The Red Shirt Syndrome

[jriley]

A couple of months ago I saw a post by someone that mentioned something along the lines of having the feeling that pretty much every character they've ever played on arm is a Red Shirt*.

I had to laugh when I saw this, because I pretty much felt the same way.  At the time it didn't mean too much more to me than something worthy of a chuckle, but the idea has had time to foment for a bit.  I feel inclined to post about it because a few people don't even seem to be aware of the problem, or are in active denial about it. 

Whenever you have a wide divide between the haves and the have-nots in a social situation, the discrepancy invariably becomes conspicuous to the have-nots that the situation is not egalitarian, particularly where there is a (real or perceived) barrier to upward mobility. 

What I propose is an admission that the situation lacks a consistent judiciousness, as well as an outreach program to people who've been playing for a couple of years to make sure that they feel that they've had an adequate chance at stardom.  I'll post some principles below and also a few more radical suggestions. 




Principles:
Denying that things are great at the top or crappy at the bottom makes things worse, not better.

Any system produces winners and loosers.  It could very well be that I'm some sort of looser who is unfit to succeed in the current hierarchical competitive pyramid of the game through my own defects of character.  That being said, it could also be the case that there is systemic bias against opportunities for my success, and that the merest boost to my own opportunities might rectify the situation and provide boundless benefits for others.  We won't know until we try. 

There is a canon of established players that the staff already knows they can trust and rely upon.  Reaching out to new players might require "unnecessary" effort.

Change must happen gradually.  If the staff were to give me or any other player a psionicist mul-templar sorcerer with a loyal private army and the mandate to reshape the game world according to my own tastes, I might deliberately or accidentally change the game too quickly for the comfort of my fellow players. 

Some players including myself joined the game and spent our formative years under a very different administrative climate.  While improvements like gentler policies, the request tool as well as active quality-control metrics and improved customer service have indeed improved gameplay quite measurably, players who have spent their formative years under "the players don't matter"-type administrations will be hesitant to personally accept that the staff have become as nice and helpful as they may in fact have become.  Earning the trust of veteran players who have been stung plenty of times will take years of conciliations. 


*a stock "cannon fodder" character, originating in the original Star Trek TV series

[Case]

Or players should get over it, work with the people who volunteer to operate your free game and should encourage, inspire and contribute to the game world as best they are able without feeling entitled to some degree of recognition, authority or reward in a relatively deprived context.

[Armaddict]

Or players should get over it, work with the people who volunteer to operate your free game and should encourage, inspire and contribute to the game world as best they are able without feeling entitled to some degree of recognition, authority or reward in a relatively deprived context.

That was beautifully written.

[Krishnamurti]

Occupy the North Road. We are the 99%!

[HavokBlue]

I'll summarize what everybody is going to tell you.

If you want to be a star, go do it.

[Nyr]

Your post is well-written.  There are some things I am not clear on.  I would like to know the answers to a few questions before responding.

1.  What situation are you referring to?
2.  Who are the haves?
3.  Who are the have-nots?
4.  What kind of outreach program?
5.  Can you define "stardom?"

[Cutthroat]

Denying that things are great at the top or crappy at the bottom makes things worse, not better.

How is claiming that a wide group of players is somehow mistreated without any non-anecdotal evidence any better?

There is a canon of established players that the staff already knows they can trust and rely upon.  Reaching out to new players might require "unnecessary" effort.

Staff sometimes open up sponsored roles very suitable for newer players to get their bearings in a leadership setting. They give tips on how to maintain good contact with them publicly and privately. They allow new players (and vets)  to get in contact with themselves and with Helpers for assistance. I believe they approve new players' characters more quickly. They do a lot of things for new players that tend to go unnoticed, and older established players were new players once.

Any system produces winners and loosers.  It could very well be that I'm some sort of looser who is unfit to succeed in the current hierarchical competitive pyramid of the game through my own defects of character.  That being said, it could also be the case that there is systemic bias against opportunities for my success, and that the merest boost to my own opportunities might rectify the situation and provide boundless benefits for others.  We won't know until we try.

- Participate in private discussions with staff when necessary
- Write character reports regularly (weekly, every two weeks, every month, or less often than that... whatever is necessary for your PC and fits your RL schedule)
- Follow the rules of the game

Those are things any player can do that will boost their opportunities.

