Dear Kat; A Double-Header At Last!

Two for one today! This is actually more the format I had hoped to follow when originally putting this blog together; but alas, not quite enough questions yet to do so with. In the meantime, however – a couple of questions that touch upon one of my favorite activities ever: making alts!

An anonymous reader asks,

Dear Kat,

I’m finding it harder and harder to keep an alt. Every time I try to create an alt; I end up deleting it! I can’t find a character concept that I like because I always end up going back to my main character, with her wonderful personality quirks and all. Is it bad that I’m one of the only roleplayers I know who can not keep an alt? What advice would you have on that? Should I simply stick to my main?

Sincerely, a reader.

 

Dear Reader,

There’s nothing wrong with that at all! Some of us have far too many concepts we love; and not enough time in the day to play them all. And some of us live on the opposite end of things; where just one, favored character gets all of our energy, enthusiasm, and attention. I’m actually a little jealous of the latter! Goodness knows I’ve been prodded more than a few times by people who wish I could just focus my creative energies and pour it all into one or two ‘main’ characters.

Ultimately, if one character is all that gets you up and running for some RP – then don’t feel bad about sticking to it! I’m willing to bet all of that focus has made her something any altoholic like myself would be proud to have in our crowded stables.

~Kat

And Lord Rael asks,

I RP on WoW a lot, among other places, and I see a lot of people who break lore very badly. Some of it I can tolerate, some of it I can’t, but that’s not my issue. If you’re caught in the middle of a fight between a lore-hound and a lore-bender, how do you reconcile it? I recently tried to introduce two of my friends (both good friends IC and OOC) on one of my characters, and it turned into an OOC fight instead of just an IC one. My lore-hound friend was expecting me to tell my lore-bending friend off, and my lore-bending friend wanted me to explain that it was a game and that it was for having fun. I’ve set up a very shaky framework for this: “Avoid each other,” but is there a better option?

 

Dear Rael (Or should that be ‘Dear Lord Rael’  – or perhaps ‘Dear Lord’? Hmh…),

This is absolutely one of the toughest spots for any RPer to be in; and I think the choice you made was both reasonable and sensible. Something that is never easy when friends are involved – so, kudos on that!

Unfortunately, it may also be the only plausible answer to the dilemma. People who are strict about their lore and people who choose to ignore it are the night and day of RP; and helping these two camps see eye-to-eye is trickier than almost any other in our field.

There is something to try, however! Perhaps your “lore” friend would be willing to try making an alt that suits your ‘ignlore’ friend – or vice-versa? Something they can play together when the mood strikes, so it’s not terribly awkward all of the time. I might be the odd one out, but I’ve found I have fun with both types of characters – and I often have a few of each wherever I go: those I’ve made where the continuity’s lore is an integral part of that character… and those where I’ve bent the lore every-which-way to fit an unsuitable concept into a medium where I’d like to play it. Both can be fun! 

Though both don’t always play nicely together; so if they aren’t willing – then the answer you’ve already come to may well be the best one for them.

Sincerely,

~Kat