Are we expecting too much from newbs?

[Ellri]

We couldn't care less about how old someone is, how many posts they have, how long they've been on the guild or anything like that. The only thing we care about when we host an RP is whether they can produce something of a quality we deem fitting for our RP. Sure. That could mean that some people might not get in, but that's too bad for them.

We'd much rather take the thirteen-year old who looks able to write good, clean english than the twenty-odd year guy (or gal) who can't spell correctly, let alone get grammar right. In fact, had you not provided a number for your own age, we would naturally have assumed that you were considerably older.

As for the bit about free? In our experience, free tends to have terrible grammar and spelling. There might be RPs in that section where that isn't the case, but we've not seen them. Mostly because its not a section we venture into. Despite what many seem to think, if you're able to write five paragraphs, you're well within the parameters for advanced.

Our current RP is in advanced, and the only difficult someone young might have in there is the fact that it'll deal with numerous pretty dark themes. What we care about from the posters in our RPs is what they achieve with their posts and how much thought they put into it. Not whether it has n words or paragraphs or whatever. Making a high-quality character sheet is key.

In fact, if you think you can handle dark themes (will likely include torture of both emotional and physical natures, death, betrayal, etc...) and you're into Star Wars, then feel free to check out our RP, Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath. Its not for the feint of heart, but we judge people only on what they produce, not on parameters like the ones described in the first sentence of this post.

[MiddleEarthRoze]

I couldn't give a bloody fuck about how old you are - just don't act like a complete dick in the OOC, and write to the standard the casual section demands. You'll find most people on this site should follow the same sentiment - if not, then it's them with the problem.

[Oliver]

In fact, if you think you can handle dark themes (will likely include torture of both emotional and physical natures, death, betrayal, etc...) and you're into Star Wars, then feel free to check out our RP, Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath. Its not for the feint of heart, but we judge people only on what they produce, not on parameters like the ones described in the first sentence of this post.

@Ellri

Thanks for the offer! I'll definitely look into it.

[NuttsnBolts]

Hello, newbie here.
Just some background info on me: I just turned 13 a few weeks ago, and I'm a writing enthusiast. I'm new to play-by-post RP, but have a few months of experience with GURPS, D&D and other tabletop systems.

I've been trying to get into RPing for a few weeks now, and one thing I've noticed pervades this forum is a strong sense of entitlement by seniority. A lot of the users here are several decades older than me and have vastly more experience in the play-by-post world. I've been told no less than four times, all by different people, that I should stick to Free RPs for "a few years" before moving onto more advanced RPs. A lot of people have also told me that I lack the emotional stability to "handle" the social expectations of Casual or Advanced RP.

But the thing is, I'm linguistically advanced enough to handle postlengths of up to five paragraphs, and the grammar standards of Free tends to allow for a level of newbism that is not my own. I get that I'm young and mentally challenged and not always easy to get along with, but it's hard for me to find RPers in my age group who are on the same writing level as me.

So what I'm basically trying to ask is, should I dumb myself down for the sake of not annoying the older and more socially advanced members of RPG, or is there a way for me to RP with older people without getting on their nerves?

@Oliver

So off face value:
- You can structure a sentance quite well.
- You can spell words correctly
- You are engaging in a convo of maturity and self learning.

Basically, you shouldn't have any problems with joining a roleplay, even if you are still technically a newbie. What you do lack is a history and reputation that only comes with time and getting to know others. People may be a little cautious in case you flake out... but I've seen veteran players do that too.

I wouldn't be too concerned with getting on peoples nerves. Its mostly the ones that want to argue against GMs, put up shit work, or powerplay/godmod that are more concerning.

[Frizan]

I wouldn't worry at all about "getting on peoples' nerves" and whatnot, as the parts of the Guild community worth interacting with are very chilled out, though some will give you the "I'm super duper nice but I can get really mean so watch out buster" spiel. If you can get past that cringy nonsense, you'll find yourself a natural fit. As for the other parts of the community, well, they're easy to identify and ignore.

