Recruiting - The Signs

Some thoughts on recruiting and / or sponsoring new members:

Here are some basic rules I like to use when recruiting people. Some of this is common sense. Some of it was learned the hard way and some of it may still be wrong. You will need to exercise your judgment. I try to seek out talented role players and this generally excludes anyone who isn't actually interested in role playing. Sounds obvious but you can't always tell.

Here are some giveaway signs:

1. Walking. Players who walk their toons rather than run around jumping on tables are worth a look in. This is the first test. You have to be careful not to exclude people that run around however because those who have not yet discovered RP in STO wont be used to walking and wont know you are looking to spot their talent! But if they are walking - they probably have some clue.

2. Can they resist the urge to run around putting up turrets and using their skills and powers constantly. Again some people don't know that we are ever watchful for the chosen ones and thus exclude themselves by accident. Others are just morons. On the flip side there are a very tiny minority of these players who are talented and worthwhile but are simply struggling with their age or maturity. Everything with a grain of salt and we must remember that just because we are role playing the world doesn't stop for us.

3. Abusive behavior. Trolls are not acceptable in our group. The Star-fleet Dental fleet is anathema and no member of that fleet is welcome in our chat or rp group (they would be unlikely to try but in case they do try and sneak in - know that they are NOT welcome!) I look for people who can play courteously and respectfully of others. Terms like godmodding and entrapment role play fall into this category to but can be hard to spot.

3. Role Playing - You can often tell from reading the chat window that certain people are role players. Some people are rping their toon and do so casually but slip in and out of character very easily and are often unsure of who their character is. There maybe some potential there. Or they may just be waiting for their next STF which is fine too. But that person wont be on my priority list of individuals I am going to put rping time into recruiting. I'll go for the quiet one at the end of the bar who "/em quietly sips his drink and observes the strange looking space elf" over the *slaps her ass and giggles* player. There is a difference to me between role playing and playing around. There is the question of how seriously does this person want to role play. Do they seem serious about it or is it just a casual thing in the moment. Some of them only want to ERP and that is fine. But it's not usually a group activity and they probably wont have fun with us if that is ALL they are interested in doing. (We have no issues with ERP in and of itself, but it is not a fleet activity per se).

5. Comedy - There are some awesome comic toons. I really enjoy Nom's gaming for example (Ferengis have a natural comic bonus trait) and I have sometimes played Keliades for comic relief too with his socially awkward ineptitude. Personally I feel every player has their own style and range as well as comfort zone but believe we will become better players and have more fun if we push our boundaries. Those who excel at comical play could perhaps attempt serious, tragic or romantic play. I personally do tend towards excluding players who use non stop physical comedy for attention. Personally I go for serious players who have a sense of mystery, subtly and depth. That's just me. There are some players who are playing cardboard cutouts and you can often spot them a mile away. And then sometimes someone knocks u flat with their clever sense of humor and sardonic comic style. I enjoy that a lot.

6. Know thyself - Does the person you have bumped into at drozana or quarks or wherever, "know" their character? Do they have a bio? Is it interesting or is it poorly spelled and grammatically horrible? Knowing something about who your character is, is essential to role playing. It locates you in time and space and roots you to the reality of the universe you are inhabiting. Is their bio or background all about them and how awesome they are or does it revolve around relationships with other people and players? (And by that I don't mean kids who want to have surrogate families because they think their real life sucks).

7. Trekkies - Pros and Cons: I am always deeply impressed when I meet people who can rattle off a thousand facts about their new ship and the history of it's appearances in TOS episode 4, scene 8, shot 4, frame 12. I am sure it's useful information for them to use for role playing but if they are ONLY interested in CANNON and can't move past it towards creating new stories, then I personally lose interest fast. I am about telling good stories not obsessing over facts and details. Details can be colored in later if required but being in character and having an emotional journey is more important to me. That means not breaking the flow or getting bogged down in details that don't drive the story forward. Some very good players are also extremely accurate about cannon and I applaud them. An excellent player who knows their stuff is utterly unshakable and always on solid ground. Especially if they retain their dynamic and flexible attitude to the world they are in and don't become a "lawyer" at he cost of a good story. I have circumvented the need to be a major Trekkie as my toons have their own original background story so I only need to know what I need to know. (In another genre like Vampire The Masquerade I would be a little more focused on cannon and perhaps a lot less forgiving). But that is entirely personal. What I do look for tho, are people who if they choose not to use cannon - will at least make the effort to not alienate themselves from those dedicated players who do. This means no genre cross overs without some rather well thought out justifications. (Space elves wtf?)

8. Believable - Is their character believable. Well my characters are not believable to everyone at face value although anyone who has given me a chance has discovered that I have a back-story that actually kinda works even in the star-trek universe. Some have even found it endearing. So we can't be too quick to judge. I myself have noted my own hypocrisy on this matter and that is teaching me to be more thoughtful about this. I recruit people who's back-story or role playing has been believable to me. You will do the same no doubt. If we all aim for some basic and obvious cannon as a benchmark and then give due consideration to those anomalies that fall outside that range then we hopefully will not overlook anyone who may have turned out to be very special.

9. Reputation - Before joining or sponsoring anyone that you haven't had extensive time rping with yourself and feel confident about - it is a good idea to check in the SSA RP chat with others to see if anyone will vouch for the person. If they do that's great. If they don't that means nothing but occasionally this will save you form bringing smeone in who has a history we don't want to be involved with.

10. Instinct - At the end of the day I go with my gut instincts and I invite people I like. I expect you to do the same. Give them 2 weeks trial upfront as a requirement and get them to sign into the forum and say hello in the welcome thread. Please inform them they should list their rp toons that they intend to run with us and the name of their recruiter. You can't help it if someone you recruits turns out to be a bad apple or simply not as interested as they thought they would be. Don't beat yourself up. I will be happy to do that for you. Just kidding. =p