Some players including myself joined the game and spent our formative years under a very different administrative climate.  While improvements like gentler policies, the request tool as well as active quality-control metrics and improved customer service have indeed improved gameplay quite measurably, players who have spent their formative years under "the players don't matter"-type administrations will be hesitant to personally accept that the staff have become as nice and helpful as they may in fact have become.  Earning the trust of veteran players who have been stung plenty of times will take years of conciliations.  

You were previously talking about staff treating newer players better, but here it seems you're asking staff to consider veterans more favorably. I'm not entirely sure what to think of this. Veterans have the advantage of increased knowledge of the game, more available roles, and more general experience. Honestly, it seems strange to ask staff to reconcile with you when you were previously asking for equal treatment of all players (which, IMO, is already done though obviously there are exceptions for players who break rules, etc.).

I'd write more but I'd end up repeating myself from previous threads even more. If you want more options, better roles, more experience, go and take it. Do the things that any player can do. In the Antagonize thread Nyr responded to one of your posts with some observations that you might find helpful. You can improve your experience with the game very quickly by following that advice.

[Thunkkin]

I came to this thread hoping for tips and advice on playing a Red Shirt and I am severely disappointed.

[Rhyden]

I came to this thread hoping for tips and advice on playing a Red Shirt and I am severely disappointed.

No joke, so was I.

[Jeshin]

How to play a Red Shirt... Like a boss.

1. You're going to die. Your primary function is to have the most memorable death possible.
2. You need to know some people, but not be important to them. START TALKING TO FOLK.
3. You need to be funny but not make them laugh. Interesting but not make them remember. They have you like you and forget about you the moment you leave their sight.
4. Do -anything- your PC would do. Did that Templar put you in a cell with your longtime red shirt rival. Cue some star trek death music and get to: verbal arguing, slap festing, all out death match.
5. Don't join the byn, instead be that indie who shows up for all the RPTs.

Provided: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AphxyjrH4SE <--- star streak death music.

[Dakota]

Occupy the North Road. We are the 99%!

I'll be there with with the mace.

[Talia]

Whenever you have a wide divide between the haves and the have-nots in a social situation, the discrepancy invariably becomes conspicuous to the have-nots that the situation is not egalitarian, particularly where there is a (real or perceived) barrier to upward mobility. 

What I propose is an admission that the situation lacks a consistent judiciousness, as well as an outreach program to people who've been playing for a couple of years to make sure that they feel that they've had an adequate chance at stardom.  I'll post some principles below and also a few more radical suggestions. 

Just glancing through the request tool, since we started taking role applications that way in the first half of 2010...I see that 18 players have been accepted to play noble or templar roles in Allanak. Of those 18 players, 6 had never played a noble or templar previously. That's a full third. (Most of the newbies had shown us they could perform in the roles by doing things like working their way up into leadership in another clan, or playing a GMH sponsored role responsibly.)

When choosing players for roles, we do weigh in whether a player has played that role previously. Newbies may get a little bit of preference over someone who's gotten to do it a few times before. Of course, newbies also have the noob factor and the "we don't know if this player is going to store immediately" uncertainty factor weighing against them. But all in all, I believe that staff does a very good job of considering all these angles and making good decisions and spreading the love of sponsored roles around.

I very much disagree that staff needs to do outreach so that players can achieve "stardom." For one thing, "stardom" isn't what this game is about; it's not about prima donna moments and calling the shots, rather it's a collaborative storytelling game. For another thing, why is it staff's responsibility to cajole players into applying for sponsored roles, or sending in character reports, or whatever else would need to happen for players to achieve "stardom"?

I guess I just don't get it. If you want the role, the "stardom," the whatever, just go for it. I mean, please, go for it, and stop blaming others for barriers that aren't even there.

[chrisdcoulombe]

[Whiran Luck]

Since I have a habit of writing long posts:
tl;dr version: No one goes into the game a star. It takes time and effort. And a bunch of tips on how to make stuff happen for your character, both plot-wise and rp-wise.

