Original Roleplay vs. Canon Roleplay

[viruszero]

May 5, 2009 16:11:15 GMT -8 pluckyclown said:

I personally think that Original Roleplay is much better than Canon Roleplay, and is much easier to administrate as well looking from an Administrators view.

For example everyone knows about Harry Potter and Star Wars is a topic that most people can relate too and can base a story in their own mind off this... If the Forum is based on Canon Roleplay then without detailed explanations as to the Storyline or what the Forum is about, it can just become a large clutter of irrelevant posts.

Timelines can be set and rules can be set up with Original Roleplays and this can make it much easier to enforce the rules, as it is easy to tell when someone is breaking them... However with Canon Roleplays, only the Administrator really know's what is breaking the rules...

Hope this makes sense and this is my two cents worth anyways...

- Blackburn_jamie™

I'm slightly confused by this... to me it seems like there is a mix up. I would think that people who know the canon would be better organized than an original rp where there is this massive timeline you have to check. I say this because if you interested in the story, you would know the characters and the events better than if it were an original where you, as the rper, know little compared to the maker/admin. And in a canon rp, it's not the admin merely deciding by their own whim so much as they can draw on the canon to help make a decision. As well it's quite possible that the members can also answer their questions before they ask them... For example in a Harry Potter rp, say the question is: does Harry go to hogwarts? (This is an obvious question, but it serves to show my point here...)
Obviously anyone who follows the canon could easily predict the answer. This doesn't need the admin to tell them that. So any member who knows the canon could more easily follow along than in an original where it is only the admin who knows what is going on.


So it seems like the original could more easily descent into the so called "clutter of irrelevant posts." Especially if people lose track of what is going on and/or ignore the timeline. And this can make it tougher for an original rp admin to sort through everything and figure out what is actually going on.

In this way anyone who follows the canon can know what has taken place or what will happen... So it means the members can self correct without the admin's interference. (Though an admin may intervene to ensure details are correct or are following the present story line.)

I'm not saying canon rps are impervious to issues, I am just saying that it may be easier to administrate a canon rp because anyone interested is already familiar with the universe in question and has a basic understanding already. It's not like you have to set everything up and have the players learn it all.

[elerian]

I am new to the idea of role-plays and am currently trying my hand at forum creation. I have spent time looking at canon forums and have found that I dislike them. Everything is done for you and you are stuck with simply moving the character down a known path. I created an original RP forum and had a ton of fun with it and look forward to seeing how others interpret my ideas. Some find it annoying that their idea does not turn out as they would like, but I see it as a book where the characters write themselves and you are left wondering what will happen next. To see your idea take on a life of its own and grow from more than one imagination is great because it reminds me of life and that everything is influenced by its surroundings.

[Torrential]

I'm in the process of creating an original RP, and I feel it is a better choice over a canon RP.

I agree with HD in that original RPs give writers much more freedom as to what they write about, the situations their characters can be in, setting, etc. For example, a Harry Potter RP is usually restricted to Hogwarts, a narrowly interpreted setting, whereas an original plot has a much more widened interpretation. Yes, original plots may only include a few boards in which to write, but because these areas can be interpreted in many different ways, writers can write to the setting as they see fit.

[Marauders1st]

I'm the admin of a recently formed board and I choose to mesh the two. I make sure we keep to the original plot and we keep the canon characters. However, we also allow original characters because people enjoy putting themselves in a situation where they are in complete control.

[LLlover]

I have personally done canon and original role plays and well I've found myself getting bored with canon role plays. After awhile I think most people just get sick of canon characters no matter what the plot or whatever might be. It's just boring because you somehow always find yourself limited to what is in a way already predetermined one way or another regarding your character. Would he or she do this one action, yes but who says I want them to do that and not something else.

That's where original role plays give you the freedom that you want. If you want your character to do something, as long as it's in character in your mind, you can most likely do it given the situation is right for it. It also gives you a chance to learn about your character as you go along other than already knowing them and possibly being half bored of them. Then it truly turns into if I have them do this what is the outcome, and where will that take them as a character? In my mind it just seems more fulfilling that way because you can set goals for you and your character and just really treat it like they're someone you just met on the street and want to get to know.

[Andrea]

I vote Canon, both as an RPer, and an Admin.

I choose Canon only because it makes making characters easier, especially in an unknown world or environment. However, I do think that originals should be welcomed as well.

But I don't think a canon site makes it unoriginal. Whether its original or not is based off of the plot the admin creates. Original only means it hasn't been done before.

