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- Joined
- Jan 13, 2016
- Location
- Canadia
I'm about to dominate the fuck out of this thread with a ridiculous post but I like to think I'm a good authority on this kind of thing. I've been an admittedly OP player, and have had to work around the issue of making a mary sue and then changing them to be believable and less fucktardedly overpowered and derpy.
There are a lot of complex issues to address here and the major problem is that a lot of god mode players won't improve because they get a lot of eye rolling and general distaste. This makes unskilled players, which are usually young, defensive and gives them a "You can't tell me what to do" attitude, meaning that they're just going to keep doing what they want to do because fuck your opinion. What you need to do is not argue with these people but guide them in a parental fashion. If you try to guide them, show them all the patience in the world and they're still egregious shits anyways, then you can tell them to go fuck themselves.
While immaturity isn't 100% of the problem, it is a large contributing factor. Some people never get told they're wrong, or they get told in a way that makes them discount someone elses opinion as pure bullshit. I think it was George Carlin who said that the best way to get people to think about what you said is to get them to laugh with you. Barring that, at least be patient and tell them what they're doing wrong instead of saying "You're doing it wrong" and leaving it at that.
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One major problem I have personally had with marketing my own "God mode" characters, which is to say "Characters of mine who are excessively skilled or powerful in some way" is that I marketed them as an... "After Story Product". Generally, what I mean by that, is that I'm marketing him as though his story was already done and he's already hit level 100 and has all the skill points and feats and perks and spells and whatever. It's kinda like the argument that Harry Potter is a Mary Sue cause "All the special stuff happens to him".
Go look at any major character in almost any media at the end or far into their story (Some good examples are basically any Dragonball main character, Harry Potter character, Most anime protagonists, Video Game protaganists) and then read through their list of accomplishments and abilities. Seems pretty OP and God Modey doesn't it? It's cause it is, and for good reason.
This isn't necessarily the case in regards to characters that are new, just ones that are older and have this whole pre-written backstory like most of mine do.
People don't really understand that there is build up. They don't like to think about the characters they play as being three dimensional because, in a lot of cases, they use this as an escape to get away from thinking of themselves as three dimensional, or they just want something that's easy and not too difficult to think about. This is why cyber sex and pure smut scenes are so popular, because they're easy and don't take a lot of thought. Instant gratification, like Reality TV or Pop Music.
-----
Let's try to quantify this by looking at it like this: Batman vs Spider-man vs Superman
Batman's popularity is similar to that of Chuck Norris. He's a force of will. He's a human who is practically superhuman, is insanely smart, has money out the ass and has done everything. He can whip up an antidote to space aids while singing Carmen, all the while dodging bullets with a broken leg. He's got a batcar, a bat plane, a bat chopper, a bat bike, a bat mech, a bat sub, a bat sandwhich and a bat sidekick. He's everything most people wish they could be, OP for a 'good' reason and lots of people like that he broods and doesn't take shit from no one. Punches bad guys, fucks bitches, isn't afraid of anyone.
Spider-man's popularity, conversely is that he's the exact opposite. Super smart, but kind of a huge dork. Randomly stumbled into his powers by accident and capitalized on them to try and help people, but before he thought it through all the way, he realized that lots of people might get hurt because of him so he has to lead a double life to protect the people he loves. He has web shooters, gets around in one of the most awesome ways possible, is a sarcastic smartass, and is very repeatable and human. He doesn't have lots of money, he doesn't fuck all the bitches, but he lives a fairly respectable life and tries to be the best he can be.
Superman, in his original incarnation at least, had insane amounts of power and could literally just come up with them on the spot to deal with whatever bullshit he had to do so that day. He has a double life so he can live like a normal person, but then has to fly out to rescue everyone. His main villain, as far as I am aware, is Lex Luthor who is basically his exact opposite (In all honest, Luthor is basically villainous megalomaniac Batman who loses all the time). Superman is the ULTIMATE PATRIOT! and will NEVER GIVE UP JUSTICE! That's where his popularity stems from. He's a wish fulfillment mary sue that was used as propaganda to perpetuate the narrative that yes, America IS the land of the great. Look at our super hero, isn't he amazing!