Aside from that, I'll tell you what I tell every new person: See those little descriptive blurbs below the section headers on the main page? Fuck'em. If you're even halfway decent at writing and can play a character well, you can get in any RP you fancy, be it Free or Advanced, provided of course the GM isn't just garbage, but that doesn't happen much. Just say hello in the Interest Check or OOC to display your interest, and then throw down your character.

You'll make up for your newness naturally with time by interacting with people in OOC, and you'll build up your reputation with good IC posts.

Oh, and a fair warning, a lot of the people on this site are uh...sensitive. Not saying to walk on eggshells, but just be aware that you might end up saying something you think is innocuous but sends someone else into a flaming, impotent rage.

[BrokenPromise]

What I wanted to say has already been said.

All I'm going to add is that if you're a huge dick in OOC, people will tell you your writing sucks to deflate your ego. Also, I'd keep the whole "I'm 13 and have mental problems!" thing on the down low. Regardless of why you have mental instability, it's not something most people want in their OOC. Enough drama without that shit.

[Shoryu Magami]

Was in a pretty bad state yesterday, and it hasn't improved all that much, but that's besides the point. I've been intending to make one more post in here before I get back to my business and figured it was better to do so after I'd taken a bit of time to clear my head (not that my head is clear, but "c'est la vie").

I should make a point that I don't have time to read any of the posts that were made since I took my nap, so most of what I'll be saying is related to earlier posts here.

Honestly, I can understand the positive reception that @McHaggis's post got, since he brought up the important opposing side of the spectrum to these types of communities in comparison to the side I presented (and neither side is inherently wrong nor the sole one to exist in reality). A lot of the time you are going to find people who make the role-playing experience more difficult for a GM due to not being cooperative or generally lacking the ability to collaborate properly. I've experienced dealing with people like that myself. I'm also in agreement that role-playing is a social practice as much as a writing practice, probably more so in fact (I should point out that I consider myself a writer first and a role-player second, just for the record).

The best role-playing experiences I've had were collaborations between me and some like-minded individuals in my circle, and those weren't even done over a large role-playing site like this place (they were over IM). I'm also far more impressed by a person who has good content and soul in their writing than I am by someone who knows how to string together fancy-looking combinations of grammar; what a person has to say is far more important than how they say it to me, so I agree that the more professional character sheet does not equal the more worthy person to recruit, and far too many people think that a person's grammar dictates their quality as a role-player. Yes, I'm the type of person who believes using good grammar is important so that other people can understand your posts, but knowing how to use punctuation at a high level does not define your skill as a role-player; your storytelling and ability to collaborate does.

If I had any major points I wanted to emphasize in this post before I get back to my work, it would be the following two things:

Firstly, some people (not everyone) seem to be forgetting that one of the primary concerns that the original poster had, and their main reason for not wanting to take part in the free role-playing forum, was that they felt like they needed to hold themselves back in order to meet their peers on a similar level. I can definitely relate to this problem. The only role-play that I've registered to on this site so far (I had my character accepted and everything), while not inherently a bad idea for a role-play, was something I had to decide to pull out of by my own volition, precisely because of this exact issue; the style of the narrative and the level of depth that would be put into characterization was far too simplistic and basic for my tastes. There was no personal conflict between me and the people on in that thread; the role-play simply didn't offer what I needed to thrive and enjoy myself as a writer (I want to pour my soul into my work).

While there are surely good stories being told in the free role-play forum, there will always be a barrier between some people there; this is no one's fault. The people who write at that more casual level are not wrong to choose to role-play that way, but it's also not wrong to not want to have to dumb yourself down (nor is it wrong to feel dissatisfied when others don't put in the amount of depth as you try to). I think this primary concern was something that was somewhat missed during a few of the responses here.

Secondly, while it is true that plenty of newcomers appear on role-playing sites and give GMs a difficult time, I don't want anyone to delude themselves into thinking that the other side doesn't exist as well. As I emphasized in my previous post; there are plenty of extremely bad GMs out there as well. The example I gave in my last post was only my observations on the first role-playing forum I joined, but let me assure you that plenty of the others I moved onto had very similar issues. Actually, the amount of toxic GMs I've encountered over my time as a role-player far outstrips the decent ones, which is one of several reasons why I find myself always taking the role of GM myself or hosting my own role-playing forums.

