Post by niiniisatoshi on Jan 22, 2014 21:35:16 GMT
Hello, everyone! If you're here, you are either lost, new, or just looking for a refresher course in our fine craft of Role Playing! Well, no matter the reason, my name is Nii-Nii Satoshi and I will be your guide on this wonderful journey into the world of Role Playing! This guide should help new Role Players, old ones, or even just those looking to better themselves. As time goes on, more may be added to this guide, so stay posted!
First off, we should go about defining what Role Playing.
What is Role Playing?
Role Playing is an art. Role Playing is a craft. Role Playing is the creation of a beautiful new world from nothing but the imagination of others. It's more than just playing a character for a little while, it is telling a story with that character, and its interactions with others. You, in essence, become your character and have to be in sync with them. A Role Player must be able to think on their feet and adapt to the ever changing situation. Contrary to popular belief, you are not always the "star" of the Role Play. There will be times when you are just a supporting act to the headliner, and that is perfectly fine. Your job, in any given role, is only to create a character who has a lasting impression. Someone that people will remember, be it living in fame or in infamy. This is done through your characters actions. They will effect not only you, but the players around you as well.
What are my tools to go about this?
Role Players have many tools by which they can go about their craft. How these tools manifest differ game to game, and even between forms of Role Playing. There are two very basic concepts in role play that define both your character, and you as a role player.
"Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men." -Plato
The first concept is your rhetoric, your ability to speak, yell, persuade, dissuade. A proper Role Player knows how to use a character's voice, and how to use it well. Your character's ability to speak, be it through whispering, mumbling, screaming, shouting, or even calm speech, is the meat and bones of your character. A good Role Player must master their character's speaking patterns, and know exactly what to say in order to persuade, or mislead, other Role Players. The things you say, or don't say, have a great influence on how the plot will continue. With that being said, you should avoid using chat speak, and word shortening in your speech. Please remember that the words you say are said exactly how one would say it out loud. Not only is seeing people using "Lol" "wtf" "roflmao" "u" "
" "
" and other such things detrimental to the experiences of other Role Players, it would cause you to be looked at as an inept idiot in real life."Actions speak louder than words." -Old Idiom
The second, and most important concept, is your actions and reactions in your Role Playing environment. In most games, your ability to enact this concept is through an "Emote", "Action", or "RP" button. I do not think I can stress this enough to any of you guys. Emoting, and your actions, are the single most important tool in a Role Player's arsenal. What you say, and how you carry yourself in conversation, can only take you so far in a Role Playing environment. It is how you act, and how you react, that drives a Role Play. Through emotes, you are capable of more than just a silly little action. Emotes denote your character's inner thoughts, and feelings, as well as show how they react to any given situation. There is never such a thing as "too much emoting" because they are what drives a role play on, and continues the plot.
You should be emoting as much as you possibly can. I don't mean little things like "The Red Haired Girl punches". That is a weak emote, and does not do a thing. Who are you punching? Why are you punching them? How many times did you punch them? A better looking emote would be something like "The Red Haired Girl clenches her fists, getting fed up with the boy's comments. She finally snaps, and punches the boy full force in the nose." This gives a good indication of who you are hitting, why you are hitting them, and how your character feels. This kind of emote drives the story along.
But Satoshi, I'm not that good of a writer/role player!
That is perfectly okay. I never said that you had to be a professional off the bat. A major part of the role playing experience is learning from others' writing styles, and bettering your own. The fact of the matter is, everyone has different levels of skill and even styles in RPing. The key is to know the basics, and never stop striving to better yourself! Even I have spent years practicing and improving my craft, you know!
Do you have any tips?
-Do not ever expect things to go your way. Nine out of ten times, they will not. You can't predict human behavior, don't throw a fit because things don't suit your desires.
-Be ready to adapt to a new situation on a moment's notice. Things can change rapidly in a Role Play, and you must be able to switch on the fly.
-With that said, do not ignore role play or attempt to negate another's role play. If a role player kisses you, you have been kissed. Do not ignore this and move on, react!
-Be respectful of others, and their characters. They do not role play to satisfy you. They do it to have fun, and enjoy themselves. If someone is role playing as a homosexual, or a bigendered character, it is not your right to complain about them, or go out of your way to target them.
-On the flip side, if you ARE going to play a character like such, please do so in a respectful way. There is a difference between a parody and being offensive.
-Try to avoid being a self-insert. What this means is, your character should not share a ton of aspects of you, the player. If you are a gun toting redneck, or an anti-homosexuality crusader, you should NOT be playing a gun toting redneck or a homophobic person. This is bad form, and must be avoided.
-Know the fine line that is called Metagaming. All facts that you, as the Role Player know are not shared with your character. Your character only knows that which it has been told, or physically observed, in-character. This is the Out-Of-Character/In-Character Split. ((This may become its own section down the line))