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Elen_Gilthoniel Vice Captain
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 Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 10:02 am
No one is a perfect RPer. Even great RPers and very experienced RPers have annoying RP habits, forget basic rules and sometimes just mess up.
This thread is a compilation (and revised) set of tips that were created by myself and a few friends. It will be helpful for those just starting out as well experienced role players (so don't be all snooty and think you don't need to read it because you're "literate". Even the people who put this together make some of these mistakes if they aren't careful.)
Please read this thread thoroughly. Even if you think you're not having a problem with a specific topic, read it anyway because you may discover you're making a mistake of which you're currently unaware. All these things are very common mistakes I have seen people making in pretty much every RP I have been a part of, or have read.
I know that people have many reasons they like to RP--from fantasy wish fulfillment, to a love of creating. I, personally, view forum based RPs as a sort of join writing effort. The idea is create, with others, a cohesive story and explore one's characters. Not to show off, or hog the spot light. Trying to live vicariously through your characters is generally the source of a lot of of the problems and drama that plague most RPs. Most of the time when you find someone who breaks all these rules on a fairly frequent basis, it's due to some form of self insertion into the RP. Nearly everyone does it in some small fashion--but if you're RPing so you can put yourself in your character's shoes and get satisfaction from pretending to be them, you need to be extra careful because you are probably doing a lot--if not all--of these things.
This thread is not The Official Rosentale RP Guide (tm). These are tips that are based on my personal experiences. And, of course, if someone wants to write up their own tips from their own perspective, I won't take offense. There are a lot more tips I could have put in here but I realized when writing this that many of the other things I would offer up as advice are related to building a good character and are issues that crop up from having a poorly designed character.
So those will be addressed in my thread about character creating.
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 10:11 am
Tips for post length and Content
This first section is going to cover a few related problems that people have with their post length and content along with tips on how to fix them. The reason post content is actually important is, well, the entire RP IS the content. People have to read your posts and respond. If they're too short, there's not enough there for your RP partner to work with and if they're too long, they come with their own problem.
I don't like to focus on a set length (like 3 paragraphs) because really, it's not about the length of a post so much as it is about the actual content. I've seen incredibly long RP posts that were impossible to reply to because there was no relevant information in them. What you put in your post is a lot more important than how long it is.
So we're going to look at various types of "empty" posts.
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One Liners And the Horrors of Short Post Syndrome
The first kind of empty post is the sort that lacks information due to brevity. In other words, the post is just two short to contain anything useful. Another word for these is "one liners"--while I don't like to focus on specific lengths, there's no denying that a post with a single line of text usually just can't possibly have enough relevant information for RP partner. But a lot of people have trouble thinking what else to put in their posts besides a single line of action or dialogue.
In most posts you're responding to something that just happened. But there's a lot more to a reaction than just a physical or verbal response. And frequently scenes have a lot more than just one thing going on. So when you go to post, ask yourself--what is my character doing, what are they saying, what are they thinking and feeling, what are their surroundings like?
Internal dialogue can actually be really useful for other RPers. While their characters can't know what your character is thinking (because that is called "metagaming" and it's a big, big no-no. NEVER have a character directly respond to internal dialogue), for the RPer to know what is going through their head means they are more in touch with the tone and atmosphere of the scene and can make decisions about their character's responses with more confidence. If I know your character is getting angry, and I want to avoid a fight for whatever reason, I can come up with in-character responses that might diffuse the tension. That isn't the same as metagaming because my character isn't really responding to the internal dialogue. Rather, I, as an RPer, am using the internal dialogue as a tool to help me formulate a response.
Also try to think about what your character is doing. I notice that a lot of people focus only on dialogue in posts, but forget their character is supposed to be walking to a destination or drinking or eating. But sometimes those details can be critical to keeping a scene on track, and the flow of time moving. So don't forget about actions. They're important too.
And don't forget the setting and scenery. While you don't want to overload your posts with superfluous details of the trees and flowers, if there's something important in the environment, that your character would notice or interact with, it's okay to mention that. For instance, if it's very cold or if it's raining. Or if there's a huge puddle in the sidewalk to walk around. These things can add interest to your post if used sparingly and not done in excruciating detail. And as long as you don't insert random things to the environment--like saying bigfoot just walked past--that forces the other characters to have to deal with it too.
You have to use common sense; it's usually not that hard to add useful content to your post. But all these things work together to make a good post. You can't just focus on one area because the flip side of this, is creating a post that is sort of like a chocolate bunny. It looks really long and amazing, but it's completely and totally empty inside. You bite into it and the whole thing sort of caves in because there's nothing supporting it. It's all just fluff.