The original poster of this thread has admitted that the social aspects of their problem on this site (not all the aspects though, as my previous point in this post has emphasized) were likely a fault of their own, but it would be a gross illusion to assume that this situation applies to every problem that surfaces in the role-playing world. I haven't been on this site for too long, so I'm reserving my own judgements (especially since this place is a large community; therefore susceptible for having a very wide variety of both positive and negative people), but in my own personal experience I have definitely found that off this site the GMs I encountered were more of a problem than the newcomers.

As GMs, we should be striving to help those who are socially awkward grow as people in the community just as much as, if not more than, we strive to help them improve their skills in the literary arts. Many GMs that I've encountered, or simply long-standing role-players, do have an inflated sense of superiority that actually isolates potential role-players in the making. You will certainly find problematic newcomers, but you would do well to remember that plenty of "seasoned" role-players are also a problem. This is one of the reasons why I consider community more important than role-playing; a sign of a good role-player is a person who builds friendships and isn't just someone who views other role-players as toys or tools to be used for their escapism. When all is said and done, I have my own writing projects that are more important to me than role-playing, so I consider networking with people here more important than role-play.

On a side note, good to know you're aware of inherent issues you have between yourself and peers, @Oliver, because a lot of people don't even make that realization; knowing a problem exists and accepting it is the first step to overcoming it and many people fail to even get that far. I myself clash with a lot of people, but on my end it's more a result of my personality being far too forthright by the standards of most of society (we live in an age where most people hide behind masks, and the anonymity of the internet only helps facilitate this toxic behaviour).

[Lady Absinthia]

Age has nothing to do with it, attitude is everything.

Speaking from how you handled yourself in my OOC, yes some maturity needs to be developed. It has nothing to do with your skill level. I have Rped with people on this forum younger than you without issue in the slightest, in fact many of the people in my rps are in their teens and they are some of the best I have had the privilege to Gm.

In my OOC you originally came off as rude and abrasive, purposefully so it seemed. As we spoke some you reigned it back. Why I offered for you to come back later on. You don't have to be nice to people to be in an rp. I'm the Bitch GM around here, it's no secret. I don't put up with crap.

Having said that I have and still do RP with people that are considered "assholes" around here. As long as they don't try to cause problems in OOC I don't care how they are. I'm here to Gm/Rp.

I don't think suggestions of you sticking to Free for a while has to do with your skill, you are easily mid/high casual. It's the attitude. If you go into an OOC calling GM rules stupid and stating you aren't going to bow down to assholes right off the bat you will get a backhand from the RPers.

As far as dumbing your skills down, never do that. Whether you are in free or in advanced, doesn't matter. Post IC true to your character and your level of skill. Though as I stated before, OOC, you have a choice of when hitting the "post reply" button, try giving yourself time to make sure it is something you need to send through or if it just something confrontational.

Sure age will, well it should, bring maturity and social adaptability, but it isn't always the case. Many older people are far more socially or mentally awkward than some of the younger folk around here. Age is just a number. It doesn't really reflect where someone is in their lives. Heck, most people don't know the ages or those they rp with, usually the only time age comes into question is when mature themes are present for a 1x1.

You'll find the right group for you. Just take the time to read the rules each GM presents. They are there for a reason, so people know what to expect from the GM. Don't run into an OOC with a confrontational attitude and be willing to listen to feedback. People around here don't give it usually just to have something to type, they're trying to help.

We all want to RP, it's why we are here. Doesn't mean we all get along, we don't have to. Why there are so many rps and so any gms. So each person can find their own nitch. Heck maybe Gming would be a good fit for you. You know what you do and don't want, why not take the reins and give that a try?

[HalfOfLancelot]

Age has nothing to do with it, attitude is everything.

Speaking from how you handled yourself in my OOC, yes some maturity needs to be developed. It has nothing to do with your skill level. I have Rped with people on this forum younger than you without issue in the slightest, in fact many of the people in my rps are in their teens and they are some of the best I have had the privilege to Gm.

