A few points

[Guest]

I see that this is a Heroes room that does not allow canons. Very good idea. I would have immediately glommed to Sylar. Hence my name. You also do not allow siblings...another very good idea. Forces players to branch out and show new ideas and plotlines.

I do have issues with the dice rolling system and the fact that you wish to "stat out" the various abilities. This then turns it into a tabletop game. It also turns it into a very barebones tabletop game. I understand the need for going "My blast is very powerful and your shield may not handle it" since this is an argument that shows up OFTEN in an online format. However, instead of so many stats, why not just one stat for the power itself? That is it. The other things you list for stats should really be up to the player to address in their posts. Mature players can easily handle "The unexpected right cross hit me square in the jaw" and the immature will go "Yeah, so I ducked it." and then you know who to speak with about etiquette. I hesitate to call it "roleplaying ability" since that is far too broad.

To be honest, the theme of the room very much intrigues me as I have always loved Heroes. I do take some umbrage to using a dice based system to resolve even the most mundane of things as your stats do cover. I do understand that any participation in the room is voluntary, but I am merely pointing out some of the things I do see as showing up as problems. There have been many other rooms who have tried to institute dice based systems in their makeup. Those rooms do not tend to last long. Each room is different, though. Results DO vary...lol

[LadyDragon]

We have put a lot into getting this room together and no one is twisting your arm to play here. If you don't like the dice system we put together then it's real simple DON'T play here. Call me a bitch or whatever but I am not gonna listen to moaning and complaining. Move on.


Lady Dragon

[PC]

Hello there.

The dice system is very sparse and broad for a reason. The main thing you'll ever roll for is a use of a power. I included the other stats simply because while it maybe should be a matter of roleplaying etiquette, often that isn't the case. That's why we have the six stats. Do you have to roll them each and every time you do the things the stats are for? No, not at all. In normal interaction between yourself and another character that has no lasting effect on the room at large, you can roll, you can not roll, it makes no difference except for your own personal preference.

The only place where any roll is required is when its a Game Master adjudicated and led story or scenario. For example, the big bad Company powerhouse comes after you to try to capture you and take you in, because your power holds some key to finding other specials, or will blow up the city, or whatever, then you'd have a situation in which the rolls would have to be made, in the interest of impartiality and fairness. Other than that, with individual roleplays, it can be rolled or it doesn't have to.

Our only goal with any sort of system at all is in the interest in fairness and good sportsmanship. This isn't a game of cops and robbers played by two six year olds. We'd all like to think the adults that roleplay in these rooms are possessed of good sportsmanship and roleplay etiquette, and a great many of them are I don't argue that, but there's a damned fair number of them that aren't possessed of such qualities. I hate saying that, but its an irrefutable fact. I wish very much that it wasn't the case, but the sad fact is that it is. So in order to make sure someone who does not have the maturity to be sportsmanlike and be fair, we have to have some method of regulating the things where the good of the room demands that things be handled fairly.

Roleplaying, be it table top, online, through email, posted on a forum, or whatever is, when it all comes down to it, a game. And games have to have rules in order to be fun for anyone involved in the game. Using a dice system for those critical moments (again, I stress the dice are only used for important, room and roleplay altering events, not just in the everyday interaction between characters that don't have a direct impact on the game world) is a part of those rules. If it weren't dice, it'd have to be some other method for determining the outcome of random events. And while they may not have used dice in the show, they don't use dice in Marvel and DC comics, either, or in Star Wars, or Star Trek or any other of thousands of different roleplaying games. That's because in Heroes, if it were a roleplaying game, you'd be witnessing the actual roleplay part of the story, not the mechanics that'd be involved out of character and behind the scenes. The same is true for any other example that could be cited.

So these are the reasons behind the dice system used here. Its not complex, its not complicated, its not anything that should be intimidating. Its used very very rarely. We have you roll your numbers during character creation to prevent having to stop roleplay and do it then, and making a roll in the rare events that it would become necessary. The dice system, until you need to determine randomness in a major story arc for whatever reason it may come up, is unobtrusive, and when it must be used, its not pervasive. It eliminates chaos and anarchy. We're sorry if someone doesn't like the reasons we have such a system, but I'm sorry. If chaos and anarchy is what someone's looking for, then they'll have to look elsewhere, or start their own room. We have our reasons for doing things as we do. We don't expect everyone to like or agree with it, because that's just the way human nature is, but that's the way things are done here. The room's rules won't change unless we see a good reason for the change, and someone simply not liking the fact we have them isn't going to accomplish that change. I'm not trying to sound like an asshole, I'm just saying the way things are. This is our sandbox. There are plenty of other sandboxes out there for those that can't play nice in ours.

Have a good one

[Guest]

To Lady Dragon, I did state that my presence is voluntary. That was addressed in the middle of my third paragraph. Also, I did commend you for the effort put into the room. That was the whole point of my first paragraph. I apologize if I was unclear on that. I do think that the demeanor and horrendous attitude shown to a potential new player is abhorrent, though. Rest assured, due to your comments, I would not play here nor recommend anyone else playing here.

To PC, I thank you for your response and I do appreciate that you replied in a civil manner. I do commend you on stating that it is not done on all occasions but I must point out that is not made evident except in this thread. For the sake of your future, I think you should put that out there. If I missed it, then I do apologize profusely.

I would also like to state that, if you choose to use stats for things, then you should also work out some kind of way to upgrade those. Perhaps someone rolled lousy and got nothing higher than an 11? Then they are seriously outclassed. I may also recommend that you work it not into a dice based creation system but a point one. The reason why a point based one works better is that it truly does force the players to be balanced and it also enables someone to play the kind of character they wish.

For example, say I want to play a gunfighter who then is suddenly thrust forward in time by the accident of another Special? Well then, surely, my Reaction stat should be high. But what if I do not roll anything high? Then I cannot play the character I envisioned and it certainly would force me to either look like an idiot when going against someone else or else I would have to re-imagine my character concept and design something else.

I say these things to help you for in the future. I hope that your room enjoys it's growth and success. Alas, it will be without me. I would like to point out that the decision to not play in a room that I was HIGHLY anticipating, is solely due to Lady Dragon's attitude in her post and not the fault of anyone else. Good day and good luck.

[sylar]

For example, say I want to play a gunfighter who then is suddenly thrust forward in time by the accident of another Special? Well then, surely, my Reaction stat should be high. But what if I do not roll anything high? Then I cannot play the character I envisioned and it certainly would force me to either look like an idiot when going against someone else or else I would have to re-imagine my character concept and design something else.

If that player was sent into the future they would still be the character they were in the present. Stats should not be higher, other character's stats would be higher due to development in that time. If the effects were temporary, you would go back to the present and if anything would level up faster due to your experience. If the effects of time travel were permanent, you would just have to gain power as you would if that never happened. Sure the characters are now stronger but that should just encourage you to play smarter and not pick fights you know you can't win.

I know this is an old debate and the poster is no longer a member but there isn't much going on here so I thought it'd be OK to add an opinion and hopefully clear things up for potential new members. Role playing games are traditionally table-top games and I think it is refreshing to see an internet RPG keep the dice system. Most RPG forums now are too relaxed and destroy the whole concept of RPGs, you are supposed to live your character in-game and tackle any challenges thrown at you with your character's abilities. There is no strategy, it is too easy now because all you have to do is state something and other characters must go along with it. While dice rolls may be a little too random, at least they keep things fair.

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