Forums » RP Discussion » Hate-On for Sci-Fi?

So my favourite RP dream on Furcadia is undergoing a major overhaul, including wiping the discussion forums and changing the continuity. As well as adding new OOC rules like character restrictions. Restrictions that forbid four of the seven characters I play there simply because they're modern or sci-fi.

I've seen a lot of fantasy dreams and just RPs in general, and many among those who outright forbid sci-fi elements. And the small number of sci-fi dreams I've seen are very specific in their setting and strict in who they allow to play.

So I wonder, why is it seemingly taboo to have generic sci-fi settings and characters? Generic as in a setting any sci-fi character is welcome to, not like the dozen Star Trek themed RPs I walk by every time I stroll through the Imaginarium or browse forum RPs (not here, haven't seen a Star Trek themed one yet).

Anyways, that's mostly me just venting, but I'd like to hear other folks' thoughts on the apparent distaste for sci-fi RP.

So far as fantasy settings go, sci-fi is primarily based around 'high' technology - spaceships, stun guns and such things. This generally does not mesh well if at all with magic-based fantasy ones, or low-technology no-fantasy historical RPs. A mage sat at a bar next to an inter-galactic soldier would look very out of place, in my opinion. This high-technology spaceship/other-planet common theme is generic, throughout many sci-fi rps such as Star trek, Stargate and so on, so forth.

I do not dislike sci-fi rp. I just don't want it mixing with my fantasy or historical because I feel that unless they are somehow stripped bare of the high-tech that makes them sci-fi... you get my point.

Why not make a generic sci-fi setting dream on Furcadia, or a group here?

Or start your own RP? Or join a group with a Sci-fi specific theme that matches your tastes?

I don't particularly 'hate' sci fi, but I play characters that are a mixture of fantasy and ancient historical. Sci-fi and even modern characters tend to just outright clash and not fit into the setting I play in. Once a few years ago I tried being more 'open' but I got sick of my characters constantly having high tech gagets shoved in their faces. It ruined the rp experience for me. People who make dreams, have a right to make the dream be whatever they want it to, so long as it does not go against furc's TOS. Surely you were not the only Sci fi character in that dream? I suggest making your own, or having one made if there really is no dream avalible for your characters. Ive seen many sci fi characters popping up in low tech settings, so it's not like they are unheard of.

To support this, I'll state that I have rped a sci-fi character in a fantasy setting. But I worked it into his setting that as a result of him crashing, all of his high-tech gear was lost -- ship destroyed, weapon's clogged up with seawater, the lot. He then became effectively just another monster, and wore leather clothing that was not alarmingly too different from a medieval time period. He still stuck out for what he was, but he did not stick out like a sore thumb either.

I actually have a dream on furcadia that accepts characters of varying time periods and the lot so fantasy could meet Sci-fi there. To nullify the clashing of this yin and yang of the RP universe, I simply placed rules that establish the fact that the Sci-fi's may have more advanced gearand what not but it is toned down. Ie: if one brought a star wars character in there, their lightsaber couldn't instantly cut through another persons regular sword. Little things like that. Granted my dream hasn't seen many Sci-fi characters, the ones it has the rules have worked effectively and with minimal to non-existent levels of complaint.

Although I lack many sci-fi characters, by no means am I against them.

As a matter of fact, my personal Exodus continuity, while primarily "high fantasy" in its origins, bears aliens from other worlds (generally outcasts or folks simply looking for a new planet to settle on)-- and both sides are forced to cope with the vast differences between the magical natives and their new intergalactic high-tech neighbors.

On the other hand, I take offense to finding sci-fi in fantasy when it isn't allowed, and visa versa. It sticks out like a sore thumb and makes me-- along with my characters, since most of them won't know wtf a lightsaber even is-- uneasy to interact with the offender of this continuty-era blunder.

Don't get me wrong, it's a shame that your dream went into this overhaul and made most of your characters unplayable there, but as Hengist suggested, why not make a dream or group that fits your liking? Provided you find no where else that suits your fancy. Lord knows how many times that's happened to me. I'd get the frustration of searching yet again for as good of a place as your favorite.

Sci-Fi requires a certain level of knowledge of... well science. Most people who have this knowlwdge know it from watching or reading specific series. I think that is why most Sci-Fi is so specifically based around certain series and free scifi rp is rarer. A lot are too casual roleplayers to bother ciming up with their own ideas.

I like both fantasy and scifi© but am more at home in fantasy.

I have several Sci-Fi themed characters although I've never got to use them. Like Sanne says, I think people fear that if they rp Sci-Fi they have to know about science.
Still I can not imagine using Sci-Fi characters in a fantasy setting or the other way around could ever work very well, historical rp might still be interesting using time travel but fantasy just seems the complete opposite.

As people have already said here, if someone makes a fantasy dream, they are well within their rights to exclude scifi. It goes the other way too, someone with a starship dream might not be too eager to have elves and wizards running around.

It's not so much hate of sci-fi, just dream owners wanting to establish a certain theme and sticking with it.

Last time I visited Furcadia, there were lots of scifi dreams, I'm sure you can find one suitable for your character. And if not, there's nothing to stop you making your own

I might make a Goa'uld character for just RPR roleplaying if the idea takes off.
As for historical, I've got it so then a slavery ship is controlled by a lich-like mage from another world who uses portals {called waygates in Zhi's setting} to go from one to the other. He can also use this same ability to 'slip' between time periods. He's a, for now, neutral but potentially very, very evil character. Probably if I did RP sci-fi on Furc, I'd work it that stuff was lost during how they got there... or something. Like it's nulled by the leylines or whatnot.

I got a star wars version of my main character Kyle but if you guys wanna kick off an original Sci-fi theme I can slap together a character later today when I'm home from work. My notebooks crave more characters.

I think it mostly just fear. Fear of research ,fear of godmoding, fear of being shown up, etc. A lot of people seem to think that in order to play a character in a sci-fi setting, you have to know a lot of science, and that simply isn't true. Sure, your fighter pilot has to know how to fly said fighter and how to make their laser guns spit laser-y death, but they don't have to know how the laser is formed, contained, and guided, nor do they have to know the entire history of the craft's building and every niggling science detail about how it's put together, any more than you as a person in real life need to know every single detail about the building, structure, history, etc, of a car in able to drive it. You just need to know how to not crash or break traffic laws.

Personally, I love sci-fi. And I adore mixing sci-fi and fantasy. And I never roleplay fandoms. So I've had some interesting roleplays in the past that combined the two, and some pretty miserable ones. It's just a genre with a rep - neither good nor bad - for being 'hard'. It can be a challenge to tackle, especially to someone new to it or when trying to mix it with something else, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's hated.

Without reading any of the other responses, I'd say the big problem with Sci-Fi being considered the lowest tier of RP (at least on Furc) is because so many people join them to have some pretend military rank and never roleplay. Or they all only roleplay in a big cluster when the moderator forces them to and nothing worthwhile ever happens -- I've seen so many people who just sit and don't attempt to roleplay independently. I usually had to be the one to force people to get the gears turning where I used to play, at least.

I'm sorry, but that's far from sci-fi exclusive, in my short time on furc I've seen enough places with fantasy/whatever settings where they sit and don't do stuff at all. It happens everywhere on Furc, it's quite the popular practice even.
*log in*
*sit down*
*wait FOREVER*

Also I like my pretend military rank =[