I'll have to say that I have never made a serious effort at role playing games, but I've gotten curious a few times. The first was after I had read most of the Gor books. After the first two or three, I only kept reading them because I had exhausted all the David Weber books, and hoped that John Norman would eventually improve with practice.
At the time, I was enduring the last gasps of a rotten 40 year marriage. Yes, I know I should be flogged for staying with a bad marriage for 40 years.
So, anyhow, the Gor people simply had no communication skills at all, and began yelling at me as soon as I told them that I wanted to be a slave. They started out sounding like Army DI's at boot camp and I eventually just left. Had their approach been more gently instructive ... no that would have required brains.
So later, Second Life came out and I went there but as soon as I got my avatar to function, some jackass walked through and killed me. Well my computer at the time was a laptop with virtually no graphics capability, so Second Life was a bust too.
Well, I would really like to learn more about gaming, if it is going to be around. I know that there are a few people here on BCTS that are like total gaming freaks. Is there a relatively painless way for someone who is not a geek to learn about it?
Gwendolyn
Comments
If your computer is up to the task...
Second Life has a pretty large Gor RP community, although that's not my cup of tea. They also have quite a varied BDSM community, from 'straightforward' submission and bondage to transformation RP to ponyplay.
It's free to get online, but be prepared to spend money getting your avatar to look halfway decent.
Start simple. Start small.
By start simple, I mean pick a system that is so easy to understand it's hard to not understand... pick something so absolutely simplified that it's very nearly insulting to your intelligence. The newest iteration of Dungeons & Dragons is VERY user-friendly and easy to understand -- many of the old school don't like the latest D&D because its entire purpose seems to be to introduce new players to the setting, and not taking into account that there may be players that already know the setting.
By start small, I mean a low number of people. You as a player, someone to run the game, and one other person to interact with along the way in the adventure would be ideal for a brand-new player. Definitely no more than a group of five. And I only say five because the standard adventuring party for most games is... four. Four players (of which you would be one) and a Game Master/Mistress (or Storyteller or Dungeon Master/Mistress).
you could try imvu
its a 3d chat site. Its free (although you have to pay if you want some features, like the ability to make your avi be able to be nude). lots of doms/subs on there, lots of chat rooms dedicated to that lifestyle.
dorothycolleen
IT also begs the question of
IT also begs the question of "Which roleplaying are you talking about"?
Seems like a "duh" question, but there are many different types of RP things.
1. The paper games (Dungeons & Dragons, GURPS, Warhammer40K, Call of Cuthulu, etc.)
2. Online MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) like Maple Story, City of Heroes, World of Warcraft and many more (for a list: http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm )
3. Bedroom RPGs (Cabana boy and Lady, Harem Slave, Cop and Hooker, and so on)
4. Live Action RolePlaying (called LARP) where you create a character and play it out physically here in the real world.
There are groups that do adult bedroom games in a real setting, BDSM and so on. They are not for those who have not been in the BDSM scene for some time, I would advise not going there for a while.
First thing, decide which "class" or roleplay you want. Then investigate from there.
----
May the Stars Light Your Path
Maid Joy
http://i-know-i-know-but.net/
And if you're really nuts...
There are still a lot of MUDs that are still alive and active. They're the granddaddy of MMORPGs and as they're text based, will work fine on even the most antiquated computer equipment. Obviously it helps to research them before diving in and playing - not only the setting / character types / commands, but IIRC (it's been about a decade since I last played a MUD) different MUDs have different balances between fighting (usually NPCs) and chatting.
As I said in the title, it's an option for if you're really nuts, as being text-based, they'll probably only attract the more clued-up computer users (not as pretty / easy to use as the graphics-heavy 3D environments). On the other hand, you don't need to be living next door to the exchange or be surrounded by technophobe neighbours to get a decent connection speed; or have a recent computer with a separate 3D graphics card to get decent framerates.
It's one more option to consider...
There are 10 kinds of people in the world - those who understand binary and those who don't...
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Amusingly...
...combined in parody in at least one scene from an episode of Family Guy:
Lois (wearing a fetish-y schoolgirl outfit): I'm a naughty schoolgirl!
Peter (in bed): I'm a fifth-level paladin with a sword of smiting and +3 plate-mail.
Lois: But a paladin can't use the sword of smiting.
Peter: Oh. Okay, then I'm a black guy!
>.<
Or it was something like that. I can't remember the exact lines, and am too lazy to look for a transcript. ^^;
-Liz, who doesn't need to be told that Family Guy isn't trans-(or anything else-)-friendly, or that it is disliked by someone. And is one of those "total gaming freaks". ;-P
Successor to the LToC
-Liz
Successor to the LToC
Formerly known as "momonoimoto"
If you're curious about...
If you're curious about online gaming, an old classic like Anarchy Online is still running and doesn't require as much in a computer as many of the newer (prettier graphics wise) games, and you can play it - forever (or as long as it's around) for free. (The paid players have a few more 'toys' they can use, but it's only a little unbalanced toward those who pay to play. Over half the players play for free!) It provides a LOT of room for play, and you have to go out of your way to have your character (toon) killed by another player. And, even if your toon is killed, it's automatically "resurrected" at some safe place. The down side - from what you describe - is that playing a "slave" is pretty hard - unless you can find someone to be your "master". It's more designed for individual players/teams.
Other things you can look for are more traditional RPG gaming - online. There are many places you can go to find game - some even encourage new players or let you just "observe". One moderate sized irc network that has a good bit of gaming is irc.otherworlders.org. The owner of that network is a gamer, and runs an old D&D based campaign - and has for over a decade. He (& others there) welcome new gamers.
As others have pointed out, there are also many "Flash" based games - some of which allow some RPGing.
Best luck to you,
Anne
Too old for Gaming
Thanks for all the great responses. I did get Second Life to run again, but it does not look promising; too time intensive, and of what $$ cost? In looking at the vocabulary some of you have used in your responses, I must be living in the Cretaceous age. LOL
Maybe I will just stick with living my life out vicariously through my writing. I've had an extended hiatus from it and almost have a new series pulled together. Fitting all the pieces together is frustrating, and I am tempted to just move ahead without it all being the way I want it.
Thank you all again.
Gwendolyn
* hugs * Don't worry about
* hugs *
Don't worry about it. The Geek Quotient for RPGs is pretty high. I got sucked into D&D back in the very early 1980's (when it was all still brand new) and I never really left. Sometimes I'm on MapleStory, but I don't think I'll reinstall that software.
Hey, that's a good one for TGs. You can play a girl, and you don't have to give them any money. You CAN buy things for extra, but you don't *have* to.
And I'd love to see you in a hijab, and probably learn how to put one on properly. I have a long scarf-like one, but since it came from the Middle East and has that fringe, I think it actually IS a hijab in disguise.
I wouldnt mind having a burqua or the jilbab too. and I'd like to know how to do the veil with part of the hijab.
interesting that he was such an ass to you since (afaik) the Prophet said that it was better for people like us to be changed to who we are than to continue to be gay (or something like that).
Anyhow, just whatever...
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May the Stars Light Your Path
Maid Joy
http://i-know-i-know-but.net/