I happen to agree with all of this. When I ran a game, in addition to all of the emails I sent -- which rarely got answered -- each of my players also got a personal IM prompt between an hour and 15 minutes before each session, giving the channel, the password and fair warning to make their ramen now before we begin. More than one of them also got poked, prodded or sometimes yelled at in DCC when they weren't shutting up or showing up or were running out of bounds with their character.
It took me an hour to make them stop chattering each time. Most of that was because I ran this game at work while I was answering helpdesk phones. From first prompt to actual scene probably took twenty minutes each session. I always expected it and planned accordingly.
I did make sure we had Q&A time before each session, but I didn't start the SCENE with it. I asked "Are there any questions?" and if there was no coherent response, I began yelling for start. I had a prompt to begin each session. "It's ten o'clock. It's pouring outside. The club meeting is starting. Where is your character?" was the usual one. This leaves no wiggle room. Anyone screwing around unduly after that got smacked. Never did I think sitting back and letting them talk themselves out was an option. Ha! One of my players was Kay, who by herself is responsible for at least half of a Trillian log that routinely tops 1MB. Shut up? Good God, these players wouldn't stop talking on their own if you cut their lips off! Without a prompt, they had no REASON to stop socializing.
I was fully aware that if not prompted repeatedly and obnoxiously my players would wander blithely off into the sunset. Anyone who ignored my prompts about important things, like character sheets, did not get to play. People who ignored my prompts about their character's in-game behavior got in-game smackings. Too many smackings and they were smacked right out of play. I threatened to ban people from the channel more than once if they didn't calm down.
When anybody objected to how I was running the game, we worked it out privately. Some of them got what they wanted, some of them didn't. We all realized that the game != real life and while it was occasionally annoying not to get your Hackmaster +12 sword approved for use nobody had a coronary over it. I certainly didn't stonewall and sulk just because someone questioned my call as a DM. I had the option of telling them that it was my way or the highway, because I HAD a way established.
I know this sounds bitchy as all hell, but out of nine people who expressed interest in playing and eight who actually made up character sheets and did, I got five of them semi-coherently through a story before the year ended, and therefore so did the game. This is an excellent rate of attrition for any group RP, tabletop, email, journal or chatroom. None of them are pissed at me for putting my foot down and using a fire hose to herd them like recalcitrant cats.
</semi-rant-mode>
With regards to the yelling in journals thing, Topic-san has been told all of this, except more politely. It won't come as any surprise.
no subject
I happen to agree with all of this. When I ran a game, in addition to all of the emails I sent -- which rarely got answered -- each of my players also got a personal IM prompt between an hour and 15 minutes before each session, giving the channel, the password and fair warning to make their ramen now before we begin. More than one of them also got poked, prodded or sometimes yelled at in DCC when they weren't shutting up or showing up or were running out of bounds with their character.
It took me an hour to make them stop chattering each time. Most of that was because I ran this game at work while I was answering helpdesk phones. From first prompt to actual scene probably took twenty minutes each session. I always expected it and planned accordingly.
I did make sure we had Q&A time before each session, but I didn't start the SCENE with it. I asked "Are there any questions?" and if there was no coherent response, I began yelling for start. I had a prompt to begin each session. "It's ten o'clock. It's pouring outside. The club meeting is starting. Where is your character?" was the usual one. This leaves no wiggle room. Anyone screwing around unduly after that got smacked. Never did I think sitting back and letting them talk themselves out was an option. Ha! One of my players was Kay, who by herself is responsible for at least half of a Trillian log that routinely tops 1MB. Shut up? Good God, these players wouldn't stop talking on their own if you cut their lips off! Without a prompt, they had no REASON to stop socializing.
I was fully aware that if not prompted repeatedly and obnoxiously my players would wander blithely off into the sunset. Anyone who ignored my prompts about important things, like character sheets, did not get to play. People who ignored my prompts about their character's in-game behavior got in-game smackings. Too many smackings and they were smacked right out of play. I threatened to ban people from the channel more than once if they didn't calm down.
When anybody objected to how I was running the game, we worked it out privately. Some of them got what they wanted, some of them didn't. We all realized that the game != real life and while it was occasionally annoying not to get your Hackmaster +12 sword approved for use nobody had a coronary over it. I certainly didn't stonewall and sulk just because someone questioned my call as a DM. I had the option of telling them that it was my way or the highway, because I HAD a way established.
I know this sounds bitchy as all hell, but out of nine people who expressed interest in playing and eight who actually made up character sheets and did, I got five of them semi-coherently through a story before the year ended, and therefore so did the game. This is an excellent rate of attrition for any group RP, tabletop, email, journal or chatroom. None of them are pissed at me for putting my foot down and using a fire hose to herd them like recalcitrant cats.
</semi-rant-mode>
With regards to the yelling in journals thing, Topic-san has been told all of this, except more politely. It won't come as any surprise.