In my OOC you originally came off as rude and abrasive, purposefully so it seemed. As we spoke some you reigned it back. Why I offered for you to come back later on. You don't have to be nice to people to be in an rp. I'm the Bitch GM around here, it's no secret. I don't put up with crap.

Having said that I have and still do RP with people that are considered "assholes" around here. As long as they don't try to cause problems in OOC I don't care how they are. I'm here to Gm/Rp.

I don't think suggestions of you sticking to Free for a while has to do with your skill, you are easily mid/high casual. It's the attitude. If you go into an OOC calling GM rules stupid and stating you aren't going to bow down to assholes right off the bat you will get a backhand from the RPers.

As far as dumbing your skills down, never do that. Whether you are in free or in advanced, doesn't matter. Post IC true to your character and your level of skill. Though as I stated before, OOC, you have a choice of when hitting the "post reply" button, try giving yourself time to make sure it is something you need to send through or if it just something confrontational.

Sure age will, well it should, bring maturity and social adaptability, but it isn't always the case. Many older people are far more socially or mentally awkward than some of the younger folk around here. Age is just a number. It doesn't really reflect where someone is in their lives. Heck, most people don't know the ages or those they rp with, usually the only time age comes into question is when mature themes are present for a 1x1.

You'll find the right group for you. Just take the time to read the rules each GM presents. They are there for a reason, so people know what to expect from the GM. Don't run into an OOC with a confrontational attitude and be willing to listen to feedback. People around here don't give it usually just to have something to type, they're trying to help.

We all want to RP, it's why we are here. Doesn't mean we all get along, we don't have to. Why there are so many rps and so any gms. So each person can find their own nitch. Heck maybe Gming would be a good fit for you. You know what you do and don't want, why not take the reins and give that a try?

@Lady Amalthea

Adding onto this: don't ever pick a fight with a GM who has a substantial crowd of roleplayers who absolutely love them.

It's a surefire way of getting absolutely destroyed and ostracized. Miss A here can handle herself extremely well (as evident to this reply she just posted), but she's one of those GMs who has people who will consistently flock to her RPs because they're wonderful and provide a good room for improvement and enjoyment. And because the GM herself, despite being a bitch (;p), is amicable/affable and easy to befriend. Make sure, if you're about to post something confrontational, it's respectful to everyone and that includes people who associate themselves with the GM you're going to argue with.

Mob mentality is a sure way to kill your reputation.

That's harsh. It's not mob mentality, but I mean, if your friend's getting insulted right in front of you, you're going to jump to their aid as soon as you can. There's no doubt about that, and Lady A has plenty of friends 'round here.

[Lady Absinthia]

@HalfOfLancelot Oh hun, you're so sweet. ~hands him a fifty on the sly~ ^_~ (Though seriously, don't know whether to laugh, thank, or cry at that reply, so I'll go with a like, lol)

[Gowi]

There comes to a point where there is a difference between elitism and expectations, but generally I can tell you that if you are willing to put the work in few GM’s will have issue with you trying. So while I don’t know the context of the people whom you have dealt with, I can say from what I do know that the ideology of which you are talking about is absolutely asinine and patronizing— which to me is absolute unacceptable. I’ve been writing for a long time and roleplaying within the message board “play-by-post” medium for over fifteen years but when I speak of that I never in my life use it as a framework to assert dominance or classist agenda; it’s absolutely inappropriate and unfair for people to draw lines in the sand and condescend others just because they are an “adult” or “veteran”.

You already have great points of reference by McHaggis, Undine, Shoryu, Lady Amalthea, and others— so while I don’t know what more my own addition to the dialogue can contribute I feel like it is important from a community perspective to let you know that you are doing nothing wrong and you should not be condescended for your efforts. The message board I was introduced to role-playing on had no class system, no literacy standards, no application process; it was essentially everything that the “Free” section on RPG stands for but with no toxicity latent amongst writers. So when I see lines drawn in the sand where people are scoffing and telling people to go play at the equivalent of the “kid’s table” I get understandably upset. Those people who are scoffing at you are wrong; don’t let their negatively drag you down and creatively drain you of what makes you want to write with others.

