I'm really sure this isn't the right thread considering it was created in 2011 but I'm posting my opinion here anyway.
First of all, I want to state that one of the first childish EITC-like guilds was created by me but just as an attempt to make something original. I've always had a soft spot for the bad guys in my heart, and I didn't mean for it (the roleplay) to escalate into those levels of drama and conflict between players. I'd never thought it would develop into that, heck, I was even ticked when everybody started adressing themselves as Lords or Kings. Back then the best and most impressive achievement was being a General or an Admiral, so it clearly seemed as something abusive. If any of you guys is familiar with actual roleplay it felt as if everybody was metagaming.
The real problem are not the roleplaying guilds, but the players. And I include myself in the ecuation. When I first started RP in POTCO, I didn't even know what roleplay was. I was just an 11 year old pretending to be original. So, being ignorant is the essence, I believe, of all the drama, hatred and conflict between the RP guilds. Not knowing what roleplay actually is. Instead, everyone takes things personal, there's no difference between OOC (out of character) and IC (in character) so they try to beat who they see as their rival with god-mode titles (aka King of the holy english spanish empire aka I'm more important than you) as they set up a bunch of rules that have, in reality, nothing to do with real roleplay. Everything becomes too personal and madness begins.
So, how can we solve this mess?
It's easier than one might think. Establishing a couple of rules is the obvious choice. But, is it really necessary? The answer is no. There are no need for specific rules for TLOPO/POTCO. What makes its roleplay so special that it needs its own set of rules? Why not just follow the universal roleplaying rules? People that want to take part in it must have the necessary knowledge to take in mind these universal rules. That means no godmode, no metagaming, no mixing IC and OOC and most importantly, respecting the lore of the movies.
Now, respecting the lore is something that's been heavily ignored. What are the King of England, the King of Spain, the King of Sweden, the King of IRU348279 all doing in the Caribbean? Is there any type of monarch party in Tortuga? What is this nonsense? But these are just a couple of examples.
Anyway, I hope you guys get the point.
I will surely start roleplaying as soon as I get my hands on a TLOPO key and remember, roleplaying is good, but godmoding is not!
