Defining MRP

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Okand37
Joined: Sat Feb 20, 2016 5:37 pm
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Defining MRP

Post by Okand37 » #612038

What is Medium Roleplay?
/tg/station classic roleplay standards have oft been defined as "the bare minimum effort to play a character in a space-adjacent setting." In catering to our roleplay-oriented audience, great groundwork has been laid in setting out a more roleplay oriented space with the advent of our Medium Roleplaying Server Manuel and the Roleplaying Rules as defined on the forums. As it stands, Medium Roleplay is loosely defined and can be summarised as: light enforcement of the chain of command, restrictions on antagonists and murder, and rules intended to combat powergaming and validhunting.

Community Expectations Differ
Admin interpretation of the rules and their discretion in enforcement is an important tool available to them. Player expectations of our servers and what enjoyments they derive will differ. Nevertheless, community interpretations of what medium roleplay is differ across a wide spectrum: ideas swing between /tg/station classic roleplay with additional role and conflict resolution restrictions all the way to greater expectations on players to fulfill assigned roles within the chain of command; prohibition of preemptive preparation (i.e. guncargo/cargonia; fully-armed robotics exosuits); and an emphasis placed on rounds affording character interaction and story development.

Defining Medium Roleplay?
MRP is a very broadly sweeping term - from Colonial Marine's coded skill-based restrictions, protections against metaknowledge, and the strict enforcement of the chain of command to the wackier butt-bots of Goonstation, MRP is connotated with an extremely diverse range of roleplay standards and enforcement across the Space Station 13 community and our server. As it stands, /tg/station's interpretation of medium roleplay doesn't appear to be greatly defined or understood, leading to a wider range of rule enforcement and player dissatisfaction than may be desired.

Please consider and answer the following three questions:
  1. What is your definition of medium roleplay?
  2. If you had to write a definition of medium roleplay for our server(s), what would it look like?
  3. How would you go about creating and implementing your definition of MRP?
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Timberpoes
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Re: Defining MRP

Post by Timberpoes » #612043

MRP a concept. Impossible to define in small words.

IC motivations prioritised. Actions with IC reasons. Ask players to take risks to contribute to shift story in meaningful way. Not serious. Not realistic. Saturday morning cartoon. Think Wacky Races. Moment-to-moment stories in an overarching timeline.

OOC motivations limited. OOC knowledge permitted, but must be acted on with IC reason. No need to RP fear for your life. Can just arbitrarily be trained and know how to shoot guns. Can see antag and kill antag. Must have IC reason/IC motivation for doing so. More than "saw them emag an airlock". Story emphasised. Mechanical mastery de-emphasised.

MRP a vessel for RP-moment stories. Player-to-player moments. Contrast with LRP, a vessel for SS13-moment stories. Gameplay and mechanics moments. Absurdity of the setting and code.

Still have SS13-moment stories on MRP, but more RP focused. Still have RP-moment stories on LRP, but more gameplay/mechanic focused.

Would not write MRP definition. No point. No definition is possible. Understood cop-out answer. Committing sudoku. To GitHub branch. Will make PR next term implementing sudoku.

SS13's RP levels about striving for a specific goal. No definition can hope to cover goal to satisfaction. MRP hydra. Defined by its rules and policies. Defined by enforcement of them. Multiple heads.

Rules and policies would facilitate above ideals. Try to make them reality. No need to codify. MRP definition fluid. Change with the times. Change with the players. Codification is stagnation. Future terms free to adapt, evolve, improve, even transform. Not headmin forever. Ego take backseat.

Implementing own definition of MRP irrelevant. Policy only effective as long as admins willing to enforce. Admins only effective as long as policy empowers them to act. Server only popular as long as players like both policy and enforcement.

MRP server created for the players. Advocate for own vision. Ear to ground. Listen to admins. Listen to players. Become informed. Make informed decisions. Implement. Iterate. Improve.
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RiskySikh
Joined: Sun Mar 18, 2018 3:16 am
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Re: Defining MRP

Post by RiskySikh » #612073

Okand37 wrote:What is Medium Roleplay?
/tg/station classic roleplay standards have oft been defined as "the bare minimum effort to play a character in a space-adjacent setting." In catering to our roleplay-oriented audience, great groundwork has been laid in setting out a more roleplay oriented space with the advent of our Medium Roleplaying Server Manuel and the Roleplaying Rules as defined on the forums. As it stands, Medium Roleplay is loosely defined and can be summarised as: light enforcement of the chain of command, restrictions on antagonists and murder, and rules intended to combat powergaming and validhunting.