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Chocolate Bunnies-Tasty Until You Realize They're Just Full of Air
Super long posts can be just as empty as one liners if there's only one line of genuine content and all the rest is irrelevant detail. I see a lot of different styles of "chocolate bunny" posts as I like to call them.
The first is the Over-used Thesaurus Post. This is where a person is trying very hard to be literary and "writerly" and they do it by using loads of fancy adjectives and adverbs they've specifically looked up for their post. Every noun or verb is modified by one of these nightmares. One of the biggest problems with this kind of post is that often they just flat out don't make sense. Just because two words are synonyms it doesn't mean they have the exact same meaning. There are always nuanced differences in connotation and definition from one word to another. So once you start using a synonym of a synonym of a synonym of the original word, sometimes the meaning is way off. You'll have your fellow RPers trying to decipher your post and going "That word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
The best friend of the Over-used Thesaurus post, is the Purple Prose post. These posts are usually overly long for much the same reason--way too many useless descriptive phrases. But these tend to be poetic, cliche and painful to read. They include things like "emerald orbs" and "raven tresses" or "alabaster skin" and "aquiline noses. When your character starts having "effervescent orbs that embellish her translucent, ivory face" then it is time to stand down, cool off and really look at what you're writing. These kinds of phrases are not clever and they aren't good writing. Many times I've noticed these posts stem from two problems--the first is the same as the above issue. That is, the RPer is trying to sound literary, and failing. The second is a problem with self insertion. Much of the time purple prose is used in character description. And this brings us to our next problem.
Special Snowflake Posts. These are posts that are geared toward making the character seem special. Because of that, they are crammed with useless facts, irrelevant data and descriptions we just don't need. I have seen people who have a perfectly logical post until it stops and has a complete paragraph about their character's off the shoulder blouse that is showing off her delicate shoulder. Or her skinny jeans that really flatter her shapely legs. Descriptions are useful, of course, in their place. Stating how tall your character is can really help other people visualize how the scene will work. Or describing their clothes if the clothes are unusual (or just unusual for your character) can also be important at times. But if your character is just wearing normal clothes then we don't need a full description of that, or description of how she neatly crossed her right ankle over her left while flipping her long, silky hair over her delicate shoulder (which was visible, of course, because of her trendy off the shoulder blouse). All of that is empty, empty, empty.
It doesn't tell us anything except that you think your character looks great and would like some attention.
In summary, description is good when well done, and agonizing when over done. You don't have to fret over which is which; just try to be mindful and remember that all things are great in moderation. Try not to be too spartan but don't try to force feed description of things that are entirely irrelevant to the scene or RP in general.
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Elen_Gilthoniel Vice Captain
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Elen_Gilthoniel Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 10:40 am
Random Crazy, Random Emo, Stalkers and Wallflowers
Okay, so what if you write up a post and you think it's got great content but no one responds? There could still be some problems with your content. I see a few frequent issues crop up in regards to this problem and they can make it really difficult to get your character involved in a scene.
The first issue I see is when a character is a little too randomly crazy or silly in their actions and dialogue. Being silly can be really fun, and comedy is great in an RP. But you have to realize that if your character is too far out in left field playing with their imaginary friends and talking cats, or discussing how they're going to cannibalize the other characters, you may end up restricting interaction with your character. Because people just aren't going to have much to say to that beyond "Oh....O.O *backs away slowly*" Some characters really are just that weird or random and they'll get those deer-in-the-headlights reactions a lot. And that's fine if it's intentional. But if you want your character to be popular and to have a lot of lengthy interactions in the RP, that kind of randomness isn't going to work. If your character can't interact normally, they won't, well, interact normally. Know what I mean?
Another time I see this failed randomness is when people are trying to be funny and failing.
Just remember that comedy can't be forced and doesn't come through completely random, disruptive things that center around just your character and leave others out. Comedy is not about randomness--it's about well timed situations and dialogue that are inclusive--not exclusive. In other words, it includes everyone, leaves no one out but flows with the scene rather than disrupting it.
The other type of random I see is constant random emo and drama. These kinds of characters are usually loners who have a deep, dark, dramatic past. And they walk around with storm clouds over their heads. And nothing you do cheers them up. Every conversation bounces back to how sad they are. They repeat their problems over and over and over again. They share their deepest pain with people they've only just met. And these people are super hard to reply to. First of all, scenes get repetitive fast when the only thing your character will talk about is how sad they are about their problems. Second of all, most people don't know how to react to sudden, unexpected soul sharing. Think about how you would respond if a person you had known for five minutes suddenly told you their family was massacred before their very eyes when they were a child and they still had nightmares about being soaked in their warm blood? Probably, you wouldn't know what to say.
