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Historical RP/Sim : How to get new people and retain existing

wiseboyqc
@louis-francis-de-beauharnois
5 years ago
34 posts

Inspired by Pamus's comment I'll simply quote her to start this new topic.

" am seeing one constant and frustrating problem, that is trying to bring new people and retain them. My frustration is often vented in various group conversations, as many who know me will verify. We have some excellent Trading Systems; I do believe the Antiquity one has tremendous potential. So how do bring new blood to our Historic Estates, retain them, get those who never read notecards to read them. I feel this is a direction that needs some investigation."


Based on your experience as sim owner or as Role Player, what do you think is missing or should be done to help keep our Historical community healty ?

wiseboyqc
@louis-francis-de-beauharnois
5 years ago
34 posts

What I saw happening most of the time is pleople would join a RP but will wait for the admin board to have event scheduled. So in the early stage of the RP many will be around and interact with each other, attend every official events and have great fun. Tough, over time, events will begin to decrease, attendies too and sim would empty itself as people got nothing to do anymore.

What I think is a good RP sim should not depend on planned Event to work and be fun, it should work more like a Game. A game where you can play alone but its better when you can play with others.

To achieve that you need:

- Clear path of what your role as role player should be

- Activities that you can do alone and in groups

- Economy system that work by itself (If all your store need a real person to make them work, it means everytime the store tender is not online your system crash.)

- A mean to reward people for doing stuff. (Experience, title, bonus etc)

- Keep it simple

- Make clear rules

To say the least :)


updated by @louis-francis-de-beauharnois: 13 Apr 2019 08:31:02AM
Abbondio Rezzonico
@abbondio-rezzonico
5 years ago
39 posts

As recently agreed upon with Tat, we belong to the category of revered relics in this baroque community. I've been around the baroque block and belong to a rp-family that, under the greatest of gratitude to our mother, has known a consistent presence and respectable reputation (of both fame and fear Wink ) for the past decade. But apart from roleplay, I have been mostly a builder and (multi) estate-owner - albeit I have retired from both some time ago to enjoy SL again as relaxation instead of my Second Job . With that I like to think (one is welcome to disagree, of course) I know a thing or two about rpg estates.
Over these years I have seen many, many, many - no, seriously, many RPGs rise and fall. With an absolute peak in this community. I stopped counting the various Versailles courts when it hit eight; much the same goes for the Spanish courts and all the tiny ones in between that seemed to pop up like mushrooms at times. I honestly believe there were even times wherein it became a sort of rat-race to claim courts. The deeper motivation behind that I never got, it surely wasn't for constructive community building as most never surpassed the stage of being a group, not to mention the fact that rp mostly consisted in standing around wigged and panniered.  Nothing mattered as long as your clothes were exclusive and your title the highest.

People tend to flock together around the latest fad, jump for the highest, and then wait for others to do something. In part this is the general attitude for 75% of roleplay gridwide, but within our community I think it is rooted deep since the set-up of the initial courts; these were highly restrictive - that, and rife with the vilest forms of nepotism. I've seen many a decent roleplayer just give up because they couldn't get their fellow roleplayers in action and were even blocked by a core group of people that were supposedly the highest ranking in management and rp - apart from the good ones (they were and are out there!), often it were these people who were the idlest of afk'ers and more often a complete waste of runtime. They had pocketed their title, they had their dresses, they sat around being ducal or princely (God forbid they'd ever have to lower themselves...) and that was it - but also setting the tone for how the courts (and in general the baroque community) treated rp in the past. - On a sidenote - it did bring a wide range of nicknames and terminology to describe these people. Some of my favourites are still 'flimsies in purple having tea' (I believe by Delos), the 'wigged witches of the North' and 'teaparty in a snake pit with title-hunting afterwards' (both dixit my mother). 

Thankfully, I see far less of this (sociopathic) behaviour than before.

