In Game Messages - PBW

[Atrocities]

Here is a message I recently recieved from a player in one of the PBW games I am in. I had sent him a message expressing my dislike of his races actions in regards to destroying an entire system of defenseless women and children.

"You know....Until that message I regaurded & respected you as an elder statesman & strong player of this game.....Does it really bother you THAT bad that I took a wise offensive move in a GAME that seemingly looked like I was going to be attacked soon enough anyway. Can it be you are all talk?...& can't play the game to back it up? Show me!"

I would like to use this as an example to explain to everyone who might have ever taken offense at a message I may have sent to you while playing a PBW game.

When playing games on PBW many of us like to slip into character and role play our part in the game. Sometimes this includes sending angry, hateful messages to other players. Sometimes it includes using deception and or diplomacy. It is all part of playing the game.

When I play I enjoy this aspect of the game more than I should for I really like to slip into character and role play with a degree of realism. Especially when I insult my enemies.

I have to tell you I have authored some very good insults to other race leaders over the years, including but not limited to "we appreciated the amassador you sent to us. Please send more as the last one tasted very good." "You mate will scream my name when she beds you this night." "I shall enjoy eating the heart of your children as you watch."

These are just RPG aspects of the game and should never be taken literally. If you happen to feel that a comment is intentinally directed at you personally, well chances are unless it is, it isn't.

Most players when they want to go out of character will include the standard OOC marker standing for Out Of Character. While others might skip this and carry on as if it were mIRC, most hopefully do not.

So if you ever get a message from me in a game, and it isn't marked OOC - then chances are its just me role playing. So please don't be offended by it. Get into it and respond. Some of the back and forth makes for exciting, if not humorus, reading.

[Renegade 13]

I usually append a note to the end of my messages that could be miscontrued as being insulting to the player not the leader that player is portraying, saying that the attack is at the leader, not the player. Never hurts to be careful.

[Randallw]

Well I wouldn't mind the ambassador or children examples, although I would be uncomfortable with the one about my mate. To be honest I do get angry at opponents sometimes when they are beating me but to voice one example I lost all malice when he told me out of character I made a good opponent and that he was getting bored with the game, just wanted to beat me first.

[Atrocities]

Ya, good players know they are good when everyone starts to send then nasty messages.

[Arkcon]

When I roleplay, I try to do something distintive, for example, using.periods.instead.of.spaces or sCrewy chaptAlizations or spelLings. Or invert verb and object I do, like does Yoda. I figure people realize that way that my sentiments aren't personal.

I remember one game when I described my race as cybogs, with psychic abilities aquired by harvesting humanoid brains. I answered every in-game message by saying only, "Got Brains?"

[capnq]

So far, I've only come up with two distinctive voices.

example...the Mi-Go only capitalize prroperr namez...only uze elipziz forr punctuazion...rrarrely uze conjunczionz...et zeterra...

The Eifralo are gung-ho capitalists; their diplomatic messages always end with a sponsor's advertisement. Have a BLARG and a smile!

[Ed Kolis]

One time I played in an Adamant game as basically a race of script-kiddies (though I may have used the "magical" paradigm for some odd reason)... I wrote all my messages in l33t, seriously ticking off Fyron both in-game and out, and it was unfortunate that "pirates" hadn't been added to Adamant at the time as they would have fit perfectly with my empire's bent, if you get my drift

In CB-Deluxe #1, I'm playing as the Gorons from the Zelda games, and as everyone knows, Gorons end all their sentences with a mumbled "goro"

In Gritty Galaxy 2, I'm playing as the "Protonic Avengers", led by "Captain Proton" (any resemblances to Lt. Paris' 1950s sci-fi hero on ST: Voyager are entirely coincidental ), and I often end my messages with "To infinity and beyond!"

In P&N Syndicate Wars, I'm the Zebesian Pirates from "Metroid", and as such I like to send messages such as "The Mother Brain has considered your treaty proposal and reluctantly accepts."

[TurinTurambar]

I'm glad other people enjoy the role-play aspect too. I don't think I've ever sent a message that wasn't in character. I even edit messages to the AI for my own amusement!

TT