The same thing happens with RP characters. Avoid throwing in nonsensical drama just for the sake of drama. I know people who constantly come up with off the wall scenarios for the sake of drama. These scenarios are paper thin and don't hold up to close scrutiny. So they end up coming across more like attention whoring than genuine RPing/Storytelling.
There is also random showboating. Where a character shows off in some way, frequently with some kind of special skill or knowledge that is completely irrelevant to the scene. Again, the problem is that when you interrupt a scene for something completely unrelated, very often other characters just aren't going to know what to do besides go "Well...okay then..." and then ignore your character because they don't know what else to say. For instance, say you have your character randomly catch on fire in the middle of algebra because they have a fire ability and they CAN. Other players have two choices--completely derail everything by freaking out, or just pretend they don't see it. A lot of people are not going to derail everything for the sake of one character.
And it's rude to expect them to, really. When you have these characters who inject sudden crazy or sudden drama into a scene it can really tie your RP partner's hands. What's really important is to not just do something random because you feel like it, but to pay attention to the tone of the scene and what's going on within it. Time your crazy, drama or impressive power displays for the times when they're appropriate. Don't throw them in just because you feel like it because often, you'll find yourself being ignored no matter how much hardcore content your post has.
Remember that RPs are a team effort. Any post designed to satiate your own need for attention, or just to make you feel good or to indulge you alone, is bad. A good RP isn't about self indulgence but having fun as a group. So don't try to constantly hog the spotlight. It's disruptive, a little rude and most likely it's not going to work.
The other problem I see is when people wallflower or spectate. That is, they enter a scene and lurk on the edges and wait for someone to notice them. Or they never do or say anything. Every post is just internal dialogue or actions so it's really hard to get them engaged and involved. Spectators can be really frustrating because you know they're there, you want to get them involved, but they never do anything so you can't get them involved. I recall a scene where there was a group of people all talking. One was a young vampire who was just beginning to realize what she was. She began to start feeling that ominous "vampire hunger"during the course of the scene. Eventually the other characters noticed this character wasn't feeling well and began to ask her what was wrong, if she was alright, and if she wanted to go to the doctor.
She never answered. The character literally never responded in any way to the four people talking to her. Instead, every post was filled with her angsting over how hungry she was and how scared it made her. Eventually everyone just stopped posting because it was repetitive and going no where. The girl wasn't interacting at all and there are only so many times you can ask someone if they're okay. The RPer later lamented that she "killed" the scene--which, she did.
When there is an opportunity to interact with someone, use it. Don't just have your character stand there and think about things; there is no way for characters to respond to thoughts unless they are psychic. And if you just lurk on the edges, chances are, people will be too busy to notice you. Don't sit and wait for attention, find a way to jump into the scene in a non-disruptive, attention seeking way!
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 11:20 am
Godmodding - The Rule You Think You Know, But Really Don't
"No Godmodding" is a rule you literally see in every single RP in existence. Most people think they understand what this is, and think they don't do it. Most people, however, are quite wrong.
First of all, godmodding is often erroneously oversimplified into something like "Don't auto hit and don't have over powered characters that can't die." And yes, in it's most basic, obvious form, that is what godmodding is. But there are TYPES of Godmodding. Yup. There are! The most obvious types are having a character that is overly powered or skilled so they are always the "best" no matter what. Also doing something (anything--not just actual 'hitting') to a character automatically without giving the other person a chance to dodge, deflect or escape. This can be anything from whacking a character in the face, to picking them up and carrying them somewhere.
Obviously overpowered characters are not okay. And you should never auto hit without knowing for SURE the other person doesn't mind.
But there are some far less obvious ways to godmod or control someone else's character, that most people don't even think about. Godmodding is really any time you try to force a scene into your favor to the detriment of other characters. There are lots of ways you can do this, and it's never okay.
One of the more obvious ways is what we call "metagaming." Simply put, this is when your character automatically knows or guesses something there is no way for them to know or guess. For instance, your character says something, and person two THINKS that your character is stupid. And your character suddenly knows or has a gut feeling the other person thinks they're stupid. This is so annoying. I can't even express in words how utterly and completely annoying it is when people do this. Your character cannot constantly know what other people are thinking. It's impossible. It doesn't work that way in real life and it doesn't work that way in RP. What I hate about RPing with people who do this is that it makes me have to be really careful about what internal dialogue I put in a post so they can't constantly have their character guess things they shouldn't know.
