Character Reports: what is the point?

[wizturbo]

I think filling out the character report in the format Nyr suggested will be faster, and feel less like some original creation that needs to be hugged and cherished by staff in order for the leader to feel valued and heard.  In fact, I just used the format today and found it took me about 10 minutes to complete, which is certainly less than my previous character reports that were more unstructured.

If staff take the saved time from not reading character reports, and turn it into more NPC animations for clans, I think everyone involved will be much happier.  After all, I'd much rather my NPC superior get animated and talk to my character ICly about their performance than get an OOC kudos for my character reports.

[bcw81]

If staff take the saved time from not reading character reports, and turn it into more NPC animations for clans, I think everyone involved will be much happier.  After all, I'd much rather my NPC superior get animated and talk to my character ICly about their performance than get an OOC kudos for my character reports.

This right here is not the same thing though. Staff could say 'That's a cool idea, we'll animate the world to help bring it to life' in a character report - then at the same time send down Muk Utep himself to call you an idiot for even contemplating doing that IC.

[Lizzie]

Now that character reports are streamlined and bios have hopped up a few steps in priority, how does the staff want to see bios written? First person? Third person? An OOC explanation of a player's character's life? Or an IC explanation as told to a page/scribe/someone who retells the story?

I feel that not putting explanations for things into my reports might result in my reports being misunderstood or misinterpreted.  Things like:

Report: who/what: Kalilyeah is planning on killing her boyfriend Malik. Where/how: In her apartment with a stabby stick Why: Because he cheated on her.

But the why isn't all that simple. It's a long history of mistrust, with very specific examples that have built up over a period of four years. The recent cheating episode is just the last straw. Kalilyeah isn't a petty PKing twink whose player is just coming up with a justification to add another victim notch onto her stabby stick handle. But if I go all streamlined on this, that's how it'll look. Therefore, a bio entry would be - basically - necessary, where it wasn't before. Before, I would've written a whole paragraph just about the build-up to this right in the character report. Now I feel like I'll need to do TWO reports - one an actual character report, one a bio.

So how do you want the bio written out? Are you sure this isn't going to end up just doubling the staff's work, because now they really NEED to read two sets of info about the same events, rather than needing to read only one, and reading a second one as an option?

[Nyr]

Yeah.  Everyone may need to find some other sources of warmth and fuzziness outside of the request tool.  Staff have a game to run.

Well, that will make less work for staff, but do nothing to keep communication flowing. I think if this is now part of the game it has to be at the least inoffensive. 

It makes less work for staff and players.  Some players have already chimed in about how this new format takes less time.  This is good.  I've read over some of these reports and agree, it is easier to read and takes less time.  This is good, too.  Time has been saved on both sides.  Communication has flowed.  The report has been made.  The things that need to be addressed will be addressed, and there might even be commentary on things that we need to engage on in terms of asking questions, engaging in more dialogue about something from this starting point.

To address an earlier comment:

That said I would remind and counsel you that most people have a real need to feel heard and understood. I know you know that. My point is whatever method you go to has to meet that need.

That is the point of communicating via report.  Don't turn it into a novel and you will make yourself heard by concisely telling us what's up.  We'll also understand you at that point because we aren't forced to wade through pages of material to get to what you are actually saying.  This meets that need; before, we were going way above and beyond any need and players were often going way above and beyond necessary reporting.

It sounds as if a lot of anxiety come back to some acknowledgment of the bios. Can that be addressed?

If there is a lot of anxiety around acknowledgement of bios, then this needs to be understood:

Bios aren't primarily for staff, they are for players.  As such, write them for yourself if you write them at all.  Staff may (and often will) read them, but it is not a requirement that staff read your bio to understand the essence of what you are reporting.  This is icing on the cake.  This is the companion novel to the game.  If you are saying we should comment and acknowledge bios, I am sorry, but no.  If you mean as you indicated later that an automatic icon should pop up if someone accesses the bio, maybe that's a possibility.

Character reports aren't primarily for you, they are for staff.  As such, write them for staff, make them easy to read and understand, and don't clog it.  In return, your needs will be met.

[Nyr]

If staff take the saved time from not reading character reports, and turn it into more NPC animations for clans, I think everyone involved will be much happier.  After all, I'd much rather my NPC superior get animated and talk to my character ICly about their performance than get an OOC kudos for my character reports.

