Character Descriptions - CRB?

[returner]

So what are the limits of character descriptions? I'll give some examples to get the discussion flowing.. give us your opinion on what -should- be there.

I'd like to hear from the staff as to what they've been told is acceptable.



(physical)"She has blue eyes and brown hair, and a small scar on her arm."

(detailed physical)"She has blue eyes and brown hair, and a small scar on her arm, from a battle many years ago that she fought in."

(very detailed physical)"She has blue eyes and brown hair, and a small scar on her arm, from a battle many years ago in Cantr City that she fought in, which did not end well for the town."

(detailed personal and physical)"She has blue eyes and brown hair, and a small scar on her arm, from a battle many years ago that she fought in. She has a peculiar personality, she can be lovely at times but sometimes she becomes very sad and cries for days on end."

(very detailed personal and physical)"She has blue eyes, from her spawnmother, and brown hair - short, from when she cut it in 1800. She has a small scar on her arm, from a battle many years ago that she fought in (roughly 2010). She has a peculiar personality, she can be lovely at times but sometimes she becomes very sad and cries for days on end. This is because she was abused when she spawned by a person called Bob"

[Cdls]

Returner, there is a basic description of what is and is not allowable in the link below the box to enter the info. To make it easier though, I will just paste it here:

The character custom description box is provided as a convenient means for players to relay character information to other characters in their location. Use of this box is a privilege, and can be revoked by the Players Department if abused.
Allowable information:

* Character's body attributes (height, girth, hair color, scars, etc)
* Greater detail of clothing or jewelry (her boots are unlaced, his sleeves are rolled up, etc)

Information/behavior that is not allowed:

* Anything that breaks the CR
* Anything that can be contradicted by the game mechanics (wearing clothing you don't own, etc)
* Exploitation for the purpose of invisible communication between characters (descriptions are logged)
* Unrealistic changing of attributes (red haired man robs town, changes hair to blue after escaping to avoid identification without role-playing a dying process, etc.)

Grey areas:

* Things that can be contradicted by character actions. It would be wrong to put that your character is sleeping under a bush when they're active. If you do this, you need to be vigilant about updating your descriptions as necessary.
* Things that can be contradicted by future implementations. Mechanics always trump RP, so if your character puts in their description that they have a tattoo, and tattoos are later implemented, they would need to get a real tattoo to justify the description. The best way to judge if something will be implemented or not would be to check the suggestions forum (be sure to do a search first before posting again). If you do choose to risk descriptions like tattoos, etc, the gaining of said attributes should be role-played, not magically endowed.

Please exercise good judgment when using this feature. You can report descriptions in violation of these guidelines with the button provided.

[AlchemicRaker]

As I understand the rule...

(physical)"She has blue eyes and brown hair, and a small scar on her arm."

(detailed physical)"She has blue eyes and brown hair, and a small scar on her arm, from a battle many years ago that she fought in."

(very detailed physical)"She has blue eyes and brown hair, and a small scar on her arm, from a battle many years ago in Cantr City that she fought in, which did not end well for the town."

(detailed personal and physical)"She has blue eyes and brown hair, and a small scar on her arm, from a battle many years ago that she fought in. She has a peculiar personality, she can be lovely at times but sometimes she becomes very sad and cries for days on end."

(very detailed personal and physical)"She has blue eyes, from her spawnmother, and brown hair - short, from when she cut it in 1800. She has a small scar on her arm, from a battle many years ago that she fought in (roughly 2010). She has a peculiar personality, she can be lovely at times but sometimes she becomes very sad and cries for days on end. This is because she was abused when she spawned by a person called Bob"

Maybe I'd say...


"Describe the physical, and perhaps habitual, details of your character, as though being viewed by an unbiased stranger.

Cheers
- Natso

[Idriveayugo]

He has a huge wang.

CRB?

Act like you are shocked I said this.

[Misato]

*shocked* OMG!

My opinion...not a CRB... *shrugs*

[Turtle_jay]

I know this does stop a lot of fun with editing appearances later and RPing them, but might I suggest that the appearances be permanent once set?
It would stop the whole 'changing what you look like' thing for theifs and murderers.
Just an idea....

[EchoMan]

I think we should be able to change them for RP reasons. E.g. If you get bonked on the head by someone you should be able to add a scar on your forehead to your description. Or even a wound which heals until it becomes a scar.

[Piscator]

To get back to the topic, everything but the first description seem inappropriate. (I'm agreeing with Natso there.)

As a rule of thumb, don't put anything in there you wouldn't emote.

[Doug R.]

As a rule of thumb, don't put anything in there you wouldn't emote.

Yes, it's really not a difficult concept. Common sense, people, common sense.

[SumBum]

As a rule of thumb, don't put anything in there you wouldn't emote.

That was going to be my reply when I saw the topic title. It is a simple concept but I'm sure PD will be busy with people who put in the extras that aren't visible traits.

[Marian]

To get back to the topic, everything but the first description seem inappropriate. (I'm agreeing with Natso there.)

As a rule of thumb, don't put anything in there you wouldn't emote.

I think a clarification like the one Natso posted is really necessary though, and there needs to be more emphasis on it being a physical description only. I've come across people who really do emote their thoughts, and there are probably more who wouldn't be able to resist/wouldn't know any better that to put in the wrong kind of details in a description.

Most MUDs I've played that take RP seriously have as required reading a detailed explanation of how to write a description, including good and bad examples, and there's people who still don't get it. Turn everybody lose with just vague guidelines and you're going to be getting flooded with reports.

[the_antisocial_hermit]

I think people should also think about it like:

If a character has a scar (like in the example) from a battle long ago, and the description says specifically that it's from a battle long ago.. where's the mystery? What fun is there in knowing where it's from already? What is going to prompt another character to ever ask about that scar (other than the player wanting to know more about the war)?

It's much more mysterious and fun to have a "deep, jagged scar across the upper arm" with no more information, so that people can either see it and form their own speculations, or ask about it and maybe spur some interesting RP.

[Snake_byte]

I agree completely with Natso and Piscator. You see someone, you do not atuomatically know something about that person. You can guess but in the end it's just a judgment until they tell you something about themselves.
I have scars but you wouldn't exactly be able to know what they're from or when I got them when you met me...

@ Yugo, Not a CRB But still may be reported due to abusive content...

[Doug R.]

I added Natso and Piscator's comments to the guidelines.

[Cdls]

I think it should be allowable to change as needed, as long as it remains consistent with the CR. Sure, there are gonna be the dumbasses who throw stupid crap out there, but those people can and will lose their rights to use this feature.


Common sense people, as already stated. If there are any questions about appropriateness, send an email to PD and we will be happy to assist.