Twenty Rules Regarding Any RPG

[Gen Lee]

27) Don't ridicule new players for not knowing what they are doing, give them a chance to learn and help them out when you can. You were once new and ignorant about the game yourself.

28) Defeating your enemies is one thing. Continually attacking them after they are defeated so they can't effectively play and end up quitting is another.

Well that contradicts rule #1.

[ModusOperandi]

Well that contradicts rule #1.

How about conquer your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentations of their women? *shrugs* If that doesn't work, I heard that those were the best things in life.

[Lizardo]

12. Sexual harassment is not ok, nor ever excusable as being "in character". Also see Rule #9.

I'd have to take exception to this capitulation to Marxist Feminist sophistry. If you're frightened by gonad references get thee to a nunnery. If you're willing to offer sex for game advantages, that's why my loin cloth has velco.

13. It's perfectly acceptable to roleplay a walking, talking "richard" with ears--don't be pissed off when people decide to roleplay your destroyer.

Never understood this one.

Edited October 23, 2009 by Lizardo

[septimoose]

#thirtysomething - At the end of the day, it's just a game

[AgentofChaos]

Sure. We have 'characters', if you want to call them that, those being the nation rulers. There's a technical divide between IC and OOC that's semi-enforced. And you could argue that there is a meaningful fictional setting all this takes place in, with a RP-based ruleset (of a sort). But the important part is missing. The community isn't that of an RPG, both in the administration of the game and of the general membership. The majority of those playing CN do not separate in-game and out-of-game identities and thus the reasoning for their actions is not that of their characters, but of the players behind them. Alliances such as the OBR are a welcome sight to see, but they're a minority, a rare gem in a field of sand and cacti.

It's not a roleplaying game.

I disagree. Yes, you may adopt a remarkably similar attitude and similar mannerisms with your character as in real life but it is still a character. Odds are you will act differently in some way. I, for example, am far less aggressive and, sometimes, matter of fact with what I think in RL. I also curse a lot more. However, that is neither befitting of a ruler (well...ok, of my personal view of a ruler) nor a welcome addition of a game. When I get emotional about something in RL I am far less likely to show it than I will here, simply because the emotions of my character are simply that, they are not truly me and it's not a real event happening (you know what I mean here, don't get all antsy about it).

Yeah, in RL I still screw around a lot, I still don't take a lot of things seriously and most times I'd just as soon have fun as win and that does cross over to here. However, that's not me not making a character, just me taking aspects of myself that I like and applying them to my character. I know plenty of people who OOC are noticeably different than in game, even if the difference is only slight.

[nippy]

28) Defeating your enemies is one thing. Continually attacking them after they are defeated so they can't effectively play and end up quitting is another.

I define this as 'fun' and 'more fun'.

[ChairmanHal]

I'd have to take exception to this capitulation to Marxist Feminist sophistry. If you're frightened by gonad references get thee to a nunnery. If you're willing to offer sex for game advantages, that's why my loin cloth has velco.

Oh at Valhalla these days, and I'm sure elsewhere, there are women who actually initiative the banter. We all have active gonads (or gonad in the case of OBM...) and this certainly isn't the White House or a place of business where a higher level of decorum is required. I get bawdy humor. However, this isn't about that. I've personally seen female players harassed by male players to the point that someone else (me) had to pull that male player aside and explain they needed to stop or else. You would think that "no means no" would eventually sink in, but apparently it doesn't.

Never understood this one.

Simple. Electron Sponge (may his character R.I.P.) was a "richard with ears" to a lot of people over his run on Planet Bob. He didn't have to roleplay that way, but the aggressive style suited him and he seemed to enjoy it. This of course didn't endear him to everyone and some rather strong opinions of the character evolved over time as a result--both negative and positive (for much the same reason people both love/hate J.R. Ewing from old TV series 'Dallas'). It lead to an amazing rise and ultimately to his fall.

Your character is what you make it, but for every alliance/individual that lived hard and played by their own rules, there is also an alliance/individual that died hard.

[Ursarkar E Creed]

Never understood this one.

He means it's fine to act like a #!$& but don't whine when someone takes you down for it.

Edited October 26, 2009 by Ursarkar E Creed

[Francesca]

I don't know...... one rule to live by is that you have to remember that it's just a game and even the bad guys are human beings. Be open-minded.

[flak attack]

Simple. Electron Sponge (may his character R.I.P.) was a "richard with ears" to a lot of people over his run on Planet Bob. He didn't have to roleplay that way, but the aggressive style suited him and he seemed to enjoy it. This of course didn't endear him to everyone and some rather strong opinions of the character evolved over time as a result--both negative and positive (for much the same reason people both love/hate J.R. Ewing from old TV series 'Dallas'). It lead to an amazing rise and ultimately to his fall.