Just a quick note here to say that we tend NOT to do this because oftentimes, IC responses from IC superiors can be provided via request.  Most of the time it's pretty easy to say "yes" or "no" via a short line or two.  This saves time on both sides--you get a response faster, we get the response out faster and don't need to set up an IC meeting (which takes time, and also takes longer to animate than just reply).  This reserves the leader animation for a special event, or an event where they show up and are just "being themselves" and may happen to talk to you--making it cool for you, other PCs, and also more fun to animate in general!  That's not to say it won't happen from time to time, nor does that mean we will avoid animating higher NPCs upon occasion...but those decisions are usually plot-based.  If we are saving time here then we are going to use that for several things:  animations (usually of like-ranked NPCs), plotting (both supporting what you do as PCs and coming up with new ones to drive more), planning (new things don't appear without some work! ), and murdering more PCs enriching the lives of the players of this game.

[Nyr]

Now that character reports are streamlined and bios have hopped up a few steps in priority, how does the staff want to see bios written? First person? Third person? An OOC explanation of a player's character's life? Or an IC explanation as told to a page/scribe/someone who retells the story?

Nergal had some suggestions on it but we haven't officially decided (or really...seen much suggestion from players?) on what else would be good here for standard process.

I feel that not putting explanations for things into my reports might result in my reports being misunderstood or misinterpreted.  Things like:

Report: who/what: Kalilyeah is planning on killing her boyfriend Malik. Where/how: In her apartment with a stabby stick Why: Because he cheated on her.

But the why isn't all that simple. It's a long history of mistrust, with very specific examples that have built up over a period of four years. The recent cheating episode is just the last straw. Kalilyeah isn't a petty PKing twink whose player is just coming up with a justification to add another victim notch onto her stabby stick handle. But if I go all streamlined on this, that's how it'll look. Therefore, a bio entry would be - basically - necessary, where it wasn't before. Before, I would've written a whole paragraph just about the build-up to this right in the character report. Now I feel like I'll need to do TWO reports - one an actual character report, one a bio.

If you've been reporting, or been bio'ing, what is there to worry about?  You've already mentioned your relationship in a previous report (I assume) or in a bio.  If you don't like writing bios, perhaps it was a footnote in a previous report--Kalilyeah is with this guy.  And then in the next report--this guy is a dick, but Kalilyeah is still with him.  And then in this report--yeah, Kalilyeah is going to kill him.   If this is your first report in which Malik is even mentioned, then it's not hard to add a couple more sentences to summarize the "whole paragraph" you mention--even if you've mentioned it before.  Summarize!

Kalilyeah is planning on killing her boyfriend Malik.  They have been "together" for 2 IC years now, but it hasn't been fun.  Mailk has always been a bastard to Kalilyeah, but this last episode in which he cheated on her--that's the final straw.  She plans to stab him with a pointy stick in the apartment and then abandon it. 

I wrote a bio about this titled "Kalil-YEAH, I'M GOING TO KILL THIS CHEATING ASSHOLE" which goes more in-depth about her feelings on the matter.

Are you sure this isn't going to end up just doubling the staff's work, because now they really NEED to read two sets of info about the same events, rather than needing to read only one, and reading a second one as an option?

We shouldn't need what is in a bio.  You should summarize and provide it in the report.  If you are writing your reports in such a way that they don't provide information then we will tell you.

[Lizzie]

Thanks Nyr. It sounds to me that if I simply shorten my previously long-ass reports, but include the same information, I should be fine without feeling unnecessarily obligated to add a bio. I've had staffers thank me for the "entertaining" reports I sometimes write, including insight into my characters' minds. I have enjoyed writing them, so this is a disappointment to me, though I can appreciate why it's better for others.

[Nyr]

If you like to entertain with your reports, there are definitely ways to do so without being wordy.

Title your reports with something humorous.  (Some of you do this.  It is funny.)
Make each section a pun.  (Some of you use puns.  They do prompt giggles.)
Pictures are worth a thousand words.  You could perhaps put in a meme or a gif.

For what it's worth, saying more with less is difficult to do.  I've spent plenty of time on work e-mails, professional ones, that need to be slimmed down--because the end user doesn't CARE about the stuff that I think they do.  Edit, edit, edit, and my half-page e-mail is now 4 lines long.  I've told them what they need to know and what they care about.

[Lizzie]

If you like to entertain with your reports, there are definitely ways to do so without being wordy.

