In my observation, player-driven plots (a few of mine, but mostly others') in props in the past 6-9 months have been almost universally turned down. I have not seen a counter-offer made in any recent attempt to run a plot in 'somebody else's world': It's just "No." Sometimes it's "No, that contradicts the wiki" (sometimes the wiki has been modified very specifically after the fact to say "This could never have happened, you've misunderstood" with the result that previous play is effectively retconned) and sometimes it's "No, because somebody else did X." In all cases it results in blocking of a crippling kind: not only is that possible story killed, but people are less likely to consider offering other ideas in future.
I very nearly had a staff-written packet killed by an incoming IC power figure recently, over a misunderstanding about who had authority over what IC/OOC. If the incoming person had in fact had the power they thought they had, they'd have killed my plot, and about 2 months worth of play by as many as 10 people, with a single OOC phrase: 'not in my prop'. It very nearly did happen, and I had to appeal to staff for backup. Fortunately, they backed me. Also fortunately, the prop in question actually belonged to somebody else, whose approach to prop management is "Hey! In my area? Cool! We'll run with it!" Pity, that person has been driven off the game for all purposes now, too. The game could use more people like that person: they took my idea, ran with it, rolled it into the played history, and the prop *evolved* and was richer for it.
That was true of all props in the beginning, when they were mostly names and needed definition. We invented wildly together, then, each building on others' contributions. It is not so, now. The result IMO is stagnation at best; the bleeding away of good players from the MUSH who feel consistently rejected, at worst.
Not all propcos are like this. Some propcos and GMs go out of their way to say "What can we do that would be Awesome for you? What is fun for you?" Benedict is perhaps the genuinely best of these, and has consistently been so. There are other good ones.
I will reiterate that clearly, some players are still enjoying the game very much, and I'm glad for them. I think however on the whole the game has drifted severely off course from "Every character is Awesome", because that implies that every player gets to contribute and help things be Awesome. I realise that is a strong statement to make, and frankly I keep expecting to log in and find an OOC slapdown note from somebody (propco or staff, although I have deliberately named no one) for this criticism. But....when John left the game, he posted something equally critical but less specific on the BB and it was left to stand, so maybe it'll be all right.
In my observation, player-driven plots (a few of mine, but mostly others') in props in the past 6-9 months have been almost universally turned down. I have not seen a counter-offer made in any recent attempt to run a plot in 'somebody else's world': It's just "No." Sometimes it's "No, that contradicts the wiki" (sometimes the wiki has been modified very specifically after the fact to say "This could never have happened, you've misunderstood" with the result that previous play is effectively retconned) and sometimes it's "No, because somebody else did X." In all cases it results in blocking of a crippling kind: not only is that possible story killed, but people are less likely to consider offering other ideas in future.
I very nearly had a staff-written packet killed by an incoming IC power figure recently, over a misunderstanding about who had authority over what IC/OOC. If the incoming person had in fact had the power they thought they had, they'd have killed my plot, and about 2 months worth of play by as many as 10 people, with a single OOC phrase: 'not in my prop'. It very nearly did happen, and I had to appeal to staff for backup. Fortunately, they backed me. Also fortunately, the prop in question actually belonged to somebody else, whose approach to prop management is "Hey! In my area? Cool! We'll run with it!" Pity, that person has been driven off the game for all purposes now, too. The game could use more people like that person: they took my idea, ran with it, rolled it into the played history, and the prop *evolved* and was richer for it.
That was true of all props in the beginning, when they were mostly names and needed definition. We invented wildly together, then, each building on others' contributions. It is not so, now. The result IMO is stagnation at best; the bleeding away of good players from the MUSH who feel consistently rejected, at worst.
Not all propcos are like this. Some propcos and GMs go out of their way to say "What can we do that would be Awesome for you? What is fun for you?" Benedict is perhaps the genuinely best of these, and has consistently been so. There are other good ones.
I will reiterate that clearly, some players are still enjoying the game very much, and I'm glad for them. I think however on the whole the game has drifted severely off course from "Every character is Awesome", because that implies that every player gets to contribute and help things be Awesome. I realise that is a strong statement to make, and frankly I keep expecting to log in and find an OOC slapdown note from somebody (propco or staff, although I have deliberately named no one) for this criticism. But....when John left the game, he posted something equally critical but less specific on the BB and it was left to stand, so maybe it'll be all right.
Reply
Leave a comment