do, by the way) and leaving it to the players. So there I would have it affect my actions. As a GM i have the obligation, at least a personal one, to make everyone have as much fun as possible. With a negative rep, I don't feel like I could do that.

Question 3: How important is learning from your reputation?

This, I need to twist a bit. I do not like to learn from my reputation, because that's a little useless to me. Unless it's me being an asshole, that's probably best avoided. I do, however, frequently ask for criticism on my writing itself. I feel that is the most important. How my characters come across and how I play them are crucial to a good story, even if some might disagree, and for that reason I'm always open to getting critiqued. Unfortunately, whenever I do ask for it, I almost never seem to get actual critique. Either it's nitpicking after incessant prodding or just not finding anything in general. There's the occasional bout of getting something that I could actually learn from, but otherwise I don't get much. I feel this is very frustrating and might very well have something to do with my rep. I don't consider myself anywhere near a good writer and constantly seek to improve, but I can't unless someone actively tells me where I screw up.

So it's important to me to learn from criticism, but people don't seem to criticize me nearly as often as I'd like.

[Lady Absinthia]

Question 1: How does player reputation affect you?
It all depends on the situation. For the most part I do not take into consideration someone's reputation outside of the reputation I have given them inside my own mind from actually having dealt with them before. I don't usually take into consideration the grape vine talk of someone. I like to form my own opinion since every instance and reputation has two sides to the story. Now, if I have Rped with them before I will take that into heavy consideration. Did they flake out, were they a problem or did they cause problems, and so forth.

Yet, there are times where I will listen to what others Rpers say about a person and use that are my sole judgement but that usually only occurs under one circumstance; when I am asked not to let someone into an RP specifically by another RPer. I have had times where Rpers who I have Rped with in the past and trust have contacted me to tell me about another Rper that is wanting to join and asked I not let them because of a specific reason. If someone I trust feels strong enough to go "Lady A, I can't Rp with them here. I am not comfortable," then I listen and listen carefully.

Question 2: Are you influenced by how the RP community looks at you?

Not really. I usually fall back on that old saying - You can't please all of the people all of the time. It doesn't matter how good of a person you are, how well you Gm, how well you Rp; there will always be at least one person out there that doesn't like you. Some people just come into an RP determined to not like you and there really isn't much you can do about it. There are plenty of people on the forum that cannot stand me and who have made this extremely well known.

I have my ways, just as anyone else has. I just put it out there and let people know what to expect when they do Rp from me. I don't hide the fact that I am, well to put it bluntly, a bitch and an evil GM overlord. That is just who I am. Some people can deal with that and even thrive in RP with me, others can't. I am older than many of the Rpers around here and have been at this longer than a lot of people here have been alive. It took me decades to come into my own fully and know what I will and will not put up with. Frankly, I am just too old to worry if someone hates me or not. This is such a large community, there are plenty of Rps, Rpers, and Gm's out there that everyone can find their own little group they work well with without having to compromise who they are or try to change just to make a small handful of people like them.

But I do hold myself to a set of standards I try to follow at all times, heck I have articles written on the subject. Etiquette, honesty, and respect are very important to me. Always have been, always will be.

Question 3: How important is learning from your reputation?

Very, which may seem odd since I have a rather "Don't like it then leave" attitude. I accept criticism well, even encourage it, but with a grain of salt. If it is well thought out, blunt, and professional I will listen all day long. Take what is said and see where I can improve from a pragmatic stance since it doesn't matter how old you are, you can always improve. If it is an emotion filled hatred because someone didn't get their way or was "offended" because I put my foot down knowing exactly how I am before they even joined the RP I am hosting, well then they can take a flying leap off a cliff for all I care.

~~So basically, all three boil down to circumstances. Under certain ones, all three can mean a great deal to me. Under others, I could care less.

[Mirandae]

Question 1: How does player reputation affect you?

It doesn't. I have to see it for myself if it is to affect me. If there is a reputation, I might look for it whereas otherwise I either wouldn't or would discover it for myself. However, if I know about some kind of behavior of a person, that I've seen myself on several occasions, that 'reputation' will certainly affect me in the future.

Question 2: Are you influenced by how the RP community looks at you?

No. I know that people don't like me, so I have nothing to lose. People don't like me in real life either, for various reasons, once they get to know me. My negative sides heavily shadows my positive ones. If I let how people look at me influence me, then I wouldn't be able to do anything at all.

Question 3: How important is learning from your reputation?

I'm impulsive, brutally honest, a perfectionist, jealous, and manipulative. They're difficult traits to just 'change' because people don't like them. But, I'm very aware of my faults, and I try to control them, so there isn't much to learn from a reputation that I already know about.

[Chairman Stein]

Question 1: How does player reputation affect you?

I would say that it certainly has some affect on me. I suffer from very serious anxiety and a multitude of other 'issues' so I definitely am fearful of looking like a foolish amateur in comparison to other 'popular' RPers here. I will fully admit that I have not joined RPs I've been interested in because a 'big name' joined and I feared I would look bad when compared to their skill in both character/world creation and writing ability. For instance, in comparison to the long paragraph+ replies others have given my reply is probably pathetic and tiny in comparison, and that certainly makes me anxious but oh well.

Question 2: Are you influenced by how the RP community looks at you?

Much like in real life, I will admit I am very influenced by how I am viewed. I think it is human to be influenced by the opinions of those around you. Luckily I'm so on and off in my activity that, as far as I am aware, I have no real reputation on the Guild. However if I had one I would certainly say it would influence my actions and presence here.