****

I have no idea if I am one of the 'star' players that the OP is referring to. I'm probably not really. I don't read my account notes, I don't request them. I've never requested a karma review. I never go into a character to be a star or a non-red shirt. I've only applied for (and gotten) two characters via sponsored roles ever. I've only ever played 4 non-mundanes in over a decade of playing. I have played some high profile characters in the past. Many of my characters end up in leadership-type positions, without me working hard at actually playing a leader, and sometimes it's been foisted upon me whether I have wanted to play this type of character or not. I have never felt I was playing a red-shirt. Ever. I suspect I am one of the types of players jriley is speaking of.

It's been a long time, but I certainly didn't come into the game this way. I'm not sure if this is just a thread to bitch about entitlement and expectation, but if it isn't, and I'm taking it seriously as asking 'How can I become a trusted, reliable player who plays consistent and fun characters?' then I will tell you what I do (in a way, similar to some of the stuff I posted in the antagonist thread).

- Communicate with staff. I send in a report every week to every two weeks. This is broken into IC and OOC sections, detailing my character's goals, who they interact with, and the things they've done and intend on doing, and also includes information on their current friendships, romantic relationships (If they have any), and people they don't like. If I am planning to kill something or someone, I -always- inform them. I have never been smacked down for doing this, ICly or OOCly. This is my experience, and I cannot speak for everyone. I know some people have complained on other threads. I won't lie, I've had a handful of less than stellar responses in my longer-than-a-decade of playing Arm. But considering I've probably sent in hundreds of character reports and updates, that handful is small comparitively. If you are consistently getting negative responses, try changing the tone of your emails. Generally, if you go into this whole communication thing with an open and flexible mind, and a polite and sincere mode of expressing yourself, you'll generally get favorable responses, even if they may not be the responses you were looking for.

- Limit non-essential communications with other players. There are people I talk to who play or have played Arm. I am not perfect, but I really try to limit the amount of information I give and receive from people currently playing. While I would love to know the details and stories of things, I would rather hear about them IC. If it involves my character, I really don't want to hear it at all. I don't want OOC in my IC, and if I feel it is becoming a problem, I get a little pissed off. I don't like OOC collusion, and I'm not naive enough to imagine it doesn't happen, but I make an active choice to not be part of it and to enjoy my game as cleanly as I can make it.

- Play your characters consistently and appropriately to their mindset. It's a good idea to go into the game having a certain personality to your character that is deep and has reason and meaning. Even if you don't, try to think of something interesting that they do, or are interested in besides the ubiquitous 'chopping muthafuckaz up with bone swordz'. If you play your character as a collection of stats and skill percentages, no matter how good you are at applying veneer over that, it's generally still pretty obvious. Playing realistic characters suited to the environment, and playing them consistently to their mindset, with changes occurring due to IC stimuli instead of player whim is a good way to make your character feel alive and... well, real. And 'real' characters are the really fun ones to interact with. This isn't limited to other players either, as I'm pretty sure the holy grail of admin interaction goes mostly toward characters that are the type I've just talked about. It also gives them reasons to get that interaction instead of trying to extract it, all the while knowing nothing about what makes your character tick. Or randomly and infathomably tocking when you usually tick.

- Don't rush into playing a leader. Minions can be stars and often are, especially well-played minions. It's also a great place to learn how to be a leader and a star, if you're fortunate enough to get a good leader. And usually the best and most fun leaders are the ones who have grown into the job anyway (non-noble/templar roles).

- Don't fall into the mindset of thinking that just because X is a karma class/race it will automatically be fun and not make you a red-shirt. If you can't be fun and a star in a 0-karma role, then you're going to have similar problems in a karma or sponsored role.

- Don't abuse the game, either the code or the role. If you do something that could be considered questionable, let the staff know and explain why you did it and why it seemed realistic. Be prepared to explain yourself. If you cannot conceive of an explanation of why your character would do something, then don't do it. Being trustworthy and communicative as a player goes a long way toward fostering trust toward karma and sponsored leadership roles.

- Don't go into a character with expectations or feeling entitled, no matter how good a player you think you are. You will invariably be disappointed when reality fails to meet your expectations, or what you feel you are entitled to does not mesh with what you actually deserve. Unless you have had a point-blank yes answer to a request, then you're probably not entitled to squat.

- Play as brutal a character as you want, but be considerate of other players. Give other players an out, but don't feel crappy if it's blown off and you end up having to murdalize them anyway.

