QuietAmerican

D-Day: Flame War's over, man. Sleestack dropped the big one.

Bluto: Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

Otter: Germans?

Boon: Forget it, he's trolling.

Bluto: And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough...
[thinks hard]

Bluto: the tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's Troll!
[runs out, alone; then returns]

Bluto: What the frak happened to the Forums I used to know? Where's the spirit? Where's the guts, huh? This could be the greatest thread of our lives, but you're gonna let it be the worst. "Ooh, we're afraid to troll with you Bluto, we might get banned." Well just kiss my @ss from now on! Not me! I'm not gonna take this. Sleestack, he's banned! ShoNuff, Banned! BafflingBeerMan...

Otter: Banned! Bluto's right. Psychotic, but absolutely right. We gotta take these forums. Now we could do it with conventional posts, that could take years and cost millions of influence. No, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid flame be posted on somebody's part.

Bluto: We're just the trolls to do it.

D-Day: Let's Troll!.

Bluto: *Let’s TROLLLLLLL*!

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all threads are created equal, that they are endowed by their OP with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are freedom of speach, freedom of press and the pursuit of truthiness. (As long as it adheres to the City of Heroes Forum Guidelines less you be banned!)

The worst flame that ever happened to me was on Christmas. Oh, God. It was so horrible. It was Christmas Eve. I was 9 posts old. Me and Cuppajoe were reading the forums, waiting for Sleestack to post an opinion. A couple hours went by. Sleestack didn't post. So Cuppajoe checked the log. No activity. Christmas Day came and went, and still nothing. So the other mods began to search. Four or five days went by. Neither one of us could eat or sleep. The Forums were falling apart. The trolls started to post. Their jokes were aweful, so I went to try to light up the fire. That's when I noticed the smell. The flamers came and broke through the chimney top. And me and Cuppajoe were expecting them to pull out a dead cat or a bird. And instead they pulled out Sleestack. He was dressed in a Santa Claus suit. He'd been climbing down the chimney... his arms wrapped around a laptop. He was gonna surprise us. He slipped and broke his neck. He died instantly. And that's how I found out there was no Santa Claus.

Trolls, very dangerous. You go first.

Here is just a few

CULT: Dark City A man struggles with memories of his past, including a wife he cannot remember, in a nightmarish world with no sun and run by beings with telekinetic powers who seek the souls of humans. (Fun Art Deco Scifi)

DRAMA: The Last Picture Show Introducing Jeff Bridges, Cybil Shepard, Randy Quaid: A group of 50's high schoolers come of age in a bleak, isolated, atrophied West Texas town that is slowly dying, both economically and culturally. (well done slice of life drama)

DOCUMENTARY: Visions of Light Great Cinematography of 20th century. (If you love movies, you'll love this doc.)

CLASSIC: Lawrence of Arabia (Amazing! Just amazing. If you haven't' seen it. Do so.)

Foreign: La jetée Source for 12 monkeys, a 1962 French time travel movie told mainly through still photography. (Just a gem of a movie)

I wish I could tell you that Sleestack posted the good OP, and the trolls let him be. I wish I could tell you that - but the City of Heroes forums is no fairy-tale world. He never fed the trolls, but they kept on posting. Things went on like that for awhile - forum posting consists of routine, and then more routine, followed by a scoop. Every so often, Sleestack would show up with a fresh thread. The trolls kept at him - sometimes he was able to flame 'em off, sometimes not. And that's how it went for Sleestack - that was his routine. I do believe those first two threads were the worst for him, and I also believe that if things had gone on that way, this forum would have got the best of him.

Interesting topic.

Here's my 2 cents, probibly posted already by others but what the hey...

1. Find like minded RPers. Although you can have a hell of a good time RPing in a PUG generally its not going to go anywhere

2. Don't be the center of attention all the time. Some of the best RP experiences I've ever had was being a support character. Not every x-man is Wolverine, and not every member of Justice league is Superman. Sometimes just being there for an event, being one of a crowd will make another player feel special. Its ok. It'll be your turn someday.

3. Take missions personally. If you are a leader of a group, even a PUG, take the missions personally. Make them your own. Tell the other players what's going on. Make them feel like they are helping you with your mission. Repeat the written dialogue in your own voice and give them a reason to pay attention. You'd be amazed how many great PUG's I had when I did this. People do really get into it.

4. Don't try to do everything at once. You don't need to do an entire story arc all at once. Think of this game as a comic book. Some people will read every issue, some will just read one. Either way, you can make each moment special by achieving small steps in your character arc. then...move on to number 5.

5. Keep a blog of some type, so if people do get into your arc, you can point to a source where they can learn more about what your character is about. They can keep up with you, and pick up your story at a later time. ((YES this is very Marry Sue and not everyone wants to read your sappy stuff, but some will, and it might spark them to be creative soon you will have 5 or 6 people doing the same thing then bing! Its a supergroup with a deep history and stories to share)

Here are a few examples of Chat Logs that were edited into stories, showing how we took existing missions and turned them into our own compelling stories. ((Yes they are very Marry Sue again, but interesting in example))

Check out the chapters, Judgmental Eyes,through Hell's Highway. They are edited chat logs broken down into short chapters.

Also check out this great take on one of COH's famous Villains that our supergroup took down in RP style. Of Vengeance and Martyrdom Again it is edited chat logs, so you can see how the chat worked out in RP

Name: The Artful Dodgers

Currently Recruiting:


[1]accepting new members
[2]looking for other players/SGs interested in RP
[3]wanting to let others know you exist, etc.



RP Level: Generally, we are Story Driven Role-players. We accept all levels of role-play, from beginner to advanced.

Theme/Concept: Go ahead, ask yourself...

* Are you a teenager who's one step away from joining a gang or villain group just to get by?

* Do you wish there was a place that understood your Special needs?

* Perhaps you want to become apart of something bigger?

* Or do you just need a warm place to stay and some company along your way.


When teens develop meta-powers, they face many risks. Oftentimes these dangers leave them in need of rescuing from their own lives.

Does this sound familiar to you?

We're not just another group-home or community out-reach center offering an empty plate full of good intentions, because we know what it really means to be at risk.

We're your peers.

Come Join Us!

The Artful Dodgers
Home for Wayward Meta-Teens
Celebrating our Third year as a super-group on VIRTUE!


Become a hero! The first life you save maybe your own!

Never played with him, but it is a loss non-the-less.

Verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry' cool!

Great stuff! Hope to see you out there!

... it stares at you... stares... stares...

I know you want one.

Last time the Jets meant anything.



Its been a while...



so sad.

Actually, now that the Jets have gotten this far, I'd love to see them cream the Colts, just Cuz.

You know you play in a week conference when the Jets make the Championships.

There is The Artful Dodger's BASE TOUR on our home page. Enjoy.

I'm happy for walk! Yahoo! But...

I must post my favorite walk in a game...

Race Walker


.

That's right! September 23rd markes the 3 year since the birth of one Virtue's greatest teen-angst supergroups!

Great characters!
Great Role-play!
Amazing Stories!
Amazing Friends!

I love all of you!

For anyone out there who's ever played with any of our Gang thanks for the RP!

... and for anyone who hasn't, what are you waiting for? Come find us and have fun!

Thanks virtue!