Role Play Posts That Are Too Detailed

[~Stargazer~]

After a short discussion with some friends, I decided to start this topic. Have you ever encountered an RP post that's too detailed/impossible to understand? The type of post that has so many adjectives/excelled vocabulary terms that it makes you confuzzled. Here is an example:

"The brutes obsidian orbs narrowed to exiguous apertures, as he lowered his attic and stretched his boa."

...Erm.. I'm sorry, what did I read? Eheh, but trust me, it's not just wolf speak that can make your post unreadable. I've seen posts with loads of detail that were hard to read. But they didn't use 'wolfspeak'. I haven't been the only one to witness this, no? Its also in the real world as well. I've read plenty of books that have so much detail, it's almost impossible to tell what's going on.

So tell me this: Why do some role players insist on so much detail? Detail isn't bad, it's normally good. But when users use so much of it, the posts suddenly become almost impossible to read.

[donutforest]

Everytime I used to RP with this person as warrior cats, he was so detailed I gave up rping..
My only guess is is because people want to sound 'proper'

[Vespian]

Roleplay, to me personally, is generally like telling a story. If the readers are unable to understand the tale being told, then why bother telling it? It's merely a waste of one's time when they have the potential of creating a fascinating display using your everyday terms of the English language. Wolfspeak is something that I, over time of observing, fail to truly grasp when looking at the overall picture.
When it comes to detail, it really all depends on the user. Some users prefer to keep it sweet and simple, allowing the reader a vague, yet clear enough understanding of what their character is doing/saying. While others, while I haven't encountered members like these who are able to bewilder me when reading their post as of yet, prefer to outline every little detail from the sound of their exhale to the precise coloration of their eyes. I assume this is their way of letting the reader know exactly, and I mean exactly, what their creation is, what it's doing, what it looks like, how it feels, etc. This goes for authors and roleplayers alike. I generally have no problem with users who prefer to be more detailed, as thus far I've come to understand most and what they're referring to, as long as they're using terms correctly and fluently. Yet again, everyone's opinions is different.

[~Stargazer~]

Everytime I used to RP with this person as warrior cats, he was so detailed I gave up rping..
My only guess is is because people want to sound 'proper'

That would be my guess too, but like what Vesp said. What's the point of RPing if no one can understand you?

Roleplay, to me personally, is generally like telling a story. If the readers are unable to understand the tale being told, then why bother telling it? It's merely a waste of one's time when they have the potential of creating a fascinating display using your everyday terms of the English language. Wolfspeak is something that I, over time of observing, fail to truly grasp when looking at the overall picture.

[avomeir]

Indeed posts need, or rather I prefer them to flow in a manor that is smooth to the mind. When it is choppy due to the amount of detail within, what is the point? I have found myself thinking about this topic quite a few times, for I understand a certain amount of detail is required to grasp a visual of the situation, but when it makes you have to look so further into the post then what is there to understand it, it completely gets rid of the focal point. You want people to read your posts - not look at them, and find them so daunting that they ignore them completely, or have to make clear of what you mean by asking questions referring to your post. I believe some users at times get caught up attempting to out-do one another when it comes to superiority in vocabulary, thus add too much detail in their posts causing confusion. I too have found myself in this predicament, and it is something that I tell myself that if I am happy with the post then thats all that matters. People believe that the detail will make others look at their posts, view in awe, however all it truly does is make their brain sore. A moderate amount of detail is very much welcome, but I have to admit some people go over the line sometimes. I myself use synonyms to other words too often to add a bit of variety to the vocabulary within my speech, however after people asked me what the words meant within real life I found that it was very foolish to speak like such in puplic, for I didn't appreciate being asked to recite the definition of such common words in my arsenal of vocabulary.

[~Firepool~]

Roleplay, to me personally, is generally like telling a story. If the readers are unable to understand the tale being told, then why bother telling it? .

This is exactly how I feel. Why bother adding all these outrageous synonyms that are difficult to understand? Roleplaying isn't just telling a story, it is a story. I was roleplaying in one of my many RP groups a couple of days ago and someone remarked that if we merged all of our posts together, we could fill novels. I understand the need to feel descriptive, but sometimes it just get's out of hand. especially with wolfspeak. I know for a fact that when I write, I need to be able to imagine everything. I use imagery by describing clothing, pelt colors, etc without needing to pull out words that make no sense. If I can't understand what you're saying, what's the point in roleplaying with you?

[BlackLuna06]

Lordy, yes.

Wolfspeak gets a lot of bad rap, here and in-game. Sometimes this is deserved, sometimes not; moot point.

Usually, even with vastly complicated posts, you can make enough sense to reply, hm?

It might not be as fun as RPing with someone who posts things that you can always understand, true. But enough meaning can be extracted to not make the 'story' (as said above) worthless.

What bothers me is the people who RP and post for 5-post duration. The no post-cut (Waiitng for a person to completely finish before posting your own reply) rule is a gem! But when you have been waiting for about 3 posts to start your own, it is SO EASY to become bored, and forget what they were saying in the first place.

As Vespian mentioned, if the story is not clear, or interesting, why bother telling it?

[Wizardmymom]

What bothers me is the people who RP and post for 5-post duration. The no post-cut (Waiitng for a person to completely finish before posting your own reply) rule is a gem! But when you have been waiting for about 3 posts to start your own, it is SO EASY to become bored, and forget what they were saying in the first place.

As Vespian mentioned, if the story is not clear, or interesting, why bother telling it?

This is true. e.o
I'm in an RP where one of the members RP's like 3 or 4 posts at a time. Even when just talking!
She normally spends those posts talking, however, so it's fine-ish since my character is young and understands about 2% of what she's saying. XD
It can be really annoying, though.


These types of posts lead LOADS of people to post cut, and their claim their finger slipped.
Most likely to give them something to read!

When I see people post, I normally expect another continue, MAYBE 2. Not 3 or 4.
So I have a post ready when they're typing their third, and I have to re-do it as they finish their fourth or fifth.

[Insanic]

I'm familliar with this kind of "detailed posts". Wolfspeak is just a fancy nickname for "Usingsomerandomwordsforbodyparts." It annoys me, personally, however I strive not to take much notice of it since I used it too, back in the day.

What bothers me is the people who RP and post for 5-post duration. The no post-cut (Waiitng for a person to completely finish before posting your own reply) rule is a gem! But when you have been waiting for about 3 posts to start your own, it is SO EASY to become bored, and forget what they were saying in the first place.

Agreed. I have experienced this while fighting in-roleplay, multi ninja-like attacks happened to me a lot.

[gold feathers]

I do dislike when such role-play posts happen. Not only am I left there hanging by a thread as to what to say, but I keep reading it over and over to try and understand what the hell they tried to pass over there.

Yes, I do like detailed role-play posts but that's just too detailed, and normally when such a role-play post is written I decide to do a little 'quit' and wait for someone else to figure out the role-play and post theirs.