In my humblest of opinions I believe that to build a community you need good people; people who are truly interested in history, who know something or are willing to learn. Who show initiative and go out to participate, instead of waiting for others to take the lead.
Consistency is another thing. I have great respect for people who once come up with a role and keep to it. From my own circle I can name Nimue who has been a Contessa Foscari since a decade; once again my mother who has been the Contessa Rezzonico for about the same time, Aldo whom I have never known otherwise than the Professore; and of course Tatiana whom, I think, has been in her role since day 1 in the courts. The Osterhams (Lord and Lady Hartfield) are of more recent years (they have had several roles in the past), but they seem to have grown fond of their marital roles and almost defiantly kept to it. They - and of course others, I could lengthen the list easily - are the people who are recognizable. They are consistent and have developed their characters and story over years; and in doing so it has proven to be not only good for themselves, but also for others who want to interact with them. And want we want, because they are seasoned characters to which we can relate and link our own (hi)story.
To briefly link back to my previous point: All those people constantly changing their roles and allegiances (and often with at least five alts) are to me the personification of pixel-insanity. All is to do the same things time and again, but still expecting better results; not understanding that it's not the pixels that are the problem - and mostly just stimulating the grid's economy. Absolute madness, if you ask me.

As for the rest. I do agree with most of your points, especially in keeping it clear and simple and rewarding people for their initiative and contributions. But all that - when you strip it down to a core value - it's the people. You can create the most beautiful sim, equip it with the best rp-system, but if you do not have the right people and the right kind of management (strict and clear, yet lenient, and open for ideas instead of forcing it down) any place will fall. I have seen it quite recently again with Magritte, which truly pained me as it was so promising.

So why do the three oldest estates of our community survive? I am, to my shame, not too familiar with Antiquity - and only since recent times have I discovered more about the charms of the Queen's Hamlet (due to G&S). Rocca Sorrentina, however, is trusted territory. This 'little island' has been a free-haven for people who are educated, truly interested in history, social, and drama free. The rp is light, but everyone follows the set time-frame and joins in when they want and can - and when they do it's good and people enjoy ourselves. Turning back to the point of consistency: This island was first designed over ten years ago (as Melioria), but when Aldo and Sere took over with the new management (many moons ago) they did not start over. They kept the island, they gave it new life with alterations, and changes, and improvements - but you can still see its origins. And even when you are absent for a while it's a relief to see it's there and a joy to see how it has evolved. The island has a sound history and stability, and because of that you easily link your own (hi)story to it. I think it'll be much the same for the people of Antiquity and the Coeurs (QH).

I've said it for a whole year now - and not to throw shade over any court that is forming - but I feel that the days of the courts are over. Private estates and daily rp are the future. It's light, it's controllable and it's far more consistent than the ratrace of events; all while offering a better chance of really giving depth to their role. Then, and only then, when a place and a community are consistent and with good people - then it will grow without even having to water. So far for my two-penny.

--
PS: And moreover, I consider that teaparties must be destroyed...




--
Abbondio Rezzonico
Banker, Merchant & Vintner
@ Rocca Sorrentina
Tiamat Windstorm von Hirvi
@tiamat-windstorm-von-hirvi
5 years ago
359 posts

I don't know - I  rather enjoy a good tea-party, at which the politics of the day may be dissected in the most personally prejudiced manners possible - but recalling at all times that we speak in character from our RP positionings, not in the personae of our various RL typists!




--
Antiquity Hedgewitch
Tatiana Dokuchic
@tatiana-dokuchic
5 years ago
1,919 posts

… runs to the window to see if the san culottes are storming the gates of her tea room ...

I'm quite enjoying these conversations not only because they broaden my perspective but they help me to better define the environment I'm managing.  Abbondio mentions "light" roleplay, Sombra, creator of G&S, talks about "active" roleplay.  The term roleplay has been stuck in my head for over a decade with regard to historic estates and it has certain negative connotations which I continue to challenge. If you have read Abbondio's post just above you can perhaps understand why.

Then it struck me that what I have been actually implementing & managing since the discovery of G&S was a strategy game firmly based in a historical setting.   This game is open-ended, flexible, and fun.  It also has a co-operative component which enriches it.  I'll keep calling it a RP for simplicity sake but I'll now be thinking about it in a more positive context.

Essentially I'm implementing a RP that I also really enjoy playing and where the management duties are light enough that I actually have the time to play (bonus!).  I can relate to the other participants because I'm digging in the dirt right along side them.  I can tune the system because I experience the same joys & frustrations.  I can provide support to other participants because I've "been there and done that".