Title your reports with something humorous.  (Some of you do this.  It is funny.)
Make each section a pun.  (Some of you use puns.  They do prompt giggles.)
Pictures are worth a thousand words.  You could perhaps put in a meme or a gif.

For what it's worth, saying more with less is difficult to do.  I've spent plenty of time on work e-mails, professional ones, that need to be slimmed down--because the end user doesn't CARE about the stuff that I think they do.  Edit, edit, edit, and my half-page e-mail is now 4 lines long.  I've told them what they need to know and what they care about.

Ah good then! I was worried you were looking for some sterile fact sheet. So the silly titles and occasional forays into the world of alliterations are still welcome. I still haven't mastered the art of inserting pics - but it turned out I think that my browser's security enhancements simply made it impossible for me to see them, so I thought they weren't showing up for anyone else. I'll have to try that out. But y'all just remember to let me know if you can't see it!

[Nyr]

Unfortunately, I started a post earlier (yesterday) and posted it before I was done with it.  It said something about "cold hard facts", maybe that is where you are getting that from.  I've edited it out because I wasn't done writing that sentence and I don't know where I was going with it.

We want the info.  It can still be delivered in a way that entertains you and/or staff (if you like doing that) as long as it is summary-based, concise, etc.  If you don't really care for that and just want to get your reports over with, good news!  We want less information than you think you need to provide, and you can get back to doing what you like doing!

[Semper]

Bios aren't primarily for staff, they are for players.  As such, write them for yourself if you write them at all.  Staff may (and often will) read them, but it is not a requirement that staff read your bio to understand the essence of what you are reporting.  This is icing on the cake.  This is the companion novel to the game.  If you are saying we should comment and acknowledge bios, I am sorry, but no.  If you mean as you indicated later that an automatic icon should pop up if someone accesses the bio, maybe that's a possibility.

Character reports aren't primarily for you, they are for staff.  As such, write them for staff, make them easy to read and understand, and don't clog it.  In return, your needs will be met.

These two lines really clarifies things for me, and I would suggest the staff try to make it this clear when writing up a guide or summary of this policy. Thank you!

[Barzalene]

We want the info.  It can still be delivered in a way that entertains you and/or staff (if you like doing that) as long as it is summary-based, concise, etc.  If you don't really care for that and just want to get your reports over with, good news!  We want less information than you think you need to provide, and you can get back to doing what you like doing!

This is good. I don't know about anyone else but this made me feel better about things.

[Old Kank]

We want the info.

The thought I keep coming back to when I read this thread is:  Why?  What are you going to use it for?  I'm not trying to be snarky or obtuse, I'm trying to figure out, in terms of staff work, what is the point?  And the follow-up question is, is that stuff really worth the 20, or 60, or 240 minutes per week that staff are spending on it?

For example, one of the Items to be Reported is clan recruitment.  If you're looking to trim the fat, I think you have to ask: Is that really important?  Do staff go review each recruited character's history, or read through the player's account notes?  Or do the staff just make a mental, "okay, cool." and move on?  If that information is actually used for something concrete, why not take the time to write up a script that captures and logs each character's recruitment, and sends a notification to the relevant staff?  That would be more accurate, more reliable, and more timely than PC reports.  The exact same questions could be applied to clan accounts, player activity, player-kills, and probably several other things like item requests and reimbursements.

From reading through this thread, the value in reporting seems to be simply in keeping channels of communication open.  Staff don't want to be in the dark, and players want to have access to the staff.  Those are valuable things, but they also feel like they're exactly what is being curtailed.  That's fine, though - if the importance of reporting is maintaining player-staff communication, and that communication is taking up too much time, maybe there's a better alternative.  An in-game twitter?  A better "wish" system that could be directed to clan groupings (ie "wish kadius" or "wish southern team")?  Allowing ad hoc player-staff meetings within clan groups?  RP counselors who can sit and take time to offer feedback or constructive criticism?  I don't know what the best alternatives are, but I feel like maybe report's time has come and gone.

Armageddon started back when email was kind of a sacred thing, but we're now into the age of smartphones and apps and always-on, 24/7 communication.  Are TPS reports really worth clinging to?

[Nergal]

The short answer is that the information is handy to have. No single member of staff is on 24/7 to watch their clan, or to see wishes, and going through logs would take even longer. So a brief summary from players, one that shouldn't take more than 15-20 minutes to write ideally, really does go a long way toward the effort to coordinate the virtual and NPC reaction of the world.