There are other ways to metagame. For instance, lets say you know there is a hidden passage behind a bookshelf in a room. So you have your character just have a feeling there's a hidden room there and they look for it and instantly find it. You can't use your knowledge of the setting or RP to give your character an advantage. That is also godmodding. Finally, another way I see people metagame is when their character always has the right tool or skill to solve the problem at hand. There is a locked door and their elven princess just happens to be an expert lock picker. Someone got shot and their doctor just happens to be carrying a scalpel and latex gloves in his pocket.
Sometimes your characters will struggle. They can't always know everything or have the perfect skill or ability for every situation. They cannot instantly solve all problems no matter how special and amazing they are.
I've also seen a lot of RPers try to control other characters by setting up a scenario where they define an off-screen action of another character without asking the other RPer. For instance, you might show up and say my character prank called yours in the middle of the night. Even if it's an off screen action, it's still an action. Just like you can't have your character say what mine is doing in the RP at any given moment, you can't say what my character has done outside the time frame of the RP. There is no defining what another character has done last night or two years ago--not unless that character's owner stated it happened first. Any time you are defining anything about another character, you have to ask.
If your character can see auras, you can't just assign colors and meanings to characters without asking their RPer first. Your character can formulate opinions about others, but you cannot establish facts about them without permission. Like everything else mentioned here, that is a form of godmodding.
The final form of godmodding I want to address is when you suddenly reveal hidden information that gives your character an advantage in someway, and railroads someone else. Let's say that your character was tricked by another because that RPer was able to simply RP properly and trick you/your character in some way. You can't suddenly say that you knew it was a trick the whole them, when you really didn't, and try to play some kind of reversal on them where you actually get the better of them instead. That is what we call cheating. If your character really didn't know they were being tricked, you have to deal with it and accept being bested. Other example would be trying to manipulate the setting or scenery in your favor somehow. For instance if you get into a fight with someone who uses electricity based powers, you can't suddenly say it's raining so they're at a disadvantage. If no one has mentioned rain prior to that point, suddenly making it up out of no where is godmodding.
The general idea, that I hope you're getting, is that whenever you find yourself trying manipulate a scene in illogical ways, just so your character can have an advantage, or know something critical, or win a scenario--that is godmodding. Your character can't always come out on top. If you're forcing it by making up all sorts of random things, or somehow are controlling another character then there is a serious problem with your RP habits, that needs to be addressed.
Godmodding is a pretty serious RP offense and I think most people don't realize how easy it is to godmod in more subtle ways than just being over powered.
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Elen_Gilthoniel Vice Captain
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Elen_Gilthoniel Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 11:34 am
The (Un)official Guide To Roleplaying Romance
Roleplay romance can kind of be a touchy subject for a lot of people. It's either something they really love, or really hate. I think a lot of people have had bad experiences where they got into a pairing where the other person took it too seriously, or they're just really uncomfortable with the subject matter and feel they don't know how to do it right.
The thing is that it can be really fun to roleplay various types of romances. They can lead to a lot of cool character development or funny (fun) situations. Rping a romance is like RPing any other relationship--it's all about how your character would naturally respond to another person. There isn't some secret trick to Rping romance.
There are, however, a lot of pitfalls to be avoided, though. And going down the wrong path can really send out some creepy vibes to other people and cause a lot of OOC drama because people can sometimes take romance very, very personally. So hopefully I can address some of these issues and if you're making these critical errors that might be making others uncomfortable, you hopefully fix those. And if you just lack confidence, hopefully these tips will help give you some pointers and help you feel a little more comfortable.
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My observation is that a lot of the problems that people run into while RPing romance stem from two problems. The first is that the RPer is self inserting into the character--something that always causes major issues, no matter the situation. The second is that the RPer has no idea how relationships work and relies on cliches from movies or manga. But the thing is that romance is no different from any other situation your character might encounter in a roleplay. You use the same common sense and courtesies you would use in any other situation.
Don't Force it and Don't Rush It
The basic rule of thumb is that pairings are better when they happen naturally. Sometimes they can be planned out for whatever reason, but for the most part you should avoid setting your sights on a character and pursuing them without consideration. Romances are something that require two RPers working together so both people need to be okay with the pairing and it needs to happen at a pace both RPers are comfortable with. You should never rush in and force yourself and your character on another person; it's awkward and uncomfortable for the other RPer.
A lot of times people have their character meet and instantly fall in love with another character. This doesn't even happen in real life. No one falls in love in five minutes and it's just bad form (and looks creepily desperate) if your character falls in love within two posts. Even if two characters have an instant attraction to one another, true romance is usually slow to build as they get to know each other. It's rare for two people who know nothing about each other and have barely interacted, to be suddenly totally committed to one another and flip out of the other person isn't interested.
