Roleplaying

From XgenWiki

Roleplaying simply stands for playing a roleplay. Forum roleplays can be found in Off-Key

A yet unfinished guide to roleplaying by Helmic and other forum members can be found below.

Credits

The creator of this guide, Helmic, would like to thank the Roleplay Council of XGen, who came up with most of the information in this thread.

The Basics

What is Roleplaying (RP'ing)?

Roleplaying is where one takes on a "role" or persona different then their own, and then acts that role out as realistically as they could. It's almost like a form of theater, only you are the character, and there is no script.

Basic Terminology

RP -- Roleplay
RPG -- Roleplaying game
LARP -- Live Action Roleplay
ndX (where X and n are numbers) -- A dice with X number of sides, with n number of rolls.
OOC -- Out of Character
GM -- Game Moderator
DM -- Dungeon Master

What styles of RP's are there?

There are a few basic types of RP's:

Structured RP's

Structured RP's follow a very specific set of rules, usually set down in a rulebook. Examples include Dungeons and Dragons (DnD), Generic Universal Roleplay System (GURPS), and SPECIAL. An easy way to visualize what these rules do is to think of them as an open-ended videogame. Remember hitting a bad guy with a sword and seeing a red number representing damage appear over his head? A structured RP's rules determine what those numbers are, often using dice (physical or virtual) to calculate random numbers. However, structured RP's are not limited to just computing damage. They often have detailed rules determining whether or not you can talk your way out of a situation, jump over a bottomless pit, or play a simple song on an unfamiliar instrument.

An example of a post in a structured RP:

Vagrant hides behind a wall and fires at the combine soldier with his +1 damage 9mm pistol, causing -21 damage (79 left). The combine soldier returns fire with his SMG, but is inaccurate because of the range, only hitting Vagrant once, causing -5 damage (95 left).

Novel RP's

Novel RP's focus more on story, player interactions, and writing ability. They often have vague rules about such things as combat, sometimes simplifying conflicts to a coin toss. With so little focus on actual "gameplay," newer players may quickly lose interest. However, novel RP's can have intricate and interesting plots, making them worthwhile for those with enough writing ablitiy.

An example of a post in a novel RP:

Vagrant looked at the city around him. The city was in complete chaos. Citizens were rebelling, fire was everywhere, buildings were crumbling. Vagrant carefully inspected his pistol and checked to make sure it was working. As he was doing this, he noticed a combine soldier walking down the path. Vagrant quickly dodged to the side of the wall, and took a crouching position. He aimed carefully, and shot at the combine soldier's head. He heard a rewarding flatline noise, and inspected the dead soldier's body for weaponry and ammunition.

Tavern RP's

Tavern RP's, like novel RP's, often have little to no rules regarding combat, instead focusing on character interactions. Unlike novel RP's, however, tavern RP's often have no GM intervention whatsoever. Players assume a persona to interact with other players in some setting, oftentimes a bar or tavern. While there may be some limited combat (such a short fistfight or a thrown barstool), players will often decide amongst themselves the outcome.

An example of a tavern RP:

Helmic: I walk into the bar and shake Vagrant's hand.

Vagrant: "Hello, sit right here." I order a second drink for Helmic.

Smash'n'bash RP's

Smash'n'bash RP's are the most common kind on internet forums, and can vary from having very strict rules to almost anything goes. There used to be an old battlegrounds thread on this forum, lost somewhere in the annals of time. Basically, the rules are set at the beginning, and then the rest is quick action, quick reward with very little (if any) GM interaction. Anybody can hop in without signing up.

An example of a smash'n'bash RP:

shoots the soldier in the face and takes his sandwich*

Evolution RP's

Evolution RP's are almost like the old "pick-your-own adventure" Goosebumps novels. The GM writes the story, then the users pick amongst the options the GM offers, and the roleplay follows the path the users make, but only the GM can state what ends up actually occurring.

An example of an evolution RP:

The Kwal ran and tripped. What should he do next?

A) Die a slow, horrible death B) Go get eaten by a Prakil C) Stand up and fight!

Which RPG is best for me?

It really depends on what you're looking for. If you want to simply mess around, consider a smash'n'bash RPG. If you're interested in pure interactions, consider a tavern RP. If you want to simply add input and see a story evolve, try an evolution RP.

Structured RP's and novel RP's tend to be for the much more hardcore roleplayers. Both take significantly greater amounts of time, and usually involve very intricate details. But the reward can be well worth the effort if you enjoy such RPG's.

