Hoods and now masks

[Salt Merchant]

Once upon a time, you could actually see sdescs.

Now the trend has reached the point where nearly everyone is a hooded figure.

To top it off, a new trend has started toward wearing masks too.

What is next, invisibility potions for all? Are people afraid of being recognized and talked to?

[Cerelum]

It went from one extreme to the next, I remember when I first started playing, I would get harassed and told to take my hood down all the time in cities, whether I was outside or inside.

Now everyone is so afraid to do it, even if someone is sitting in a bar for 30 minutes with his hood up.

I personally think it should be enforced again to take that shit off if you're just bumming in a building where there is no need for it to block the dust and dirt.

J-Rod

[Gimfalisette]

To me, hoods at least make sense when they're used against the weather. That being said, no need to wear them up in any indoor place.

Masks completely irritate me. Being in a room with five people all wearing masks with similar sdescs makes me murderous.

[touringCompl3t3]

Once upon a time, you could actually see sdescs.

Now the trend has reached the point where nearly everyone is a hooded figure.

To top it off, a new trend has started toward wearing masks too.

What is next, invisibility potions for all? Are people afraid of being recognized and talked to?

Speaking as one of these "Lone Ranger"/Zoro type characters, I'd like to apologize if my masked/cloaked fashion tastes have offended you. 

Please be aware, though, that my decision to have some measure of anonymity has pretty much nothing to do with you.  My last character, for example, wore a mask and a cloak.  He employed psionics to shield his presence and on some occaisions magick as well.

Suffice it to say that, if my character had access to invisibility potions, he would most certainly have used them. 

Some of my characters go so far as to avoid public places.  A couple of my characters had interactions with other people only though the use of one or two errand boys who would make monthly trips in to town to buy soap, medicine and cloth for me, the things that I couldn't get on my own.

Please rest assured that none of these security precautions are designed to offend you but rather they make sense to the lifestyles of the characters that I play. 

I hope that you can understand this.

[Cerelum]

Once upon a time, you could actually see sdescs.

Now the trend has reached the point where nearly everyone is a hooded figure.

To top it off, a new trend has started toward wearing masks too.

What is next, invisibility potions for all? Are people afraid of being recognized and talked to?

Speaking as one of these "Lone Ranger"/Zoro type characters, I'd like to apologize if my masked/cloaked fashion tastes have offended you. 

Please be aware, though, that my decision to have some measure of anonymity has pretty much nothing to do with you.  My last character, for example, wore a mask and a cloak.  He employed psionics to shield his presence and on some occaisions magick as well.

Suffice it to say that, if my character had access to invisibility potions, he would most certainly have used them. 

Some of my characters go so far as to avoid public places.  A couple of my characters had interactions with other people only though the use of one or two errand boys who would make monthly trips in to town to buy soap, medicine and cloth for me, the things that I couldn't get on my own.

Please rest assured that none of these security precautions are designed to offend you but rather they make sense to the lifestyles of the characters that I play. 

I hope that you can understand this.

There is a difference between wearing a mask to conceal your presence for the ten minutes it takes to run to the cleaners to clean your sorcerer robes of uber doom.  And the people who sit in the taverns or other public places with their hoods and masks on for hours while interacting and talking to people.

THOSE are the ones that are silly.

Would you sit at the corner bar and have a hour long conversation with a man who was wearing a ski mask?

Would you?

J-Rod

[FuSoYa]

I know the recent mask problem at the RPT was annoying, it was annoying for those of us wearing the masks too.  That order came from up high though.

Brandon

[Salt Merchant]

Speaking as one of these "Lone Ranger"/Zoro type characters, I'd like to apologize if my masked/cloaked fashion tastes have offended you. 

Please be aware, though, that my decision to have some measure of anonymity has pretty much nothing to do with you.  My last character, for example, wore a mask and a cloak.  He employed psionics to shield his presence and on some occaisions magick as well.

Suffice it to say that, if my character had access to invisibility potions, he would most certainly have used them. 