Give it time and be patient. Don't start throwing your character at another one the moment they meet.
Respect Characterization
Do not expect someone to push their character outside their set personality just to pander to your desire for romance. If another character doesn't like yours--deal with it. It happens and it's not because the other character is somehow wrong or flawed for not loving yours. Never use the RP to stalk, guilt trip or black mail a person into a pairing. That is just outright creepy. And you need to respect your own character's personality as well.
If your character is supposed to be reserved and un-trusting, she shouldn't start desperately throwing herself at the first attractive man she meets because you want a pairing with that character. Keep in mind that doing this kind of thing is going to affect the other characters' impressions of yours. If she's acting like a desperate housewife, that's how people are going to view her. And you can't get mad about that. People respond to a character based on how that character acts, not based on what their profile says about them.
So many times I see characters that are supposed to be normal or well adjusted, go completely insane and turn into psycho stalkers when it comes to romance. If your character is not a psycho stalker, they shouldn't be acting one just because you are trying to force some kind of pairing with someone.
Just like every other time, you have to keep yourself separate from the RP and not get too emotionally vested in a specific pairing because if you want it really, really badly, you're most likely going to have your character act like a bizarro nutcase to try to force the other person to like them and it's probably going to make the other person hate them instead. And it may cause the other RPer to not especially like RPing with you if there's a lot of really unwelcome drama involved.
The reverse of this is that if it's in character for your person to develop feelings or a crush on someone else, you shouldn't feel like you can't have them do what is natural just because the other person may not like it. If you're worried, you can let the other person know that you understand it's just one sided. But in the end, it's important to let your characters be themselves without forcing what you want into them, or forcing your own reservations into them.
Know when to back off
An important thing to remember is that in real life, not every relationship works out. Not everyone's feels are requited by the other person and not every potential romance has a happy ending. Not every person is compatible with the person who likes them.
And the same is true for roleplay. This is perfectly normal. And normal, well adjusted characters with no mental issues will be able to accept this and move on. Don't have your character go suicidal and crazy just because their crush doesn't like them. That is not a normal reaction for a person who doesn't have mental problems. If characters are incompatible, that's just how it is. The thing is that that kind of drama can feel like some kind of horrible guilt trip and it can really make the other RPer uncomfortable. If a pairing isn't going to work out, you need to learn when to back off personally, and have your character back off as well.
If you choose to have your character go crazy stalker---don't get huffy when the other characters all start to hate them or be afraid of them. Creepy, whiny, overly emotional stalkers that attack other people for not loving them are not likeable people. If you turn your character into this, be prepared for their love interest to completely reject them. Again, if this is IN CHARACTER for your person, great! Go for it. But if that's not the sort of character it's supposed to be, don't go there just because you're unhappy the pairing didn't work.
More than just a pair
What people often don't actively realize when dealing with RPing relationships is that there are four "people" to consider. First, you have to consider both characters and their personalities and how well they mesh. You also have to consider both players and their RP styles and how well THOSE mesh. Romance tends to take a bit more collaboration because the characters are so closely involved with each other.
So if one RPer likes really heavy, sad, emotional drama and the other likes really lighthearted, fluffy comedy--even if the characters might otherwise work out, the RPing styles might clash and cause the pairing to fail. Be sensitive about your RP partner and don't just constantly force your ideas about what makes a good romance into the RP and expect it to always go over well. Try to communicate more and decide together before throwing in any major events that might upset things for both people.
That isn't to say there can't be spontaneity. But it's one thing to come up with minor dramas or silly things and another to suddenly say your character is pregnant, or have a sudden psycho NPC stalker girlfriend show up or something. Major things like that should probably be okayed just to make sure the other person is okay with it.
Beyond Courtship
Relationships go on for a while and they're not always about spending every waking moment together and never RPing with other people or doing other things. It's about two characters having a special connection that comes up sometimes in the RP, or doing special things together when there isn't much else going on. You can't try to force the other person in the pairing to only ever RP with you or have your character show up everywhere they are, being pissed off for them interacting with other people.
Even if your characters are paired, there is a whole, huge RP for them to play in and they don't have to be attached at the hip to do it.
Also remember that sometimes people break up and and honestly if one of the characters is unhappy and they move on, you have to be willing to accept that. and you can't just keep trying to force them back into a relationship together.
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 1:38 pm
Types of Godmodding--a convenient list
God-modders: The people who can't be hit or just shrug it off no matter how hard they're hit or how many times. They also seem to have extreme dodging abilities that allow them to never actually get hurt.