Batman didn't start off amazingly talented. Spiderman didn't start off amazingly powerful. Superman did. Is it any wonder why Batman and Spider-man are probably the most popular of the three?
----
On this subject, I am guilty of making particularly powerful characters. I tend to put them in roles that are suited for them however, as in the case of "Powerful characters" intent can be everything. It can mean the difference between a game breakingly powerful character who makes no sense in context, or, a character who fits into the story and has a particular use that allows their abilities to be made useful or rational in the setting.
Some examples of my characters are:
====
Mason Eugene Seymour. He's a pact maker that has a high amount of magical power thanks to a deal with the devil and his studies of magic thereafter. He has to kill people to feed his contract, and runs a gang as a result. He has a cult that empowers him, but he's not the top dog in his city. He still has to respect "The Secret" and if he steps out of line, more powerful people will find him and hurt him. He's one of those BMX kids who drinks a lot, parties a lot, fucks around a lot.
Daniel Horatio Carver. He's an ex-Special Operative from the US Military. He's retired, but works for various supernatural forces. He's got more scars than common sense, drinks like a fish, and just loves to fight. He has some abilities that make him hard to put down, but he's a cocky jackass who's looking to die. He enforces "The Secret" and is one of the guys who deal with people like Mason when they fuck up. He's wealthy, fairly skilled and whatnot. Reading his past exploits is like reading a report on "How to be a badass" and he is a braggart of course. What guy isn't?
Carmina Avali. Cyborg, sorceress, transhumanist. She's trying to make herself into something better than man and machine. In 'future' scenarios, she's literally confined her personal body to a massive space station but can create Warframe-like bodies in her own image that she can shift her consciouness into. In her "Modern" era self, she's a dorky mage who's studying robotics and magic. In her "Future" era self, she's basically the Ellimist on crack. OP but I don't use her becfause she's op. I just think it's a neat idea.
====
Okay, so, back to the original point.
The why of it stems to what is easy, misinterpretation and many players not understand that what they're doing, in a certain setting, could completely destroy someone Else's enjoyment because of their heavy handedness. It's wish fulfillment, it's easy, it's mindless self indulgence.
There are a lot of complex issues to address here and the major problem is that a lot of god mode players won't improve because they get a lot of eye rolling and general distaste. This makes unskilled players, which are usually young, defensive and gives them a "You can't tell me what to do" attitude, meaning that they're just going to keep doing what they want to do because fuck your opinion. What you need to do is not argue with these people but guide them in a parental fashion. If you try to guide them, show them all the patience in the world and they're still egregious shits anyways, then you can tell them to go fuck themselves.
While immaturity isn't 100% of the problem, it is a large contributing factor. Some people never get told they're wrong, or they get told in a way that makes them discount someone elses opinion as pure bullshit. I think it was George Carlin who said that the best way to get people to think about what you said is to get them to laugh with you. Barring that, at least be patient and tell them what they're doing wrong instead of saying "You're doing it wrong" and leaving it at that.
-----
One major problem I have personally had with marketing my own "God mode" characters, which is to say "Characters of mine who are excessively skilled or powerful in some way" is that I marketed them as an... "After Story Product". Generally, what I mean by that, is that I'm marketing him as though his story was already done and he's already hit level 100 and has all the skill points and feats and perks and spells and whatever. It's kinda like the argument that Harry Potter is a Mary Sue cause "All the special stuff happens to him".
Go look at any major character in almost any media at the end or far into their story (Some good examples are basically any Dragonball main character, Harry Potter character, Most anime protagonists, Video Game protaganists) and then read through their list of accomplishments and abilities. Seems pretty OP and God Modey doesn't it? It's cause it is, and for good reason.
This isn't necessarily the case in regards to characters that are new, just ones that are older and have this whole pre-written backstory like most of mine do.
People don't really understand that there is build up. They don't like to think about the characters they play as being three dimensional because, in a lot of cases, they use this as an escape to get away from thinking of themselves as three dimensional, or they just want something that's easy and not too difficult to think about. This is why cyber sex and pure smut scenes are so popular, because they're easy and don't take a lot of thought. Instant gratification, like Reality TV or Pop Music.
