Role Playing Guide

This is a guide not just for new role players but for existing ones who perhaps want to know tips on how to improve. Though it should be noted that the number of ways a person can role play is about as diverse as the number of people who could be role playing.

What is role playing? / What are role playing games?

A role playing game has a lot of different definitions and is widely used, occasionally misused. In the world of computer / console gaming a role playing game (also called an RPG) is found in games like Wold of Warcraft, Elder Scrolls Online, Planescape Torment, etc.. These games don't really describe what we do here on this server and thus can be a bit misleading as these are narrow in field and scope compared to where the term came from.

RPG Origin

A role playing game has its origin in the idea of adult make believe. Games like Dungeons and Dragons are a lot closer to what we do here on this server than things like World of Warcraft. In these the game takes place largely in ones imagination, much like a book. You have characters and you react and play in that role for the purposes of the game. This is a little difficult for novices to understand, I know that is was for me when I started (back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth and cell phones didn't have text messaging).

What does Role Playing mean here?

Here, it means collaborative writing. This server focuses heavily on stories and plot, that means we're not so much about battles or sex as we are about what is going on, building characters, having them interact, and providing storylines in which they can grow and evolve according to where we'd like them to go. Since we use a format called FFRP (Free Form Role Play), we do not use dice except when it is necessary to do so. We would much prefer, overall, to trust our players to react in appropriate ways without using dice to enforce it.

Dice are usually used to ensure things are fare, you roll, random chance decides what happens and this means that (in theory) everyone gets a chance at success. In reality, it seldom feels that way, but dice an provide a good amount of unexpected elements to game play. So we have a dice bot that we use when it might be nice to have random chance decide things. Overall though, this isn't about the dice (or the random number generator) it is about the writing and having fun.

Here, you write chunks of text which describe how your character interacts with the world around them.

How to Write

Before coming here a person should at least be somewhat familiar with the act (art) of creative writing. If one is not terribly familiar with creative writing, I suggest reading a few writing guides.

• Creative Writing 101
• Fiction Writing from Purdue OWL
• Another Creative Writing 101

There are also hundreds of books on the subject. For our purposes we will assume that the players have some idea of what creative writing is and how to do it (even if they don't think they do it well at all).

Perspective

We use a 3rd Person narrative. That means generally speaking one should write as if they are narrating someone else's events and refrain from using personal pronouns like I or me in the narrative text. This allows us to do a few things, for one, a consistent format makes it easier for everyone to read, and secondly it allows more variations as multiple points of view can be expressed easily. Rather than saying "I thought about picking the flower." and have no one know who "I" is referring to, it is better to say, "Joe thought about picking the flower." Now everyone knows who is thinking about picking a flower.

Text and Context

In any chunk of text there should be two primary elements when something is being said. There should be text and context for the text. That is to say, when you're reading a book you don't usually just see characters blurt things out without something about what they are thinking, doing, feeling, as they are speaking. So when typing, on average, a good role player with have some way to differentiate the two parts. This is sometimes called emoting.

Lance was thinking about heading back to his room, it had been a long day today but he didn't want to end the conversation too early, "Oh, no I appreciate the thought, I'd love to." he responded, the smile hiding how tired he was.

That is in opposition to:

Oh no I appreciate the thought, I'd love to.

See how much information is left out? With the first one we have a context, he's tired. We can imagine that his eyes have a bit of a tired look, we can think perhaps his attention or body language shows he's a bit tired and wanting to head back. The smile might appear forced. This gives the other players so much more to work with in coming up witht heir own responses.

Ways to Differentiate

We are not very strict, so any player is going to see a mix of ways to separate what is being said and the context. A lot of people use italics.

Lance was thinking about heading back to his room, it had been a long day today but he didn't want to end the conversation too early Oh, no I appreciate the thought, I'd love to. he responded, the smile hiding how tired he was.

It is a little bit clunky, but it does in fact work. Other methods such as bold text are also used, but less frequently.

What we'd like to stay away from is the multi-line approach:

Lance was thinking about heading back to his room, it had been a long day today but he didn't want to end the conversation too early
Oh, no I appreciate the thought, I'd love to
he responded, the smile hiding how tired he was.

Where each lines is on its own, that can get confusing and ping people multiple times for one action.

Multiple Characters

Third person text makes for the easiest read. However, it is not the only method which makes it clear who is being played, what they are saying and doing.

Pure 3rd Person

Writing in the 3rd person also facilitates writing for multiple characters at the same time.