Which brings me to the point about attracting players.  By its very nature I believe this type of RP is more appealing to a certain segment of SL, i.e. people who like to think & create.  Abbondio is absolutely correct that it is the people that make the RP and so far my experience is that the people coming to play in the Queen's Hamlet are wonderful.  I honestly don't worry about retention as these types of groups always cycle up and down but I'm sure enjoying our time in the sun right now :)




--
Proprietress of Tatiana's Tea Room ~ Owner of the Provence Coeur Estate ~ Webmistress of this site

updated by @tatiana-dokuchic: 14 Apr 2019 04:23:08AM
wiseboyqc
@louis-francis-de-beauharnois
5 years ago
34 posts

Tatiana Dokuchic:

I'm quite enjoying these conversations not only because they broaden my perspective but they help me to better define the environment I'm managing.  Abbondio mentions "light" roleplay, Sombra, creator of G&S, talks about "active" roleplay.  The term roleplay has been stuck in my head for over a decade with regard to historic estates and it has certain negative connotations which I continue to challenge.

I totally agree with you that sometimes the definitions of the Roleplay is very hard to understand and I would like to add some comparision with existing games of the industry.

First, the aspect of of crafting, gathering and farming so either G&S or ACS or Unity is called Sandbox. (remember FarmVille on facebook) Sandboxing is part of many other games and is considered a very interesting way to keep people active and give them incentive to either upgrade themselves or make money.

Second, in MMORPG worlds, we most of the time use the term CASUAL to describe people who play the game lightly. So they are not dedicated to the game all the time and when they come online they enjoy being part of it but they don't seek to be the top of the elite. I really like this term as I see it in SL as people who are not doing Para-RP and when roleplaying they almost sound OOC but keep in period discussion.

I also like the terme of Historical accurate RolePlay, as it was in Versailles and other, and would describe as people who prefer to stick to a character that really existed (or movie characters) and stick to history and attitude this character had (Or.... they think they had... because how can you really know the additude of someone dead 400 years ago only by reading probaganda agains't them???). This kind of Roleplay are usually the most stricts out there and are very scripted.

Pamus say it before, the learning curve is huge for someone who join SL, and for me historical accurate roleplay are adding too much to get involve as you need to study history BEFORE you can play there. I know people who join historical sims should have a basic interest in history but there is a major difference between liking a time period and wanting to pretend to be part of it then having to know all the "current" plots and events that happened in that period of time with accuracy. Also to come back on Para-RP, I would add this to learning curve that is not always at the reach of everyone. For myself, english is not my first language (Yes we know...) but I'm not either a novel reader, and having to write one when I play is very time consuming and I know I'm not the only one out there who feel this way so when you setup a Role Play and request for Para-RP (= Every post should be a paragraphe with feeling, description and actual comment.) this that it will act as a filter on the player you will get.

So for me the futur lies in sandboxing and casual roleplay, where you can come and join easily without requirements other then being dress in period and try to avoid modern talks. Over time people will get more into their role and learn more about the historical aspect they are in and it will become better and better. But till it's achieve, everyone can have great fun together.

And I agree with you Abbondio most in the past were title and power angry peoples and historical roleplay tend to bring those up as everyone want to be Marie-Antoinette ;), and with Tatiana that managing a roleplay should be easy enough to allow management to play the game too, those are two major concern I had and is why the Antiquity HUD bring more of the MORPG and manage titles and will work with no to minimal the need of admins. This I hope should make us drama free and be FAIR to everyone who join.

Pamus Bing
@pamus-bing
5 years ago
10 posts

Maybe I have been banging  my head against a wall that is to thick to break, instead of looking for the door, am I drowning in a sea of despair rather than trying to look through the forest I should climb the mountain and cast my eyes over the expansive view.

I have seen so many people join Antiquity turn up a few times find the place empty, then are never to be seen again. Question I am constantly asked is why is no one here, it is such a nice place. The adage people attract people is true. When I first joined SL, I stumbled on New Babbage my knowledge of Steampunk was very limited, it was a fascinating place. I was new to SL and could not understand why no one was there. That has stayed in my mind through my life in SL.

For me Para RP is not what my SL is all about, I am very much for light RP. Writing does not come easy to me, composition and spelling are something I need to put much thought into, words do not flow easily off my quill. My surroundings play an equal part to my character. I will confess for me it is often hard to stay in character, much of what I have on my Regions is a anachronism. Visitors I meet are often not into History or RP.

Which brings me to another thought. How do we go about promoting Historic Estates? Is it through advertising if so where? Is it through Blogs, do people who play a visual game read Blogs.

Do we look for natural leaders to run groups, I will confess I am not a natural leader, I am not one of those people who other people like to follow. In my time with SL I have met people who can not only lead but who can keep a following of dedicated people.