-----
Let's try to quantify this by looking at it like this: Batman vs Spider-man vs Superman
Batman's popularity is similar to that of Chuck Norris. He's a force of will. He's a human who is practically superhuman, is insanely smart, has money out the ass and has done everything. He can whip up an antidote to space aids while singing Carmen, all the while dodging bullets with a broken leg. He's got a batcar, a bat plane, a bat chopper, a bat bike, a bat mech, a bat sub, a bat sandwhich and a bat sidekick. He's everything most people wish they could be, OP for a 'good' reason and lots of people like that he broods and doesn't take shit from no one. Punches bad guys, fucks bitches, isn't afraid of anyone.
Spider-man's popularity, conversely is that he's the exact opposite. Super smart, but kind of a huge dork. Randomly stumbled into his powers by accident and capitalized on them to try and help people, but before he thought it through all the way, he realized that lots of people might get hurt because of him so he has to lead a double life to protect the people he loves. He has web shooters, gets around in one of the most awesome ways possible, is a sarcastic smartass, and is very repeatable and human. He doesn't have lots of money, he doesn't fuck all the bitches, but he lives a fairly respectable life and tries to be the best he can be.
Superman, in his original incarnation at least, had insane amounts of power and could literally just come up with them on the spot to deal with whatever bullshit he had to do so that day. He has a double life so he can live like a normal person, but then has to fly out to rescue everyone. His main villain, as far as I am aware, is Lex Luthor who is basically his exact opposite (In all honest, Luthor is basically villainous megalomaniac Batman who loses all the time). Superman is the ULTIMATE PATRIOT! and will NEVER GIVE UP JUSTICE! That's where his popularity stems from. He's a wish fulfillment mary sue that was used as propaganda to perpetuate the narrative that yes, America IS the land of the great. Look at our super hero, isn't he amazing!
Batman didn't start off amazingly talented. Spiderman didn't start off amazingly powerful. Superman did. Is it any wonder why Batman and Spider-man are probably the most popular of the three?
----
On this subject, I am guilty of making particularly powerful characters. I tend to put them in roles that are suited for them however, as in the case of "Powerful characters" intent can be everything. It can mean the difference between a game breakingly powerful character who makes no sense in context, or, a character who fits into the story and has a particular use that allows their abilities to be made useful or rational in the setting.
Some examples of my characters are:
====
Mason Eugene Seymour. He's a pact maker that has a high amount of magical power thanks to a deal with the devil and his studies of magic thereafter. He has to kill people to feed his contract, and runs a gang as a result. He has a cult that empowers him, but he's not the top dog in his city. He still has to respect "The Secret" and if he steps out of line, more powerful people will find him and hurt him. He's one of those BMX kids who drinks a lot, parties a lot, fucks around a lot.
Daniel Horatio Carver. He's an ex-Special Operative from the US Military. He's retired, but works for various supernatural forces. He's got more scars than common sense, drinks like a fish, and just loves to fight. He has some abilities that make him hard to put down, but he's a cocky jackass who's looking to die. He enforces "The Secret" and is one of the guys who deal with people like Mason when they fuck up. He's wealthy, fairly skilled and whatnot. Reading his past exploits is like reading a report on "How to be a badass" and he is a braggart of course. What guy isn't?
Carmina Avali. Cyborg, sorceress, transhumanist. She's trying to make herself into something better than man and machine. In 'future' scenarios, she's literally confined her personal body to a massive space station but can create Warframe-like bodies in her own image that she can shift her consciouness into. In her "Modern" era self, she's a dorky mage who's studying robotics and magic. In her "Future" era self, she's basically the Ellimist on crack. OP but I don't use her becfause she's op. I just think it's a neat idea.
====
Okay, so, back to the original point.
The why of it stems to what is easy, misinterpretation and many players not understand that what they're doing, in a certain setting, could completely destroy someone Else's enjoyment because of their heavy handedness. It's wish fulfillment, it's easy, it's mindless self indulgence.
I will only be fine with it if we discussed what is going to happen and he just has my character follow his, or whatever!