Min-Maxers: The people who 'balance' their characters by having a massive but irrelevant weakness and massive powers. Getting tired after using powers falls into this category because EVERYONE gets tired when they use large amounts of energy. It's an irrelevant, drama and attention whoring weakness that barely even counts as one. This also includes irrelevant flaws like not knowing how to dance or having messy hair.
Miss Cleos: The people who use Out Of Character knowledge to get an edge. This is anytime you know something about a character or group and you use that knowledge to move your character around to keep them out of trouble or give them special knowledge. This also includes when your character knows about something that happened at the same time, in a completely different location from them.
Puppetmasters: The people who RP other people's characters for them. This includes doing anything to another character (hitting, picking up and carrying) without giving them a chance to reply, or worse, stating their reaction for them (for instance saying "Mark hit John and John screamed and flipped over the table). Let other people determine their characters' reactions.
Shoe elves: The people who RP actions and time against others while the others aren't present OOC, but are present in character. For instance, if you determine 'off screen' actions for people. Saying someone did something overnight in the dorms when nothing like that was RPed, counts in this category.
Speedhackers: The people who RP an absurdly time consuming sequence occurring between other people's actions. For instance, if you RP your character doing something that should have taken hours and hours, but it seems to have occurred within minutes in the actual RP.
Trinities: The people who gain abilities as they need them with no prior exposure. If your character is suddenly a lock picking expert, or suddenly has a photographic memory, despite this not being in their profile. Not every skill or bit of knowledge should be listed, but if it's a strange ability that just HAPPENS to fit the situation at hand, it counts. Especially if it makes no sense for them to be able to do this. This also includes developing new powers that are not listed in the profile.
Quakers: People who pick up items that spawn out of no where. Basically when your character sees something lying around in the setting that no one else has even mentioned but just happens to be super useful.
Magic Hatters: People who have a seemingly infinite inventory and pull items they need out of a seemingly magic hat. If your character always happens to have just the right instrument or item needed for a given situation, no matter if it makes sense for them to have it, this is you.
Metagamers: People who respond to the thoughts and internal dialogue of other people. If your character has ever reacted to something another person is thinking, that counts as metagaming. Knowing a person's thoughts, knowing what they're feeling, being able to tell if they're happy or sad, or dislike your character is all metagaming. Giving them knowledge that is not logical for them to have also counts.
Jack-in-the-box: A person who always happens to be in the right place at the right time to see or hear something crucial. If your character always has some reason to show up exactly where another character you like is, or if your character is constantly showing up just in time to see something you wanted them to know about, this is you.
McFlys: People who RP things out of chronological order. For instance, if something is happening in a specific location and you post after the event has ended, but make it seem as if your character witnessed the entire event despite not being present for it while it was actually happening.
Damsel-modders People who create helpless characters that constantly require other characters to stop what they're doing and focus on them to save them or help them out. These people use their character's helplessness to derail scenes and draw attention to themselves and to try to force favorable reactions out of other characters by playing the damsel in distress.
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Elen_Gilthoniel Vice Captain
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Elen_Gilthoniel Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 1:41 pm
Consistent Characterization
While some issues with characterization begin with a poorly made profile, many characterization issues that crop up are the result of poor RPing more than a shoddy profile. So I wanted to cover this here here in the RP tips section because I see it a lot.
Okay, consistent characterization. while it definitely happens that characters may gradually grown and change during the course of an RP, there are many times when a character's actions are just outright inconsistent. Growth happens gradually and consistently. A character moves from responding to things one way and slowly starts to respond a different way.
Inconsistency is when they flop back and forth or when their actions don't match up with their thoughts and feelings. For instance, they think a lot about how much they hate someone but for unexplained reasons always flirt with them. But the moment they're not face to face, they rage about how much they hate them.
In all my time RPing, I've only ever been able to come up with two reasons for chronic inconsistent characterization.
Shoddy Character Creation
The first reason is that the character itself is inherently flawed. These characters usually have such bland, 2D personalities that there is very little foundation to work with when RPing. The personality is ill defined and that results in shoddy RPing. A lot of times, these characters have "sometimes" syndrome. The character "sometimes" has a bad temper. She is "sometimes" shy. She "sometimes" doesn't know how to respond to boys. He's "sometimes" nervous around boys.
This is really an issue with sloppy character creation and not so much with the actual RPing. If you don't have much to work with, inconsistency is bound to happen. That's why you should definie your character's personality with bolder statements that summarize who they are and what their motivations are.
Showboating and Attention whoring
This is probably the more insidious reason for inconsistent characterization. When we create characters, each trait we add to their personality sets up a sort of complex set of boundaries. Within those boundaries, is what's in character. But anything outside that boundary is out of character. As we RP, it's necessary to keep characters within the boundaries you set up for their personality. You cannot have them reacting differently to situations based on what you want to get from a scene.