- Play things out as they go along. Even if it causes you to need to roll up a new character. Sometimes a really awesome and epic death is better than playing someone who constantly plays it safe. But also, don't go against your character's mindset. If your character is paranoid and cautious, unless there's a good reason for it, don't suddenly throw caution to the wind and become super reckless.

- Don't suicide. Especially don't suicide over stats. The second thing is just... well, retarded. The first thing doesn't fit into the game world, leaves a lot of loose ends, and is not only overdone, but generally delivers less into the story line than leaving the character alive and weaving their suicidal griefs into the story. If you are truly bored with a character, or not enjoying playing them and cannot foresee the possibility of enjoyment, just put in a storage request and let the admins know what's been going on, so if loose ends need to be tied up, they can be.

- Do enjoy yourself. People can tell when you're having fun, and they want to be part of it. This includes admins, since they're people too.

- Organic plotlines are a lot more fun and involving than forced plotlines, so think about ways to just let them happen. But never expect other people to make your fun for you. Including any leaders you might have. Minions relying solely on leaders to make conflict and fun for them is the most burnout-inducing aspect of playing a leader, in my estimation.

- Even if it sounds naive, and you're jaded and bitter and have bad experiences happen to you, try to keep an open mind toward your fellow players and expect the best from the players. However, if something happens that's obviously unkosher, then send in a complaint. Just don't make the complaint about how you don't like how the other person RP'd something. I mean you could, but not being an rp nazi and realizing other people rp differently and still have a place with you will probably contribute to you involving more people and more people seeing you as the 'star' you want to be.

- You don't have to be an emoting genius, but dictionaries, thesauruses and having a wide vocabulary help in making emotes interesting. Reading a lot also helps you broaden your literary skills, and this game is about reading. Good grammar helps, and so does capitalization and punctuation. If you can make the world come alive around you without echoes from admins, people are going to make you a star because they want to be around you, and see what you come up with next. This isn't to say that nod/smile isn't a perfectly valid form of expression-- it is. But from my experience, people are more likely going to want to interact with you if you can convey something along with that nod and smile. Doesn't have to be jaw-dropping 3-liner emotes every time, but a little extra can and is often appreciated by your fellow players, and it makes your character stand out from the background, as opposed to fading into it like many red-shirts do.

[Intrepid]

Hmm...I can't speak for anyone else, but I've always found Arm to be rather charming in that the staff gives me a wide berth to be an indie and lets me make a ton of money as a nobody.  As a veteran player, I've seen the overall play of the game improve, with very few actual objections.  Of those, being a rich nobody has never been one of them.

[Saellyn]

I'm confused, what exactly is a red shirt?

[HavokBlue]

I bet there's a line in the OP that explains exactly what a red shirt is.

[Celest]

For those who want a more in depth explanation

[Talia]

I'm not even supposed to be here. I'm just "Crewman Number Six." I'm expendable. I'm the guy in the episode who dies to prove how serious the situation is. I've gotta get outta here.

[Saellyn]

I'm not even supposed to be here. I'm just "Crewman Number Six." I'm expendable. I'm the guy in the episode who dies to prove how serious the situation is. I've gotta get outta here.

Oh.

I have characters like that too. I have characters who start to take their shirts off, and get ready to suit up, and somebody slices their stomach open and laughs with glee. Doesn't stop me from trying to take that shirt off. One of these days I'll have my suit -under- the shirt.


[Edit for "shirt" typo ^^]

[Intrepid]

Oh my god.  Galaxy Quest! 

I love you, Talia.

[boog]

WL's basically right, and I need to take some advice from that post as well.

[TheBadSeed]

-Lotta stuff..

+1

[Fathi]

1.  What situation are you referring to?
2.  Who are the haves?
3.  Who are the have-nots?
4.  What kind of outreach program?
5.  Can you define "stardom?"

I really hate to just quote Nyr, but I would have a hard time formulating a response to this until I understood what you were talking about, jriley. Are you talking about characters never being able to achieve stardom despite your best attempts? Or are you talking about players never being able to achieve stardom due to being picked in favour of players who are already known quantities?

I guess I'm just trying to decide if these perceived problems are IC or OOC. I honestly can't tell. 

[Armaddict]

The funny thing about WL's post is that it's great.  And it's right.  And it's all talked about as basic guidelines for the game (via the website or staff posts) or common sense for a hardcore, true roleplaying game.