Posting Order: Gift or Curse?

[Yolanda Riona]

Having this mentioned in the shoutbox had me consider putting up a topic like this. Note that this is all just speculation at this given time. The only other staff member I've talked to about this is Links, so this isn't necessarily something that will change. I just wanted feedback from members.

How do you feel about posting order? Are there certain circumstances that call for it and others, not? If you could, what would you change about the rule?

[Jack-the-Hedgie]

As I mentioned in the Cbox, the posting order is a good thing for dramatic moments that everyone should get a chance to participate in. Random, less plot heavy banter, like what's going in LBC, can work with or without it. With it, everyone is allowed a chance to say what they have in mind without having the same three people post amongst themselves and change the topic, but without it, though, the conversation moves along faster, and no one's pressured to make what they say count, as otherwise, they would have to wait a week or two before they can speak again.

Really, what I often do in other RPs, depending on what's going in in them, is just post after everyone's had their turn, but let them post in the order they feel like. If a change to the posting order rules was absolutely needed, though, I'd just make it so that the people in each thread decide if they want to post in order or not. That way, no one has to play in a way they dislike.

[Nokame]

I think this is the best idea to speul out of a forumers lips.

[Sonic]

Some situations need it to be fair, and they have the 3 day time limit on them. The problem comes from more than one person in a row using up their time limit in a high-traffic thread. XD

But for casual RPs its nice to just react when your character actually would do so sometimes. It would also help keep from getting a character stuck somewhere.

[Viper]

I believe in combat its needed to be in a set order, simply causes everyone should have the fair chance of getting whatever they want to do in (etc, fight, flight, etc).

In a NON-combat topic I follow the rule generally post when you have something that your character has something to say to. If your character is not going to do something verbally or physically that might invoke a reaction, then no point in posting it. If you are thinking of a past event cause of something someone might had said, you still don't need to post it till your character is going to say something about it. This leads the problem I have is that sometimes my character doesn't have anything to say... so I don't post. A posting in battle is almost needed for fair play in combat but outside I believe decide a pace and go with it.

An idea might be for the topic start to start how they plan to move, fast pace, a few seconds between posts and the entire party (especially if all the players are on at the same time) and want to make major movement in one day, to a 'Please everyone wait for everyone else to post' type of speed, where one round between all the players takes a week. I don't mind whatever speed the topic goes at so long as its agreed upon by the players who are in the topic.

[Shadow]

I pretty much agree with what's been said, except for one thing.

I agree that a posting order is necessary in combat, but what about spectators who are unaffected by the combat, or even people who aren't even in the same place as the combat (like in The Beginning of the End)? I find it annoying when fast-paced combat has to be interrupted to wait for people who aren't actually involved in said combat. I agree that the combatants should definately follow a posting order, but I think it would be more prudent to skip unaffected noncombatants.