As Above, So Below is a play-by-post RPG based on the Dragon Age series of video games. Play takes place during the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition as our characters navigate cutthroat politics, tumultuous relationships, and the looming threat of a sky torn asunder. Set in a world of dark fantasy, we explore mature topics while crafting thoughtful and compelling plots focusing on OC stories with minimal canon involvement. We're an advanced RP for those who are comfortable with creative writing. 18+, 3/2/2, Faceclaims optional.
RollForBluff
ADMIN
Space Cowboy
MODERATOR
Billie
MODERATOR
PLACEHOLDER
MODERATOR
Announcements
Timeline extension - the site's timeline has moved forward. Read more
here.
Post by RollForBluff on Aug 19, 2018 0:04:18 GMT -5
Should canon characters be allowed?
Yes, as reward for contest winners. - Seasonal contests will offer the ability to play a canon character of the winner's choice as part of the reward.
Yes, but not as a player's first character. - Once your first character has been established, you're welcome to apply for any canon character that hasn't already been claimed.
Yes, as NPCs only. - I will implement a drop-down menu when you post in the RP section of the site that will allow any player to use an NPC profile and post as a canon character that can be shared by all players.
Yes - Players can apply for canon characters even if they're brand new to the site.
No - As it says on the tin: canon characters simply shouldn't be allowed outside of passing reference.
No, if they're necessary, the admin or a mod can play them. - The admin and mod team can handle playing all canon characters if they become integral to a plot.
Feel free to discuss the options below. The Poll will close on September 9, 2018. The winning vote will be implemented after that time.
Edited Sept 10, 2018 14:00:19 GMT -5 By RollForBluff
Post by dragontartare on Aug 21, 2018 18:57:11 GMT -5
I voted for "no, can be played by mod if necessary" in order to:
-keep characterization as consistent as possible. The more people write for a character, the more inconsistent their portrayal will be, even if the writing is all good quality.
-try to prevent people from becoming resentful if they don't get to play their favorite canon character, or Varric is not written the way I would write him said favorite character is not written the way others see them
-prevent people from writing canon characters as their character's bestest friend in the whole wide world
That said, if it becomes too much extra work for the mods, I could accept people sharing canon characters as NPCs when strictly necessary for the plot. I don't think anyone should be able to claim a canon character completely for themselves.
I voted for "no, can be played by mod if necessary" in order to:
-keep characterization as consistent as possible. The more people write for a character, the more inconsistent their portrayal will be, even if the writing is all good quality.
-try to prevent people from becoming resentful if they don't get to play their favorite canon character, or Varric is not written the way I would write him said favorite character is not written the way others see them
-prevent people from writing canon characters as their character's bestest friend in the whole wide world
That said, if it becomes too much extra work for the mods, I could accept people sharing canon characters as NPCs when strictly necessary for the plot. I don't think anyone should be able to claim a canon character completely for themselves.
*waves at Dragon*
Hey, welcome to the site!
All good points. I'd be in favour of only staff, who are trusted with the character, posting as them, not anyone.
Great point about people writing as if the npc is their best friend
Sure they should be! But since they’re canon we need the player to commit to a certain amount of posts per month.
This is not going to happen. Imagine how unfun it would be to play a character with a post quota. It could also artificially inflate the number of threads on the site because canons need to post in plots that make sense, and when they don't happen to find any in a given month, they'll need to start new threads just to meet the quota. Just not a good idea.
I do understand that if a person adopts a canon they will need to be consistent with replying to posts and going where the plot needs them to go, but I'd sooner implement an activity check and put the character up for adoption if its OP was inactive or something.
Edited Aug 21, 2018 20:35:28 GMT -5 By RollForBluff
I voted for "no, can be played by mod if necessary" in order to:
-keep characterization as consistent as possible. The more people write for a character, the more inconsistent their portrayal will be, even if the writing is all good quality.
-try to prevent people from becoming resentful if they don't get to play their favorite canon character, or Varric is not written the way I would write him said favorite character is not written the way others see them
-prevent people from writing canon characters as their character's bestest friend in the whole wide world
That said, if it becomes too much extra work for the mods, I could accept people sharing canon characters as NPCs when strictly necessary for the plot. I don't think anyone should be able to claim a canon character completely for themselves.
You make some great points here. I don't want to vote in the poll myself because I'm pretty open to any of the options, but I lean towards the NPC approach for a couple reasons:
—A lot of people (myself included) are uncomfortable with having the sole responsibility of writing a canon and doing it justice. If Cowboy, myself, and any future mods are in charge of playing the canons, it could put on a level of stress that isn't strictly necessary. That said, this is my site and I would happily play any canon characters *if* it made sense in a given plot.
—I'm going to try my best to curate a community of skilled writers here. If a character application receives an approval, it means I trust the character's owner enough to do the canons justice. I do see your point about inconsistency despite quality, though. Maybe we could implement a mini-application to apply for the ability to use a canon as an NPC? So two or three players can share a canon instead of every player on the site.
Just spit-balling. We don't need to stick specifically to the poll. I just thought it was a good jumping-off point.
Edited Aug 21, 2018 22:14:22 GMT -5 By RollForBluff
I voted for strictly admins/mods playing canons when necessary, but I don't hate the idea of mini-apps. I just wouldn't want it to fall into a weird important/not as important dichotomy where the canon characters are driving 100% of the story. Obviously they're important, but if I wanted to watch Solas save the day I'd boot up the video game. I want to craft unique characters and bounce them off of y'all's characters and put together our own story that doesn't focus on pre-establish BioWare characters.