It helps keeps plots in motion. It is so much easier for a player to write in the report that they would say something to their NPC superior, than to repeatedly try to contact the NPC and wish up for an animation, hoping that their clan staff will be online to know what to say back.

Clan recruitment doesn't need to be more than a name and a brief reason for why they were hired/fired/promoted. A part of the job of storytellers is to monitor their clan, and know who's in it, so yes, it's important. It's more for a mental note, although looking at a character's history doesn't take that long either if a storyteller chooses to do it. The real meat of the report is the last third of it, but even that can be pretty short for most leader PCs on most weeks.

It's easy to deride character reports as "TPS reports", and it's certainly not the first time I've seen that used, but it implies that it is pointless, messy paperwork, when we're really not asking for a lot. Players volunteer more information, and then maybe come to expect that they need to always include more. The fact of the matter is that we can do more with less, and indeed, want to do more with less.

[Rokal]

The short answer is that the information is handy to have. No single member of staff is on 24/7 to watch their clan, or to see wishes, and going through logs would take even longer. So a brief summary from players, one that shouldn't take more than 15-20 minutes to write ideally, really does go a long way toward the effort to coordinate the virtual and NPC reaction of the world.

It helps keeps plots in motion. It is so much easier for a player to write in the report that they would say something to their NPC superior, than to repeatedly try to contact the NPC and wish up for an animation, hoping that their clan staff will be online to know what to say back.

Clan recruitment doesn't need to be more than a name and a brief reason for why they were hired/fired/promoted. A part of the job of storytellers is to monitor their clan, and know who's in it, so yes, it's important. It's more for a mental note, although looking at a character's history doesn't take that long either if a storyteller chooses to do it. The real meat of the report is the last third of it, but even that can be pretty short for most leader PCs on most weeks.

It's easy to deride character reports as "TPS reports", and it's certainly not the first time I've seen that used, but it implies that it is pointless, messy paperwork, when we're really not asking for a lot. Players volunteer more information, and then maybe come to expect that they need to always include more. The fact of the matter is that we can do more with less, and indeed, want to do more with less.

Good to know. I know I personally have a bad habit of putting a lot extra things in my reports, and I should be using biography entries more!

[Barsook]

Question about Bios, is there a "template" for thought based ones.  Like ones about thoughts of events (or people)?

[Zoan]

Instead of bitching me out in a character report response, once, my staff animated my superior and bitched me out.

Way more fun. This gives staff the chance to give that a go if they feel so inclined.

[Fathi]

Nergal makes a very good point about when people are online.

I started filing character reports before they were really called character reports. I'd just send in emails to my staff periodically to let them know what was up.

This was because I presumed the majority of them were USA time zone people since the majority of the playerbase is.

It's good to keep in mind your staff may live on the other side of the world and as such they could potentially miss a lot of shit you do. I found reports really valuable for bridging that time zone gap. It was always great when my staff would go "oh thanks for that, we saw and are already dealing with ___" but very often it was "whoa, the things you miss when you don't play at 3am, thanks for the heads up."

[Nyr]

Character report templates are in.  Please begin using these and let us know what you think. 

Stuff to know in advance:
Character Reports - Leader -- these are for leader PCs; please try to file these weekly.  You're a leader if you have other people reporting to you or you are over them in some sort of leadership capacity in-game.  If you don't need the template, that's fine, but the things in the template would be the things we would like to know.  Please focus on summarizing.
Character Reports -- these are for everyone that is not a leader PC; if you wish to file these, file them monthly.  If you don't need the template, that's fine, but the things in the template would be the things that we would like to know.  Please focus on summarizing.

Other tips:

• If you have previously been filing weekly reports as a non-leader, please transition to a format that updates staff less often.  We'll let you know if you can or should report at different intervals, so ask if you are curious.
• If you have previously been including a lot of IC information in your reports, please transition to summaries of what has happened since the last time you reported.
• Please format your reports.  Wall of text paragraphs are difficult to read.  Similarly, unformatted reports can be more difficult to read.  Break up your text and make it easier for us to read.  This is why we have the templates in the first place. We find headings and titles that are bolded to be easier to process and break up the black on white background that we have on our end of the request tool.
• Summarize.

