Lecture: Multi-Regional Roleplaying Canon

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Lecture: Multi-Regional Roleplaying Canon
Topic Started: Tue Dec 19, 2017 4:40 am (166 Views)
Ghant	Tue Dec 19, 2017 4:40 am Post #1
Posts: 2 Group: Lecturers Member #182 Joined: Dec 19, 2017	*A Lecture on Multi-Regional Roleplaying Canon* By: Ghant 12/11/2017 Greetings everyone and thank you for tuning into my lecture on the ever fun subject of NationStates roleplaying canon! For starters, let’s talk about what canon actually is, shall we? Canon refers to anything that is accepted as being factual within the scope of a story, or a continuity (the collective canon of any individual writer, and that of any number of writers between each other). Therefore, any written post, historical fact, or occurrence would constitute canon. At its most basic, canon comes in three forms, which I will explain below and provide examples of. Self-Canon: Canon that established by an individual writer within the body of their own work. Example, “King John was born in Such-a-such palace in the year 1946.” As you can see, this piece of canon isn’t contingent upon any other writers for recognition or acceptance. Shared-Canon: Canon that is established between multiple players. Example, “King John from Such-a-such met with King David from That-place in order to conduct diplomacy.” This requires two writers to agree upon something that is canon to both of them, and therefore shared between them. Semi-Canon: This refers to any canon that is not officially canon, subject to change or contains only elements of truth. Some examples of semi-canon include work from retconned threads, canon from divergent regions / roleplaying groups (more on that later), writer’s notes and materials, things said on an online chat and things said by informed sources, but not the concerned writers themselves. So now that we have a general understanding of what canon is, let us delve into the subject of this lecture, that being Multiple Canons, or Multi-Canon. Within the context of NationStates, Multi-Canon refers to having more than one roleplaying entity, nation or world in which you write, develop lore, and create canon. It can be any of a number of things, including having multiple nations in the same roleplaying community, nations in different roleplaying communities, different versions of the same nation in different communities (or as I like to call it, mirror canon) and in more complex situations, multiple nations spread out between dimensions and periods of time. Multi-Canon: Having more than one canon on NationStates, which consists of having multiple continuities. This could be multiple nations, multiple versions of the same nation, or the same nation set in different periods of time (more on that later). There are many specific types of multi-canon that I will explain below. Alt-Canon: This is the most basic and commonly encountered version of multi-canon. Alt-Canon refers to having canon for alternate nations, which come in two forms within the context of NationStates roleplaying. Alternate Nations, or “Alts,” are nations that are separate and distinct from one’s “main” nation, or the primary nation that a writer focuses on NS. Of course, there are some writers that split their time evenly between multiple nations, in which case each of their nations would be an “alt” (since there wouldn’t be a main). I want to emphasize the difference between a “puppet” nation and an alt. While an Alt may or may not exist within the same continuity as a main, puppets most often do, and are usually in some way attached to the main in a way that benefits the main, often at the expense of the puppet. As a result, a puppet’s canon is very much tied to the canon of another nation. Alts can have puppets to, usually fulfilling the same purpose, to strengthen the position of the other nation within any given roleplaying community. Here are some examples. Bill has a main nation, called “Billand” (Nation A). He also has an alternate nation in the same region called “Jonesia” (Nation B). In another region, he has a nation called “Bobtopia,” (Nation C) and in that same region, there’s a puppet of Bobtopia called “Juniorville” (Nation D). Here you can see a complex web of canons at work. Nations A and B exist within the same continuity, but not with nations C and D, which are in a different continuity. While nations A and B merely exist within the same world together, Nations C and D are connected, because nation D is a puppet of nation C. Mirror-Canon: This type of canon refers to multiple iterations of the same canon across different continuities, hence the word “mirror.” On NationStates, an example of mirror-canon would be when one writer has two versions of the same nation in multiple regions, where the canon of that nation is the same in each region. This is usually the result of complex OOC developments, such as regional splits and a desire to save canon and maintain interactions with the divergent camps. Here’s a hypothetical scenario. Bill is in Region A with his Billand nation. Region A is experiencing OOC issues amongst its membership, causing roughly half of the region to leave and establish a new region, Region