Post by Hawky on Aug 17, 2012 19:04:25 GMT -5
We have gathered this list to help members further improve their roleplaying skills; enjoy!
Creating your character: The first thing to think about when creating a character is what you want to accomplish. What will your character be? Are you creating a reflection of the real-life you? Are you writing out an established character? Do you wish to be a predator, or would you rather be prey? Try to make a character that will please you, and, to a lesser extent, serve to attract the type of player you would most like to role-play with. It's not always easy to find the balance, but you can always create a new one. Do what feels right for you. Experiment, innovate, and rely on your intuition and inner feelings.
A thing to be warned about at this point is God-Moding. God-Moding is when a character is rife with "godly" powers and abilities. Most people are not looking for powerful characters; they are looking for powerful players. Try not to make your character with the intention of "impressing" people with how "amazing" and "awe-inspiring" your character is. More often than not, this will scare people away. People are not impressed by how strong or powerful a character is; they're concerned about how a character is played. Although role-playing is clearly fantasy, it does have its own sense of reality; a character should be played as realistically as possible, making the role-play more enjoyable for all players involved. Power-play characters are seldom fun for other players; please try to avoid them!
As for using powerful and intimidating characters--as with any other type--the key is to make sure scenes are enjoyable to all involved. Played right, even the most intimidating character can be part of an excellent scene; it all comes down to how they are played. Powers and strength can be used successfully, but they must be used sparingly, and carefully. Another suggestion is to refrain from using a powerful character as your main character. If you have a powerful character or two, and use them sparingly, people will generally be more attracted to you as a role-player.
Within the Roleplay: Try to make your character behave realistically. For example, if your character is a middle-class human male from the suburbs of some Earth-like world, and he is suddenly thrown into the swamp and comes face-to-snout with a gigantic, ferocious looking dragon, he's probably not going to say: "Hey, how's it going?" Try to put yourself in your character's shoes, and think like them. Act natural. This is one of the keys to a good role-play. Also, be careful with names! Don't use another character's name in a way that says your character knows it (such as saying: "Hello, <name>") unless that character has given yours its name.
Pay attention to detail. Sometimes, what seems like a little mistake to you can effectively ruin the scene for your partner. Always be mindful of what they have to say, and what they have said. Read and understand a character's description before making comments about them. Often enough, someone will miss something vital, like the color of someone's eyes, or even the form they are in. On the same note, don't over-react if someone screws up. Accidents do happen, and it was probably just a simple mistake. Kindly point out that the mistake was made, and move on with the role-play.
Write as you would if you were writing a story; just keep in mind that you are writing it for the other player. Observe how others role-play, and learn from them. Do not copy other people! Learn from them, but try to develop your own unique style. When your character performs an action, try to be descriptive, and give the other player a better picture of what is occurring. Avoid simply stating actions.
If you are playing a character who is attacking or otherwise chasing another character, give them ways to avoid capture. Try to give the other player breathing room. The same goes for playing the defensive character: there should be no forced actions. Forced actions are, in effect, writing the other player's character. Do not write the the actions or thoughts of the other player's character! This is known as power-playing; controlling the other player's reactions. This is generally not appreciated.
Roleplay Etiquette: This is BY FAR the most important aspect of roleplaying etiquette! The text you see on the screen is put there by other people. They have feelings and desires, just as you do! They can be pleased, thankful, content, happy, sad, depressed, hurt, or angry, just like you. What you say and do in and outside of the chats matters. By common definition, role-playing is a game. It is a means of entertainment. But it is not "just a game"! These are real people you are interacting with. The fact that it's "just text on a screen" tends to de-sensitize many people to social interactions over the internet. This is a grievous error. Communication over the internet is just as powerful as speaking with someone face-to-face.
No one is born with the innate ability to roleplay perfectly. When people first start roleplaying, they will be nervous, and inexperienced, and need all the help they can get. Instead of ignoring them out of lack of desire to role-play with them, talk to them; ask them if they're willing to accept advice and training. Often enough, someone who seems uninteresting and inept really just hasn't been trained yet. If you put the time and effort into helping them out, you will often be rewarded with another good role-player and a new friend!
No one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes these mistakes are inconsiderate, and hurt people. A sexist remark, a blatant disregard for others, or anything else that strikes you as universally wrong should not be ignored. If someone does something wrong, politely inform them that what they have done struck you as such. For example, the player of a male character starts bothering the player of a female character, OOC, and treating her rudely, it is best to PM the offending player and say something along the lines of: "I don't know if you realize it, but your actions are striking me as sexist, and likely to offend her player." This will not always go over well with the offending player, (Face it: some people are just jerks) but you'll be surprised how often they just don't realize they've offended someone. The same goes for major problems, such as the development of "gangs" of offensive roleplayers; speak out, and make your stance known. Try to be the voice of reason; DO NOT FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE. If someone makes an inflammatory remark, respond with a cool, considerate response. Try to make them understand that you have nothing against them, but are opposed to their actions. And keep in mind: You are not always right. Be willing to back out of an argument if it gets too heated. Your goal is to make things more peaceful, not force your opinions on others. If a problem persists, contact the administrators of the forum. If this is a real problem, the administrators will do anything in their power to solve it. That's what they're there for, after all.
source: www.ekkaia.org/rpg/orp/tips.php
Creating your character: The first thing to think about when creating a character is what you want to accomplish. What will your character be? Are you creating a reflection of the real-life you? Are you writing out an established character? Do you wish to be a predator, or would you rather be prey? Try to make a character that will please you, and, to a lesser extent, serve to attract the type of player you would most like to role-play with. It's not always easy to find the balance, but you can always create a new one. Do what feels right for you. Experiment, innovate, and rely on your intuition and inner feelings.