Lance walks into the bar and slides into his seat, Finny comes over and asks him what he wants.  "Oh, just a beer today Finny." Lance says with a smile, Finny responds, "You got it boss." and goes to get him a cold beer.

In this example, we know who is saying what and to whom. It should be noted in this case that both Finny and Lance would be being played by the same person, one should not automate someone else's character by posting actions for their character without permission.

Multi-Line 3rd Person

Another example is playing two characters separately:

Finny smiles at Alouette and slides over a plate of fresh tacos, "Enjoy Captain."
Lance nods at Scott, "That's a good point, I'm not sure the difference in how it works."

Now we have two characters being played by the same person, but both of them are in separate conversations, by specifying the name of who is saying what to who, it is clear to everyone who is talking and who they are talking to.

Screenplay Style

When doing multiple characters sometimes people would prefer a screenplay or script style of writing, this is perfectly acceptable.

Finny:  Simples at Alouette and slides over a plate of fresh tacos Enjoy Captain.
Lance:  Nods at Scott That is a good point, I'm not sure the difference in how it works.

This style makes it clear who is talking, what they are doing, etc... It can be easier for a lot of players to do as well.

Character Creation

There are a vastly wide variety of characters a person can play. There are even a lot of non-standard characters that people can play, races other than the primary found in a given setting (usually humanoid in some way). However, when considering what kind of character to create, it is important to understand the setting itself. This is a science fiction setting based in a space station primarily made for humans and very similar races (similar height, similar size, 2 arms, 2 legs, 1 head, etc..). This means that Doors are going to max out at like 8' tall, size is going to be roughly human size. Corridors, consoles, tables, and chairs are all about the size range for humans.

Size of Character

Characters can rather easily be smaller than humans due to the application of anti-gravitational technologies to allow a person to float around. Of course, the problem comes with characters that are substantially larger than the human norm. Either in width or height, giving issues fitting through doors. This should all be considered and while such forms are not disallowed, the player should be aware of the in-play issues which could company them.

Body Type of Character

A characters body is normally humanoid (as previously stated). This isn't the only kind of character that is allowed, but a character covered in slime that drips trails everywhere is going to be difficult to play and connect with other characters during the game. Similarly, a character without arms or legs would require some method to interact with the world at large, it is difficult to consider a sentient race not having hands (although it is possible to consider). Players should be aware that having a tentacle monster sounds really awesome but could be functionally difficult. Having a character who is a snake with no arms/hands also presents problems, how will the character interact with the consoles, food in the tavern, and other characters comes into play.

Again such characters are permitted, but the player should be aware and have a plan for how to deal with such options.

Physical Characteristics

There are a lot of really amazing ideas that are potential issues. Having a character that maintains itself at sub-zero temperatures or at extreme high temperatures would cause issues of being able to touch or in extreme cases even being around people without some way to protect them from those extremes. In the Babylon 5 franchise one race (Vorlons) would appear as a race's deity if seen without their encounter suits. Characters that are covered in razor sharp scales or spikes would have to have considerations for how these interact with the people around them.

Let me reiterate, these are just things someone should consider before they decide on a form. If you want a character covered in razor sharp scales that leaves a trail of green ooze and has tentacles for hands, you can have that. But you'd better have a plan in place for how to deal with the obvious issues of interacting with the other characters when you do.

Language and Communication

It is advisable to have your character able to communicate complex thoughts with those around them. This means a character should be smart enough to grasp language and be able to use language. Speaking a different language isn't a huge deal due to the science fiction setting and application of the universal translator. However, a character who cannot speak or cannot hear, might have issues - these are solvable issues of course (with the exception of a player character that cannot grasp the concept of language). Players should be aware of the issues and solutions to those problems.

Complications

Overall, a lot of people are introduced to the free form coming away from a more formal setting like D&D, Rifts, or even one of the computer-based settings like World of Warcraft, tend to want to go all out on things for a character in a setting like this (with very little structure). Please keep in mind that even above the lack of wanting a completely overpowered character, you're not going to want to remember and deal with hugely complicated in-game mechanics and the staff are going to have issues keeping up.

It is advisable to remember a cardinal rule of character creation Keep it Simple Stupid.

