JCP
10-26-2005, 08:10 AM
The villagers stand back, admiring the statue of the latest to slay the dragon.
Some of the younger dwarves search the rubble of the previous statue for useful stones, as sometimes the rock used to honor heroes gains something... extra during the effort.
"Ow! Get offa me!"
The complaints come from an elf being dragged into the square by a rather large iron golem, a mechanical man of metal moving as a result of magic. Behind the struggling elf is the source of the alliteration, the Alchemist JCP, walking purposefully with his hands deep in the pockets of his lab coat.
The golem stops in the center of the square, which has become completely silent except for the muffled sounds of a party echoing from the gardens.
"You can't make me do this! I know my rights! This is just a game!" the elf protests, his arms pinned behind him by the large and unmoving golem.
"Fine," JCP states cooly, "I'll do it then.
"Can I have your attention, please? Everyone? Yes, you over there, leave Crazy Audrey's basket alone and listen for a moment, will you? Thanks.
"Look around, everyone. You will find that you are currently in the 'In Character' board of the forums.
"There seems to be a bit of confusion about what that means," JCP continues, his eyes looking over the crowd.
"In this board, all posts are to be conducted in character - this is the place for free form roleplay and every post and response should tell a story. Describe actions. Say things. But do everything in character.
"Recently, there have been some, shall we say, out of character posts, and I would like that to stop. Most of them could easily have been written in character, which is frustrating.
"For example, instead of writing a poem about the game, you would need to describe your character reciting the poem for it to be acceptable here.
"And instead of thanking or congratulating players, you'd need to describe doing so in character if you want to use this board - walk into the bar and buy them a drink. Better yet, buy a round for the house - I'm sure we'd all appreciate that!"
Most of the villagers grin and chuckle a bit at that suggestion, but a few look away, flush with guilt, and refuse to make eye contact with anyone.
"There are other places to comment as players of the game," JCP says, his tone softening, "And while that content isn't really restricted here, the form is.
"This is the place that should be used for in character role playing and drama and, yes, the rules are a little more relaxed about violent content, but we still expect things to remain in good fun and in good taste."
Two trolls get excited and lick their lips at this statement. JCP only rolls his eyes.
"Remember," the alchemist concludes, "the point is for every one to have fun. Be respectful of others and everyone will have a good time."
JCP steps off of the soapbox that he was standing on, which confuses a few of the closer villagers who didn't see the box appear during the speech, and walks over to the golem and the struggling elf.
"Anything else to say?" asks the alchemist.
...
"I didn't think so."
JCP turns and walks away, and at a snap of his fingers the golem releases the elf, who frantically tries to remove the tape now covering his mouth - tape that reads "FORUM BAN" in large red letters. Hate fills his eyes as he watches JCP walk away.
JCP turns to leave the square, then stops in mid stride, suddenly remembering something else to say:
"Oh, and as always, the staff reserves the right to break character in order to deal with any emergencies."
There is an awkward pause as no one is sure of what to do next, until JCP adjusts his glasses and says, "Okay, I'm done now. Go about your business... in character."
JCP then heads off towards the forest, the iron golem following behind him.
Some of the younger dwarves search the rubble of the previous statue for useful stones, as sometimes the rock used to honor heroes gains something... extra during the effort.
"Ow! Get offa me!"
The complaints come from an elf being dragged into the square by a rather large iron golem, a mechanical man of metal moving as a result of magic. Behind the struggling elf is the source of the alliteration, the Alchemist JCP, walking purposefully with his hands deep in the pockets of his lab coat.
The golem stops in the center of the square, which has become completely silent except for the muffled sounds of a party echoing from the gardens.
"You can't make me do this! I know my rights! This is just a game!" the elf protests, his arms pinned behind him by the large and unmoving golem.
"Fine," JCP states cooly, "I'll do it then.
"Can I have your attention, please? Everyone? Yes, you over there, leave Crazy Audrey's basket alone and listen for a moment, will you? Thanks.
"Look around, everyone. You will find that you are currently in the 'In Character' board of the forums.
"There seems to be a bit of confusion about what that means," JCP continues, his eyes looking over the crowd.
"In this board, all posts are to be conducted in character - this is the place for free form roleplay and every post and response should tell a story. Describe actions. Say things. But do everything in character.
"Recently, there have been some, shall we say, out of character posts, and I would like that to stop. Most of them could easily have been written in character, which is frustrating.
"For example, instead of writing a poem about the game, you would need to describe your character reciting the poem for it to be acceptable here.
"And instead of thanking or congratulating players, you'd need to describe doing so in character if you want to use this board - walk into the bar and buy them a drink. Better yet, buy a round for the house - I'm sure we'd all appreciate that!"
Most of the villagers grin and chuckle a bit at that suggestion, but a few look away, flush with guilt, and refuse to make eye contact with anyone.
"There are other places to comment as players of the game," JCP says, his tone softening, "And while that content isn't really restricted here, the form is.
"This is the place that should be used for in character role playing and drama and, yes, the rules are a little more relaxed about violent content, but we still expect things to remain in good fun and in good taste."
Two trolls get excited and lick their lips at this statement. JCP only rolls his eyes.
"Remember," the alchemist concludes, "the point is for every one to have fun. Be respectful of others and everyone will have a good time."
JCP steps off of the soapbox that he was standing on, which confuses a few of the closer villagers who didn't see the box appear during the speech, and walks over to the golem and the struggling elf.
"Anything else to say?" asks the alchemist.
...
"I didn't think so."
JCP turns and walks away, and at a snap of his fingers the golem releases the elf, who frantically tries to remove the tape now covering his mouth - tape that reads "FORUM BAN" in large red letters. Hate fills his eyes as he watches JCP walk away.
JCP turns to leave the square, then stops in mid stride, suddenly remembering something else to say:
"Oh, and as always, the staff reserves the right to break character in order to deal with any emergencies."
There is an awkward pause as no one is sure of what to do next, until JCP adjusts his glasses and says, "Okay, I'm done now. Go about your business... in character."
JCP then heads off towards the forest, the iron golem following behind him.