Love him or hate him, but ES was the best villain this game has ever had.

[Prime minister Johns]

Love him or hate him, but ES was the best villain this game has ever had.

ES was great, He was a wonderful ally to have in your corner.

But like all things I suppose that depends on your point of view.

One man's villain is another man's hero.

[Triyun]

Should be made official rules imo.

[Solaris]

Should be made official rules imo.

Yeeeeeeeah..

Viridian Entente would have to depart the Planet, for it's leadership would all be banned for breaking Rule Sixteen.

[Haflinger]

I think alot of our gov, and probably a pretty good chunk of maroon, would have to go too.

[flak attack]

Lebubu would get banned every weekend.

[Ch33kY]

At first I thought this topic was going to be a cheap knock-off of Ejay's 20 rules, but I actually found this to be witty and - dare I say - enlightening. And it got me thinking about how CN has come along over these past 3 and a half years, and how I've come to view the development of the game.

Regarding Rule #18 If the RPG developer isn't working on developing a RPG regularly, that game is dead. This is the thing that has annoyed me most about CN over the last year or two. Actually three. There have been few updates, and when they do come they are only accessible to the really high up nations (wonders, navy and moon bases). I can't think of something that revolutionised the way nations below 30k NS played CN.

I have left CN and come back twice. Each time I come back in the hope the developer will add something to it to spice it up. But since I have come back I haven't really been that into CN because it's the same old thing - come on, we're all just waiting for another big war aren't we. We've gotten over actually enjoying the intrigues of the game like when we first started, which takes us back to Rule 5 The game was always better when you started playing, specifically when you first realized you had a grasp of the basic rules. I'd start a new game but I hate having to learn new rules, new systems, new people, anything new in general.

Edited October 28, 2009 by Ch33kY

[Ch33kY]

Yeeeeeeeah..

Viridian Entente would have to depart the Planet, for it's leadership would all be banned for breaking Rule Sixteen.

The VE probably wouldn't have formed in the first place. I remember many of the drunken communications of Egore on IRC. Good times.

[Freelancer]

11. Gathering intelligence to "win" a RPG battle/war does not include having an alliance/gaming group member with "certain skills" dive into another player's personal life for dirt.

hahaha, I found this one highly ironic, however what's that saying? " Alls fair in love and war"

We live in a day where information is highly accessible from multiple sources, one could take a proactive approach like my RL counterpart to ensure that this so called dirt does not surface, I got a quick lesson on this subject compliments of slayer ( rest in peace sir).

Lets talk about that a little bit, I highly believe he broke that fine line we have with the OCC/IC divide, however if that information would have never went public and he used it to push buttons and I don't mean flat out " say look what I found" I'm referring to using that information to twist and manipulate his opponent, then I say well thats what you get for posting naked pictures of yourself on face book and wonder why it came back to bite you.

The above was hypothetical..

[thaone]

hahaha, I found this one highly ironic, however what's that saying? " Alls fair in love and war"

We live in a day where information is highly accessible from multiple sources, one could take a proactive approach like my RL counterpart to ensure that this so called dirt does not surface, I got a quick lesson on this subject compliments of slayer ( rest in peace sir).

Lets talk about that a little bit, I highly believe he broke that fine line we have with the OCC/IC divide, however if that information would have never went public and he used it to push buttons and I don't mean flat out " say look what I found" I'm referring to using that information to twist and manipulate his opponent, then I say well thats what you get for posting naked pictures of yourself on face book and wonder why it came back to bite you.

The above was hypothetical..

If we are talking about the same thing I think Slayer went over the line big time. There is no way you can exonerate him from publishing the RL public profile of a player.

I try to keep my true identity as much out of the game as possible, I even try to keep a low profile on the web in general. But if you start looking you can also find things about my personal life on the internet, like where I study and !@#$. I find it completely unacceptable if you use that to get an advantage in CN.

All is fair in love and war, is a saying with a truth in it. However this topic wants you to realize this is not a war but a GAME

[Freelancer]

I think you misinterpreted what I was trying to get at, after reading my post I'll admit it doesn't read the way I'd like it to..

Lets see if I can do this all over...

I try to keep my true identity as much out of the game as possible

This is a practice everone should do, I'm a firm believer in it, now my closest friends in the game, know quite a bit about me, if they wanted to, they know what buttons to push for me to slip up in game and that mistake everyone looks for.

I think thats my point, lets throw a hypothetical up here..