Many times I see RPers have their character just act however they want, even if it's at odds with their defined personality, in order to showboat, attention whore or make the character get positive reactions from the other characters. They don't keep the character aligned with their defined personality but have them do whatever the RPer things will give the responses they want.
They don't stop to consider the character's motivations, never asking WHY the character is acting in a particular way. If you query these people about the motivation, you usually get a made up on the spot answer that is paper thin and full of holes. There have been many times I asked an RPer why their character was doing something that seemed out of keeping with their personality, and got a bizare answer that made no sense, and didn't fit with the character at all.
Well, the obvious solution to this issue is to not RP for self satisfaction or self indulgence. Self indulgent RPing is usually the absolute worst kind and people use their characters for self indulgence are annoying to RP with. Their characters are not only unpredictable, but their desperate attempts to always be seen in a positive light, often makes the characters seem sniveling, whiny, smarmy and sometimes outright creepy or crazy.
Basically, if your character's personality consantly seems to change, most likely it is making them look bad.
In most group RPs, people want to be able to predict (somewhat) what your character is going to do. If no one knows how your character is going to react, it's possible you will find them not wanting to interact with you. Particularly if your characters' actions are constantly out of character in ways that make it seem like you're trying to hog the spotlight and control the scene.
When you post, constantly ask yourself "Why is my character doing this? Does it REALLY make sense with their personality? Are they doing this just because I want them to? Are they doing this because I am trying to ensure the other person in the scene responds in a particular way?" If you can't answer the first, answer no the second, or yes to the last two--then reconsider the actions.
I have seen people pull their characters wildly out of their defined personalities just to try to get another character to like them or just becuase they didn't want to shut down a possible avenue for romance even though it was obvious the romance shouldn't work out. It's particularly bad when the person goes out of character just to create drama or to ensure no one dislikes them.
Good RPing is NOT about making sure your characters are always the center of attention, always doing something special or always loved by everyone. You do yourself a disservice by having your characters be personality chameleons, constantly changing depending on the situation. It precludes any chance of genuine character development. Once a personality change fails to garner the results you're looking for, you may find yourself spiraling into a situation where your character falls completely apart because they don't have any solid personality traits to fall back on when things don't go their way.
So be sure you know your character well and RP them as true to form as the RP allows, always.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 9:48 am
The Unspoken Don'ts of Roleplaying
There are probably a lot more than this but these are the ones I tend to see crop up the most, across the board.
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# DON'T make your characters see/hear things they shouldn’t
-Honestly, it’s just irritating and rude. Especially if a conversation is supposed to be private and you haven’t checked if it’s okay for your character to overhear. This includes hearing something that logically should be out of your character's hearing range as well as your character conveniently sneaking up on important conversations. Eavesdropping is just as annoying in an RP as it is in real life.
# DON’T make your characters know things they shouldn’t or be so perceptive they’re ‘reading’ people like books
-Having your characters know things they shouldn't, or guess things when there isn't enough evidence to guess them, is a form of godmodding. It's incredibly frustrating and should be avoided.
-Some people are good at reading people but not so good that can pick up on every subtlety or read every character like an open book. And you should NOT have your character figure out anything about someone else without having permission from that character’s owner. Sometimes people like their characters’ secrets to remain…secret. You definitely should not have your character mysteriously know what another is thinking.
-a side note about psychic characters is that it’s generally okay to have your character read and know trivial things about people but you should never, never, never have them know a huge secret without clearing it with the owner and NEVER have them blurt said secret out in any situation without permission. Just. Don’t.
# DON’T be weird or pushy about pairings
-Joking about pairings is quite fun sometimes, especially ‘crack’ pairings. But don’t try to push for a pairing that’s unlikely and if the other person has told you a pairing won’t work or expressed doubt, the polite thing to do is drop it and see how things go, not pressure them into making it work or pressure them into OOC roleplays where it can work. Pairings are best when they occur naturally or are planned out by both people so don't try to stalk characters (or RPers) to force a pairing that may not be wanted. It's creepy and uncomfortable.
# DON'T assume things about other characters
-like assuming another character is unobservant. They're unobservant enough, your super cool thief can steal things right from under them. Or they're unobservant enough your character can easily follow them around without being noticed. Or easily walk up on them while they're having a private conversation and over hear it because no one noticed they were there. It gets really irritating if your character is constantly doing these things and on top of that, it's a bit insulting.