B. Bill has deeply entrenched canon with members of both Region A and Region B, and doesn’t want to retcon any of his work with either group. In order to avoid that and maintain his established work, he creates a second Billand account and moves it into Region B. Billand 2, as I will refer to it as, essentially has the same “self-canon” as Billand 1. The mirror aspect of the canon usually ends with the self-canon in the aforementioned example. The writer may choose to make minor alterations to the mirror-nation, such as replacing military conflicts and alliances that serve a similar role in the canon of the nation without having to make too many changes (since Region B is likely to consider anything in Billand from Region A as semi-canon). Future-Canon: Canon that takes place in the future, but has not occurred “yet.” Most writers on NS, I believe, have an idea of what’s in store for their nations in the future. A direction they want to go in, events that will take place, etc. This is what future-canon is. There could be several versions of it as well, in the form of Plan A, B, C, etc. There are other more tangible effects on roleplay as well. For instance, Bill is in two different regions with Billand, those being Region A and Region B, with Billand in Region B being a mirror of Billand 2 in Region A. The “general” date of Region A is the present, whereas the general date of Region B is ten years in the future, 2027. Any canon established involving Billand in Region A is then canon to Billand 2 in Region B, having taking place in Billand 2’s past. However, any canon established in Billand 2 in Region B is not canon to Billand in Region A, since it hasn’t happened yet. Therefore, the canon of Billand 2 that isn’t canon in Billand is future-canon. Fractal-Canon: Now this is where things get interesting! Fractal-canon is any sort of canon that goes beyond the previous categories. Fractal canon often involves divergent timelines, dimensions, and often involves PMT, FT, FanT and other advanced tech levels. The canon may be split for IC or OOC reasons in drastic ways, making it different (but similar) from mirror-canon. Whereas mirror-canon will essentially keep both versions of the same nation the same, fractal-canon could see them be entirely different. Here’s an example of this at work. Bill has two nations, Billand in Region A, and Billand 2 in Region B. Billand in Region A is a liberal constitutional monarchy, while Billand 2 in Region B is a far-right authoritarian dictatorship. Perhaps at one time in the past they were effectively the same nation, but differences in their national evolution resulted in very different outcomes. There are more complex examples. Bill has four nations, Billand, Jonesberg, Bobtown and Jimstan, all in different regions / roleplaying groups. However, because a scientist created a rip in the space-time continuum, he can travel between all four nations, and creates an opportunity for them to interact. Another example would be if A character in Billand creates a time-machine, goes back in time, and changes something to create an alternate version of Billand that he may or may not be able to access. Lastly, Billand might be set in the present day, but it has ties with Jonesberg, which is in another dimension set far in the future. The possibilities are endless! So now that we’ve gone through some different types of canon, let’s talk about why someone would want to pursue any of these. I can tell you that most commonly, writers might create alternate nations either for their main nation’s region, or for other regions in order to write, roleplay and worldbuild with writers in those communities, that they wouldn’t have access to otherwise. In my experience, writing on NS is very much a collective network of OOC relationships, so if you find someone you like to write with or want to start writing with, you’ll find a way to do that. The more complex types of canon are usually the result of complicated OOC occurrences, such as region splits, cross-tech roleplaying and deliberate developments at advanced tech levels. These can be highly controversial arrangements depending on the roleplaying group in question, because the more canonical commitments a writer has, the less time they generally have to devote to all of them, resulting in one nation taking precedence at the expense of the rest. That’s not the only reason, however. Firstly, most writers on NS are skeptical of multiple canons, due to the aforementioned juggling act. Likewise, on the whole they’re not especially fond of mirror-canon either, either because that involves some suspension of disbelief, or because OOC politics make doing it impolitic, for a lack of better words. Where it gets really objectionable is when it’s done carelessly. An example of this would be when Bill creates a Billand account and puts it in a number of regions, for no particular reason other than personal prerogative. So instead of creating a nation that fits the region in question, Bill sends in Billand as it is and then expects the region to accommodate it and its canon. This results in resentment from other members of that region, and they may choose not to write with Bill, or develop any