Inserting a Character

We have a guide on Character Introduction already, but that is more centered on how to assist someone introducing a character. However, even after a character is introduced there is a period of time where they are not really part of the existing role play. Players have to be outgoing enough to insert their characters into the play. Have characters walk over and respond, become part of the conversation. In other instances, a player can ask another player if they mind their character joining. The two players can then work out and communicate about what is going on and what should happen.

This is why we have OOC (out of character) channels where communication can take place easily. Never be afraid to ask to join a role play (RP). When trying to join an RP it is impossible to do so when just expecting someone to follow your character, that will end in disappointment. Players must communicate what they want to do, not everyone is going to want a new character in an active plot, but that doesn't mean that additional plots can't be developed.

This is part of the server rule (see Site Rules) about speaking up for yourself.

Player Communication

Communication between players is key! I cannot stress this enough, when trying to join into the game, if a player wants to do something with their character, talking about it is necessary. To be part of a plot, one has to talk to the player(s) in that plot. To come up with a new plot between characters, again, talking about it is required.

Players should always be respectful of each other, but should also realize that players don't owe each other anything. There is no obligation to play, there are some players who are busy, who cannot come on often, or who have anxiety about new situations. It doesn't matter, if a player isn't into a role play, don't hold it against them just, try to find a new role play.

Collaborative Role Playing

Collaborating on a role play is the same as collaborating in writing. Usually there is a person from whom the idea originates (the person who had the big idea) and this person usually expects to have some amount of control, that being said all parties in a collaborative setting should try to collaborate. That is to say, build a consensus of what should happen, integrate opposing ideas where possible.

The idea is that all parties have something to say about where the role play goes. This diverges significantly form the standard focus of role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, Rifts, GURPS, and similar models where a GM / DM (Game Master / Dungeon Master) has the story and presents it for the players. Collaboration requires a lot more work, it is much easier to just hang out and come along for the ride than it is to be apart of the creative process. Even so, we encourage people to be apart of the creative process here.

Consequences

Generally speaking most games try to keep PC's in the game, even defying consequences for actions to some degree. As if by some unwritten rules of normalcy, most players try to keep characters from doing certain things that would get their charters removed from the game. When a player considers actions for their character, they should consider if there is any real possibility that their characters will be removed through death, prosecution, imprisonment, etc..

Entering the Fray

A lot of people have a character they are excited to play at this point, and they have some idea of the sorts of things they want to do. The biggest issue then is, obtaining someone to play with. Depending on the character this can be fairly easy - an outgoing character (it also helps to be an outgoing player in any case) will be easier to bring into situations. A character that has trouble interacting with others or would prefer not to interact with others is going to be more difficult to start a role play with.

Attracting Play

There are a few different ways, however, to attract a role play. Since most traditional role playing games involve a quest of some kind, players may be used to a Storyteller (Game Master, Dungeon Master, or Moderator) introducing a character for them or arranging for a way for characters to meet. While that is possible in this setting, it isn't the most common way of things here. Most of the time players have to both introduce their own characters and arrange for meeting other characters.

Preexisting Connections

If a player is friends with another player on the server they can arrange to have their character be somehow already entrenched with the other players characters. This can be very helpful for opportunities to role play but can also be isolating if other players don't feel they can approach about new opportunities. This makes it a double edged sword but if a new player isn't sure how to begin it can be helpful to arrange an encounter expressly designed to give them an inside connection to a role playing group. This is especially useful if two players are already friends but one isn't familiar with the setting.

The PSL (Personal Storyline)

A PSL is a compact storyline, usually involving a very small subset (most often two) of characters. This storyline rarely effects the overall plot of the game and serves as a way to further develop a character or a relationship between characters. Two players, most often, decide that they want to do something with two or more characters and come up with some kind of direction to go with it. A lot of inter-character romantic relationships develop this way.

Random Encounters

Those used to the video-game genre of role playing can be used to the random encounter model. This is a perfectly acceptable model for getting role plays together, but still requires some amount of player communication. On our servers we have a channel set aside for requests, but posting a request isn't just saying that you'd like something to happen. It requires some amount of thought into the request. That includes thinking if you want to leave it as open as possible (i.e. asking if anyone wants to bring a character into a particular area to interact with) or be more specific (i.e. I'm thinking I want to have someone for my character to interact with since they just lost their dog).

The other side of the random encounter is reciprocating the attention. When requesting the encounter it is usually the person requesting the play's job to provide the backbone of interaction. This means that they must be an active participant. It's bad form to ask for a role playing scene and then force the other person to do all the work of the role play.