IRC RPG's versus Forum RPG's

IRC RPG's tend to progress at a very fast rate. Which means if you are not active, you may get quickly dropped from RPG. However, with that said, you will complete events and level up (and all associated things) much more quickly.

Forum-based RPG's tend to progress more slowly, usually when the GM logs on and responds, which can cause problems especially if the GM is unreliable. However, the information is always available to be perused later, and you don't have to worry nearly as much about getting dropped for inactivity.

Obeying Game Moderators (GM's)

This is paramount in all RPG's. The Game Moderator (GM) essentially has a godlike status in a roleplaying scenario. What he says is rule. If you choose to disobey the Game Moderator, there is essentially no point in playing, because you will probably be breaking multiple game rules, which in any other game is considered cheating.

So, in all fairness, and out of respect to others, obey the GM.

Character Creation

Signing up

Once you've decided to play an RP, you'll most likely need to sign up. Simply follow the GM's rules for signing up. Most RP's have a tag such as [SIGNUP], [PLAY], or [SIGNUP/PLAY]. Once you've finished creating your character, post the character sheet in the [SIGNUP] or [SIGNUP/PLAY] thread. If you can't find it, look for a link in the first post of the [PLAY] thread. If you can't find a link there, signups may be closed or the RP is dead. Follow ALL of the instructions given by the GM. If you aren't sure about something, ask. If you aren't sure your character sheet is acceptable, post it and ask for help. Most GM's will be happy to help you fix you character to fit the RP.

Pick a theme

When it comes to creation, there are a lot of options to pick from, and in more advanced RPG's, such as Dungeons and Dragons, there is a wide variety of choices when it comes to making your character.

That is why it is recommended that you pick a "theme." What do I mean by theme? Very simply put, there are a few archetypal themes of characters common in most RPG's.

In fantasy RPG's, some archetypal themes tend to be: Warrior/Brawler (Direct-combat brute force, as well as tank) Assassin/Thief/Rogue (Stealth, trickery, and mild combat) Archer/Ranger (Indirect combat, traps) Mage/Necromancer (Massive damage or degeneration [aka: Nuking]) Priest/Monk (Healer)

One finds the above archetypal themes very common, regardless of setting, albeit with a change.

There are variants of these themes, as well as combinations. This also means these are not the only possible "themes" that exist. There are rarer themes out there as well, such as a bard/dancer, or a trapper. However, themes are not meant as strict rules, merely as guidelines. With that in mind, pick a theme you want your character to follow. This makes the design process for your character a whole lot simpler.

Some additional themes, based on game setting:

Futuristic/Modern: Infantryman/Grenadier Sniper Mechanic/Engineer Spy/Assassin Demoman Computer Whiz/Hacker Chemist Medic/Doctor

Historic: Knight/Paladin Thief Pirate/Swashbuckler Bowman/Crossbowman Merchant

Create a persona

After you get some of the technical details and theme of your character worked out, now you need to give the character some, well, character. If he's a pirate, does he have an accent? Is he narcissistic? Is he the quiet, reserved type, or a complete goofball? Is he intelligent or borderline retarded? Is he an alcoholic? Where is he from? Why is he here now?

A lot of these questions verge on the premise of backstory. This is your character's past before they started the current roleplay. However, you don't need to know all the details of your character's past before you start playing. Simply a few details, and you can expound upon them later as you play.

Character Flaws and Strengths (aka quirks and traits)

Many times I've roleplayed, I've noticed people like to add touches of flair to their character to make them more interesting and diverse. Some of these touches have applicable in-game effects. For example, being a narcissistic character might reduce the chance of having a positive interaction with another character. Or being borderline retarded might make your character make some very poor decisions, or execute an idea poorly.

However, with the negative comes the good. There is always a tradeoff. Perhaps if they're borderline retarded, they make up for it in brute strength or endurance. Or if they're overly narcissistic, maybe it's because they're wealthy.

These flaws and strengths must balance, however. You cannot have a weak flaw and several very strong traits. Remember, these characteristics are meant to enhance gameplay, not godmode.

Player Etiquette

When playing an RP, it is VERY important to follow basic ettiquette. You should practice basic netiquette and follow the forum rules for posting, like with all other posts. In addition to the rules of the forum, RP's have their own set of codes that players are expected to follow.

