In reply to Brianna (msg # 41):

I couldn't agree more! And thankfully, I haven't run into this a lot here on RPOL, which is why I do appreciate the community more than anticipated. Which is not to say that I anticipated not enjoying it, just that I think I may hAve had a bit of a skewed view of the overall community, whether here or rl, etc.

I do not have a lengthy rtj process, but I have one. Only a few short questions to find out if they are familiar with the system/background. Then one or two questions about the kind of character they are looking to play. Once I did not listen to my gut and let a person in anyway, bad choice. The character did not want to "play nice" and quickly was on the nerves of every other player. Shortly after the game started it fell apart.

To me, the rtj is MY indicator of who is familiar with the setting/system. It allows me to tailor my posts for the players allowing for the "best" understanding.


Say your playing Fallout with a someone who has never played the game before. You mention Ghoul. Someone who is only familiar with D&D will have a different idea of what a Ghoul is vs someone who is only familiar with the Fallout versions.

I was looking at a game the other day that expected a full character sheet (for a moderately complex game) and background before you'd be considered for admittance.  I kind of wanted to play, and I talked to the GM a bit, but I just don't think I have it in me to put that much effort into a maybe.  In a vacuum for what's meant to be a team-based game.  Especially considering I've not seen the GMs that want to have a lot up front having any greater staying power than the ones that don't.

By all means, GMs should do some initial vetting to make sure that they're bringing in players that have similar goals and desires to them, but you can do that with something that takes the player ten minutes to put together instead of several hours.

Agree with this whole-heartedly. I don't ask for a lot in my RTJs, just real simple information about character concept and their gaming experience in a specific format. I also include information about what not to include (e.g., completed character sheets, etc.) and use the RTJ itself as an indicator of whether the player can read and follow basic directions.

I view the RTJ kind of like a job application. It is a screening tool (one of many I use) to help determine which players might be the best candidates to increase odds of the game being successful.

Yeah, that's the same way that I look at it as well when I'm running games here.

My own RTJ process seems to be fairly unique on RPOL, so I think I'll share it.  I do my RTJ process in stages.  The first stage is fairly typical and asks for the basics about a character concept, has a handful of "get to know you" style questions, and asks the applicant to list a handful of different things in order of importance as related to their fun factor.  The second stage requires the person to respond in character to a scenario that I've written so that I can get a better feel for their character idea and their writing.  Last, I ask for more details about the character and provide a primer of questions to help the applicant figure out what sort of details I'm looking to find.  I do an evaluation at each stage of this process and decide whether or not I want to pursue this applicant's admission, so I end up saying no or yes at different points for different applicants.

This process can take up to a week, but I don't think that's a bad thing.  It cuts up the requirements into more bite size chunks that aren't quite so cumbersome at the forefront of things.  It also helps to prove to me and the player that each of us is going to be around for more than a post or two.  I've had many applicants send in stage one and then seemingly vanish from RPOL and never reply to my reply to their first message.  Doing things in stages helps me dodge what I think of as "quick-drops" that apply for the sake of applying and then vanish almost immediately.

I don't run games, here or elsewhere, but if I did, I'd want a writing sample.  Perhaps a short character background, or an paragraph answering a question (to see if they can/do read) but something.

I hate that. I cannot tell you how often people who seemed to enjoy my game just up and vanished. Then later I found them active posting in another game. No explanation.

People have NEVER followed directions IMO.

Peer into the Crystal Mirror of Al-Hazared, and behold, as the dark shrouds of long forgotten events are swept aside like cobwebs in some ancient Stygian tomb, and we look waaaaaaaay back into the misty depths of Time (like sixteen years ago).

See that sprightly, young, fresh-faced GM with his vaguely familiar (and beardless) features, as he uses another site to create an Amber DRPG game, his first foray into the world of online gaming.  Watch as he  puts up an ad requesting  deep, multifaceted, lovingly-crafted charactes, rich in detail and brimming with their own subtle plots and cunning plans.

Observe as he waits a couple of days, then excitedly opened the first RtJ, eager to discover what joys and wonders it contains...

That was it.  Four words.  No punctuation, no upper case "I".

Marvel as, undeterred, he patiently requests more detail.  Feel the thrill of victory which must surely blosson in his breast as, two days later, he gets it...

Weep, weep for that fledgling GM my friends...

True story.

LOL. So why did you invite him to Rpol, Ron? I'm sure that guy's applied to one of my games. ;)

Sometimes I wonder how we summon up the stamina to carry on...