-Don’t assume a character is dressed a certain way, is attractive/unattractive, is prejudiced, is rich, is poor. Don't assume anything (ask first!) but most of all, don't assume your character can do whatever they want without anyone noticing.
# DON'T say your character has been in a scene the whole time, when they weren't.
-If people are RPing a scene in a certain location, especially if they are discussing private things, you cannot suddenly pop in and say your character was sitting nearby listening in the whole time. If you weren't posting in a scene, you need to enter it properly, or not at all.
# DON’T take the RP personally
-That is, remember that these are characters controlled by people and that said characters don’t reflect the opinions of the players (infomercial anyone?). Therefore, don’t take it personally if a character doesn’t like yours and don’t take what they may say about your character as a personal attack. Don’t take it personally when a character your character is going after, rejects them (this usually happens when your character is going after someone you would go after personally). Don’t complain if characters don’t react the way you want. This isn’t the point of RP.
# DON'T Complain if your character is not getting any attention.
-Check to make sure you have created a character that you are able to insert where the action is. Keep in mind: no one is required to go out of their way to meet up with a single character when it's easier to introduce your character where the others are meeting. If you make a character stuck on a lonely airship, or a far away city, it's not going to be easy for others to drop things and flock to you.
-Which brings us to the second part of this rule. Don't drop your character in a random location and beg people to come to you. =P Roleplay where other people are. If someone has set up a scene in one location, don't shove your character off in another and expect them to find you somehow. Work with what's been established.
# DON'T Call yourself an expert in anything you are not!
-Your bluff will be called eventually by someone who really knows these things. This includes calling yourself an elite anything (a taboo to begin with), an "English Major", an expert in a particular era or style, or anything else pertaining to the RP.
-Related to this, don't call your character an expert in something if they are not. If your character is a genius, you had better be able to RP them as a genius. If they're expert in aquatic plantlife, you need to know a lot about it, or be willing to do the research to make your posts sound legit.
If you aren't willing to at least do a small amount of research for your character, don't make them a super expert at something. It's difficult to respond properly to an expert who only ever has sort of vague rants or speeches about the things he's good at without some real demonstration of those skills in the RP.
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Elen_Gilthoniel Vice Captain
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Elen_Gilthoniel Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2012 2:01 pm
The Unspoken Do's of Roleplaying
Again, there are probably a lot more but these are the ones I find myself wishing people would do more often in the various RPs I'm in.
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# DO communicate with others
-The foundation of this role play (or any good RP) is collaboration and communication. Talk to the other players—PM them, IM them, ask questions. Don’t just assume things.
- also, if you want to work on back story and development, or have an idea of where you'd like your char to grow, talk to other people and let them know. There are threads where this kind of thing can be discussed and fleshed out. Use them.
# DO make use of world building threads and posts when they exist.
-Those are there for a reason. They are meant to help you get your character properly involved and ingrained into the world of the RP as well as to help build up the setting and create a unique and interesting world with which our characters can interact
# DO avoid making characters based off yourself and DO separate yourself from your characters
-This goes back to taking the RP personally. If your character is based off yourself, you’re more likely to get too involved in what is happening in the RP and thus, be personally insulted when bad things happen to your character or when someone doesn’t like them. This is also related to previously mentioned Mary Sues. Self inserts are usually idealized.
-Putting too much of yourself into your characters can result in very awkward situations: enemies acting like friends because their RP partners are friends, lover’s spats that occur because two RPers are fighting in real life, siblings that act like lovers, nobles that act like commoners, characters who should get along, can't because their owners don't get along. The idea is to put yourself into the role of the character and write posts from their perspective—not put the character into the role of yourself and write from your own perspective.
Don't let your personal feelings color your characters' personalities and posts.
# DO interact with a wide variety of characters
-definitely try and push your character beyond just the same group of people sometimes (this also includes pushing yourself to interact beyond the same group of RPers). Just because some character is friends/lovers/siblings/etc with another, doesn't mean they're always attached at the hip. This limits changes for growth and sometimes limits your ability to really get involved in the RP.
-group RPs are just that--group RPs. Don't try to constantly stalk and force someone to RP 1x1 with you. And definitely don't join a group RP with a couple of friends and just go off and do your own thing while the rest of the RP becomes background noise for your private roleplay with your friends. That is just outright rude.
# DO try to wait on other RPers to post within a given scene
-If you are in a scene with more than one person, it's polite to wait on everyone having a chance to reply before continuing the scene. It's fine to exchange 3-4 posts between two people but that should be the maximum amount you go on ahead before pausing to wait for the others in the scene to post unless the scene really needs to move on. Alternatively, if you've told people in a scene NOT to wait for you, please don't get mad when your character ends up being excluded.
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