Question 3: How important is learning from your reputation?

Learning from how others perceive you and what sort of reputation you form is important. Seeing how your personality, be it real or fake, appeals or repulses those around you both online and offline allows you to build character and forge yourself into the person you feel is best for you and your future. I've made many changes in myself due to the reputation I've built on other forums and in real life, and I think for the most part it has made me a better person. Though some may view it as a sign of weakness or a lack of self-esteem, which is great because I'm both weak and have no self-esteem so hey that fits my personality type!

[vancexentan]

Question 1: How does player reputation affect you?
If a player is known for acting a certain way, playing in a certain method, or for playing the same character over and over again then I tend to shy away from them. There are CERTAINLY players who don't like me I've seen plenty of people come to my roleplays and never come back again. It simply boils down to me personally liking or disliking a certain style. I am very adamant about this to the point where if certain conditions aren't met I will leave a perfectly good roleplay because of someone else joining it.

Question 2: Are you influenced by how the RP community looks at you?
No not in the very least. I am willing to compromise how I feel on situations to be more fair to the other players in my roleplays and I expect the same in return. If you have a problem with how I do things, or simply how I post then that's all around their problem. You can leave roleplays and not join the ones I am in. I'm just going to keep on doing as I see fit and if it becomes a BIG problem then I will leave the site.

Question 3: How important is learning from your reputation?
I try to see negatives that are actually affecting my roleplay abilities to heart. If I am flawed in someway I want to fix it and I want to be better. I view it as pretty important to myself and the others I play with to improve my efforts. However if it is just personal problems people have with me I could honestly care less. I have my own personal way of doing things and if it is a genuine problem then I want to change that but if it's something dumb like how I write or do things than there's not much I can do in that manner.

[FantasyChic]

Question 1: How does player reputation affect you?

I think everyone has a reputation on here. It's a matter of how far reaching said reputation is. A new player will have a reputation of being the newbie on the site, and that can come with negative and positive aspects. I tend to not let a person's reputation taint my view of them when it comes to RPing, but I will say there are a few occasions that I can't look past. Such as a person who plays the same character in different games despite the character either not working out or everyone saying "I don't think this character will fit in" and them getting pissy. Isn't insanity defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? Just saying...

Other than that, I believe in 2nd chances and I never want to turn down RPing with someone because of their reputation. People can surprise you.

Question 2: Are you influenced by how the RP community looks at you?

I would be lying if I said no. I do want to have a good reputation, obviously, and I try my best to maintain that, but I know there are some people that will look at me and think "Oh god, it's them.." and I can't help that. I try to make sure that I come off as someone that would be beneficial to have in a RP. I also won't lie when it comes to my feelings. If I have a problem with someone, I will come out and say it to them and I call out B.S. fairly regularly. If people have a problem with that, I would expect them to tell me about it instead of holding it in and doing so behind my back. Just like in real life, we're all people here.

Question 3: How important is learning from your reputation?

I believe in bettering yourself. If you're reputation is known for being a "ditcher" for instance, you may want to remember that and the next time you plan to leave a game, give them notice. However, I also believe in people being themselves and in some instances, their reputation is something they can't/won't change, and that's fine. Ultimately, it's up to the individual to decide if their willing to learn and go from there.

[NuttsnBolts]

Question 1: How does player reputation affect you?

I believe that the reputation of others have some degree on my roleplaying experience. Generally I like to see first hand the problems that occur so that I can avoid some players, but out of the entire community, there's are only a minor few I wont RP with. This is mostly because of the way these people have treated me or my friends.

If you swear at me and ridicule me, if you make sexual advances in OOC to a friend, if you troll an RP you've been booted out of, then I can say I am quite happy to not spend time with you and I would rather spend time with the ones that appreciate my work and company.

On the flip side, there are some people that I am so sad I'm not in the same RP with them anymore. Mostly cause they are amazing writers and good people. Dropping a few names here, but @Vash, @McHaggis, @AirBender, and @Esoteric would be some that come to mind as people I once Roleplayed with and enjoyed my time with them. :)

Question 2: Are you influenced by how the RP community looks at you?

I suppose you would be stupid if you didn't even consider what the community thinks of you. Unlike many other forums this sites where people just discuss topics and voice their opinion, this site forces you to interact with another human and create a collaborate work. It's very difficult to have a group roleplay when you have a shithouse reputation.

So how does this affect me? Well I simply try the best I can and while I, like any other person, will have my up and down days I generally have good intentions and try hard to make my characters work, to contribute to a story, to get along with the members. I do this because I don't see the advantage in "not" being a positive member of the guild.

Question 3: How important is learning from your reputation?

And now the part where I unfortunately rip shreds into myself. I am a pessimist. So to understand where I can learn from my reputation I have to "know" what my reputation is, and for me I view myself as an outsider, someone who can't always be relied upon, someone who seems to always be around when shit goes south, and a terrible GM.

Pretty much everyone of my GM roles are something I view as a failure. GMing affects my anxiety, my anxiety changes me into a different person, and before I know it I am the one that has to ditch the RP since it literally drives me insane. (Hence why my created stories now stay in 1x1s and I have only characters in group RPs)

I don't think I'm a good writer, so I sometimes find it hard to believe that people actually enjoy my work.

To sum up how important it is for me to learn from my reputation... well I need to actually learn to view myself in a better light and not believe that the large majority of you do not wish to have me in one of your roleplays.