Dancer Archive

Thread: Crisis of Conscience

Drygo
Fri Apr 30, 2004 11:39 pm
#1

I'm a dancer (duh!), master at that. I do mind buffs for the citizens of the galaxy. But, I'm also a rebel. And, adding complication to the mix, I'm also a roleplayer. I buff just about any person that walks into the Cantina. But, over the last several days I've had a crisis of conscience. You see, as a rebel, I don't want to give the imperial side an advantage in the Galactic Civil War. The roleplaying side of me says that it's okay to buff anyone as long as they're not an overt imperial. I can justify this by saying that even if they don't appear purple on my screen, I don't know if they are imperial or neutral. Logically, I can sorta tell. But, generally, I'll just buff them anyway because it doesn't appear to me that they're doing anything but going hunting.


But, every once in awhile an overt imperial walks in and asks me for a buff. Again, the roleplaying side of me says no way. They're going to use my buff as an aid to smacking down rebels. The human side of me, however, makes things a little bit more complicated. In real life, I like to think of myself as a generally nice and kind person. The human side of me feels *really* bad not giving that overt imperial a mind buff. Because, basically, I know that this *is* a game, and this overt imperial has a real life person behind the computer screen who only wants to play the game, and wants my services to help him or her enjoy the game. So, I'm torn. I hate to turn anyone down. When I'm playing the role of entertainers I think that maybe I should just be generally neutral about things. But, I can't be. I'm a rebel. I don't want the other side to have an advantage in the war. So, what do I do? I'll admit that the main tactic I've been using is to pretend I'm afk so I don't have to say something snotty like, "no, you're an imperial, I'm not going to buff you." lol. Because, darn it, I just feel guilty about it!


Does anyone else have this problem? If so, how do you handle it? Interested in thoughts and suggestions about this whole dynamic.



- I support hawtpants
TheSillyOne
Sat May 01, 2004 1:55 am
#2

well, I just way over charge them for the buffs. My price list on starsider is as follows:


Overt Rebel=free ( assuming i can tell the difference that day- sometimes i'm bugged and everyone looks overt)

Covert of either faction 5k

Overt Imperial 10k

Overt Imperial who has killed me multiple times 20k




-silly-


Save your breath. You'll need it later to blow up your date.
Panthu
Sat May 01, 2004 1:59 am
#3






TheSillyOne wrote:


Overt Imperial who has killed me multiple times 20k


ha!





P A N T H U Y GlitterUsagi
M i n d B o d y S p i r i t
Dancer ImageDesigner Doc

TheSillyOne
Sat May 01, 2004 2:06 am
#4




I've only lost 1 customer to this policy. Mostfolks understand if you are reluctant to buff a member of the opposing team. If you were on their side they wouldn't want you buffing thier enemies.



-silly-


Save your breath. You'll need it later to blow up your date.
kirah_ashlin
Sat May 01, 2004 4:44 am
#5


Look, I'm a member of True Fellowship and wear my TF banner proudly even if I am covert. Its not as if an Imperial, overt or not, wouldn't realize who they were askings to buff them. If they are covert, and aren't obvious (or obnoxious) about being Imperial I don't generally mind buffing them. If they are overt, I politely refuse. Just a couple daysbefore we opened the Bishops' Sanctuary a dozen Imperials showed up (on the outskirts of Veritas no less) wanting buffs so they could kill rebels. . . er . . . NO!!!


Roho and I were polite about it and for the most part they understood, although they did stick around for a few minutes after we asked them to leave (we had to stop performing to get our point across). Figures, though, that they showed up on a night when the entire TFK membership was on Tat hunting krayt! Not a single PvP combat type in town who could have taken one of them on . . .


Sometimes you have to play it by ear . . . use your roleplaying skills to their best advantage. It is a great opportunity to pick up some tidbits of information you can pass on to other rebels . . . For example, I know abounty hunter who joined a group hunting Jedi. When he found out that the Jedi they were looking for was someone he knew, he sent the Jedi a tell to lay low. Then he broke away from the group. Probably saved our Jedi friend's life . . .