You should approach a RP you feel interested by and see if the GM appreciates your efforts; don’t let classists define how you look at enjoyable prospective projects. Ever.

[tsukune]

All in all:

People can be judged on their current writing level (without lowering their true potential, obviously), their general attitude and they way they interact with others, and most importantly, the effort they put in to improve themselves continuously.

Age doesn't denote a person's maturity.

Besides, everyone will grow up and older as years pass by, then a fresh batch of newbies will come along... and the cycle will repeat itself. So, rather than terrorizing the new RPers just because we had a bitter past experience of sorts, we should stop spreading bad habits to the next generation, and always remember that we were also in the same boat as them when we just started RPing years ago.

(There are assholes out there whether we like it or not, but what we can do is just don't be one of them, and don't entertain their idiocy.)

[HeySeuss]

Hello, newbie here.
Just some background info on me: I just turned 13 a few weeks ago, and I'm a writing enthusiast. I'm new to play-by-post RP, but have a few months of experience with GURPS, D&D and other tabletop systems.

I've been trying to get into RPing for a few weeks now, and one thing I've noticed pervades this forum is a strong sense of entitlement by seniority. A lot of the users here are several decades older than me and have vastly more experience in the play-by-post world. I've been told no less than four times, all by different people, that I should stick to Free RPs for "a few years" before moving onto more advanced RPs. A lot of people have also told me that I lack the emotional stability to "handle" the social expectations of Casual or Advanced RP.

But the thing is, I'm linguistically advanced enough to handle postlengths of up to five paragraphs, and the grammar standards of Free tends to allow for a level of newbism that is not my own. I get that I'm young and mentally challenged and not always easy to get along with, but it's hard for me to find RPers in my age group who are on the same writing level as me.

So what I'm basically trying to ask is, should I dumb myself down for the sake of not annoying the older and more socially advanced members of RPG, or is there a way for me to RP with older people without getting on their nerves?

@Oliver

Hank and a couple others maybe joined before I have. Maybe. I don't really bring this up, except someone whipped theirs out.

I'm not sure who is peddling that line to you about getting experience or emotional ability to handle a plot, but it sounds to me as if they are trying to tear you down for the benefit of their own self-esteem.

I don't think you should listen to them. I think you should write what comes naturally. I think you should enjoy yourself, experiment and don't feel bound to obey what these people are saying. And if you show up in one of my RP's, I'll judge the writing, not the person. A lot of the other people I know, most of whom have been knocking around for years, tend to feel the same way. Maybe that's just because birds of a feather flock together. Even then, that's at least a chunk of the Guild not putting you down for age.

I hope you stick around, enjoy the Guild and remember this: we're here to practice and improve as writers. But the Guild is built on the idea that the individual can find what they want and write as they please, besides the few things that are prohibited. It also has specific policies regarding autonomy so that it is really your choice if you want to listen to the people telling you these things. Personally, I advise against and I certainly wouldn't give that sort of advice the time of day.

[Chao]

@Oliver Dude, I'm 12. Turning 13 in December the 30th. Nice to know another person around my age. ;)

On the matter of newbism, if you believe you're good enough for Casual or Advanced. Try it. I suggest low Advanced if you do really want to try Advanced. I mean, it can be sometimes too much to handle.

And like @tsukune said. Age does not show a person's maturity. Many people on this site have thought I'm actually at least 10 years older than I am. Whoever had said that to you that you aren't ready to try what you want. I have some advice:



They obviously are just trying to bring you down, and for that reason I don't know. They may be one of those people who just think 'Kids don't know how to do anything for themselves' or want to bring you down to make them feel superior to you.

[Oliver]

@Oliver Dude, I'm 12. Turning 13 in December the 30th. Nice to know another person around my age. ;)

On the matter of newbism, if you believe you're good enough for Casual or Advanced. Try it. I suggest low Advanced if you do really want to try Advanced. I mean, it can be sometimes too much to handle.

