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14:25, 29th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Player Aliases for OOC Uses

Posted by princessleia4ever
princessleia4ever
member, 25 posts
a girl with ideas
Wed 10 Aug 2016
at 18:42
  • msg #1

Player Aliases for OOC Uses

I've been toying with the idea of improving the OOC community side of my freeform games. In terms of getting players into plotting and sharing fun time OOCly.

I've started wondering if giving players an OOC Alias within the game might be an option. Players would be allowed to choose an alias (doesn't have to match username) for the OOC side of the rp. Under description they could list the characters they play. That way if the player takes a LOA it's obvious what characters will be inactive. Also, I'm wondering if it would clear up the separation of IC and OOC.

A lot of other RP sites use this type of method, so I'm on the fence with applying it here. I know anonymous OOC identity is often part of RPs but with the freeform systemless I just wonder if it would be useful.

Opinions and viewpoints are welcome!
icosahedron152
member, 601 posts
Wed 10 Aug 2016
at 19:25
  • msg #2

Player Aliases for OOC Uses

What you're suggesting there is essentially just another character name for use exclusively OOC. It's an option, of course.

It's only necessary if your players have multiple characters, otherwise their character name can be used IC and OOC as required.

They could even use their user names if everyone agrees to it. What you do in your game is entirely up to you and your players. :)
swordchucks
member, 1248 posts
Wed 10 Aug 2016
at 19:31
  • msg #3

Player Aliases for OOC Uses

You could probably, through carefully assigning groups to the various threads, make the OOC default to the non-character tags.  I haven't entirely tested that, yet.
princessleia4ever
member, 26 posts
a girl with ideas
Wed 10 Aug 2016
at 19:32
  • msg #4

Player Aliases for OOC Uses

Yes, exactly! That is what I'm suggesting. It would separate player from character status. Characters would not post OOCly being confined to IC groups. Player status would be used exclusively for OOC interaction.

What I'm the most interested in is if this option would be a turn-off to freeform players? In my experience, freeform players tend to regularly play more than one character, and unless players reveal what characters they play to others, it all remains more or less a mystery. I'm debating if anonymity is really of value in freeform communities.

I wouldn't want to turn off players.
This message was last edited by the user at 19:33, Wed 10 Aug 2016.
Nintaku
member, 466 posts
Wed 10 Aug 2016
at 19:41
  • msg #5

Player Aliases for OOC Uses

I've been doing something similar for a few years now. When you add a character, you can give them Tags. Usually that's something like Player, NPC, or what have you, but I've been using RPoL usernames. All your characters will share the username Tag, so anyone will be able to see your characters.

On second reading, that may be what swordchucks described, but I'm not entirely clear on that.
icosahedron152
member, 603 posts
Wed 10 Aug 2016
at 20:28
  • msg #6

Player Aliases for OOC Uses

In reply to princessleia4ever (msg # 4):

Depends entirely on your players and your game. If your game is full of intrigue and player characters are pitted against one another, they may not want to reveal who plays which character, whereas if they're all part of one friendly group of adventurers, they might be perfectly happy to do so.

I don't think you can have an answer that works for any game. Ask your players in each game what they would prefer.
EightBitEighties
member, 39 posts
A Blast From
The Past!
Thu 11 Aug 2016
at 03:43
  • msg #7

Player Aliases for OOC Uses

I did something similar way back when in a Robotech game I ran on here. Instead of one long, over-arching storyline, the entire game was episodic. Essentially, I'd post a synopsis of the upcoming story, players would create new characters for those stories, play until the end, and then they'd "retire" the characters while all of that character's XP defaulted to an OOC Name that they went by in the meantime. If a mission came up that they didn't want/weren't able to participate in, there was no harm-no foul and they could save their XP to spend on the next story they elected to be involved with.

Using that model, it helped keep the OOC Clutter from accumulating too much, especially when we moved between Eras or had multiple episodes playing at the same time.
princessleia4ever
member, 27 posts
a girl with ideas
Thu 11 Aug 2016
at 04:05
  • msg #8

Player Aliases for OOC Uses

In reply to icosahedron152 (msg # 6):

True. xD I pretty well figured there was no right or wrong way to go. But there are 'norms' on sites, and as far as my experience has gone, I've never seen OOC aliases stressed or used in games. So, I was just wondering how people view the concept generally. Like you say, it'll likely come down to the players and what they prefer. I haven't actually been actively around rpol until recently, so I'm still sorting out my options as a GM.

In reply to Nintaku (msg # 5):

That's a good idea! I considered using the tags similarly, only listing 'player' v.s. 'character' as a means of separating the two groups. I was thinking more along the lines of allowing players to post OOCly under their alias, so that the characters are reserved strictly for IC.


In reply to EightBitEighties (msg # 7):

I could see the sense of it working if you were doing something on that scale. xD


On the whole...

