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zilonox
Honored Guide
9/22/2010 1:09:08 PM
PostID: 377366
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I was just re-reading some of the narrative posts I've made as a DM and found myself upset at the fact that I seem to waffle between past and present tense in said narrative posts, and usually use both tenses in the same post. Now, I'm not a writer by trade (fortunately, computer code doesn't care about tense), but I do know that this is a big no-no for those in the profession.
I'm going to try and force myself to pick a tense and stick to it, but I was curious about a few things:- Any of the other DM here run into this problem in other pbp/written games?
- Does it bother anyone else (DM or player) to see tense shift, whether in the same post or across multiple posts in a thread?
- Anyone else really care what tense they use?
- If you do use a particular tense, why do you use it?
Comments?
These are the cries of the carrots, the cries of the carrots!
You see, Reverend Maynard, tomorrow is harvest day and to them it is the holocaust.
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Jeeeeoker
Haggler
9/22/2010 1:27:38 PM
PostID: 377368
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I pay attention to tense. In roleplaying games, I find it best to use present tense for all posts, DM and player alike. The reason is that present tense puts everyone in a position where the future is uncertain. Past tense carries with it the implication that everything is certain, because it already happened. This makes sense for a book, where it follows the same pattern as recounting a story in conversation, but for a game it doesn't look right.
There are times when I will use past tense in a game, and that's when there's a time jump in the story, and I'm describing things my character did up until the current action. But to describe the current action, I'll switch back to present tense. But for a DM post, that doesn't quite work because the DM is controlling the passage of time, while the players are adjusting to it. As a DM, the only appropriate place for past tense should be when recalling things that happened before the game started.
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LordOmega
Distinguished Socialite
9/22/2010 2:37:53 PM
PostID: 377381
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I usually write in present tense as a player, because in my mind, things are happening now. Though I often find after I posted, I sometimes go between past and present tense.
As a DM, I try to stick to past tense. Because I'm telling a story, with just players directing which way the story goes. Though I don't require my players to write in past or present tense.
Most of my games as a player, I haven't had any DMs complain or make a decision on what tense to use. Except one game. I'm in one game where the DM has put in his House Rules section, that all post must be in past tense. If you make mistake and use present tense, he'll remind you and tell you to edit your post. In the beginning, going back to correct the tense in a post happened a few times. Now it rarely happens, but I think that is because most of us type up our post in MS Work/Word and proofread before we post.
Koi flips his hair back, "Koi has always had women try to seduce him. It is just the natural order of things."
This post last edited on 9/22/2010 2:38:50 PM
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sammichweasel
Czar
9/24/2010 7:47:58 PM
PostID: 377949
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All of my literary experience and study aside, past tense in these games just feels wrong. I use present exclusively, but I don't yell at anyone for deciding to use past (despite it's wrongness ^.^).
I think the major reason is it makes you feel like more of a participant. If everything is past tense, I find it less exciting. If everything is here and now, it feels more like we're sitting at a table and really role playing.
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