Antiquity has had its share of Courts, along with the Court drama, bringing the final demise of said Courts. We have had our share of people who have wanted titles, only to fade into the background when the title has been achieved. I have been an Admin in Antiquity for a long time, maybe I am burned out and staid, but cannot see my failings. I have great loyalty to Antiquity, like a stick of Blackpool rock, cut me open I will have Antiquity written all around my inside. (For the none British Blackpool is a seaside holiday town in the UK. Rock is a candy; with the name of the town it came from written in the inside)

Has Second Life changed over the years, no longer attracting the sort of people who want RP. Since mesh bodies, and clothing have certainly contributed to SL becoming more od a dressing up shop.

 

Jacon Cortes
@jacon-cortes-de-bexar
5 years ago
252 posts

This thread is so interesting on so many levels and touches on some of the issues that have dogged historical estate as well as themed estates in general.  Although I am a, look over and see the expanse type of person, I can see where one can get disillusioned.  If attracting new people is your only metric for success, it dooms you to either success or fail with no option for anything else.

I do not believe that that is our only metric we should be looking at.  Yes..its important, but I also believe having a stable environment, general activity and enthusiasm also as ways to gauge trajectory.  I am now firmly in the Tatiana camp on this.  Although I will always be looking to bring in more people, people come and go.  That is the cycle in SL.  Some stay longer and are more involved, others more flyby.  Just the way it is.

That said, it seems to me the crafting systems, properly applied to a rp can indeed help bring it more to life.  These types of systems are well suited for our theme of rp.  I do understand, that in those days, a prince such as myself would not bee seen picking onions or squashing grapes, but in general, life in those days for most people were filled with the mundane type of tasks that crafting systems can replicate so well.  

I am not ready to call the end of the large formal courts, though I do believe as Abbondio, that noble houses and smaller groups are the fashion right now.  I think the reason is because these types of crafting systems give you chores and a direction in your rp.  A more formal court, building on the crafting system model, might also be able to sustain itself, as long as you had all levels of society as is needed in a court.  From king to baker.  Before, lots of kings and dukes but not many bakers.  The crafting systems flip that model and focus and the chores needed to sustain a court and community and not so much on the top 1%, the high nobles.

As Abbondio mentioned, there was a time the court was a cut throat environment.  I personally am glad those days have passed.  Rocca and the Duchy have always been lovely places to visit because you never got the feeling of attitude or smugness.  It has been my experience that places more like Louis might rank, casual rp, is much easier for people to have fun in.  If you are stressed about what your next line should be or you have to think up a novel to submit, it tends to drain all the fun out of it.  I believe staying in character and answering in character are important to keep the atmosphere, strict rules, punishment or embarrassment are not the  way to do it.  Keeping it light, and fun what I am aiming at these days.  Enjoying the wonderful family and friends of our period communities.  

As we release the [ACS], I will be like most royalty, lovely title but dirt ass poor.  (scuse the langage)  I will be starting at a level 1 and work in the system, so like Tatiana, I can get a feel for how the system works and keep my fingers in the heart of it to better learn and modify where needed. Recognize the needs of the users.  Do not be surprised to see me working a corn field, squashing grapes or diving for oyster beds.  This will also give a great opportunity for me to travel to the other estates as well, peddling our wares and opening up trade routes.  I am already looking forward to visiting the hamlet and rocca and taking a few bottles of my newest brandy and wine and coming back with some of their fine products for us.

One of the things I had mentioned before was how I really liked the way that the social aspect was written into the [ACS] by louis.  Getting people to do things in a group of 3 or more to help raise your XP and level up faster, i am hoping, will prove a powerful way to do as Pamus suggests, more group activities. 

I have to say, I am with Tia here.  The one hill I am not ready to die on, is death to the tea parties.  I tend to like small idle gossip..i mean...news from them.  As with everything, in moderation is good.

The posts in this thread have been very informative and give everyone a good idea what we are all thinking.  I think this could go a long way in to working some trade rp between us and also shore ups some activities in our respective estates.




