Ignoring the Weather

[Skeas]

Is it an unwritten code somewhere that we as players should give the weather no second thought or even roleplay that it's anything but a bright, sunny day, and just ignore the code weather in favor for whatever the player consensus is that it is?

I for one have been observant of the coded weather and when it's storming, sleeting, hailing, etc etc, I don't let Skeas hang out outside for long, except to travel from one shelter to the other [She's my baby, I can't let her catch a cold!] and when she comes across people who are outside, she bids them inside only to be brushed off. It wouldn't irritate me if I had some closure, which is what I suppose I'm after here.

Thanks for your replies ;D

[Tavik]

Personally, I think it's one of those things where it depends on what's going on at the time. If people want to go out adventuring, they generally don't want to cancel due to weather. A lot of times, when people aren't doing much, they will react to the changing weather like when they are just sitting and talking in the square. Other times, when things are a bit more intense like in areas with tough opponents, in a PK situation, or just in really involved RP, I think people pay less attention to general echos like weather, day/night cycle, reset echos, etc. simply because their focus is on what the main event is. And finally, there are some characters who it's simply in their RP to not care about the weather.

Those are just my personal observations though. The weather is there to add flavor and I'm not saying it should be flat out ignored, just raising some possible reasons as to why some people wouldn't be reacting to it.

[Nedylene]

The problem for me is that the weather in FK is like New England Weather... blink and it will be a different day out. The time in FK does not run like the time in RL and it is always raining or hailing or snowing and it will change about 5 times in the course of one rp.

[Horace]

I don't pay attention to it unless it enhances the enjoyment of whoever is playing with me. I don't pay attention to it when I'm alone.

To me it's like the hungry/thirsty echoes. I eat and drink because I find the echoes annoying, not because I want my character's dietary habits to be a significant aspect of my playing on FK.

Our characters are adventurer heroes...is hunger/thirst/elements really a significant threat?

If another PC brings it up in a smote I'll note it and often play along. But the vast majority of the time I'm completely oblivious to it.

[Aveline]

Another point I'd like to make... Just because you walk through a group of people and they are not smoting getting nailed in the head by the hail, does not mean that they had not done something about the weather before you passed through. A character could be holding something over their head for instance, and maybe they just didn't set their pose. You cannot just walk in and stay two seconds, yell about people coming in out of the weather and then leave, and assume people are not paying attention to what is going on. Maybe they are and maybe they aren't. You do not know everything that happened before you got there. Not saying that is what happened in every case. My characters ignore the weather a lot. But they also rp the weather changes a lot too. It depends mostly on the situation they are in. If they are standing around in the market talking to people, they will likely say something to it. My fighter tends to pay less attention to it than others because she's got on all the armour, it doesn't really bother her. Ynaura throws a fit if it rains because it ruins her paintings.

And as some of the others said, a lot of it has to do with the rp going on at the time. We rp much slower than the rate that time moves on the game. If you are in the middle of a serious rp and rp every weather change as it happens, all you'll be doing is running out of the rain and cursing because you cannot find your helmet when it starts hailing. Most of the time if you are just in an idle situation and you rp yourself getting knocked over the head by a baseball sized piece of hail, people will react with you to the weather.

[Skeas]

Ah, guess I was wrong. Nice to know though ;D

[Lathlain]

The time thing is a real pain, I'll grant you. I often have to simply block its passage, much in the way that I have to block the length of time it should take me to travel sometimes - c'est la vie!

As for weather though, well that's a different kettle of fish entirely. I suppose it's different in Waterdeep as your central roleplaying patch is outdoors, but I'm usually inclined to usher people indoors somewhere and sit down in front of a fire, all civil like. Ultimately it's too much to expect a bunch of 8-or-so people to dart in and outdoors at the first sign of adverse weather though, so perhaps it's time to consider relocating the roleplay hub? The Lucky Drunk was always a relatively prime place (and all taverns have dark corners for the surly hero types to brood, too), or perhaps an entrepreneuring lord can commission a network of canvas/skin over the central market to keep weather at bay?

Alright so that only really takes market roleplay into account, but I get the feeling that it plays an important part of this discussion!

[Saranya]

I think this is (yet another) matter that should people RP or not as they deem appropriate. I like interacting with the weather when I'm travelling or it wouldn't otherwise be distracting. As a Watchman, I once even used a convenient blizzard during a contentious Market Square RP to encourage people to disperse.

However, I am firmly against any quasi-policy of insisting characters "must" acknowledge the weather, any more than we force people to RP out the fact that a simple in-game conversation often spans several game days and at least a couple meals.

[Harroghty]

I concur with what appears to be the general statement: the weather is there to enhance role-play and not to interrupt it.