[Rhaegar Targaryen]

As an admin, it is much easier to mod over originals. You can kind of make it up as it goes, especially if you are the main admin. Plus, it is much easier to throw in your own input if you are not an main admin.

As a player, I like Canon a bit better. Sometimes its nice just play as a pre-engineered character, and the character creation rules are often much stricter, less likely to create super-characters.

[Andrea]

Jul 1, 2009 21:36:00 GMT -8 Rhaegar Targaryen said:

As an admin, it is much easier to mod over originals. You can kind of make it up as it goes, especially if you are the main admin. Plus, it is much easier to throw in your own input if you are not an main admin.

As a player, I like Canon a bit better. Sometimes its nice just play as a pre-engineered character, and the character creation rules are often much stricter, less likely to create super-characters.

That's interesting. I find it way more difficult to mod over original characters. With canons, you at least have some kind of expectation.

[HoudiniDerek]

To me: I find that as long as their are rules that are spelled out before a character biography is written and posted, original characters are just as easy to mod. If they have rules they break, then you have to mod them into conformity with those rules. It is the same way with canon. The difference with canon, to me, is that the members and the admins expect a character to act in a certain way and mod that way, even if not spelled out in the rules that characters need to act in accordance. That is why I prefer originals: Both as a mod and as an RPer.

[Fifi]

I, personally, am not a fan whatsoever of canons. I mean, who wants to have a pre-written story to go along with? I love to go along with things, go wherever the wind blows. It feels so much more open, like you're not limited to doing certain things or acting certain ways because that's how the original story goes. Making up your own ideas and characters is a better experience for everyone because it's not the same old plotlines. Granted, of course, you have the ability to make a good, strong plotline.
I am the admin, and have been an admin, of a few original sites. I found it to be fun to have the amount of creative freedom that comes with an original site.
The only exception, however, is if someone isn't particularly good at coming up with these kind of ideas, and just wants to base their site on a book/movie, that isn't too bad either.

[Rhaegar Targaryen]

Jul 1, 2009 21:41:48 GMT -8 Andrea said:

Jul 1, 2009 21:36:00 GMT -8 Rhaegar Targaryen said:

As an admin, it is much easier to mod over originals. You can kind of make it up as it goes, especially if you are the main admin. Plus, it is much easier to throw in your own input if you are not an main admin.

As a player, I like Canon a bit better. Sometimes its nice just play as a pre-engineered character, and the character creation rules are often much stricter, less likely to create super-characters.

That's interesting. I find it way more difficult to mod over original characters. With canons, you at least have some kind of expectation.

Every person is different, I guess.

[~Mistwolf~]

I am an admin of an original RPG, and it is my personal preference. It's great if your members have never Role-Played before because they can experiment with different character personalities, and learn that role-play can be very different from the kinds of things you read because you decide how the story progresses, and even better, how it ends. It's also good because you can have canon characters if you want, to give people an idea of what their character format should be like.

Canon Role-Play already has a plot, characters, and an ending. You've probably already become an expert in the specific subject, so you know how it advances. You may be able to make it uber-detailed, but you can't change the plot or add a character out of no-where.

In my opinion, Original Role-Play allows a lot more creativity and freedom, and is simple for new role-players to understand. It also let you, and your members to really live a second life (which is what I try to do with my role-play), with no need for any kind of prior experience, just a little imagination.

[Reisuke]

Even though my site is kinda canon I support Original Roleplay. Why? Because you have more ways of expressing your creative ideas to your community plus you never have to worry about big plot changes and making sure something is exactly like it's series. There is simple 100% no worries.

[BlackDragonEX]

I'm so sick of all the Twilight and Harry Potter RPGs. Doesn't anyone have anything creative in their brains ?
It's either Twilight, HP, Cats, Dogs, Some other Animal/book/tv show.

[Brittanyxx]

It depends. Cannon can be fun but so can original, it all depends on what you're looking for.

For my site, we combined the two. We took a universe that had already been created by a TV show, but had it take place somewhere else with completely new characters, ideas, and stories. I guess it could be called a spinoff maybe? We don't allow any characters from the show, nor any relations. Everything's gotta come out of the member's brains.

But I don't really think there's anything wrong with either. Sometimes you really love a certain tv show/book/movie/etc and want to continue on with it. Other times its more fun to make up your own ideas and create your own stories.

I like Original roleplays more I think...but I support both.