--
His Royal Highness Jacon Cortes de Bexar Prince of Antiquity, Duke of Cumberland, Duque de Bexar, Duc de la Valliere, Marchese di MSB
Abbondio Rezzonico
@abbondio-rezzonico
5 years ago
39 posts

Let me clarify one thing: I do not hate the French, and do not hate teaparties, per se... Wink
However, I did and do experience annoyance at the very combination that represents a lazy, malicious and silly kind of pastime that once(!) was wide-spread in our community. It now remains in the roots, but hopefully it'll grow out of it further.
In this there's a misconception of, as Louis tapped on the various aspects of roleplay. The so-called historical-accurate roleplay. At the risk of now appearing to be a snob, but I have always disliked any RPG that claims the right of being real and enforcing this upon others. To me, as a European historian, it was (and sometimes still is) appalling to see how the RPGs (and individual players) laying such claims, were often basing their information upon period drama films and series, and wiki-bloody-pedia... Historical people were not as black and white as they are now often portrayed for the sake of a dramatized script; and they are far from the pink and fluffy they constantly appear to be in apparel. It is exactly this kind of lazy research that mounted to 'the French duchess and her teaparty'; which I still often refer to. It has somewhat become a family trait ( You should hear our mother... haha ), but rest assured, it is only general stereotyping or aimed at those who actually deserve the label.

I actually like the coffee hour we have in Sorrentina, because it's that one time of the week where we at least meet a those friends and fellow residents we often miss during the week. And although we're often OOC, even then we sound IC mostly - as Jacon pointed out. Because we each have our characters and behave in this fasion. When our dear barista informed us this Saturday about her upcoming knee-operation, I just couldn't resist starting a little jest about which wood she had chosen (mahogany still remains the most sustainable, just saying...) and it was most entertaining how that evolved into a bit of medical conversation. Because of that, the meeting of friends (and new people coming and going often), I like the coffee hour. Even if it were tea - just no buns... I hate the buns during Lent.

Back to the main question in this topic: 'How do we bring new players to our historic estates, and retain them?' By making sure our individual estates and our community as a whole functions from top to bottom. By honouring the people that actually contribute to the estate (giving them the chance to voice concerns and ideas) and being quite strict that are bothersome.
When we ourselves have a clear vision of what kind of estate we want to run, and how it can interact with those estates we consider our friends within the community - only then you gain fertile ground for growth.

I understand (and underwrite) fully the opinions of Tat and Jacon in terms of management. You create an estate and setting, to which people are welcome to join in. But as an owner/manager your tasks should not be in constant service of those joining in. People have their own responsibilities for their own actions and rp. It amazes me how people, as soon as they log in, leave behind a large part of their basic values in behaviour, but also in initiative and logical thinking, in the fading dust of the orange cloud. RP is for people who indeed have the imagination to think and create. If you do not have that, you can develop it - or not. In that latter case, rp might not be something for you, as you cannot expect management to take you constantly by the hand and entertain you. If every new rp'er would carefully consider that from the start it might just prevent a whole lot of personal disappointment and agitation, and secondary a barge load of drama.

We have evolved a lot. The courts were once the first real dressing-up shop. I do not think that mesh made it worse, it improved us merely in aesthetics. Actually, I think it has shifted considerably from idle dressing to more actively doing. These crafting systems are - to me at least - the most realistic key to a good stable and daily rp. If anything, it provides room for a social diversity. This might be rich coming from someone whose rp-family is a noble Venetian house. But I have, for example, enjoyed Magritte immensely in terms of having conversations with their vintner about the whole process of grapes and genomes; dealing with the journeyman over barrels, tools, and so on; visiting the bakery to pick up a lunch, order some foods for a gathering, and getting the latest town's gossip. Not to mention having afternoon drinks in the tavern, to meet people casually like the butcher, a merchant, and a traveler. Try having that in a court where people will only talk to you above a certain rank.

The idea of active promotion for our historic estates makes me cringe a little. The tourists are often more a plague than a blessing. Mostly they are highly self-involved and camera driven, not to mention most of them having Goldilocks-Syndrome . Actively recruiting often forces people into roles they are entire unsuitable for. Let people just wander in, explore, get a feel land slowly move in. All the good and wonderful contributors I have met in the past entered that way - by mere coincidence, or through friends.

PS : I think the ways of how to rp, in terms of light, para, etc. might be another topic.




--
Abbondio Rezzonico
Banker, Merchant & Vintner
@ Rocca Sorrentina
Tatiana Dokuchic
@tatiana-dokuchic
5 years ago
1,919 posts

Abbondio Rezzonico:

PS: I think the ways of how to rp, in terms of light, para, etc. might be another topic.

