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Adopt-A-Noob
My Suggestions For The Treatment of Noobs on RP's
A member on this RP was kind enough to send me a very nice helpful hint yesterday in a PM. Since I joined the Wobbly on June 4, 2013, that is the very first PM I've received offering any tip or advice.
This came from a member I have not RP'd with, which makes it that much more novel. He also kindly offered to help me further with a few lessons.
This was priceless to me. Here is the tip he gave me:
QUOTE
Just for future reference, when something… unusual like what happened, it’s best to just make an OOC post on the discussion thread letting everyone know what’s up

That is what a friend does, when they see someone floundering in a new environment, they lend a hand.
It can be very intimidating to walk into a new medium of play. You’re not sure how it’s done, rules are ambiguous or abstract in your mind before you know what they mean in practice. You walk in knowing you will make mistakes and hoping those you RP with will give you a little guidance.
If you are actually RP'ing with a noob and they are messing up, they don't know it unless you tell them they are. If you keep ignoring their mistakes, never saying a word except how much fun you are having, that noob is going to be making the same mistakes three months later when they try to RP with someone else and then wonder why everyone is suddenly jumping on them.
Here is a good example of what I am saying. Here is the rule:
QUOTE
Do not take control of another person’s character. For example: ‘Thirsty Hair-Back picked up Myelfindil and slammed him to the ground’ = NO. ‘Thirsty Hair-Back reached out to pick up the annoying elf, hoping to slam him to the ground’ = OK. Then Myelfindil’s player can decide what happens to him. Best to PM the other player or arrange it in this thread if you plan to pick a fight, though. (This actually falls under number 1 be courteous, but I thought it deserved further mention
I read this before I ever stepped onto the boards to post. How do I as a noob see/understand this?
To me (as a noob) it is saying you ( I ) can't harm another player without their permission. Well, I didn't have to worry about that, my characters are almost pathologically non-violent, they'd never attack another player.
This is what I am talking about ambiguous and abstract. I didn't know it meant anything other than stated.
Then is this taking control of another character? I still don't know, 3 months after writing the below:
My character walks into the room and the other person is helpless on the floor, sweating, puking, has diarrhea, and is covered in it. QUOTE
She went back to Abiene's room and all but carried her into the other guest room.
Eyja stripped Abiene's clothing off and helped her into the tub, then soaped up the sheet square and scrubbed her briskly with it. She lathered the soap in her hands and gently bathed the sweat and vomit from Abiene's hair with it, then heated the ewer water and poured it over her.
She glanced through the dresser and found a cotton robe that she patted Abiene down with; then yanked back the sheets and helped Abiene into the bed and gave her another potion for her stomach, a very strong healing potion and one to restore her magicka.
In my noob mind, I am helping the person that made themselves helpless on the floor; really couldn't think of what else to do. Was I taking control of that person? I still don't know.
** If nothing is said to a noob when they make an error, they will never know they made it; and they will keep making it.
** There is no way to justify getting angry at a noob for doing something they were never told was wrong; especially if you have RP'd with that noob.
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If you see a noob make an error on the RP, it is obvious they need guidance. Someone RP'ing with that person can give them a gentle heads up, but if no one does then
it is up to the Host to provide guidance.
1.
Never discuss it with anyone but the noob themselves.
2. Be kind.
3. Explain what the error was.
4. Suggest constructive ways to fix it.
The most courteous way for anyone to let a noob know they are in error would be to PM them when you first see the error. If you let it go repeatedly, the error becomes habit to the noob because they don't know it is wrong.
The reason I suggest PM's rather than raking them over the coals on the Discussion thread:
1. Because it is respectful of them
2. Because it is what a friend would do, and that is what we are supposed to be to each other on this site.
No one likes to be called up on a board and have their error displayed while they get chewed out by an angry mob while they are STILL left in the dark as to what exactly they did wrong.
When you make public any issues of error with a noob, call for new rules to be made due to their posts, etc - You create an environment of drama. If only one person is in error, they should absolutely be dealt with in a PM only. The noob should not be drawn before all the other members for an error, the Host has a duty to the members not to disrupt the whold RP over one member's mistake.
We should all know what it's like to be new, though some tend to forget how it is to step into a new environment for the first time. Noobs need the help of the experienced role-players. Lend them a hand. If you are not willing to do that, then any anger at them if their mistakes continue is unjustified.
Role-play is supposed to be a fun form of escape for you and your fellow players. It should never, ever be stressful or full of unwanted drama.
This thread says it was set up for everyone at Chorrol, and that is going to include some noobs. The thread welcomes them in, make sure they continue to feel welcome by helping them learn.
Train up your noob in the way they should go.
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