Some people see async as merely a “last resort” when you can’t sync up to play live, but still expect a degree of responsiveness to get the scene done. For example, even back when folks were doing async with LiveJournal or Google Docs, it could be considered rude to let a pose go three days without a response. At that point, it’s not really about syncing up timezones and can start to feel more like the other player just doesn’t care enough to reply, isn’t engaged in the scene, etc. (Or they, aka me, just have ADHD and forgot the scene exists. )

Other people (including those who are influenced by other, slower RP modalities like forum RP, storium, etc.) might not even think twice about going days between poses.

But I’ll admit my reading comprehension could use some work.

I’m perfectly willing to do time-shifted scenes due to timezone or availability conflicts and always have been. That isn’t usually what this is about anymore.

I’m confused. What is it usually about now?

I still remember when continuing a scene meant someone had to manually save a log to a txt file, then post the last couple poses on the continue so people remembered where they at.

God, when I was a kid my mom found a folder where I had like a dozen in-progress scenes from WoD games.

I don’t know why but I feel it’s worth mentioning that while it’s a new(ish) thing in MU-space it’s not new new. It’s a big component of F-List, and it’s before my time but I know there were people doing play-by-post on forums and even over email and fucking Usenet in the 90s.

I still remember when continuing a scene meant someone had to manually save a log to a txt file, then post the last couple poses on the continue so people remembered where they at.

And ‘Timestops’. Nope, no more RP for that character till the scene was done. Whenever RL let everyone get free to finish.

@Prototart said in RP Safari - Pacing Styles:

and it’s before my time but I know there were people doing play-by-post on forums and even over email and fucking Usenet in the 90s.

I remember that stuff when I was in college, and totally remember ignoring invites to join that stuff because I was running a different tabletop group almost every night (or playing video and computer games).

Hey, get a load of Mr. “I had friends growing up” over here.

and it’s before my time but I know there were people doing play-by-post on forums and even over email and fucking Usenet in the 90s.

I remember that stuff when I was in college, and totally remember ignoring invites to join that stuff because I was running a different tabletop group almost every night (or playing video and computer games).

oftentimes it really just literally is “my brain cannot keep engaged in this format.”

You also totally lose the improv element which is part of what a lot of us like about this.

I’ll admit, my dislike of async has been aggravated by people who I fundamentally do not think have had any respect for my time or any interest/engagement in what we were playing. I’m perfectly willing to do time-shifted scenes due to timezone or availability conflicts and always have been. That isn’t usually what this is about anymore.

I just don’t enjoy it as much. It’s just hard for me to stay engaged and keep track of things.

Me too. I have too much going on in my life (family, work, gaming, etc) to be able to pay enough attention for async. I honestly believe that the only way I could enjoy it would be if I stopped doing lots of other things that heavily ate my focus, but then if I’m just dedicated to playing one game and focusing on one async scene to the detriment of everything else, why am I playing async to begin with?

oftentimes it really just literally is “my brain cannot keep engaged in this format.”

Yeah that’s me. I’m not judgmental about async. I just don’t enjoy it as much. It’s just hard for me to stay engaged and keep track of things.

@howyadoin said in RP Safari - Pacing Styles:

@Prototart said in RP Safari - Pacing Styles:

Asynch: It’s like you and a friend swapping poses over @mail because their dick game is completely and totally insane

No one - and I mean no one’s - dick game is good enough to suffer through async.

Async is better than no sync sometimes. Some people are worth the effort and the patience.

fwiw, i really don’t want to frame this whole thing as a matter of just having patience, or some people “not being good enough” to async with.

oftentimes it really just literally is “my brain cannot keep engaged in this format.”

+Scene Pacing Stats+

Current Average Pacing: 13 min / pose. 
Slowest Current Scene: 22 hrs 11 min / pose
Fastest Current Scene: 6 min / pose

Could you make it blank or unknown, if you will, and require the field to be set before it can proceed? I don’t know if that’s implementable, nor how easy it would be, nor whether it would be worthwhile.

On web you could, but I think it would annoy people. And so many scenes are started from the client just by doing scene/start; it would definitely be annoying to try to require a pacing parameter there.

Making the default “Unknown” will give better fidelity when it IS set, but then most scenes will just be Unknown. So that’s not super helpful either.

Could you make it blank or unknown, if you will, and require the field to be set before it can proceed? I don’t know if that’s implementable, nor how easy it would be, nor whether it would be worthwhile.

+==~~~~~====~~~~====~~~~====~~~~=====~~~~=====~~~~====~~~~====~~~~====~~~~~==+
Total Scenes: 13

Scene Pacing
Traditional.........12....(92.3%)
Asynchronous........1.....(7.7%)
+==~~~~~====~~~~====~~~~====~~~~=====~~~~=====~~~~====~~~~====~~~~====~~~~~==+

The stats should be taken with a grain of salt since many people don’t bother changing the pacing from the default (Trad), but I don’t really see a good way around that.

Minutes between poses is too easily skewed by outliers (one slow guy tanks the whole scene even though everyone’s mostly posing around him).

Making the default “Unknown” will give better fidelity when it IS set, but then most scenes will just be Unknown. So that’s not super helpful either.

I dunno. Just something to play around with.

@Pavel said in RP Safari - Pacing Styles:

@Prototart said in RP Safari - Pacing Styles:

I got it and I’m not even that smart.

I spent yesterday genuinely upset because of something someone on a sex game said about me, it is what it is.

If you wouldn’t go to them for advice, you needn’t accept their criticism.

@Prototart said in RP Safari - Pacing Styles:

I got it and I’m not even that smart.

I spent yesterday genuinely upset because of something someone on a sex game said about me, it is what it is.

@howyadoin said in RP Safari - Pacing Styles:

No one - and I mean no one’s - dick game is good enough to suffer through async.

You gotta find better dick, there was this guy who played Nightwing who We simply have different lived experiences.

@Prototart said in RP Safari - Pacing Styles:

Asynch: It’s like you and a friend swapping poses over @mail because their dick game is completely and totally insane

No one - and I mean no one’s - dick game is good enough to suffer through async.

Async is better than no sync sometimes. Some people are worth the effort and the patience.

Asynch: It’s like you and a friend swapping poses over @mail because their dick game is completely and totally insane

No one - and I mean no one’s - dick game is good enough to suffer through async.

This really doesn’t have to be this hard.

As MUSHers, it is our job to make everything as difficult as possible, Faraday

I got it and I’m not even that smart.