Acting in character

When people play an RP, they want to assume another persona. All posts that represent the actions, thoughts, or words of a character, or otherwise written from the point of view of the RP, are considered to be in-character (IC) posts. Posts that aren't from the point of view of the RP (such as conversations between players, questions about thet mechanics of the RP, or commentary on the RP) are considered out-of-character (OOC) posts.

When posting IC, you must remember that what *you* know isn't necessarily what *your character* knows, just as you assume your charcter knows skills you yourself are unfamiliar with. You should not make your character act on knowledge he doesn't have, even if you as a player know that infomation. For example, your character is walking through some woods. Another player, whose character spots yours without being seen, sets a trap. While you, the player, know that there is a trap up ahead, you should not have your character stop walking ahead unless the GM says your charcter spots the trap in time to avoid it. This includes stopping to pick your nose, pointing your gun "randomly" in the precise location of the enemy character, or deciding to camp for the night a few feet from the trap. This rule, however, doesn't just apply to the survival of your character. Stories and conversations are much more interesting if your character doesn't know that his friend just murdered a hooker and is now hinting not to look in the closet.

Proper Spelling and Grammar

RP's require more writing ability than your typical forum or chat post. While no one is expecting you to write a drama that will make Hamlet look like some emo's blog post, you should write standard informal English, with proper capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and spelling. The occasional typo won't kill you, but you should make an effort to make all of your posts - both IC and OOC - readable.

Out-of-character (OOC) communication

Out-of-character, or OOC, is typically used to communicate mechanics or to have off-topic conversations with other players. While it's acceptable to post OOC, it should only be done in moderation so as to not interrupt the flow of IC posts. All OOC posts should be labeled as so; the standard is to either affix "OOC:" to the beginning or brackets around OOC. The former is commonly seen in forum RP's or whenever there is an entire paragraph of OOC; the latter is used in IRC RP's or to insert an OOC comment in the middle of an IC post. Do NOT assume someone will know the difference between your IC and OOC posts if you do not label them as such.

Breaking the Fourth Wall

Making OOC references in an IC post is considered "breaking the fourth wall." Whenever a character in a TV show talks directly to the camera or acts as though he knows he's not real, that's breaking the fourth wall. Making mild references every once in a while in a casual RP may be alright, but in most RP's it breaks the mood. It's irritating to your fellow players; don't do it unless you're certain it's appropriate in the RP.

Godmodding

Godmodding is overpowering a character, and is considered EXTREMELY annoying. For example, in a realistic RP where the players have normal human beings as characters, having your character spit a death laser would be godmodding. However, it's certainly possible to godmod in less obvious ways. Assuming your character can easly decapitate another PC is godmodding. So is having your character act on information he doesn't know, such as having him avoid an open plain for no apparent reason if you know it's a minefield.

A common form of godmodding is to post many actions at once in between GM updates. While it's usually OK to post more than once during a conversation between two characters or to do "flavor" actions like smoking a cigarette or twiddling thumbs, posting more than one action that has a reasonable chance of failure is not OK. One reason is that your character does not have superhuman speed (or, if he does, the GM's already discussed this with you). Your character can't shoot three people in the same time it takes for another player's character to shoot one. The other reason is that, should one of your actions fail, any reactions to that action must be ignored. So, say you have your character jump over a bottomless pit and take another PC hostage. It's not certain that your character survived that leap. The other player can't be certain as to whether or not he should respond to being taken hostage or continue tending to his campfire. If the GM objects to any one action, there may have to be a rewind to the point where the action in question fails. An entire week of RP'ing may be lost, or everyone could be so distracted by the situation that everyone goes on a tangent.

Creating a roleplay

Get an idea

The best RPs are inspired, or based by or around something. An idea should be something that is easy to play, hard to master and suits most. But an RP based on Will Smith's Ali would suck^{[citation needed]}. So when you get an idea, look it over and ask yourself if many people would play it.

Choose a type

Even though they are fun, some RP's take more commitment, or last longer than others. Like, evolution RP's, if maintained well, they can last a very long time. Look at Popolop's Life of the Kwals RP for instance, see how many pages it had? But the Castaways RP by Ignatz, however, varied in activity and commitment, thus not being so popular during the year of its existence, although being the longest of the active RPs in Off-Key.

Be patient

This is the most difficult part of the process, but its results can be worth it. You have to wait for people who are interested, and once someone posts, more will. If nobody posts after you, don't bump it, let it die. If people do post, keep your RP active! But your RP may not live to the end though, so be prepared.