shared canon with him as a result of that resentment. Once you’ve established a reputation as a excessive canon juggler, it can be hard to shake. The best advice I can give anyone that’s interested in multi-canon projects would be to know what you’re limit is and stick to it. Don’t “bite off more than you can chew,” as the saying goes, because then other writers will likely get annoyed. If you insist on developing multi-canon projects, the best place to start would be with an alt, which can be in your main region or in another. Once you have multi-canon of varying complexities, I strongly recommend that you keep some sort of notes to help keep things organized. This is especially the case with fractal canon, which can get confusing very quickly. The more you have written down somewhere, the better. Lastly, talk to the people that you write with or intend on writing with to get their feedback. Be upfront and honest about how many nations you have, what sort of canon exists between them, etc, so they can make informed decisions about what they would like to do. If writing on NS is about cultivating relationships between writers, then not being direct about your multi-canon sort of defeats the purpose of having it to begin with. At the end of the day, writing on NS is about participating in a fun, recreational writing, roleplaying and worldbuilding experience with friends and colleagues, and the pleasure that comes with sharing it with them. Any decision regarding multi-canon should be based upon those things, otherwise it’s doing a disservice to yourself and to your roleplaying partners. I hope everyone enjoyed my lecture on multi-canon, and found it informative. Thank you for reading.



Ghant	Fri Dec 22, 2017 11:19 pm Post #2
Posts: 2 Group: Lecturers Member #182 Joined: Dec 19, 2017	*The Transcript:* Ghant - 10:00 PM Hello all! Welcome to my segment on Multi-regional canon! Here's my lecture: http://nslazarus.com/archive/NSWF6/topic/10375449/1/ Now I know there's been alot of controversy surrounding the Fair this year, but I hope we can still make this a successful lecture session. I'd be happy to talk about the topic and answer any questions anyone might have. @everyone Mount Seymour / Somyrion - 10:03 PM A question for Ghant whenever they're ready: In your lecture, you mention the difference between "alts" and "puppets" for RPers. Gameplayers often don't distinguish and may use only "puppets" -- do you think this can be a source of confusion? Separately, what are the benefits of having alts or puppets? Ghant That's a great question! I should clarify that in my experience, there's a difference between what constitutes an alt or puppet among RPers then GPers. I think that among GPers, there's really no difference between alts and puppets, because in both instances they are accounts that are used by the main account for GP related purposes, whereas among RPers, they serve strictly RPing related purposes. Given the nature of RP vs GP, it can be especially confusing for people that are jumping from one aspect of the site to the other. In terms of benefits, alts allow a RPer to create more canon or fill gaps in RPs. I know some writers will setup Alts as fillers for their main's national canon. Sometimes, a longtime lore partner will CTE, and rather then seek to make new canon with another writer in order to replace that canon, they may just make an alt that strongly resembles the CTEd writer. As for puppets, well, depending on the circumstances, they may be necessary in order to have the sort of nation you want to have. Maybe you are RPing a powerful nation with great force projection, and having puppet states is necessary in order to maintain a hegemonic position. Like in any RPing situation, there are good reasons and bad reasons for doing anything, and creating additional accounts for purposes related to RP is no exception. Mount Seymour / Somyrion - 10:06 PM Another one: Given you seem to be an expert on the topic, I assume you've personally used many of these methods. What challenges and/or specific stories have you faced in your own personal experiences with multi-canon? Ghant The biggest challenge that comes to mind is managing a RP as a thread OP that involves writers from different regions / roleplaying groups that don't like each other. On at least one occassion, an important member of the thread told me in a telegram that "I don't want this guy writing in this thread, and if you let him I will withdraw." That's a very difficult position to be in. Obviously when people you write with don't get along, it's not fun to be caught in the middle of that. Ultimately tough decisions have to be made about the narrative. What I did in that situation was assess which writer was more "important" to the narrative, and make a decision based on that. To the other writer, I would explain the situation as best I could, and offer another roleplaying opportunity with them so that they didn't feel left out. Generally that's accepted because I've worked hard to build up respect, trust and credibility within my roleplaying circles. Another issue that I've encountered is different tech levels. I might be running a thread that has PMT and MT nations doing things