A Meta-Analysis of Magic on LotC

[monkeypoacher 8055]

I'd argue that the issue lies far deeper than the lore. Back in Anthos, magic lore was basically the same, but its practitioners were interested in creating intrigue and entertaining other players. They were typically mature members of the community who had an interest in fantasy literature. This has changed.

 

Having magic be the exclusive specialty of petulant, obnoxious anime characters, who practice magic for the sole purpose of becoming the most powerful combat mage, stifles any chance for interesting magical roleplay. When I broke into the Golden Lance vault on the Event Team world a year ago, I found the SWORD OF HOREN somehow squirreled away in it, and I was distraught, deeply. Despite its deep religious significance to human characters as a relic, despite the endless possibilities for storytelling centered on recovering it, it sat gathering dust in Tsuyose's OOC vault. Apparently, he wrote an event for his Xan clerics to recover it, without the consent or the knowledge of Oren's leaders or, indeed, most of the server. These transparent power grabs have been a constant since the end of the Setherien storyline, and have only gotten worse. 

 

The word "edgy" may be a meme, but it's very good for characterizing the problem with LoTC's lore: Desperate, childish neckbeards who care more about cybering and self-aggrandizement than any sort of narrative complexity. Their personas may not be hooded, katana-wielding assassins, but they share the same crucial trying-too-hard-to-be-cool that kills any sense of depth or majesty. The contempt these people have for the rest of the server is disgusting. Their circlejerk mentality has spread throughout the server and is beginning to kill roleplay like a cancer, which has gotten so awful in its later stages that you can no longer roleplay with the self-isolated cliques that control magical roleplay on the server.

[Norman Osborn 247]

18 hours ago, Tavern_Roleplay said:

I'd argue that the issue lies far deeper than the lore. Back in Anthos, magic lore was basically the same, but its practitioners were interested in creating intrigue and entertaining other players. They were typically mature members of the community who had an interest in fantasy literature. This has changed.

 

Having magic be the exclusive specialty of petulant, obnoxious anime characters, who practice magic for the sole purpose of becoming the most powerful combat mage, stifles any chance for interesting magical roleplay. When I broke into the Golden Lance vault on the Event Team world a year ago, I found the SWORD OF HOREN somehow squirreled away in it, and I was distraught, deeply. Despite its deep religious significance to human characters as a relic, despite the endless possibilities for storytelling centered on recovering it, it sat gathering dust in Tsuyose's OOC vault. Apparently, he wrote an event for his Xan clerics to recover it, without the consent or the knowledge of Oren's leaders or, indeed, most of the server. These transparent power grabs have been a constant since the end of the Setherien storyline, and have only gotten worse. 

 

The word "edgy" may be a meme, but it's very good for characterizing the problem with LoTC's lore: Desperate, childish neckbeards who care more about cybering and self-aggrandizement than any sort of narrative complexity. Their personas may not be hooded, katana-wielding assassins, but they share the same crucial trying-too-hard-to-be-cool that kills any sense of depth or majesty. The contempt these people have for the rest of the server is disgusting. Their circlejerk mentality has spread throughout the server and is beginning to kill roleplay like a cancer, which has gotten so awful in its later stages that you can no longer roleplay with the self-isolated cliques that control magical roleplay on the server.

This all coming from a seasoned Magic roleplayer, I can completely and utterly agree with this. In my honest opinion, Magical roleplay has become some sort of power grab, extremely circle jerked. I remember joking about holy vs. dark being easily to the cold war, with the Democratic Holies and the Communist Spooks trying to stockpile lore and magic. There is definitely a huge gap between the small time conjurers who just want to roleplay as some wizard, and the Arcane-Gods with Archon, Arcanism,Transfiguration, all that. I'm not saying it's BAD to have power, in fact I plan on my own characters getting magic and power, it's about the reasoning. 

 

Your Wizard could be a wise, bearded human in robes in a pointy hat. They could be a racist, vain High Elf in silk. None of that matters with I'm referring to; it's what you intend for your character to do. If you want to hoard artifacts and magic, only giving it out to people who you can get **** wet with on Skype or who can grind the most pixels, Magic isn't really for you. That being said, I am a firm believer in exception with most people. To say that someone is a terrible OOC mage and roleplayer just because they have powerful magics and the Archon race, is the equivalent of saying that someone is an evil person just for being a cis-white middle class able-bodied christian male.

 

end of rant

[Zindran 590]

Moved to The Great Library. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.

 

If you feel this is a mistake, please contact myself or any FM and we'll restore it.