The Study of Online Text-Based Role Play

[Tari]

A funny thing happened to me last night. I was having a socially distanced fireside chat with friends of ours. We ended up talking to one particular friend who has a masters in filmmaking and another in creative writing. He was telling us all about this interesting course he had to take where he studied online text-based RP and came across this unique LOTR website where all these fans were pretending they were hobbits and whatnot going around Middle-earth.

[Winddancer]

Hilarious!

All I get is a blank stare :P

[Tari]

I'll be awaiting someone to write a thesis about us now.

[Dimcairien Luiniel]

Did you tell him that it still exists and we’re still running around Middle Earth?

[Zôrzimril]

That is amazing.

[Taethowen]

...

this is amazing. I wonder if it was us, or another site. I hope it was us though. The Plaza is the best.

[Lirimaer]

It sounds like an intervention.

[Tari]

It was us. I asked. Then I had to explain myself further and divulge the history of half my life.

[Taethowen]

LOOOOOL. Perfect. Oh that's amazing.

[Nessa Saelind]

*X-Files theme music playing*

[KingODuckingham]

Wow who does roleplay by text in the year 2020 what a bunch of NERDS

[Moriel]

Ok but I need to know if any of us were cited in research

[Zôrzimril]

Tari, I'm super curious what you said by way of explaining this site!

[Lail]

Omg that is amazing, Tari.
But also - I swear I remember someone posting here to ask questions about a similar research project. I thought they asked us to fill out a survey (not a Firvey. sad face) I wonder if its the same person.

[Tari]

@Lailorn it's not the same person. This class in particular just observed haha.

@Moriel I don't think so, but that would be hilarious.

@Tarawen It was awkward...I'll say that. Anytime I explain the plaza to people they look at me as though I'm very strange indeed. What do you say when you explain it to people?

[Zôrzimril]

I have not ever had a single RL conversation about the Plaza that wasn't awkward. But maybe that says more about me than the Plaza...

My typical strategy is to keep it general - "it's a Lord of the Rings fan site, people discuss lore and play games and such." The most keen questioner was my brother in law, who asked me if people had, like, Tolkien-y usernames and if so, what mine was. I deflected pretty clumsily and just said people tended to use random name generators.

[Zôrzimril]

Gah was gonna edit this to avoid double posting but edited mentions don't work ANYWAY I'm prettttty sure I remember @Lord of the Rings doing a study on GMing for an anthropological linguistics class we took together in college (why I remember this detail of all the details, I have no idea, probably because I thought it was so cool) so now I'm wondering if he did a survey of plaza-ites for that? *thinking face*

[Karis Ziranphel]

Interesting for sure! I have a few friends who basically understand after long explanations, but yeah I mostly get slightly puzzled looks with a few interested ones. Fun to know that the Plaza was the topic of study but curious to know what their conclusions were.

[Pele Alarion]

I have often shared about plaza with people, explaining what roleplay is, even showing the site. Most of the people in the latest Bible Core Course I staffed thought it was really cool, and one of my fellow-staff said he and his wife enjoy D&D, and he was the most excited. However, didn't manage to lure him in.

Also, I remember doing a sort of study paper on plaza at some point for Foundations in Communication School, but not sure I ever shared it. lol...

[Lail]

@Tari - I thought it might not be, but nonetheless - its interesting that its been a topic of study over the years.

And yeah I'm also in the general boat of talking about the Plaza being awkward/I don't really mention it to many people to be honest.

[Menolly]

This is fantastic. Most of my plaza explanations have been pretty awkward too, although my college roommate (who I love to bits) used to routinely ask "how are things going with your lord of the rings site?" Usually I say something along the same lines as @Tarawen.

[Wamba_the_Fool]

Instead of saying "bulletin-board roleplaying" or "forum roleplaying" I've been calling what we do here "collaborative short-story writing."

I avoid the term "fan-fic" in any explanations, though.

[Taethowen]

I've been calling what we do here "collaborative short-story writing."

Ooooh, yes, this is very similar to how I've been thinking of it myself.

[Nessa Saelind]

"collaborative short-story writing."

Oh , I'm borrowing this term if anyone ever asks me about the Plaza (highly unlikely, but you never know).

[Zôrzimril]

Agree, that's a great way of putting it rather obliquely

[Dimcairien Luiniel]

"collaborative short-story writing."

That might become how I explain this place to certain groups of people now.

I have described the plaza as a role play site before, but then I'm usually talking about it with people who either already role-play in some capacity and/or already enjoy LotR.

[Narv]

I was in a group video call with some friends from my university a few weeks ago and was sharing my screen for some reason, and a text editor with a bunch of Plaza code was on it. I didn't close it quick enough and of course was asked 'oh what's that, you got a little side project going there?' (all of us being desperate eager junior software developer types now)

Ensues a wild half hour of me explaining my teenage self, turn-of-the-millennium web forums, the vicissitudes of Plaza history, and wtf we all actually DO here, to a healthy mixture of praise, derision and general 'dude who are you even'. Ultimately they found the whole thing hilarious and had to admit that none of THEIR cool apps and trendy not-from-2003 tech projects had 20000 posts and its own discord, plus they found you all quite wholesome and adorable soooo I think I ended up with some respect. They ask me how yall are doing every week now

[Moriel]

@Narv That's so wholesome, tell the fan club we say hi

[Wamba_the_Fool]

They ask me how yall are doing every week now

So, wacky hijinks weekly so Narv has stories to tell; got it.

