Play is 50% of RP. Or did you forget?

Every couple of months or so, I feel like I have to write a post to remind everyone, players and non-players, to be nice to each other.  Today’s post is directed specifically to all of the character and original character players in the True Blood / Sookieverse on Twitter.

I hate having to write this.  But there’s one thing I hate more: seeing the seedy, bloated underbelly of the DM/GChat/Skype/email world rise to the surface like floating turds.  I like to think I do a pretty good job keeping away from the bull — if there are issues between players, I hope that they can resolve it between themselves like mature adults.

The problem exists when an unresolved personal issue between players start to affect other players.  And I’ve received some complaints that the behavior of a few is starting to poison the well for many.  My next comments are not directed at any specific individual(s), but if they touch a nerve, I hope you think I’m referring to you.

I’ve said this once, and I’m going to say this again:

1) Email/GChat/Skype/DM: They’re meant to be used collaboratively to flesh out storylines and hopefully, to build friendships off the tweetstream.  If you have another player’s contact information, consider it a privilege.

While I can’t control the context or content of your personal conversations, I can’t condone one player harassing another off the stream.  If you have a personal issue with another player, grow a pair of balls or boobs and simply block the offender.  Or better yet, grow and even bigger pair of balls or boobs and fight it out in public.

That way, we can all see what kind of person you really are.

2) Personal conversations and storyline development:  Say you are using DM/GChat/Skype/email for the right reasons.  Awesome!  One thing to remember.  I think it’s fantastic that everyone is getting to know each other better, to the point that we can TRUST each other with little bits of our RL selves.  That said, those details are shared in confidence.  Most of us have chosen to keep our identities behind our Twitter handles private.  Kindly keep the info that we share between us.

Same goes for storyline conversations.  We’re supposed to be working together to entertain ourselves, and our friends.

3) Last but not least, I would hope that everyone who is a part of the True Blood/Sookieverse and original character world remembers that fifty percent of the concept of RP is “role.”  The other fifty, “play.”  This is supposed to be fun.

Oh, and I lied.

I will say one thing to the character players and the original characters that are currently embroiled in a battle of epic, kindergarten proportions: Cut the shit. I don’t put up with this kind of crap in real life. I’m not going to do it in RP.