Talking about RTJ's, I often don't actually use the request as an actual request, if that makes sense. IE, most games the only way to send a mail to the GM is through the RTJ.
I usually try to discuss a character concept before I jump into a game. Not because I'm not willing to be flexiblw, but usually I am looking for a game to play a specific character concept, and would rather know if it will fit before filling everything in.

My bad, I put in one liner rtjs and if the idea gets accepted I flesh out the background the next day.  But, if the rtj requests a writing sample, I will do one, I can't say how many gms never reply to my one liner requests, but I do know that I reply to all requests to my games and have been pleasantly surprised by them.

I'm starting to lean towards the request to join simply being about the player and not necessarily about their characters.

My current RTJ:

Welcome welcome! All players are starting at level 1
We are using the 15 point ability purchase system from the pathfinder srd.
Maximum race is 10rp, no custom races or modification.

To join, tell me a few things about yourself:
1: How familiar are you with pathfinder?
2: Which race do you enjoy playing?
3: How often do you post?
4: How often do you expect your fellow players to post?
6: How often do you want the gm to post?
7: (optional) Which other games are you in?
8: Which game system is your favorite and why?
9: How do you feel the GM should handle the rules?

This is a team game, characters are worked on with your fellow players, you will be added to the game under your RPOL name until your character is fleshed out.

In reply to karuoun (msg # 55):

Other than the point buy amount being a little low for my personal taste, I think that that is an amazing RTJ!

It looks like that,  but from experience it makes race choices really matter, each member of the team gets to truly shine because they have to specialize, I really enjoy the lower amount, and my players are having fun with it.

I like seeing how creative they are when their stats don't fix all their challenges for them
This message was last edited by the user at 13:05, Sat 03 Sept 2016.

All we RPOLers who are not "found" in the RPOL Chamber of Lost Souls have been following directions.

There's a difference between RPoL policy and GM policy

I was going to say, I'm not in the lost souls...

Is there? Why?

In reply to icosahedron152 (msg # 61):

The main difference is that while GMs are required to comply with RPoL's rules, they are also free to add as many additional ones as they want, and enforce them within their own game.

In reply to karuoun (msg # 54):

You know, that is not that bad an idea. Half of my rtj is just to help the player get a general idea for a character, and to test the waters and make sure there are no immediate problems. The first time I ran a game, I had noticed it was mainly people who complained about my rtj that I had problems with.

In reply to bigbadron (msg # 62):

I meant why should people think they can ignore GM policy to a greater extent than Rpol Policy?

The consequences of ignoring a single GM's policy is much, much less than ignoring RPOL policy.  I'd imagine that's most of it.

I'm sure you're right - which is what I suspected.

Unfortunately, this indicates that many people follow policy for fear of the consequences rather than respect for the policy...

That's how people work. Otherwise we'd replace cops with teachers and give people lectures when they misbehave.

I know this is going back a ways, but this comment baffles me - not because it's a bad idea, but because 100 words is such a small amount. You can only list facts in and demonstrate an ability to construct a comprehensible sentence in 100 words, pretty much, so there is next to no room for style. I could understand 200, but if I received a character concept only 100 words long, I'd be wary. I want the special snowflakes to preen their feathers in their RTJ. Then I know not to add them to the game.


Sharpe's Tiger @ 109:
Richard Sharpe avoids the tyrannical Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill and endeavours to rescue a British officer from under the nose of the Tippoo of Mysore.

But in fleeing Hakeswill, Sharpe enters the exotic and dangerous world of the Tippoo. An adventure that will require all of his wits just to stay alive, let alone save the British army from catastrophe.

Soldier, hero, rogue – Sharpe is the man you always want on your side. Born in poverty, he joined the army to escape jail and climbed the ranks by sheer brutal courage. He knows no other family than the regiment of the 95th Rifles whose green jacket he proudly wears.

Magician's Gambit @ 123:
Many thousands of years ago, two prophecies came into being and a moment was fixed, when only one would determine the future. This moment, a clash between the maimed god Torak and the descendant of the Rivan king, is approaching . . .

Garion, was brought up as a farm lad but is now beginning to understand the extent of his part in the prophecy, and working hard to control his sorcerous power. He is travelling towards this meeting in a sinister tower where the evil god lies sleeping. With him is the wise sorcerer Belgarath. And Ce'Nedra - a wilful young princess who refuses to believe in sorcery., but is terrified that Garion will die in the coming confrontation . . .