Alternative Arena

Hey everyone!

Over the years I have noticed that the Alternative Arena gets quite rarely used, even though it allows to do quite a bit of stuff that would not be possible on other arenas/boards. So, I just thought I'd make a quick poll to see how people felt about it, or what kind of stories/elements to play/read would be of most interest to people regarding it. And of course open comments and elaborations about feelings towards it are also welcome!

And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that anything should be done to change/improve it or anything like that, I'm just curious about what interests people here in general.

Thanks!

P.S. Oh, and the available options are just something that came off the top of my head right now. Please feel free to elaborate/choose something outside the list! And you can also choose as many options as you like.

*Will do stuff if asked*

Not particularly interested in one off threads and temp characters. In the case of having abilities/powers, FnF exists to fill that gap and also doesn't really see use in that regard.

I just prefer to have and play characters with growth, often times in a very slow burn kind of way, so that section holds no real appeal to me. Haven't ever really been gone of non-canon to for the sake of to when I can just play in a place where those things can be built into the character development instead.

Yori wrote:Not particularly interested in one off threads and temp characters. In the case of having abilities/powers, FnF exists to fill that gap and also doesn't really see use in that regard.

I see! I've actually thought about it in a bit different way, like that FnF is purposed more for other creatures than humans such as furries etc., and not really for just a human with special powers or something like that. But I guess it's a fine line indeed!


Generally, it is interesting to see the results so far. While I am not myself hugely into most of the categories I listed as options there, I've been curious about the idea of adding some special powers to matches, and I've also been toying with the idea of adding some "Alternative Arena Attributes" to some of my characters. Like, the idea is that they would be having some (likely just one) special supernatural power they could utilize in matches, pretty much like the option 4, that seems to coincidentally be the most popular so far.

But I do have to say that option 9 is quite true too, because I seem to have my hands full already with threads in the more traditional arenas!

Yori wrote:Not particularly interested in one off threads and temp characters. In the case of having abilities/powers, FnF exists to fill that gap and also doesn't really see use in that regard.

I pretty much agree with this too. FnF fulfills most the oddity and fantasy elements for characters I have in mind that wouldn't work in Friction/Tension, but by that same token wouldn't work if I were inclined to rework them into a realistic setting.

I think its natural that the Alternative Arena only sees occasional use. I pretty much see it as the "Extras" section of the site. It has no backstage area and the one-off nature of it limits the kind of threads you can have going. That isn't a bad thing, of course.

While I have a thread going there, it was a very spontaneous idea. It's been a lot of fun to do, but beyond it I have zero ideas that would warrant its use relative to the myriad of plans I've been busying myself with for the other three arenas.

In terms of personal appeal, I think the potential for cross-franchise fights can be a lot of fun. It's a good way to avoid the hassle of making up a profile by just having an established character and the freedom to change the setting to make things appropriate. I never had much interest in the "my character but with powers" option, since I feel a lot of the uniqueness and appeal comes from their normality when its introduced to something like pro-wrestling. It also makes for a weird double entendre when these characters already exist in an anime setting, so its not such a subversion from the norm that it's all that engaging a concept.

For me, I'm happy to do those alternative types of matches (superpowered stuff, robots/aliens, possibly deathmatches), but it's just so much easier to do that via IM. I like to focus my forum energies on my official roster.

Thanks for the input everyone!

I can certainly see better now the reasons behind the Alternative section's lower use. I agree that as probably many of us do not have as much time in their hands as they would wish to be spent for AFW RPing, it is often more tempting and making more sense to prioritize canon threads and building your character's stories.

As there seems to be at least some interest towards the "superpowered characters", I'll consider adding some kind of those "Alternative Arena Attributes" to some of my characters in the future. Just to try them out for fun (given the time/opportunity)! But I don't think it will become a priority of mine at any point.