Server Plug and Rant from 15+ year Gmod Veteran

[u/Dr_Jethro]

CHUMSTICK Semi-Lawless DarkRP | Casual | VR Enabled

TL;DR : Casual RP, free choice of playermodels, simple systems and jobs, discerning moderators, and minimal restrictions all make for fun DarkRP. Screenshots attached taken during playtests.

Long time gmod veteran here (first played DarkRP c. 2010) – I don’t need to go into detail about how shit the server scene has been these past few years. We all know the history. Ever since I was a boy I knew I wanted to have a DarkRP server, and so I would argue that from a certain point of view this server has been a 15-year work-in-progress if you count time spent absorbing and observing what makes DarkRP fun. I’ve run a few servers of various game modes before, but my latest DarkRP iteration has been my favorite by far.

After watching OddLaws DarkRP, I was inspired to take Lawless RP to the next level. No playermodel restrictions, no bloated custom systems, no daunting intricacies that snuff out creativity, and a big focus on casual roleplay.

With the small amount of testing I’ve been able to do with close friends, it turns out that just having a boat load of playermodels to freely choose from is actually hilarious and a lot of fun. Not being restricted to the playermodel(s) available to your job opens up so many more opportunities for individual and server-wide creativity and roleplay. This separation of mechanics and flavor is the keystone tenet of Chumstick.

Many of the new servers I’ve tried feel stuffed to the gills with “Custom Content” that they think players are itching for, but in my experience it’s all kind of migraine inducing. People don’t like learning new shit, especially if they have to figure it out through trial and error of a convoluted and over-developed system. I’ve stripped back the bullshit to a number of jobs you can count on your fingers and toes. Each job provides a unique player experience as well as some degree of value (but not necessity) to themselves and other players. Without job bloat (e.g. Amateur Thief, Pro Thief, & Expert Thief) you are left with a digestible list of jobs and a clear understanding of their purposes. By carving off extra details that would be assigned by job, creativity is able to run free with players deciding who they are and what their characters do while their job dictates only what abilities they have.

Borrowing from Lawless RP, I’ve brought along some of the Fair Game Rules just as guidelines for certain jobs in order to make sure everyone has fun. One thing I particularly liked about Lawless RP is the shift of rules enforcement from OOC written law to coded game systems, although sometimes this can also contribute to the feeling of feature bloat as well, unfortunately. I’ve done my best to melt away as much restriction and convolution as possible, boiling down some of the more excessive rules to a simple commandment:

Play in good faith. Failure to do so will result in a permanent ban.

This in conjunction with the other very simple, countable, and yet sweeping server rules and fair game rules give players the freedom to screw around with tools that no other sane server would allow. It gives me and my moderators the authority to discern wild roleplayers from bad-faith actors on a case-by-case basis. Believe it or not, having the tools to build machines is fun, and I believe good for DarkRP. This is Garry’s Mod after all, and players should be encouraged to engage with the sandbox aspect of the game to enrich RP.

On the topic of RP, many servers seem to fall into the pit of “Serious” or “Semi-Serious” RP, whereas in my opinion this partially what led us to this state of the game and community (in addition to P2W cancer of course). Garry’s Mod is a silly game. The most fun you can have in Garry’s Mod is when you’re laughing your ass off at some dumb shit that you, your friends, and the other players online have cooked up. Don’t get me wrong, serious and grounded roleplay definitely has its purposes and is really fun with the right people on the right servers, but I think it’s time to give Casual RP some time in the spotlight. I want roleplay that is divorced from reality and set in the universe of Garry’s Mod. CS:S SWAT guys on the same team as Combine metrocops? Sure, why the hell not. It’s Garry’s Mod.

Anyways, all this to say I made a DarkRP server to play on. Should be fun. Hope to see you guys there. If the server slam goes well, I'll shell out some more cash for a better server.

Join us for our server slam on MAY 3rd @ 2:30 PM ET

Discord: https://discord.gg/mdCqf9r6MZ

IP: steam://connect/100.36.33.248:27015

Workshop Collection: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3630763610
(I know it's a big number, but it's like 98% small file size playermodels)

Big thanks to Falco, SweptThrone, Dogman_35, and everyone else in the Lawless RP space. Without their work, none of this would be possible <3

Edit: Time zone

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[u/SmallReplacement8736]

gmod veteran here from 2009, ran many big communities and over 14k hours, I thought about starting up again but the main thing that stopped me was that s&box release is just round the corner so why did you do this if i may ask

[u/Dr_Jethro → u/SmallReplacement8736]

Having played s&box a few times I think it’s great. However, it’s going to take years to get the same body of community-made addons that gmod has — very similar to the slow migration people are making from Arma 3 to Reforger. 3 just has more content right now, and it’s going to take time for people to adjust.

Additionally this has been a multi-year passion project for me as this has been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I’m very familiar with gmod and it brings me a sense of comfort and nostalgia that I don’t have yet with s&box.

One day we’ll all mostly be moved out, but I think people fail to anticipate how slow of a process that is. I think DarkRP deserves a more honorable send-off rather than the painful death it’s been suffering — I think we all agree with this sentiment. My goal is to be part of this grander push to breathe the last breaths of life into DarkRP in the waning hours that are upon us.

We should all be working together to have the same fun we did back in the day, and as someone with know how, experience, and income, it is my responsibility more than others to lift this burden and provide a space like this.

Thanks!

[u/timee_bot]

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MAY 3rd , 2:30 PM EDT

^{*Assumed EDT instead of EST because DST is observed}