Some of my characters go so far as to avoid public places.  A couple of my characters had interactions with other people only though the use of one or two errand boys who would make monthly trips in to town to buy soap, medicine and cloth for me, the things that I couldn't get on my own.

Please rest assured that none of these security precautions are designed to offend you but rather they make sense to the lifestyles of the characters that I play. 

I hope that you can understand this.

I can understand the occasional character doing this. What I don't understand is why it's become nearly universal.

[Rindan]

I personally think it is an IC problem.  I have absolutely no problem with people wearing masks.  If every person in the 'rinth or the desert wants to wear a mask, good for them.  My issue is that inside of a city, you really shouldn't be allowed to wear a mask without the militia gang-banging you.  There is no way to tell that someone isn't an evil but well known defiler or raider unless soldiers can look at your face.  Anyone covering their face should instantly be suspect and considered a security risk.

Now, if some people or organizations have gotten special permission to wear masks inside the city, good for them.  If they have not, then this is a militia/templars problem and they need to deal with it or else get spanked by their superiors.  So, I'll make no judgment because I have no idea if there has been a special case made for certain people, but I think failing special permission, people wearing masks in the lawful part of town deserve a spanking.

[Folker]

I've seen a fella spit in annoyance at something, then stop short, remove his mask and wipe the saliva off the inner side of the mask. That was ... really nice.






Though I suppose, I tend to avoid spitting in Armageddon, due to the whole concept of lack of water theme.

[Gimfalisette]

It's an IC problem until it becomes an OOC problem because there are multiple people in a room during an RPT all wearing similar masks, or with their hoods up, or etc. RPTs are hard enough to coordinate and keep fun for people, without the added OOC headache of not being able to recognize someone due to a piece of fabric.

[Rindan]

It's an IC problem until it becomes an OOC problem because there are multiple people in a room during an RPT all wearing similar masks, or with their hoods up, or etc. RPTs are hard enough to coordinate and keep fun for people, without the added OOC headache of not being able to recognize someone due to a piece of fabric.

That isn't an OOC problem.  That is an IC problem.  People all wearing the same masks are obviously going to be a pain in the ass to identify both OOCly and ICly.

[Gimfalisette]

No, not really. Because I should be still be able to see their hair color, the cloak they're wearing, the insignia they're wearing, and so on. But I can't see any of that. I'm not talking about a room full of people I don't know and wouldn't otherwise recognize. I -should- be able to recognize these people without hardly looking at them. But because of masks, I can't. Thus, it's totally an OOC issue.

[touringCompl3t3]

I personally think it is an IC problem.  I have absolutely no problem with people wearing masks.  If every person in the 'rinth or the desert wants to wear a mask, good for them.  My issue is that inside of a city, you really shouldn't be allowed to wear a mask without the militia gang-banging you.  There is no way to tell that someone isn't an evil but well known defiler or raider unless soldiers can look at your face.  Anyone covering their face should instantly be suspect and considered a security risk.

Now, if some people or organizations have gotten special permission to wear masks inside the city, good for them.  If they have not, then this is a militia/templars problem and they need to deal with it or else get spanked by their superiors.  So, I'll make no judgment because I have no idea if there has been a special case made for certain people, but I think failing special permission, people wearing masks in the lawful part of town deserve a spanking.

I disagree with that.  I don't feel that Zalanthans have a cultural value on openness.  Yeah, I admit it would be weird if you and I wore masks to go to McDonalds in real life because Americans have a cultural value on honesty.  But even posting on the internet, people obscure their real names and locations, valuing privacy.

[Ghost]

I don't mind people walking around with hoods or masks if they want to remain anonymous.

What irks me is that some of them do this in public.  Now come on, if you are fucking afraid of your face being recognized, what the fuck are you doing sitting at the bar?  Get your drink fast and get the hell out, drink alone where no one can see you.