Post by RollForBluff on Aug 25, 2018 17:33:00 GMT -5
So based on user opinion, it's likely we won't be allowing canons for play here. I'm going to leave the poll open just in case anyone else wants to chime in. I'd still like to hear from more of you before I make a final decision.
so, i'm new here but i'm not new when it comes to role playing, especially canon characters. i believe that people should be given the option, but it's something that they should earn. i like the idea of a contest winner because it gives them the opportunity to play one if they wish, but also doesn't pressure them to feel like they need to do so.
i, personally, really enjoy playing a canon character. once upon a time, i played solas and it truly made me happy because it forced me to think from a different perspective.. but i digress.. i'm not trying to appear selfish in any way, i simply believe that the opportunity should be there, but definitely earned in some way. i also really like the idea of members establishing their first character before going after a canon one, that would prove their loyalty and commitment to the site/their characters.
if not a contest, perhaps a test of skill? who plays the character the closest to the perceived canon? if that was the case, the staff could be the judge? because i don't think that it's fair for the staff to assume the rolls of the canon, it would simply be too much stress on them.
i apologize if this sounds like anxious gibberish.
Post by RollForBluff on Sept 1, 2018 6:15:15 GMT -5
I think those are fair points, but I've already said I'm pretty open to anything. There are still a fair few members who haven't voted, but it seems unlikely that we'll have canons at this point.
I know meghansolo is really against canons, but we never really went into detail about the specifics of what that means. Billie, dragontartare, and Space Cowboy also voted against, but I want to pose this question:
What if canon characters were allowed (whether played by one person or as an NPC shared by two or three players), but only to be used to facilitate site-wide plots that are agreed upon by the staff and players beforehand? So like, we decide it would be cool to have Cullen acting in his capacity as commander during the siege of Haven—he's played in only that thread and only to provide a plot anchor for the other players?
What if canon characters were allowed (whether played by one person or as an NPC shared by two or three players), but only to be used to facilitate site-wide plots that are agreed upon by the staff and players beforehand? So like, we decide it would be cool to have Cullen acting in his capacity as commander during the siege of Haven—he's played in only that thread and only to provide a plot anchor for the other players?
Alright, imma get up on my soapbox and explain why I am so vehemently against canons...
To me, the scales of pros and cons for user played canons just aren't equal. They never are and never will be. The pros are only this; a person gets to play a canon and some people will get to interact more frequently with that canon. The potential cons are this; they become a site focus despite the mods' best intentions, people vie for their attention, some disagree with how someone is playing a canon, the person who plays the canon leaves suddenly, and all plots for that canon role stagnate and need to get picked up by someone who might need to be evaluated and who might not even have an interest in those plots, it puts extra stress on the admin to fill these rolls and fill them well, and it also requires them to keep a keen eye on how the players are playing them and how frequently they're playing them. It adds work and stress to the admin team for very little added benefit to a site. It also has great potential to bring toxicity to a community. Naturally, this might not ALWAYS happen, but it does frequently and can - so why engage in the potential of it, rather than avoiding it outright?
The only instance that I am ok with canons is the one mentioned above - the NPCs act as pillars and mouth pieces to get the plot moving, utilized ONLY by mods, in ways that all mods agree. They're used infrequently and are limited to announcements and succinct appearances in event threads to keep things moving. In this way their characterization is limited, and we only see them fulfilling their professional duties rather than personal ones. There's little to contest, and it's clear that their presence is a strictly utilitarian one.
We all get that Secrets, Forces and Connections likely report to their corresponding advisers, and frankly I'm ok with player characters briefly mentioning these relationships so long as they're shallow and business only and no one is cullen's right hand man or something, etc. It's also worth mentioning that we're a very small community, and if half or even a 1/3 of people disagree with the notion...it's more than worth considering against it.
Post by dragontartare on Sept 1, 2018 14:09:04 GMT -5
I agree with Meghan. If a canon must briefly show up in a professional capacity to advance the story, then they can be played by the mods collectively.
I do have a question relevant to Mathras, though. Since he is one of Solas's agents (and I got that idea from the wanted ads) then is it ok for him to receive perfunctory written orders from Solas? Or can I have him report to Solas off-screen, so that I wouldn't actually be writing for Solas?
I agree with Meghan. If a canon must briefly show up in a professional capacity to advance the story, then they can be played by the mods collectively.
I do have a question relevant to Mathras, though. Since he is one of Solas's agents (and I got that idea from the wanted ads) then is it ok for him to receive perfunctory written orders from Solas? Or can I have him report to Solas off-screen, so that I wouldn't actually be writing for Solas?
I would limit direct correspondence to other agents as much as possible (e.g. A chain or network of elves that pass along information), but I'm fine with the occasional passing reference. If there ends up being a plot that you want to explore that deals more heavily with Fen'harel's plans directly, just message me or the other mods and we can work it out.
Edited Sept 1, 2018 14:21:39 GMT -5 By RollForBluff
I agree with Meghan. If a canon must briefly show up in a professional capacity to advance the story, then they can be played by the mods collectively.
I do have a question relevant to Mathras, though. Since he is one of Solas's agents (and I got that idea from the wanted ads) then is it ok for him to receive perfunctory written orders from Solas? Or can I have him report to Solas off-screen, so that I wouldn't actually be writing for Solas?
I would limit direct correspondence to other agents as much as possible (e.g. A chain or network of elves that pass along information), but I'm fine with the occasional passing reference. If there ends up being a plot that you want to explore that deals more heavily with Fen'harel's plans directly, just message me or the other mods and we can work it out.
What about a wolf appearing to me in my dreams who relays orders? I know not who is this "Solas" you speak of.
(I.e. I'm too lazy to switch accounts on my phone again, but I want to make sure this would be ok since the wolf would be Fen'Harel )
)