@Chaotic Chao

Dude, same. Watch out, though... if COPPA gets word that someone your age is using an internet forum, they're going to freak the fuck out and make the mods ban everyone under 15 or whatever the cutoff is.

[The Architect]

@Oliver

This is an unfortunate problem for all role players at a lot of levels. My perspective has always been what you would call looking at the bigger picture instead of the smaller ones. An this particular problem has existed a very long time probably since I came on the Role play scene some fourteen or so odd years ago on the roleplay forums on the runescape site. One of the biggest symptoms of this issue is due to people who feel they are for lack of better terminology better then others when it comes to role playing. Like anything in this world, basketball, football, gaming, cooking, there are always people who are thriving to be better then everyone else, and most times this is regardless of whom they hurt or don't hurt in the process. There is nothing wrong with a competitive atmosphere, in fact I am very competitive in a lot of things I love, but where the difference begins is where people feel because they are particularly good at something it gives them the right to feel that they can dictate someone elses worth compared to their own. Meaning in more laymen terms that if you can not amount to what they consider adequate in comparison to their abilities you therefore do not deserve to be within their presence.

A lot of people on roleplay sights measure you at their level, the same level in which for example someone like me might consider low in my own opinion. Its sort of an endless chain of people taking their own abilities and using it as a measuring tool to judge other people and thats really the main problem. Now don't get me wrong this is the main problem but it is merely one of them in a long list, this isn't the reason for everyone's motivation, nor should it be. In some cases when we make roleplays its sort of our baby, its our love child and like any child we want the best for it and to some people that means being very selective about who we allow to join it, and thats our right to do so. We own it, created it, we have a right to run it how we see fit, and in some cases that can lead to people not wanting someone newer in a roleplay. The problem though begins when people feel the need to not only deny someone a place in their roleplay but also feel they have the right to judge their ability and then tell them they don't deserve to be here or be there and should go to a more free formed part of the site.

For example I find it hard to roleplay in advanced not because I am unable to produce a story, or write, or add onto the roleplay but because Advanced has high standards and one of those standards is grammar and unfortunately grammar was never and will never be my strong suit. I have been denied on solely nothing more then the fact that I don't always place certain grammar elements in all the right places and I am told to go back to casual where I belong. Not to take away from the way newer people in role playing are treated but this happens on all levels and it can be quite mean at times depending on the person who feels the need to insult your ability.

So what I'm basically trying to ask is, should I dumb myself down for the sake of not annoying the older and more socially advanced members of RPG, or is there a way for me to RP with older people without getting on their nerves?

No don't dumb yourself down because some person feels you are annoying or not capable of doing something. The truth is there is always going to be someone out there who tries to make you feel insignificant, and the reasons without going into one of the longest physiologists lessons ever written can be very numerous ranging from people who are mean for the sake of being mean all the way to people with superiority complexes and everything in between. There is always going to be critics, but there is also always going to be people who recognize your talents for what they are and can respect them and have no problem what so ever in role playing with you, I would even go further to say that these particular people can even help you expand even further in your craft with positive attitudes and ultimately help you along the way. You have just merely run across some of the more picky role players, and they don't come in short supply im sorry to say, but don't listen to them, listen to yourself and believe in the ability you know you have and find the people who will support you and not downplay you based off of bias view.

With that small question answered it dawns on me having read much of the conversation taken place before my post that another discussion started relating to mentality, real life problems, being problematic and OOC fights and so on. While I took advanced Psychology on a college level I am no ones mom or dad or Psychologist so I won't go into this too deeply because having found Psychology and the human condition of high interest I might not stop until i use all 150000 characters in this post. But I will say this seeming it has become a solid point of discussion, I am an asshole by many definitions of the term, I am sarcastic, insulting, I even have had people point out that sometimes I have an air of superiority about me because I am quite intelligent in more how do you say.. complicated subjects relating to fields people find hard to understand. My list of shortcomings is long and my mental stability although leveled to a certain degree is far, far, far from being perfect. Blame my life, blame the bullies, the shyness I once suffered, blame whatever you like but it lead to who I am, who I became and who I will be.

