Style differences between Newbie and other games

[Mizzytastic]

Hi. I'm a newb! I'm currently in my first game, but I've read, or at least skimmed, a bunch of games while I was waiting so I'm basing this on general impressions.

Newbie games on this site seem to have 3 purposes on this site, to give people a nice welcoming introduction, to introduce people to how the game is played here and to weed out those who this isn't really for. But reading through newbie games compared to other ones I feel like the first two are kind of at odds with each other. I'd be interested to see whether people think this is the case, why it might be (or why I might have gotten this impression) and any advice for a newb wanting to make the jump to the rest of the site, given my anxieties?


For one thing, most games on this site seem to be hyper adversarial. Lots of personal attacks. Someone disagrees with you - idiot. They don't have to be scummy or even anti-town, they disagree, they're stupid - or even better, they disagree about your unexplained stance, they must be the scum, lynch lynch lynch. You don't need to state your case, you just need people to agree.

Another thing is post style/length/content. People just seem to say a lot more in newbie games, even after accounting for the "explaining stuff to newbies" parts that happen. More reasons given, looking at more of what is said - both from new players and from experienced ones. Even people who are happy to make a case make far less of one. There are a lot fewer walls - which is probably a good thing but not one I expected. I've looked at non-newbie games and felt like I'd just have nothing much to go on.

More quickhammers/lolhammers/policy lynches. I'd have thought this is the sort stuff that newbies would be really happy to do, but so far I've only seen it in non newbie games I've read. Like, wtf? Not really more to say there, just wtf?!

(off topic, need interrobang smiley)

I feel like the style of play encouraged in newbie games might just lead to a massive whiplash when you join other games. Right now I feel like if I joined one now with the way I naturally post (not just here, but when I talk on forums in general) I'm just gonna get ignored, insulted and lynched (whatever is on my role pm) and not necessarily in that order. Thoughts?

[Mizzytastic]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad I wasn't just imagining stuff but equally I have looked at some more games with what you have said in mind and I think I may have hit a particularly bad sample, as while the same things were still there the games did seem more civil than I had originally seen. Also, I'm starting to notice a lot of the shitthrowing seems to be built around personal disagreements or people who are somewhat intentionally acting in a way to provoke - so either hopefullly not involving me or at least predictable. Personalities clash I guess. Still a bit anxious about games outside the newbie queue, but I think that's probably to be expected from what I know of me. And hey, it's just a game after all.