[Zôrzimril]

Ensues a wild half hour of me explaining my teenage self, turn-of-the-millennium web forums, the vicissitudes of Plaza history, and wtf we all actually DO here

Really wish I could’ve been a fly on the wall to hear what you said to explain this very wide range of topics

[Lirimaer]

I would be here for the 'explaining my teenage self' in half an hour with other subjects ........ was that a teaser for Season 1? Because if not, you left out a LOT.

[Tari]

@Wamba_the_Fool - I think "collaborative story-telling" is by far the best phrase I've heard to describe this.

@Narv - haha! Tell them that I'd like to report that minions are NOT wholesome.

When I explain this website I don't get to say it was a weird teenage time...because although it partially was. This is how I spent my 20s. No bars, parties, drinking, or typical college fun.

[Wamba_the_Fool]

When I explain this website I don't get to say it was a weird teenage time...because although it partially was. This is how I spent my 20s. No bars, parties, drinking, or typical college fun.

Well your brain is probably better off for it!

Unless you spent time in LLL.

Then it's a wash.

[Lirimaer]

*hides*

[Dimcairien Luiniel]

You were the Queen of LLL, that's for certain.

And this place was where I spent a substantial amount of my teen years - I joined soon after turning 14 and was highly active until around age 18 or 19. It was certainly a wholesome way to being exploring the wilds of the internet.

[KingODuckingham]

You say wholesome, I say I found many threads in the archives of you challenging people to duels in the Battle Arena

[Dimcairien Luiniel]

You say wholesome, I say I found many threads in the archives of you challenging people to duels in the Battle Arena

Are you saying I used the Battle Arena?

[KingODuckingham]

Not just like a one-off either, like a lot.

Exhibit A: https://web.archive.org/web/20150404203 ... TID=232822

Exhibit B: https://web.archive.org/web/20150412134 ... TID=233684

Exhibit C: https://web.archive.org/web/20150518075 ... TID=234667

Bonus thread featuring @Narv @Queen Nerwen @merSILess @Allafyrefleorhtlig @Reikon Suchi-ru and @Uruva: https://web.archive.org/web/20150404181 ... TID=231943

[Allacan ob Burzum]

I used to *love* battle-arena. Umm fairly certain there used to be tournaments where you would get paired against people and then whoever won would go through to the next round and fight the next person. I also remember purchasing equipment with my points earned and being determined to get Allacan’s full cavalry regalia in plaza items!

[Dimcairien Luiniel]

I remember the Battle Arena being a thing, but I had zero recollection of actually holding fights. Goodness, the things the Wayback sometimes brings back.

[Narv]

STILL UNDEFEATED

[Winddancer]

You must not have battled me then Narv..

[Zôrzimril]

Ahhhh Ducky with the receipts I love all of this so much

[Tari]

Fairly sure I taught @Lirimaer everything she knew about being queen of LLL.

[Lirimaer]

I do not recall this reign ... if anything I was a lady-in-waiting!

I do remember introducing/breeding some ponies there and starting a Supernatural Appreciation thread (the photos are still on my facebook!!!!!)

Yeah, LLL was a lot of fun, and I accept that I must have needed training, Tari - thank you for imparting your wisdom!

[Tari]

I think I might have been the first admin to actually be designated to pay attention to the LLL, so I did spend significant time there. Perhaps I was the original Queen of the LLL? I know @Uruva took over after I resigned so...she must also be a queen? I do believe the LLL was probably a place with many ladies in waiting.

[Uruva]

And one man (Amalric)!

[Amadhrill]

This thread had me laughing out loud on the train! My husband has just given up and declared me the biggest nerd he knows, but he is still married to me, so I guess he is sort of fine with it

I tend not to talk about it, because I am already a nerd since I play the flute and love LOTR and HP and slept outside to get tickets for the movies... but if I do mention it is more in the way that friends online can also become great friend IRL and about the fun it brings me to write stories with great writers. Did I mention that I love this place?

[Allacan ob Burzum]

Omg that is amazing, Tari.
But also - I swear I remember someone posting here to ask questions about a similar research project. I thought they asked us to fill out a survey (not a Firvey. sad face) I wonder if its the same person.

That may have been me. I wrote my Bachelors dissertation on online fantasy and sci-fi communities and whether the impact they had on individuals and communities, and asked a load of plaza-ites to do questionnaires back in 2008 or 2009 ish, which I then worked through with my tutor. People gave some really interesting insights and I referenced them in the bibliography alongside the academics. I got a First, I am proud to say! Sorry I'm not involved in this other university though, would love to hear what they had to say about it all.

(Can't believe I missed that post first time around, I was clearly too excited about Battle Arena)

[Lail]

@Allacan ob Burzum Oh yes?! I do remember a survey going out but for the life of me I cannot remember who it was and if it was you I'm sorry! That is really interesting I'd love to read it. Is a First a top mark (for the clueless American)?