In missions, if people wearing same hoods are being a problem, I think you can order them to wear different hoods/masks?  Mr brown, mr green, mr pink... just like in resorvoir dogs

[Salt Merchant]

I disagree with that.  I don't feel that Zalanthans have a cultural value on openness.  Yeah, I admit it would be weird if you and I wore masks to go to McDonalds in real life because Americans have a cultural value on honesty.  But even posting on the internet, people obscure their real names and locations, valuing privacy.

I'd say that the current trend represents a sudden shift away from openess, in that people tended to go around without hoods up and masks on until recently. Additionally, it's a trend only among the PC population. The NPCs are all content to show their sdescs in most places.

[BuNutzCola]

Gim, it was an ic problem.

[Rhyden]

I understand it is annoying to have 15 figures, 10 of which wearing masks, but that's just tough. If it's a huge problem, maybe ask the people with masks to take them off? Maybe kill them? Hire an assassin? Pay a Templar? Find a thief?

I don't think it's really an OOC problem, though. It is an IC problem because it can be dealt with through IC means.

[X-D]

And some PCs wear the masks for battle (battle masks being rather common for history)  Or just Fashion.

[morrigan]

Since the templars and soldiers probably have better stuff to worry about than people wearing hoods in the city, I volunteer to play the role of the new pink robed templar whose sole duty is to walk around amongst the thousands and thousands of people in Allanak and make sure their faces are visible. Maybe we can get rid of those idiots with beards too...they conceal way too much chin..

[Cerelum]

I say the militia should start enforcing it like nazis how they used to.

J-Rod

[Qzzrbl]

I used to bitch at people IG on a regular basis for unneccissarily having their hoods up, when my guy was in a relative position of power.

[Ghost]

all i need is a button

a button that will lower all hoods and remove all the facewraps and veils and masks and craziness when i press it

now give me that button

[Akaramu]

I understand it is annoying to have 15 figures, 10 of which wearing masks, but that's just tough. If it's a huge problem, maybe ask the people with masks to take them off? Maybe kill them? Hire an assassin? Pay a Templar? Find a thief?

I don't think it's really an OOC problem, though. It is an IC problem because it can be dealt with through IC means.

I disagree there. If a PC wanted to kill someome wearing a mask becase the player is OOC annoyed, it's an OOC problem. Now if the mask-wearer was giving them IC reason to deal with them - in addition to just wearing a mask -, such as trying to steal from them, or lurking suspiciously around every corner in every place they go, sure.

Seriously, a Zalanthan person killing hiring an assassin on every person they see wearing a mask would be a psychopath in line with Jason and Freddy Kruger, imho. Maskophobia? 

[Kalden]

It would be fascinating if we could take a page out of the historical use of masks. Specifically, the Masquerade:

The illicit blending of high and low classes was much sought after thrill. This meant masquerades were rich picking grounds for thieves as well as prostitutes.

By the end of the eighteenth century the Masquerade Ball had all but died out in England.The reason for the sudden decline is unclear, maybe a shift in social consciousness.

I agree that running around in mask in public is (generally) stupid.

[Rindan]

Since the templars and soldiers probably have better stuff to worry about than people wearing hoods in the city, I volunteer to play the role of the new pink robed templar whose sole duty is to walk around amongst the thousands and thousands of people in Allanak and make sure their faces are visible. Maybe we can get rid of those idiots with beards too...they conceal way too much chin..

No one is complaining about people wearing a hood inside of a city.  People are complaining about people running around with masks inside the city.  Yes, The Templerate probably should be scratching their head and stopping people who are blatantly trying to conceal their face for the sake of concealing it.  Zalanthas doesn't need "due process".  If you look suspicious, they can strip you naked, steal your stuff, and throw you in the arena if that is what gets them off.

Like I said, this is an IC problem.  I really don't think anyone is in much of a position to judge if the "right" thing is being done unless they are one of said mask wearers or a Templar who should be seeing to it that people who are running around looking blatantly like raiders and defilers either make special arraignments or bent over for a Allanaki style strip search.