Community Expectations Differ
Admin interpretation of the rules and their discretion in enforcement is an important tool available to them. Player expectations of our servers and what enjoyments they derive will differ. Nevertheless, community interpretations of what medium roleplay is differ across a wide spectrum: ideas swing between /tg/station classic roleplay with additional role and conflict resolution restrictions all the way to greater expectations on players to fulfill assigned roles within the chain of command; prohibition of preemptive preparation (i.e. guncargo/cargonia; fully-armed robotics exosuits); and an emphasis placed on rounds affording character interaction and story development.

Defining Medium Roleplay?
MRP is a very broadly sweeping term - from Colonial Marine's coded skill-based restrictions, protections against metaknowledge, and the strict enforcement of the chain of command to the wackier butt-bots of Goonstation, MRP is connotated with an extremely diverse range of roleplay standards and enforcement across the Space Station 13 community and our server. As it stands, /tg/station's interpretation of medium roleplay doesn't appear to be greatly defined or understood, leading to a wider range of rule enforcement and player dissatisfaction than may be desired.

Please consider and answer the following three questions:
  1. What is your definition of medium roleplay?
  2. If you had to write a definition of medium roleplay for our server(s), what would it look like?
  3. How would you go about creating and implementing your definition of MRP?
MRP is where you have your little Bar RP in peace for like 3 years and nothing to happen, while trying to RP and not kill some greytider that is fucking your shitover, and trying not to break the rules. If you think if this is my definition to be honest it is, on my time spent on manuel its just literally BAR RP.
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Mothblocks
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Re: Defining MRP

Post by Mothblocks » #612097

1. What is your definition of medium roleplay?
MRP is where in exchange for total antag freedom, you get stories more interesting than "guy walks up to me in maint and kills me" more often. This unlocks other freedoms as you are more able to try cool gimmicks without the round being speedran by someone just trying to rack up kills.

As a player: do your job, expect other people to do theirs. Understand that because antags don't have total unlimited control, you can engage with them in more story driven ways. You're more likely to let someone go without their items and a tracking implant, knowing there's the possibility of them still performing mischievous deeds. More interesting gameplay for everyone.

It's not for everyone, the more lax antagonistic behavior tends to draw out rounds way longer than intended. Existing MRP players seem fine with that, but it's a good reason someone might prefer LRP. Also, a lot of people (like myself) find more joy in the chaotic aspect of everything LRP related.
2. If you had to write a definition of medium roleplay for our server(s), what would it look like?
You can't define MRP concretely, but you can provide excerpts of general philosophies like what I posted above to give everyone a broad understanding of what you mean. Good faith players will learn the culture, and go from there.
3. How would you go about creating and implementing your definition of MRP?
I don't play Manuel, but I talk to Manuel admins and players all the time (I'm semi-active in the development discussion channel for the Manuel Discord). What I defined seems to be how it already is, and ultimately whatever is going on in there seems to be enjoyable for everyone--Manuel is more consistently populated than any other server.
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mrmelbert
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Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2020 6:26 pm
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Re: Defining MRP

Post by mrmelbert » #612108

What is your definition of medium roleplay?
Medium roleplay. Everyone's expected to put a pinch of effort into maintaining the facade that they're a character working a job on a space station instead of a person playing game.
If I had to put it exactly, I'd base it off a post I saw a while back.

On LRP, you're just a person. You may have a character story behind yourself, you may not. You just exist on a space station, and that's all that's expected.
On MRP, it's closer to if... you're a person, putting on a show, stage play, movie. The show being that you're a person working a job on a space station. Absurdist things may happen, and serious moments may occur, but since you're putting on a show, you need to act like your character.
And on HRP, you're a (somewhat) realistic person with a backstory that fits into your job working at a space station.
If you had to write a definition of medium roleplay for our server(s), what would it look like?
Similar to above. A class of server where people can drop in, do relaxing at-their-own-pace roleplay without needing to have a fledged out backstory or needing to read lengthy lore documents to abide by. A class of server where you can have serious moments in between silly moments, but no matter situation, you're first and foremost a character operating a job on a space station. In short: A character-to-character story generator.
How would you go about creating and implementing your definition of MRP?
We're close already but I believe there can be some rule tweaks here and there with our MRP policy, and a little extra leeway given to admins on MRP servers, to create an ideal environment. The culture is already almost there.
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