JohnMarble
Sat May 01, 2004 4:44 am
#6

I've run into this before, an imperial doc with another character who is an entertainer, refuses to buff/heal anybody unless they are imperial. Forget that %70 of the players are neutral, she'll only buff imperials. I think she's a jerk.


I don't understand it at all. You're helping somebody on the "other team," but you're not hurting your side. So they blow up a base. So what? Bases don't serve any purpose.They're just something to put up to bring people to fight--their very purpose is to be destroyed.So they kill somebody on your side. And how, exactly, does this hurt the person in any way? There aren't any penalties, except they lose faction, which doesn't really affect anything either. I could see feeling this way with the storyarc, because that would affect you, but that's a minor thing and it's over.


I'm not complaining about the whole GCW, I'm just stating facts. You buff somebody on the other side, so they can go out and have fun challenging somebody on your side who will have fun killing them/getting killed. And it's over, and none of it really mattered.


No side is ever winning or losing. Now, if each months deaths and bases destroyed was somehow tallied and the winning side got some sort of faction bonus, or there was some artifact (like in daoc) you were worried about the other side taking, okay I could see it. But you simply aren't affected in any way.


Now, the gal I mentioned was not some hardcore roleplayer, I could understand this if she was. She just doesn't want to help the other side. Help the other side from achieving what, exactly? I also find it weird when people get incredibley angry after getting killed, especially after decay was removed. People go cRaZy, spamming profanity, making ludicrous threats like a guild will be hunting this person, claiming they know devs and will have the person banned. Huh? How were they hurt? They lose a buff, maybe, but how is that anything other than inconvenient?The defeat was meaningless. People just hate to "lose," I guess, even when losing means you don't lose anything.


Now roleplaying the imperial officer or angry rebel, that I can see. I'llroleplay that while I buff them, usually, figuring I'm roleplaying a starvingartist first. I know very well they'll be out hunting quenkers, regardless. Hell, I even trained a guy in weaponry after he had deathblowed me.Who cares?It just doesn't matter, helping your enemy really doesn't hurt anybody in SWG.
Xyrdre
Sat May 01, 2004 5:04 am
#7

One more idea on the roleplaying front, if you try out the spying tack...


Wait until the Imperial has completely left the cantina before sending anyone a tell to warn of an attack. You certainly wouldn't pull out your comlink and start warning rebels that an attack was coming while the officer was still within earshot... think of the /tell you send as your comlink. Give the Imperials a fair shake, roleplaying wise, to carry out their end of things... but if they're not already in position to strike when one of theirs goes blabbing their plans to the dancer in the cantina where anyone could overhear it, well they deserve to have the leak reach the ears of the Rebels.







Deila Karlossi , Blue Glowie of Dancers, and become more powerful than you could possibly imagine...
Sultrina
Sat May 01, 2004 5:10 am
#8

You could ask them to meet you at a secret location to recieve the buff so your rebel friends don't see you aiding the enemy and provide them a WP to a rebel mine field .....
TheSillyOne
Sat May 01, 2004 5:16 am
#9






Sultrina wrote:

You could ask them to meet you at a secret location to recieve the buff so your rebel friends don't see you aiding the enemy and provide them a WP to a rebel mine field .....






That's way better than over charging




-silly-


Save your breath. You'll need it later to blow up your date.
ChaBuDwo
Sat May 01, 2004 5:42 am
#10

Playing yourself as a spy works best I think.


Consider yourself as Mata Hari, or Belle Starr or Tokyo Rose. Spread disinformation andpropaganda while you buff your enemy. They certainly did!


I am an Imp...and an officer. I play my character as being in the Entertainment Services branch of the military. When I dance...I'm covert...so I PLAY that I'm neutral...but will try to bring people over to the Imp side by bringing things into the conversation that makes the Empire look good (at least as good as it can....we Imps really ARE stinkers....LOL)


Bushwacking an enemy will only make them more deadset against you. However...showing them the benefits of changing sides...bribeing them...or otherwise getting them to see the errors of their ways is a lot more fun and beneficial to your side in the long run. Draw them into your web with beauty, grace, good conversation and credits and you're on your way to a new convert to your faction!


