Hello everyone!  I'm glad to be included in this discussion, and hope that it bears fruit in the long run.  I do know some of you (Hello Aiden and Urbanzorro!), and hope that I can get to know more of you!<br/><br/>I'm generally fairly flexible when it comes to games, though there are several types that I've never quite been able to get into.  The "Romance Novel" sort of plot (wherein fairly normal people leading normal lives find one another, etcetera) has never quite been able to hook me.  Maybe I'm not quite explaining that properly.  What I mean is, things like "single mother falls in love with co-worker, but his friend is also interested".  That sort of thing.  I'm perfectly content to play a normal human being, just in a different context than that.<br/><br/>I'm fine with established settings as well, but generally feel awkward about roleplaying as predetermined characters.  That doesn't mean that I can't fill a role (say if the creator of the thread wanted a "Jock" or an "Artist" and listed some desirable personality traits), but it's difficult for me to play as a real<em>character,</em>like, say, Wolverine or Vash the Stampede or Harry Potter or whatever floats your boat.  Not that there's anything wrong with fan fiction, but it's just a hang up of mine.<br/><br/>As for your list, I just want to latch onto this one for a moment:<br/><br/><em>That pair of players who go off on a massive 2-page 1-on-1 posting spree in the middle of a group scene just because they're both online that night.</em><br/><br/>If I recall, this is one reason that you left The Pack, among others.  I agree that this is one tricky part of running a group game where sex is expected and encouraged between the participants.  How to go about writing the sex?  In my opinion, it might be better to simply write an opening scene leading off into the literary equivalent of a fade-out, take the scene to Private Messages so as not to clutter the thread unnecessarily or, if it's predicted that it will go on for awhile or actually include things important to the plot, make a new thread.  Even if those two new pages that suddenly popped up overnight have nothing to do with you, it still feels very intimidating to have to skim through so much just on the off-chance that something happened that you need to respond to.<br/><br/>And another:<em>Players leaving and refusing to allow a new player to take over their character. Is this a good or bad thing?</em><br/><br/>I'm of the mindset that it depends on the character.  If the individual in question is absolutely 100% integral to the plot, clearly he cannot simply disappear or be killed off without some major repercussions.  The death of said character may change the plot entirely, or the point of the story may be lost as a result.  For example, if someone is playing the Evil Overlord that the entire quest hinges on being there and then they suddenly drop out.  If nobody was allowed to take up that role, what would happen then?  Perhaps it could be played off as a "trusted" underling assassinating him and seizing control, but that doesn't necessarily work for some games.<br/><br/>Ultimately I think it's up to the player to be an adult about it and give serious thought as to whether their character is required for the game to progress.  I do have a few "Evil Overlords" in the wings, but for the most part I try not to create characters in absolutely pivotal roles because I<em>don't</em>feel comfortable with other people playing them when I leave.  Perhaps that's a bit hypocritical of me, but that's just how I am.<br/><br/>