If you are involved in an important conversation that cannot be moved indoors and all of a sudden, because fifteen real minutes is three game hours, a storm occurs (out of season and/or setting sometimes) then I believe you to be entirely justified in ignoring it. There is some value, however, in acknowledging the rain while you are travelling or while having a casual conversation. The Waterdeep market area is almost right-out entirely. If the three people there move then it loses its value as a social hub. There is no official, designated bad weather location for them.

[Kelemvor]

If the coded weather echoes were backed with coded penalties then we would be entitled to expect players to be roleplaying those effects.

As it stands at the moment, existing roleplay comes before a weather echo and more often than not before a hunger or thirst echo.

(Just dont ignore the latter for too long or you'll die. )

I'm surprised in all of this discussion, though, that no one has considered enlisting the help of a druid or weather witch to brighten up their day

[Lathlain]

I don't think Umberlee would that like overly much

edit: There I go generalising again. In Waterdeep, that is!

[Kirkus]

I for one agree that more people need to pay attention to the weather. Seeing as it is somewhat of a requirement for me I get a little annoyed when no one even blinks at the sudden strikes of lightning. Too often I have seen people who would probably, if asked, claim to be roleplay centered players and darn good at what they do not react to the weather. To me there just isn't a good excuse to be sitting in market square and not react to something/ anything.

On the other hand, there really is no way to police this outside of adding modifiers. Like -1 to dex when its rainy. And that wouldn't fix the rp problem.

[Horace]

It's a matter of addressing what is important.

If something does nothing to better the game, or make it more interesting - it isn't important. Weather is one of those issues. If you want to make opening umbrellas during rain, and hiding in ditches during lightning storms a focal point of your roleplay experience on Forgotten Kingdoms, great. But don't freak out because other people don't consider weather to be of significant concern to a hero of mythical legend as much as you do.

Roleplay it out if you think it will enhance the enjoyment of other players. Don't roleplay it only to cause a nuisance by forcing other's to abandon whatever they're doing so that you can consider them a good roleplayer. Good roleplayers do what is best for the game, they don't wear RP as if it were shackles and expect everyone else to do the same.

[Gwain]

If the coded weather echoes were backed with coded penalties then we would be entitled to expect players to be roleplaying those effects.

As it stands at the moment, existing roleplay comes before a weather echo and more often than not before a hunger or thirst echo.

(Just dont ignore the latter for too long or you'll die. )

I'm surprised in all of this discussion, though, that no one has considered enlisting the help of a druid or weather witch to brighten up their day

This above explains the situation well. I will admit if I am wearing a cloak or hood in my own rp, I tend to ignore the worst of the weather though I often see people smoting discomfort or relief. I don't mind if they do or do not, but I appreciate when they do acknowledge these coded echoes, though I would not force them unless it was apparent. For example, I might rp that someone is doing something wrong icly if they meditate at the foot of an enemy, just because the code does not make that enemy attack you at an advantage does not mean you should ignore that rp.

If something does nothing to better the game, or make it more interesting - it isn't important. Weather is one of those issues.

Weather has been put into the game as a means of contention in roleplay. It does not make you do things or force you to rp around it, but it should not be ignored in extremity. Instead, if you take a few moments to adapt your to it or work within its confines you could be celebrated as a good rp'r in doing so, and maybe get a kismet reward. Though if you don't people may not jusge your rp as well deserving of a reward, which is fine, if you are not after something, either way no one is hurt and roleplay goes on.

Roleplay it out if you think it will enhance the enjoyment of other players. Don't roleplay it only to cause a nuisance by forcing other's to abandon whatever they're doing so that you can consider them a good roleplayer. Good roleplayers do what is best for the game, they don't wear RP as if it were shackles and expect everyone else to do the same.

Doing what's best for the game is often rping within the confines of game rules and standards that create a good and engrossing environment. I never see anything that causes contention in the game as a bad thing as long as there is properly roleplayed justification behind it. Its important to remember that things you may see as tedious or unneeded might be important to other players. So you can either attempt to work with it or avoid it entirely. The only problem with avoidance is that you lose out on other things in the long run, which is fine if it is part of your overall attitude I suppose.

I like Kelemvor's suggestion. Change Weather could solve alot of weather related issues very quickly...or cause them for that matter

[Skeas]

Change Weather could solve alot of weather related issues very quickly...or cause them for that matter

But herein lies a cycle back to the average RPer ignoring the weather, whether it be natural or spell-prompted.

[Gwain]

Using an ic means to interact with the weather is not ignoring it. Its engaging with it.

[Skeas]

One character interacting with the weather, while 4 others ignore it, I think, is worse than 5 characters ignoring it.