Cha






CHA

Cha's Imperial Starships
STARSIDER
Brainplay
Sat May 01, 2004 6:14 am
#11

Most people will understand not being able to give a buff if they're opposed to your faction. Thats part of the GCW and they know it. But then again dancing is like BH in a way. Does it really matter if that jedi is imperial or rebel? No, when you kill them its just business. Try adding that to your roleplaying repetoire.





Keorythe

h Combat Medic h


/Forcing Counterstrike PvPers to PvE since 2003 \






A Combat Medic Alpha tester who never got the chance to alpha test

Panthu
Sat May 01, 2004 12:19 pm
#12






Drygo wrote:

So, what do I do? I'll admit that the main tactic I've been using is to pretend I'm afk so I don't have to say something snotty like, "no, you're an imperial, I'm not going to buff you." lol. Because, darn it, I just feel guilty about it!




Ha!


This is why I stay Neutral. My template is usually not combat based enough to live through covert scanners and group TEFs and what not, so I don't really think it would really be healthy for me to faction. Also, I have too many people I like in large PvP guilds on both sides to reallyget involved. So it's just better business for me to keep it 100% impartial.... however...


If I had bases and was factioned, you bet your booty I wouldn't be buffing the other side. I am really nice, but no way I'm going to help anyone, char or player, take what I've helped work for.


Of course, from a pure RP point of view, for your own safety I would imagine you should because an imperial officer coming in to ask for a Dancer's servicebeing refused would name you for the Rebel sympathizer you are andarrest youor shoot you.


*sigh* Neutral is so much easier for a public Dancer.






P A N T H U Y GlitterUsagi
M i n d B o d y S p i r i t
Dancer ImageDesigner Doc

Nhari
Sat May 01, 2004 12:29 pm
#13










Do you have combat skills in addition to entertainer skills? If not, then you don't really have a problem. Rebel or not, you'd likely be afraid of getting shot, imprisoned, or publically executed for defying the empire. When they ask a private citizen for something, it's not really a suggestion, it's an order. You know who doesn't follow orders of the empire? The enemy, or that's how they see it. If you do have combat skills, then you're in a bit of a bind. You did choose to be a rebel, after all, and if you're really roleplaying the part, you'll do one of a few things:



A.Play nice, buff them, but fish for information while you're performing your service. AKA the spy routine. This isn't going to be terribly effective with non-roleplayers, obviously, but it's a very good cover story. What better way to gather information from the enemy than to have them walk into your place of business and start spilling their guts to their friend about the latest battle plan while you dance right in front of them?



B. Attack him/her/it. They're an imperial, you're a rebel, your philosophies are diametrically opposed; no conversation is going to bridge that divide. Pull out thatflamethrower, vibro-knuckle, stun baton, power hammer, night sister lance, T21, or whatever you have and cast your vote for democracy!



C.Or...just pretend you're afk, like you've been doing.


You can't please all the people all the time, but I know how strong the temptation is to try. I avoid the problem by staying neutral, but you chose a side and that's your cross to bear. If you're bound and determined to be a rebel and roleplay the part, then the empire is your enemy. It's destroying everything you hold dear, andit's your duty to do anything you can toweaken its dominance over the galaxy. Whether that means tact and subversiveness or brute force is up to you, but if you're going to be a rebel, be a rebel.


If you go the tact route, then you can do one thing to tip the scale in your favor: make sure the person knows you're roleplaying. You don't have to come right out and say, "Hey, I'm roleplaying here!," but if you're speaking in character, everyone but the dimmest bulb is going to get it. That doesn't mean they'll want to play along, but they'll get it.




Another thing you can do is roleplay an excuse, such as /emote looks the imperial up and down and moves back into the crowd, keeping her/his head lowered. Then do exactly the opposite of what I said in the last paragraph and send them a tell saying, "((Nothing personal. I'm a rebel and a roleplayer, so it wouldn't make sense for me to buff you. Sorry =( ))" If they give you grief, then they're not the kind of person you'd have wanted to buff anyway. If they understand, no damage done. You might even find some other roleplayers this way.



Anyway, just some ideas. Best of luck!

Message Edited by Nhari on 05-01-2004 12:31 AM



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