I would be very interested in that discussion.  If someone wouldn't mind starting it up I would be glad to chime in :)




--
Proprietress of Tatiana's Tea Room ~ Owner of the Provence Coeur Estate ~ Webmistress of this site
Tatiana Dokuchic
@tatiana-dokuchic
5 years ago
1,919 posts

Pamus Bing:


Which brings me to another thought. How do we go about promoting Historic Estates? Is it through advertising if so where? Is it through Blogs, do people who play a visual game read Blogs.



For a start Historical Estates can be promoted through this site (LHVW) by posting events, blogs etc.  I promote LHVW as a whole from Facebook, Twitter, and various inworld groups.  Because of rl family committments, I had to let this site slide the last year or so but I'm back now barring any other family disasters (knock on wood).


If you are interested in building your own blog or website and think you have what it takes to maintain it I would encourage you to go for it (again you can cross-link your content here).  The new St. Petersburg site is a lovely example.


In my experience, using social media doesn't suddenly result in a flood of interest.  It's more of a gradual way to build an audience.  What does flood your estate is being listed in the SL Destination Guide which really is a curse.  Tourists everywhere.  What you want to achieve is the right kind of traffic and that's a very slow process. 





--
Proprietress of Tatiana's Tea Room ~ Owner of the Provence Coeur Estate ~ Webmistress of this site
Pamus Bing
@pamus-bing
5 years ago
10 posts

Judging by the majority of comments, there seems to be a reluctance to bring new people, I am at a bit of a loss over this one. May I point out we were all new to SL once, every one of us needed help, and eleven years ago residents bent over backwards to help new people. Sadly, many times when visiting new places, I have seen restriction on the age of Avatars, even notices stating no noobs.

As for using FB I am reluctant to put anything on that site until it stops data harvesting, admittedly I use FB for local RL groups information, along with information for the groups I do voluntary work for.

It is extremely difficult to RP when you are the only one stood on a Sim. I have a small stream of horse-riding visitors, most are modern, with no interest in History

What are your views on Historic Estates visiting each other, either for a tour or “Tea Party’s”

Apologies if my posts seem blunt and to the point, when working I was in an environment where people were encouraged to put a point forward directly and to the point.

 

Pamus Bing
@pamus-bing
5 years ago
10 posts

As a foot note I went to visit Saint Petersburg after reading the link to the web page. My avatar is a standard height for SL, they have a height restriction to the height of a child. That immediately excludes me from going any further especially the comments about standard avatars been possible trolls. I think this reiterates my point.

Ekaterina Vorontsova-Dashkova
@ekaterina-vorontsova-dashkova
5 years ago
300 posts

Pamus Bing:

As a foot note I went to visit Saint Petersburg after reading the link to the web page. My avatar is a standard height for SL, they have a height restriction to the height of a child. That immediately excludes me from going any further especially the comments about standard avatars been possible trolls. I think this reiterates my point.

Hey! Thanks for visiting the sim. I think the cap may have been a bit misleading. For visitors, there are no restrictions. However, in consideration of the interior, furniture and just for a realistic consistency relative to each others' height (in this case I mean RP-ers, not all SL users), we had to introduce the 2m cap. We've run into issues where in photos the IC spirit can easily break when a gentleman is over 2m10, whilst a lady is 1m70, or the other way around.

I am not sure what you mean by "the height of a child". Being 2m both in SL and RL is tall for anyone, could you perhaps elaborate? I have found in my many years, that the whole height issue seems to arise from the odd camera angle that is put as default in all viewers (though of course I'm not as experienced as most of the contributors to this thread ^^;;). After tweaking however, I've since found it really easy to keep to around 1m80 for my IC character and about 1m90 for my OOC looks... 

Again, apologies you felt excluded, we in no way meant it to be viewed as such >.<


updated by @ekaterina-vorontsova-dashkova: 15 Apr 2019 06:21:51PM
Abbondio Rezzonico
@abbondio-rezzonico
5 years ago
39 posts

Pamus Bing:

Judging by the majority of comments, there seems to be a reluctance to bring new people, I am at a bit of a loss over this one. 