in it, and that can get especially difficult when military stuff is involved. It's important in those situations to make sure that the higher tech nation writers are aware that lesser tech nations are involved, and to get them to scale some things back so that the thread doesn't alienate the lesser tech writers. As for the lesser tech writers themselves, I try to encourage them to participate in the story as they've intended, and to communicate OOCly with the higher tech writers. In my experience, when OOC communication and good faith are involved, things don't go wrong in RPs. Mount Seymour / Somyrion - 10:11 PM Also - as a non-roleplayer myself, I've always wondered - is it possible for a region or community to have multiple canons (forgive me if you said that somewhere in your lecture and I missed it :p)? Usually it seems like there's one big canon and then everything else is treated as non-canon and "just for fun". Ghant That's where things can get complicated. Within a particular region or roleplaying community, it is possible to have multiple canons, but it's usually either not intentionally by design or it's something deliberately created by one or two writers for specific reasons. For instance, it's possible (and I've personally experienced this) where you can have two or more writers within the same region or RP group put each other on mutual ignores. A mutual ignore is a situation where multiple writers refuse to acknowledge the IC existance of certain nations, usually due to OOC conflicts between them. When this happens, divergent canons often develop within the region. For instance, Nation A and Nation B do not exist within each other's canon. Nations C through Z established a Great War in the history of the region's collective canon, which involves both Nations A and B. Because Nations A and Nation B do not recognize each other, the history of that Great War is different for each nation, resulting in two different canons within the same region. An example of divergent canon within the same region by design could be when a writer utilizes time travel / extra dimensions. In this example, a writer could conceivably have multiple concurrent timelines that have canon with other nations in the region. Think Star Trek with the Federation vs. Terran Empire universes. OOC Lord of Jutsa, Jutomi~ - 10:19 PM Say, Ghant, I'm sorry that this doesn't partain to multi-canons, but what happens if you're in an rp where the op doesn't get along with like half of the members, or they both seem to have opposing views as to what's actually happened and can't agree with one another? :thinking: (ftr I joined an rp where both of these are the case) Ghant That's an oft asked question, and the answer is one that many people don't, and won't like. Simply put, the OP of an RP thread is that thread's God. The OP has power over the thread, and as a result, who's involved in it, who isn't, what happens, how it unfolds, how it ends, etc. They ultimately decide the OOC and IC nature of the thread, and involve other writers at their pleasure. So in a situation like the one you asked about, I'd tell you how I'd handle it if I was thread OP (similar situations have happened like this one). First, I've OOCly not gotten along with people involved in my threads, but I allow them to write in it anyway, because my OOC / IC seperation is such that I'm able to set aside OOC differences for the sake of the narrative that's being written. I understand and respect that not everyone is capable of doing that, but I hold myself to a very high standard of conduct. At the end of the day, I make it clear that it is my thread, and that they are writing in it at my personal discretion. I don't like kicking people out of threads and it's something that I avoid, only doing so if I've exhausted every effort to reconcile them to conforming to my expectations, which I consider quite reasonable and professional. For instance, disruptive behavior, shitposting, flaming, trolling and challenging me on what I consider "final decisions" regarding the RP are behaviors I have little tolerance for. If I decide to kick someone out, I explain why, and I'm polite about it. If two different people aren't getting along in the thread, I will OOCly pull both of them aside, together or seperately, and try to figure out ways that we can move forward productively for the sake of the thread. If that's not possible, then I would encourage them to find ways to write themselves out of the thread. Vuon - Today at 10:32 PM This also doesn't pertain to multi-canons, but how do you suggest RPing should work if the other participating region is unpopular in GP and an enemy of your own region in GP? Ghant I think some of my previous points relate to this question in the sense that in an RP situation, the story should be the priority. When you sit down to immerse yourself in a narrative, you should leave your OOC baggage at the door. If there are mutliple GP regions involved in a thread, and they don't get along, it's not going to be easy. The question you have to ask yourself is, "are we going to be able to communicate with each other, and is what we are trying to write collaboratively together going to be worth it?" RPing