I think for me, I've dealt with some issues of IC/OOC blurring and it's made me sit down and like ...think about what are ways to build a community atmosphere without connecting players exclusively with the characters they play. Because maybe player John plays character Rex and despite the fact John is an outgoing guy, his character is rough and antisocial. When John tries to interact OOC he treated like he's Rex in the flesh. On the other hand, some players might enjoy the level of anonymity. It's hard for me to balance. Likely depends solely upon the players, which is a broad field of preference.
icosahedron152
member, 605 posts
Thu 11 Aug 2016
at 05:52
  • msg #9

Player Aliases for OOC Uses

In reply to EightBitEighties (msg # 7):

I don't want to poach this thread, EBE, but I'd be interested in hearing more about your episodic play. I tried that once, and after the first 'episode' all the players and characters 'retired', nobody made any more characters, and that was the end of the game. Maybe I could learn from your experience. Maybe Rmail?
facemaker329
member, 6836 posts
Gaming for over 30
years, and counting!
Thu 11 Aug 2016
at 06:34
  • msg #10

Player Aliases for OOC Uses

In reply to princessleia4ever (msg # 8):

Well, personally, for me, a big part of the reason I game is for the social interaction.  The games I'm in use OOC for a LOT of chatter that has nothing to do with the game.  Never been terribly fussed about whether people get my personality and my character's personality confused (and the few times I've been in games where someone with a pleasant personality played an unpleasant character, it became immediately apparent in the OOC thread).

Having an OOC 'alias' for the sake of anonymity sounds suspiciously like basically having another character that I have to use, but be careful to avoid saying anything with it to indicate which character it's associated with.  I honestly don't understand the need for the fuss...so, no, it wouldn't be a feature that would interest me in a game.  Wouldn't necessarily turn me off from the game, aside from leaving me wondering just how uptight the GM might turn out to be if they insisted that I utilize some other identity for the OOC thread.  Could be nothing...could be a sign of a really bad mismatch between me and the GM.
princessleia4ever
member, 28 posts
a girl with ideas
Thu 11 Aug 2016
at 15:12
  • msg #11

Re: Player Aliases for OOC Uses

facemaker329:
Having an OOC 'alias' for the sake of anonymity sounds suspiciously like basically having another character that I have to use, but be careful to avoid saying anything with it to indicate which character it's associated with.


The OOC alias I'm suggesting is the exact reverse. I was saying it would be 100% obvious which player is playing which characters, they would be listed under character description, and a master list of players could be made for reference. The entire idea revolves around removing anonymity. Players would of course mention what characters they were playing, that is the main advantage. Players could use anything for their OOC alias (username, nickname, real name) it would be up to them. On the cast list OOC aliases would be tagged 'Player' and characters tagged 'Character'. So, it would also be apparent how many actual players are in the game, no matter how many 'characters' there are.

Just wanted to clarify. Because I was confused over the idea that an OOC alias was somehow a 'fake' alias that was hiding which characters a particular player was handling/writing for. My own idea is trying to remove the anonymity and question of 'who is playing who'.
facemaker329
member, 6837 posts
Gaming for over 30
years, and counting!
Thu 11 Aug 2016
at 18:22
  • msg #12

Re: Player Aliases for OOC Uses

I appreciate the clarification, as I had misunderstood the intent (that's what happens when your read the OP at 3am and don't respond until the next evening, I guess...)  I'd have to say I'm still ambivalent, at best, about it...in some games, I like people not realizing that my characters are the same player.  In others, I don't care...but in those games, I usually make it pretty clear that I'm playing multiple characters and which ones they are.  It depends, for me, on why the second (or further) character was added...in at least one game, I pointed out the glaring (to me) absence of a niche role, and the GM encouraged me to fill it.  However, the game, at that time, was heavily populated by players with multiple characters, some of them little more than a gender-swap and change of position.  I wanted the niche filled, the GM trusted me to do it, and I didn't want to be perceived as taking additional characters simply because everyone else was...so I consciously try to keep the two characters separate in everyone's mind.  Having an OOC IDdeprives me of one of the ways I do that (and, potentially, defeats it altogether, if there's anything that connectas specific characters to the OOC alias.)

So, it's not even as simple a matter as player preference...it can also depend upon the specific game, too.  If you start the game withthat in place, you eliminate that factor and it does depend solely on player preference...those players who'd prefer not to have it would stay away from the game.  It would not increase the appeal of a game for me, but it wouldn't be a dealbreaker, either.  However, I don't really see the benefit to it.  If players can't make the difference between player and character apparent in OOC behavior and demeanor, I don't know that this would help much.
princessleia4ever
member, 29 posts
a girl with ideas
Thu 11 Aug 2016
at 19:33
  • msg #13

Re: Player Aliases for OOC Uses

In reply to facemaker329 (msg # 12):

Thanks for the input! A lot of what you shared from experience are exactly the reasons I'm on the fence with implanting the idea for my own game. I think from a 'player is going on vacation so their characters aren't going to be active' standpoint, it seems to simplify things in theory. I was thinking in terms of community it might create a tighter knit bunch as well, since the player ratio is a lot smaller than the cast of characters in most freeform games. When it comes to things like accusations of GM 'playing favorites' it might be handy to show that characters are getting equal treatment and it's not based upon favored players. But even in that light, it's doubled-edged. I see where it might seem like certain players are favored just because it's obvious they play a few characters that are connected to big plot points.

I'll likely go ahead without it for now, but leave the concept open to explore, providing the players in my game are okay with the idea. I'm not totally convinced of the pros and cons and how it weighs out. Possibly overkill when all is said and done. Even though I think from a sorting standpoint it might be helpful.
This message was last edited by the user at 19:37, Thu 11 Aug 2016.
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