MAJI
Teh GM
Olympian
Posts: 963
ume kara no oishii senshi, sera amuhetoraite!
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The Cause of Overlap in Mythos.
Overlap is a considerable problem in all online roleplaying games when they become large. This is why I was so surprised to find overlap problems in a game there are only nine player characters. After a considerable amount of evidence fell into my lap, I've come to the conclusion that people are not actually reading character profiles, and if they are, they're not reading them carefully. There's really no excuse for that.
The bulk of the overlapping I've seen in applicants submitted to this game were things that are available on the website. I am not holding anyone responsible for overlapping a character whose information is NOT posted up on the website, but all of the player characters have enough information available to you that you can safely avoid overlap. The overlapping problems I've seen can be avoided by simply reading character profiles.
What Is Overlap?
Overlapping is more than just "Sailor X likes dancing and so does Sailor Y" or "Hoplite A uses water attacks and so does Hoplite B". Overlap can be a positive thing or a negative thing in play. Positive overlap can create kinship, rivalry or dissent in characters who share similar interests, encouraging development and play. In role playing context, a negative overlap occurs when one character directly infringes upon the domain of another (whether they exist yet or not) without the permission of the player and/or the GM. This negative overlapping can create a number of problems:
For a character overlapping the element of a role not yet accepted, it takes away opportunities for a person applying for that unfilled role. For example, if Ares had a special attack that incorperated compulsiveness or a skill that used physical force, he would be edging in on Bia's domain, and any potential Bia applicants would be very much out of luck. For more information regarding special attacks, please see Ryu's post about elemental imagery.
A character who overlaps another character already in the game in this (the negative) way will almost never be accepted outright. This kind of overlap can take away from the originality of both characters. What they do, although intended to make the character more interesting, just makes them kind of boring in the long run. Not everyone can be a dancer, or artist, or bad boy. Not everyone can have a trait that makes them seem beautiful and regal to everyone, or the ability to see the dead.
Some examples of overlap for our current game would include: a character who is the child of a famous person (Rosemary already occupies this position), a military-man (Valdis already occupies this position), an illegitimate child (both Croix, who has a son, and Milo and Noah, who are half-brothers, already have this covered).
Some examples that aren't overlap include: a sex-crazed character (Croix is driven by love not sex, he's had plenty of girlfriends that he didn't go all the way with. he falls in love, rather than in I-Want-To-Bang-You), a whiner (Although Valdis complains a lot, he doesn't really complain about everything in play, he's not a whiney crybaby)
Alright, So, How do I Avoid Negative Overlap?
The best way to avoid overlap, the 100% foolproof way to do that is to read every single profile and everything presented to you on the website. Pay attention to the things you're reading.
If one character is wrapped in bandages like a mummy, you probably should not make your character wrapped in bandages of a different color and think you can get away with it. If another character is going to clown school and wants to become a clown, don't make your character work as a mime or a clown.
If you're not sure about something, contact the player or the GM. You can get ahold of me through message board PM, email or AIM (I am almost ALWAYS online unless otherwise stated--I have no life while at home) and the other players are all available through the message board or AIM/email if they provide it.
Let's say you really want to make a dancer character. The logical thing to do would be to contact me (don't worry, I don't bite. If I don't reply I either forgot to put up an away message--which I do ALL the time--or am preoccupied replying to something else) and ask "Is it alright if I make my character a dancer?" I'll ask you to elaborate. If I feel that the character doesn't infringe too much upon Rosemary, I'll say "Sure, go for it." or even see if we can work something out to relate our two characters. If I don't feel like your execution of dancing is going to work, I will tell you.
The same goes for all other members. If they feel that what you are doing isn't going to work out because of overlap, they will, politely, let you know and ask you to change it.
Things that will not Help You to Avoid Overlap
+Not reading character profiles.
+Saying things like "Yes! This sounds like it's very similar to Hoplite/Sailor X, but it's really not!" in the application. If you say this, it'll draw even more attention to the fact that the two are very similar. This is the primary way to point out that you're overlapping someone else.
+Changing something only very slightly if someone told you you should change it.
+Going to a player other than the one whose character you may be overlapping for help, unless that player is the GM.
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« Last Edit: July 24, 2006, 11:00:23 AM by maji »
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Logged
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Now, I may've been raised to kill, but baby, I was born to dance!
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Go Greek! Mythos!
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