I did a once-over of reports in the queue.  There are 29 at this time filed from 3/27 up to today.  Of these, about half were from non leaders.  Some of these could be scaled down as they report on a weekly basis.

Things to keep in mind/things that can be learned from the 29 filed:

• At least 5 were right at or over 1000 words, not including replies or added notes by the player.  The length alone requires a lot more reading and processing by staff.  If you are writing something to staff...and it is very long...and you want to know why it hasn't been handled yet...that is probably at least one contributing factor!
• I'd guesstimate that about one third of these have already started using the new suggested templates and have already started trimming down and summarizing things.  Their reports are easier to read because of this.  If you are going to write something longer, please at least use the template and format it so that it is easier to read.
• Do not submit unsolicited logs unless they are going in as an original submission.  In-game, you are part of the story.  Character reports are your book report of the story you were a part of--don't just throw the book at us and tell us to read it, please.

[Saellyn]

Sometimes, for roleplaying situations, the logs are necessary. I know when I was sending reports as

• , I was asked to submit some logs to show that I was actually, in fact, doing things. Because staff were busy or they just wanted to see the stuff I was doing.
  
  I would say, if you want to submit logs, submit a few. Give staff a small taste in your report, like four or five lines. They can actually go back and see these (if they need/want to) in their runlogs, or it can entice them to watch you more later on.
  
  
  But yes. Generally, less is more. My character reports really don't hit 1000 words. I actually don't know an average, but I'd say anywhere from 100-500 depending on what the character is and what I'm doing. I don't like writing fucking book reports. I didn't like it in high school, I don't like it now.

[Nyr]

If you are asked to submit logs, they are not unsolicited.

[Saellyn]

Not what I'm saying. I'm saying it's a good way to show you're roleplaying things when staff aren't there by giving a few lines of what's going on so staff might be more keen to watch you.

I guess that might not be something you guys want, and it's not something that I actually do. It's a suggestion.

[Rolav]

...

• You have to report (and report regularly) to be noticed.
• If you don't file lengthy (or regular) reports, you won't get karma.

...

Q:  Who should report?

A:  Leaders, specifically, on a weekly basis.  Everyone else may report, but weekly reports are not required, and in fact, less-frequent reports are encouraged (a once-per month update would be fine).  If something major happens that needs staff response or notification, feel free to report at that time.

...

So I'm a bit confused here.  Not filing reports at all will keep me from getting karma once time comes up for an account review or whatever?  But then you say that non-leaders may report, implying that they don't have to.

I mostly just want clarification on whether or not reports are absolutely necessary to earn any karma.  That line kind of scared me, since I would very much like to earn at least a point of karma once I hit 6 months.  The only other PC of mine that lasted some time may have only barely made it to that one RL month mark, but he did go through a few interesting things that I suppose could have been worth reporting.

It just kind of sucks because writing out things like that usually necessitates me being in the right kind of mood.  Even when writing up a description and background for a new character, I usually sit around considering ideas and then kind of get a general outline in my head of what I'm going to write before I even actually start writing.  Also, it's best when I have sleep, coffee, and cigarettes, but I guess that's not so relevant here.  Point being, writing something out like that, which has a bit more of a novelish feel to it than just playing the game, can seem a bit intimidating at first.  And with writing up a new character, I usually sit around for like an hour or two at least, rummaging through ideas before I settle on something, and then usually a bit more thinking between that and actually starting to write (at which point it just flows, really).

But reading through some of the stuff in this thread, including the templates in here, does make it seem a bit easier and not as big of a deal to write up a report.  But what about having a character that's, say, relatively not too important, and who I probably don't have anything of real significance to report about?  I guess it would be nice to have some acknowledgement that staff know I exist, and also to show them that I am a part of this world and would like to continue being so.  I've been playing for what, a couple months now, since rediscovering my love for Armageddon?  So yeah, still a fair way to go before I even have the potential to earn some karma.  But if character reports for non-leaders are indeed required to get karma, obviously it's something I'd like to start working on now than any closer to the 6-month mark.

I'm just still a bit confused on whether it is or not, because the couple parts of the OP I quoted up there seem kind of contradictory to me.

[Rolav]

Upon rereading, I'm getting the impression the lines about being noticed and karma were intended as examples of expectations people have of reports, with the implication that they may be inaccurate..?

[Alesan]

I don't write reports. I don't plan on ever having a character that necessitates writing reports.

If that means staff pays me no notice and I earn no karma, so be it.