But I took my shortcomings and turned them into strengths instead of weakness, I am an asshole but I am an asshole with a heart. I can be critical but also understanding, I can have major problems with people but I can resolve them without hurt feelings, I am sarcastic but I do it in such a way that people find it funny not insulting. When life gives you lemons turn it into lemonade and drink that shit. That has become one my favorite quotes over the years. Okay your socially awkward, you have your own way of thinking, you get into squabbles with other people, I have yet to meet a younger person who did not fall short of attitude or problems at some level or another, being young once myself I fell short way more then most, my anger, my resentment towards the world was a weakness that had no end. But the more you learn, the more you grow the more you start to see things in a different perspective. Learn from mistakes and take that and better yourself, you will find a lot of people care deeply for others even if they don't know them, a lot of us tend to look at our roleplay partners like family or friends instead of the things in which they write.

I am one of those people, I look at the person behind the writing instead of just the writing, I have always felt a relationship with whom your roleplay with can be important even if others don't. This is not to say I am unable to roleplay without knowing someone but a lot of us are social beings, we all are at one point or another if not more and one cant be faulted for looking at the person who is writing instead of what they are writing. In the end to put my ramblings to rest, everyone different, we all see things in a way no one else can fully understand, we have our quirks, our shortcomings, our strength, our weaknesses, this is the human condition. We just have to be able to look beyond that.

[Nytehawk]

as someone who just joined, i'm sort of glad i read and skimmed everyone's answers. i think mchaggis's is the one that helped me the most (not to say the rest of you didn't). i came here in hopes of finding a good community since the last proboards i was in was a bad experience and i got flack for writing the way that i do oocly. i've been roleplaying for a decade now so it's a bad feeling not being given a chance and others basing assumptions on you while ignoring your entire existence.

anyways, thanks for this.

[Enarr]

Hello, newbie here.
Just some background info on me: I just turned 13 a few weeks ago, and I'm a writing enthusiast. I'm new to play-by-post RP, but have a few months of experience with GURPS, D&D and other tabletop systems.

I've been trying to get into RPing for a few weeks now, and one thing I've noticed pervades this forum is a strong sense of entitlement by seniority. A lot of the users here are several decades older than me and have vastly more experience in the play-by-post world. I've been told no less than four times, all by different people, that I should stick to Free RPs for "a few years" before moving onto more advanced RPs. A lot of people have also told me that I lack the emotional stability to "handle" the social expectations of Casual or Advanced RP.

But the thing is, I'm linguistically advanced enough to handle postlengths of up to five paragraphs, and the grammar standards of Free tends to allow for a level of newbism that is not my own. I get that I'm young and mentally challenged and not always easy to get along with, but it's hard for me to find RPers in my age group who are on the same writing level as me.

So what I'm basically trying to ask is, should I dumb myself down for the sake of not annoying the older and more socially advanced members of RPG, or is there a way for me to RP with older people without getting on their nerves?

@Oliver

No, you should never have to dumb yourself down. I started role-playing here when I was fourteen years old, I wanted to start when I was twelve but got intimidated. I tried a free game when I started. Very dissatisfying for me personally. Next thing I knew I met my role-playing crew. @Byrd Man and some other players like @HenryJonesJr were immigrating from their own internet home of many years and set up shop in advance.

I was terrible at first. God awful. I think I still an in some respects. But playing in advanced does not take a lot. I've very rarely not played in advanced, actually. You'll get better as you get older. You'll get more ideas and yours skills will level up. Not that I'm writing you off for now, it's just that you're always getting older. I never could've imagined I'd be seventeen so soon. Makes me wish I would've wrote more when I was your age.

[boomlover]

@Oliver I for one welcome such a young but yet talented addition to the guild. So just join advanced and knock yourself out mate. I always find it funny that everyone thinks people in advanced are really serious. i'm 17 myself make a lot of grammar and spelling mistaes ( which your probably seeing yourself.) And i have been writing in advanced without anyone trying to lynch me for it. So come one over to advanced and enjoy yourself.

[Ellri]

Pre-guildfall, advanced had far more elitism than it has these days, @boomlover. Those people fortunately left the guild, as they made guild life harder for the rest.