[Discuss] duchy system rework

[psymann]

Tessa wrote:
> -----------------
> Actually, just a random inconsequential note, that should be a
> Letter. I don't have the message handy, but Tom has said that the
> Roleplay tag is *intended* for descriptive, narrative text (generally
> with some dialogue or even a letter or speech *in* it, but narrative
> in its structure).
> 
> Timothy Collett
> Anaris Family
> ------------------
> 
> Intended for and solely limited to? I mean, if someone did something 
> like this:
> 
> "Well, since you asked, let me tell you how things used to be in this 
> realm." ~Tavern-Knight takes a long drink from his mug of ale and 
> settles into his chair~ "Back in the day blahblahblah...."
> 
> There's that one speck of non-dialog text and the rest is all talk, how 
> is that supposed to be a letter? I can't tell you how many times people 
> have shouted "change the tag to roleplay dammit! The scribe didn't 
> *write* that!" for such messages.
> 
> 
> </tangent>

I find it useful to use Roleplays for two distinct things:

1) Narrative stuff that may or may not include speech.  I personally 
write it in a play-style, but that's just me.  For example:

</i>psymann sits, waiting for his tea to cool down, and ponders his 
response</i>

<b>psymann</b>: [<i>grinning</i>] Yes!  I know!  I'll write this!

<i>He then sips his tea and falls asleep.</i>


2) First person speech (ie face-to-face speech) with someone else.  For 
example:

{waits for his tea to cool down} Yes!  I know!  I'll write this! 
{grins, then sips his tea and falls asleep}


Type (1) covers 98% of my Roleplay messages.  Type (2) I save only for 
when I am having a roleplayed speech between my character and another 
(often personal roleplay messages), that goes on across multiple 
messages, where keeping on describing the situation would get tedious. 
Saying:

<i>psymann talks to his friend</i>

<b>psymann</b>: Hello!

---

<i>psymann's friend talks to psymann</i>

<b>psymann's friend</b>: Hello to you too; how are you?

---

<i>psymann replies to his friend</i>

<b>psymann</b>: [<i>grinning</i>] Fine.  Just killed some angry peasants.

---

is overly complicated, compared to:

<i>psymann talks to his friend</i>

<b>psymann</b>: Hello!

---

Hello to you too; how are you?

---

Fine.  {grins}  Just killed some angry peasants.



Either way, if it's not something that's written by the scribe on paper, 
then it's not a letter.  (yes, that means the scribe has to copy the 
thing a hundred times if you send a letter to the realm, but hey, he has 
a futuristic photocopier, same as he has an instantaneous fax machine) 
And if it's not a letter, then (with the exceptions of the more 
specialist reports/orders/requests) it's a roleplay.  And if it's a 
roleplay then it needs to have some sort of descriptive bit in there to 
start with to explain the context - who is speaking, and to whom, for 
example - even if you then are able to dispense with it once everyone's 
got the gist of the situation.

psymann


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