Entry posted by Jean Valjean
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This entry furthers, to some extent, the advice given in this blog entry by Robo.
A Text Based Role Playing Game, often abridged to TBRPGs and RPGs, is a unique "game" where people write about characters who are able to interact with each other. It's basically storytelling through more than one storyteller. Sometimes the storytellers know the direction of their stories, sometimes they don't.
RPGs have all the elements of a community, and like all communities, they often encounter the problem that they are unorganized. Nobody really likes anarchy, so some sort of order should be established. The simple answer usually used by most RPG owners is to just appoint one or more people to help them moderate the posts of the RPG. Basically, what they do it give power to a small amount of people in the RPG. From what I've seen, this power is never really a good thing. Although people might say that they mean well, they do get a little too cocky, perhaps not abusive of their power, but it's not altogether productive. Basically, when the only measures taken are to just form an elite group, whether it is for moderation or not, there becomes an unstable hierarchy of people just wanting the most power. It simply doesn't work at much as some people might might expect.
Really, this is an age old problem, and it applies to a simple RPG as much as the rest of the world. Basically giving people power does not work. It is much efficient if one establishes certain job departments to both balance the powers of the RPG and distribute the different responsibilities among the people, in which they can specialize themselves in. When things are balanced like this, people are better at their roles in the RPG community (other than their characters, of course, which is a whole different subject), since they are much simpler and specify in a certain field. Their responsibilities, if carefully chosen, will directly help the RPG run, unlike a simple hierarchy, in which moderators make those who aren't employed feel somewhat in their shadow with their power, which can be used for various different things...if they feel like it. Having a job makes a person feel much more special and important while in an RPG, which inideed they are, as it is nice for the RPG owner to have them contribute.
Perhaps most importantly is that if one particular person goes missing, whether they are on hiatus from the sight or their computer went down, only a fraction of the productivity is lost, it isn't as if the head of the serpent was cut off, but rather the finger (the finger of a human, not a snake). Their particular duty towards the order of the RPG might have been lost, but enough of the issues of the RPG will continued to be carried out thanks to the different responsibilities being evenly distributed. The RPG still runs smoothly and doesn't slow down as much. This contrasts with a hierarchy, where if a vital moderator is absent, the RPG begins to lag, and people will all pounce for the empty position.
BZPower itself, really, uses just this method. While most of the visible staff are moderators, they are still divided to cover certain boards where others can't. There are also the news reporters, and all of the people working behind the scenes to make BZP what it is. I share a similar vision for an RPG structure.
Your Honor,
Emperor Kraggh
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