can bring people together unlike anything I've ever seen on NS. It's like LEGOs for the mind. As a child, I remember how LEGOs could bring children together. It's that idea that you're building something, creating something special with other people. That's what Roleplaying is all about. I think if people focus on the bridges that connect them rather than the canyons that divide, than anything is possible. OOC Lord of Jutsa, Jutomi~ - 10:38 PM Another odd question: Is it possible to juggle multiple canon-timelines within the same RP for some potentially rich albeit confusing storylines? Ghant It is, and depending on the level of detail, it's not always going to be easy. I have some experience dealing with this (spoiler-free for my collaborators and readers), and my advise is keep detailed notes. Notes are key to rich, immersive story-telling. I've got notes for everything, on my computer in MS Word, in Google Docs, in pastebins, and then IRL in my notebooks, in my "head-canon," etc. It allows me to refer back to things whenever I need to, and it keeps plots, characters and events organized to a high degree of detail and accuracy. So yes, I believe it's possible, but the more complex it is, the more material you need to make it functional. OOC Lord of Jutsa, Jutomi~ - 10:41 PM Oh, and another question: What if you have multiple canons within an RP, but have no real way of time-traveling or whatever because their tech level's too minimal? Ghant I think that depends on the nature of the RP. If it's a general / misc. RP, then you can post with different nations or the same nation that's on different timelines (again think Federation vs. Terran Empire from Star Trek) and those nations would never interact with one another, so that's one way you can have multiple canons in the same RP without interacting. If you have multiple but conflicting canons in the same RP, like say for instance, two writers in your thread that have each other on mutual ignore, then you have to sort of cherry-pick what's getting recognized in the story and what isn't. That often comes down to making judgement calls for the sake of the narrative. Also, you can have multiple nations that you control post in the same thread, provided you have the OP's permission. I've done this alot, where I would be RPing two different nations on opposing sides. Nakari - 10:44 PM im curious about a canon existing for the same nation at different points in its history. what usually happens if something happens in the past that would completely change the future - is this just completely avoided? and what are good ways to navigate changes in that overall timeline? Ghant Not necessarily, because canon can be flexible. It generally functions like how we understand time travel within science fiction literature, with the Ripple Effect. The further back in time you go and make a change, the more profound the changes are going to be (think Sound of Thunder). You can always twist and rejig some things so that the outcome is the same, of course, but let's say you don't want to do that, and you want to do something different. You need to consider what the "Point of Divergence" is, which is the last point in time when things were the same, and where the seperate timeline was created. I'm actually running an RP right now (no spoilers) where the point of divergence is in 2013, where a certain event happened that led to a series of events culminating in war and destruction, writ large. There's another timeline where event did not take place, and things have been relatively quiet by comparison. I navigate the changes in the overall timeline by keeping attention on that one singular moment in time, the Point of Divergence. Vuon - 10:46 PM What is the best way to create an integrated, regional canon that newcomers can easily come in the participate in while still having participators continue to participate? Ghant That's a great question, and one I've found myself on both sides of. I've been the guy that was in a region from day one or at least very early on, and I've been the new kid on the block to a region that had canon built up over the course of several years, where it seemed very difficult to get integrated. In the first case, I try to leave certain elements of my history "fluid" so that anyone can be added, or subtracted from it with relative ease. This can include anything from wars, to alliances, to various historical events, etc. Some can be altered, others can be created to accommodate new writers. It requires both the established writers to be willing to grow and adapt to fit new people and it requires new people to be willing to do the work. Which brings me to my next observation, being the new guy in a firmly established RP region. I've dealt with this fairly recently in fact, and even for me it was intimidating. I started with absolutely nothing and had to work my way in. The more regional canon there is, the more work a new guy has to do to get in. My first bit of advice that so far has worked for me, is be the sort of person that people will want to include in their canon. Write good stuff, be willing to communicate about RP ideas, be flexible with your nation and show a willingness to roll with