Perhaps we've been putting on a bit too strong. On Rocca Sorrentina we always welcome new people. Only recently I encountered a wandering Swede, who had an interesting bio as a poor traveling author. He caught me at a busy moment in the vineyard of Magritte, and felt I might have been a bit short with him. So I invited him to drop in at the coffee hour of Sorrentina, as we promote all the arts and have gathered an enlightened crowd there. I was glad to see him, if only briefly, this very Saturday. I sincerely hope he found something interesting within our place to return more often. The same goes for visiting each other's estates of course, I think it's even common practice nowadays. Even so that we are often talking about how we can make it even better - for instance with the Queen's Hamlet and Antiquity, who are equally friendly to both settled rp'ers from elsewhere as well as newcomers. 

However, from a managerial point of view there's a clear distinction between visitors and 'tourists' - the former being people exploring period sims and interested in interaction with like-minded people. We love those, the more the merrier for roleplay. The latter however, are mostly those hopping around to take pictures and often with little regard for the people and private residencies present (even when marked private!). Only the other day I was sitting in the tub, for a soak and handling notecards, when one tourist just walked into the house and started walking around. As if I wasn't there. Upon my kindly put question if I could help him, he said no, then walked around some more and continued his walk. It's those people that often are a tad annoying. It becomes troublesome when the sim is selected as a destination, or even when there's promotion going on. Of course there are advantages, as certain tourists might turn out to be visitors who even become members. But more often this is not the case, and then it quickly becomes a plague of sorts.

To be strict in the rules means you set a high bar upon which you can always be more lenient. Often this is the case, but I agree it might come across somewhat harsh at times. But for tourists... like in real life - you must set boundaries or they'll walk all over you. As for the height, I tend to agree with Russia - even though it remains a personal choice for each person.




--
Abbondio Rezzonico
Banker, Merchant & Vintner
@ Rocca Sorrentina
Tatiana Dokuchic
@tatiana-dokuchic
5 years ago
1,919 posts

Just a bit of clarification; when I'm speaking of "new" people I mean new to the RP group no matter what their SL age.  We've never put SL age restrictions on the Duché though I actually did consider it at one point when we were being bombarded by griefers.  As fast as we could ban them, they'd create another alt and be right back.  It would have slowed down the griefer cycle a bit but at the cost of blameless newbies.  I'm glad we left our estates unrestricted but I do have sympathy for other managers that need to implement it.

On another note; it's been mentioned before but worth repeating that there is a weekly coffee hour on Rocca Sorrentina (usually Saturday @ 11am SLT) which is an excellent example of people from different groups visiting each other.




--
Proprietress of Tatiana's Tea Room ~ Owner of the Provence Coeur Estate ~ Webmistress of this site

updated by @tatiana-dokuchic: 16 Apr 2019 04:56:20AM
Tatiana Dokuchic
@tatiana-dokuchic
5 years ago
1,919 posts

Ekaterina Vorontsova-Dashkova:


I am not sure what you mean by "the height of a child". Being 2m both in SL and RL is tall for anyone, could you perhaps elaborate? I have found in my many years, that the whole height issue seems to arise from the odd camera angle that is put as default in all viewers (though of course I'm not as experienced as most of the contributors to this thread ^^;;). After tweaking however, I've since found it really easy to keep to around 1m80 for my IC character and about 1m90 for my OOC looks... 



I've continually fascinated with RL:SL size/building ratios.  When I started building in SL it was the bane of my existence and though I've developed my own style over the years I would love to discuss this with other SL builders especially those of us here that are attempting to re-create historical builds.  Please join the conversation over at RL:SL Size Ratios - What are Your Building Methods?





--
Proprietress of Tatiana's Tea Room ~ Owner of the Provence Coeur Estate ~ Webmistress of this site

updated by @tatiana-dokuchic: 16 Apr 2019 07:54:56AM
Tiamat Windstorm von Hirvi
@tiamat-windstorm-von-hirvi
5 years ago
359 posts

Pamus, when I was RP'ing in another context where SL heights were enforced, I made myself a 5'3 shape - very convenient when I land somewhere with doorframes that endanger my 6'8 Antiquity skull.




--
Antiquity Hedgewitch
Tatiana Dokuchic
@tatiana-dokuchic
5 years ago
1,919 posts

Tiamat Windstorm von Hirvi:

Pamus, when I was RP'ing in another context where SL heights were enforced, I made myself a 5'3 shape - very convenient when I land somewhere with doorframes that endanger my 6'8 Antiquity skull.

Excellent idea!




--
Proprietress of Tatiana's Tea Room ~ Owner of the Provence Coeur Estate ~ Webmistress of this site