You and I are are mortals enemy's in game, however I can't get you to make that stupid move we all want, I find out your a huge Micheal Jackson fan and the subject of him being a pedophile just ticks you off...

Guess what I'm going to be doing, exploiting that weakness to its fullest.

It may be a GAME a war game at that, however you are my enemy and you have to loose by any all means necessary.

Would I use something that is really RL personal, ohh hell NO, thats a big NO NO in my book

[Mayzie]

16. Beer and RPGs almost never mix--unless they result in something so hilarious it is remembered through the ages.

I beg to differ, some of my most fun times in CN came from being on IRC while drunk. I don't remember much of them now but it's how allies are made or broken I tell ya.

[lebubu]

Lebubu would get banned every weekend.

Only if rule 16 applies to vodka too.

[Draztikus]

Rule #whateverthe$%&@: Don't post copypaste a prententious list of rules about how to play the game "morally" when your own alliance's government breaks half of them regularly.

[Buds The Man]

Yeah very good list, and it's really works to any RPG, I know because I already had played so many of them(Vampire the mask, GURPS, D&D, Ultima Online, Linage 2...).

I can add a good rule I think:

* RPGs doesn't have an end so remember that you play to have fun not to win or lose.

Thought this should be mentioned again.

Rule 16 fails. Beer always mixes with everything.

THis man speaks truth

26) Don't focus so hard on winning that you forget to have fun. Winning is nice, but the fun is in the process.

27) Don't ridicule new players for not knowing what they are doing, give them a chance to learn and help them out when you can. You were once new and ignorant about the game yourself.

28) Defeating your enemies is one thing. Continually attacking them after they are defeated so they can't effectively play and end up quitting is another.

nice additions dammit I have to agree with you i just lost viking points for that.

Rule #whateverthe$%&@: Don't post copypaste a prententious list of rules about how to play the game "morally" when your own alliance's government breaks half of them regularly.

Ummm please point me to where I or any of the current .gov have done this. I suppose if we are throwing stones we should go back to when ES ran Polar and NW ran valhalla and we could have a field day but currently your full of !@#$.

Rule whatever dont hold on to the past so hard that you cant see what is happening in the present.

[Caliph]

Twenty Rules Regarding Any RPG

1. If it isn't fun any more, don't play it.

2. You fight the gamemaster/dungeon master, you lose.

3. No one likes a munchkin, but they will use the exploits they find anyway.

4. No one likes a rules lawyer. They friggen hate anyone that trys to disguise munckinism as rules lawyering.

5. The game was always better when you started playing, specifically when you first realized you had a grasp of the basic rules.

6. Hate the character, not the player or the game.

7. If you want continuous action without any build up of anticipation or plot, go play Pac-Man or MarioKart.

8. If you hate your alliance/gaming group, find one that you do like, don't stick around to screw people first.

9. As a rule, mixing RL romance and your gaming results in a train wreck...yes there are exceptions, but they only serve to prove the rule and result in you being confronted with rule #1, #6 and/or #8.

10. There is dedicated and then there is addicted--if you don't know the difference, you probably have a problem.

11. Gathering intelligence to "win" a RPG battle/war does not include having an alliance/gaming group member with "certain skills" dive into another player's personal life for dirt.

12. Sexual harassment is not ok, nor ever excusable as being "in character". Also see Rule #9.

13. It's perfectly acceptable to roleplay a walking, talking "richard" with ears--don't be pissed off when people decide to roleplay your destroyer.

14. Not everyone will take the game will an equal level of seriousness or levity...deal with it.

15. When someone yells 'stop' OOC, we stop.

16. Beer and RPGs almost never mix--unless they result in something so hilarious it is remembered through the ages.

17. If you are paying RL money for gaming materials/bonuses in game you help to keep the game alive. That is not however your ticket to insist on special treatment/access as a "paying customer".

18. If the RPG developer isn't working on developing a RPG regularly, that game is dead.

19. If a RPG isn't being marketed, it's dead or soon will be...note: all players are members of the marketing team. If the game fails, it is partially because you didn't do your job.

20. Learn something about people or about yourself when you play a RPG. You chose to play a RPG not because you have lightning reflexes or because you can memorize some long string of joystick movements. You did it because your brain requires something more stimulating than a graphics card can provide.

Assuming you made it to the bottom of this list, you probably have your own additions to it. Go for it. I look forward to your entries.

I remember you posting something similar on the \m/ boards before we disbanded, or maybe it was after.

Anyway, good advice. Especially #2. We needed to hear that post ModGate, and we still need to be reminded of that.

Also, #1, don't play if you don't have fun, is a great one to remember too.