the punches. Remember, it's not the regional canon's job to accommodate the new guy, it's the new guy's job to accommodate the regional canon. If you do the things I've mentioned, people will invite you to participate in certain events, historical or current, and pitch ideas for canon that involve you. That's worked for me so far, and I think it can work for anyone. Vacatio - 10:46 PM from the perspective of a person who runs small RP's, that sounds so impossible to manage it's stupid Ghant I know this isn't a question, but I think it's a good observation worth responding to, in relation to complex in-thread multi-canon: This is something that I learned early on...the more people that are in the thread, the harder it will be to operate. The more people there are, the slower the story moves, because you will have to wait for other people to post before you can advance the narrative. Conversely, if you are more limited in terms of participation, things become much easier to manage. When you say small RPs, I'm assuming you're referring to threads that have only a few people in them. You'd be amazed what you can do with just 2-5ish people in a thread. Here's a general RPing situation I've been in that involved multiple regions that were either semi-open (recognizing extra-regional canon on a case-by-case basis) or closed canon (not recognizing any extra-regional canon). A couple of years ago I ran a ball thread that was Open (anyone from anywhere could post, provided they signed up and were approved by me). It featured characters from nations that were MT, PMT, FT, FanT, etc. My general rule for that thread, since it was a social function, was to ask that people conform to the lowest tech level present, which was MT. So no space ships, no aliens, no lasers, no talking animals, elves, so on and so forth, you get the idea. The thread was a success, and everyone enjoyed writing in it to my knowledge. Now, going back to the timeline bit, in my lecture I referenced RPing in different periods of time with the same nation. I do this with Ghant, in two groups. One is the present day, in my two MT regions that Ghant's in, and the other is presently in the year 2028. Technically these are the same "timeline" but just on different points on said timeline. I try to make sure that what happens in and immediately after the 2017 (soon to be 2018) version leads to the version of Ghant that's depicted in 2028. If it didn't, that would mean divergent realities. Lamoni - Today at 11:16 PM Do you have any tips for people on how to keep the cannon of their main nation, and that of any puppets that they might have, separate, organized, and coherent? Notes, notes, notes! Alot of people use IIwiki to create articles about their nation and for their major events and characters, others use google docs to create factbooks and timelines of events, and like I've stated before, I use MS Word and physical notes to keep things organized. For instance, I have a folder on my computer for each nation, and a notebook for each nation. These contain major events, themes, characters, ideas for threads and plots. I will share an example, one that is very near and dear to my heart. This is a google doc entitled "The Big Book of Ghant" which I consider to be the ultimate guide to the nation of Ghant. Much of it is an ongoing WIP, but it's an example nonetheless: The Big Book of Ghant Here's an example of an IIwiki nation article: http://iiwiki.com/wiki/Ghant Those are just two examples of ways you can organize information about your nation. You can make as many of these as you need for as many nations as you consider necessary. Ghant As complicated as alot of this probably seems, the ultimate reason to do it (and the reason why I personally do it) is create opportunities to write with people that you otherwise wouldn't be able to write with. Regions and groups often build walls around themselves and close themselves off from the rest of the RPing community and from each other. You'll get a situation where you have multiple 15-30 nation regions that seem as much "social clubs" as they do RP regions. That creates limited RPing opportunities. If you want to transcend those barriers and develop canon across regions, some stretches of the imagination are necessary, and often required. But it doing so allows you to have fun writing with the people that you want to write with, then it's worth it, and that's what RPing on NS is all about. Remember to thank your multi-region RP partners. They might not be thrilled about the fact that you're in multiple regions, and some groups will look on that with disdain. The ones that allow it, and the people willing to put up with it, much kudos goes out to you. And that'a a wrap folks. I'd like to thank everyone who asked questions, and I hope my answers addressed your questions to your satisfaction. I'd also like to thank the NSWF Committee for giving me the opportunity to present a lecture on this topic, and a big shoutout to everyone who hopped on tonight to follow along. All you guys are the best, and have a good night and enjoy the rest of the fair. - Ghant Edited by Ghant, Fri Dec 22, 2017 11:23 pm.


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