A thing to be warned about at this point is God-Moding. God-Moding is when a character is rife with "godly" powers and abilities. Most people are not looking for powerful characters; they are looking for powerful players. Try not to make your character with the intention of "impressing" people with how "amazing" and "awe-inspiring" your character is. More often than not, this will scare people away. People are not impressed by how strong or powerful a character is; they're concerned about how a character is played. Although role-playing is clearly fantasy, it does have its own sense of reality; a character should be played as realistically as possible, making the role-play more enjoyable for all players involved. Power-play characters are seldom fun for other players; please try to avoid them!
As for using powerful and intimidating characters--as with any other type--the key is to make sure scenes are enjoyable to all involved. Played right, even the most intimidating character can be part of an excellent scene; it all comes down to how they are played. Powers and strength can be used successfully, but they must be used sparingly, and carefully. Another suggestion is to refrain from using a powerful character as your main character. If you have a powerful character or two, and use them sparingly, people will generally be more attracted to you as a role-player.
Within the Roleplay: Try to make your character behave realistically. For example, if your character is a middle-class human male from the suburbs of some Earth-like world, and he is suddenly thrown into the swamp and comes face-to-snout with a gigantic, ferocious looking dragon, he's probably not going to say: "Hey, how's it going?" Try to put yourself in your character's shoes, and think like them. Act natural. This is one of the keys to a good role-play. Also, be careful with names! Don't use another character's name in a way that says your character knows it (such as saying: "Hello, <name>") unless that character has given yours its name.
Pay attention to detail. Sometimes, what seems like a little mistake to you can effectively ruin the scene for your partner. Always be mindful of what they have to say, and what they have said. Read and understand a character's description before making comments about them. Often enough, someone will miss something vital, like the color of someone's eyes, or even the form they are in. On the same note, don't over-react if someone screws up. Accidents do happen, and it was probably just a simple mistake. Kindly point out that the mistake was made, and move on with the role-play.
Write as you would if you were writing a story; just keep in mind that you are writing it for the other player. Observe how others role-play, and learn from them. Do not copy other people! Learn from them, but try to develop your own unique style. When your character performs an action, try to be descriptive, and give the other player a better picture of what is occurring. Avoid simply stating actions.
If you are playing a character who is attacking or otherwise chasing another character, give them ways to avoid capture. Try to give the other player breathing room. The same goes for playing the defensive character: there should be no forced actions. Forced actions are, in effect, writing the other player's character. Do not write the the actions or thoughts of the other player's character! This is known as power-playing; controlling the other player's reactions. This is generally not appreciated.
Roleplay Etiquette: This is BY FAR the most important aspect of roleplaying etiquette! The text you see on the screen is put there by other people. They have feelings and desires, just as you do! They can be pleased, thankful, content, happy, sad, depressed, hurt, or angry, just like you. What you say and do in and outside of the chats matters. By common definition, role-playing is a game. It is a means of entertainment. But it is not "just a game"! These are real people you are interacting with. The fact that it's "just text on a screen" tends to de-sensitize many people to social interactions over the internet. This is a grievous error. Communication over the internet is just as powerful as speaking with someone face-to-face.
No one is born with the innate ability to roleplay perfectly. When people first start roleplaying, they will be nervous, and inexperienced, and need all the help they can get. Instead of ignoring them out of lack of desire to role-play with them, talk to them; ask them if they're willing to accept advice and training. Often enough, someone who seems uninteresting and inept really just hasn't been trained yet. If you put the time and effort into helping them out, you will often be rewarded with another good role-player and a new friend!
No one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes these mistakes are inconsiderate, and hurt people. A sexist remark, a blatant disregard for others, or anything else that strikes you as universally wrong should not be ignored. If someone does something wrong, politely inform them that what they have done struck you as such. For example, the player of a male character starts bothering the player of a female character, OOC, and treating her rudely, it is best to PM the offending player and say something along the lines of: "I don't know if you realize it, but your actions are striking me as sexist, and likely to offend her player." This will not always go over well with the offending player, (Face it: some people are just jerks) but you'll be surprised how often they just don't realize they've offended someone. The same goes for major problems, such as the development of "gangs" of offensive roleplayers; speak out, and make your stance known. Try to be the voice of reason; DO NOT FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE. If someone makes an inflammatory remark, respond with a cool, considerate response. Try to make them understand that you have nothing against them, but are opposed to their actions. And keep in mind: You are not always right. Be willing to back out of an argument if it gets too heated. Your goal is to make things more peaceful, not force your opinions on others. If a problem persists, contact the administrators of the forum. If this is a real problem, the administrators will do anything in their power to solve it. That's what they're there for, after all.
source: www.ekkaia.org/rpg/orp/tips.php