Opportunity / Personality

Most of the time in the real world people keep to themselves in daily life. The more common way things work is that people are brought together through some circumstance, friends introductions, coworkers, the only people in the bar at 3am, someone looses their keys and someone else offers to help. During role play this isn't always possible to construct, most characters exist in a unique kind of vacuum where in real life they would have other friends who are not important in the context of an overarching plot who would normally be NPC's in a game setting. People have a hard time playing NPC's though, especially when starting out, and thus characters can become isolated from the normal social bridges.

Being an Asshole

Who wants to be an asshole right? Well, that's a bit extreme of a term but most people have that side to their personality. A lot of new players have an issue with their own inner asshole. The person inside that doesn't overly care about social constructs of being nice and really is only concerned with themselves. This too leaves characters isolated because the everlasting moderate character who is always reasonable and just nice enough but not too nice never gets any role play opportunities. It is just plain hard to pull them into a scenario.

Role plays run on clash and strife, when everything is going amazing and awesome there is just no reason for the interaction to be interesting. Everyone knows that in real life it is impossible to find someone who has nothing negative going on. Everyone has someone in their life that is being an asshole to them and making things interesting (from a role playing perspective). A common personality trait to consider is the sweetest son of a bitch in the world, or rather a person who is happy to help others, even in the extreme, but if they don't do what is expected of them turns unforgiving or even mean and nasty as a result.

Being a Good Guy

There is a place in any role play for the savior or hero type, but this can be limiting. Not everyone needs or wants to be saved, what does Superman do when there is no one to save? Characters who love to be the hero can be their own worst enemy and this can provide a good basis for play as well. Not only that but an all around good person can be a hotbed of internal strife and misunderstandings with other characters. Does a genuine, honest, and hardworking person understand or even have a concept of the rogue who takes advantage of people, or the screw-up who means well? Do they have an understanding of the genuine person who always returns library books on time?

Motivations

If opportunities for play are not coming easy or one is not sure where to begin, it can be helpful to answer three questions:

• What does the character think they want?
• What does the character actually want?
• What is stopping them?

These can be incredibly complex questions! So one should never be concerned if they don't know those answers or intimidated by asking them since motivations change. Motivations are also situational, and don't have to be concrete things that motivate them forever. Of course answering questions about overall motivations is incredibly handy for an overall image of a character but they are also a lot harder to answer. In a singular situation, where one isn't sure how a character would react, the answers to these questions can be very helpful.

Being Proactive

By far one of the most valuable ways to join in role play is to be proactive. Here, we have many public scenes (Finnegan's Tavern, the Promenade, or Nysa Facility are good examples of where public scenes take place). If a bunch of character are in the bar, see about joining in. If you're not sure what to have a character do, ask the players about it. Most of the time the other players are pretty happy to help out get the ball rolling. Remember, everyone who role plays started somewhere and so we all know how it feels to not know how to get into an existing group.

Tips for Joining

• The role play is not about you or your character.

Expect to have a smaller part when starting out, this doesn't mean the other players don't like you this just means that they have to get to know your playing style and your character as well. The other players have to form some kind of idea of how not only your character fits into the scene or the setting but also how your play style fits in.

• Play it cool.

Many characters have extensive combat or other special abilities. It is always tempting to start off by trying them out in game, the character might be a natural show-off but keep in mind that you want others to want to role play with you. The best way to do this is to play with some amount of moderation and let the opportunities for you to demonstrate your characters abilities come naturally even if it takes a long time to find one such situation.

• Read and listen more than you post / emote.

Get a feel for how a scene flows and the kind of dynamic that is there. Most of the time, the real world provides us with such information readily by way of non-verbal communication and vocal tones that are going to be missing in a text-based role play setting such as this, and thus it is helpful to get the lay of the land first. In addition, it is going to be easier to role play in a given situation when you're not taking to dominate the situation.

• Wait for people to post.

People have lives and shit happens. We all know this, so don't leave someone out if you can avoid it. If you're character is in a conversation with 3 other characters and one of them goes to do something else, have an idea of slowing the role play down a bit, wait longer between posts or pause it entirely. This allows the missing player(s) to not lose the thread of the scene and pick up where they left off.

• Be attentive to what is going on.

Even if you get bored quickly, writing takes time to do well. Leaving a scene half done after 3-4 minutes of play because it isn't moving fast enough or you saw a new shiny thing to do is extremely rude and will drive people from wanting to role play with you. If you need to leave or some such, or will be slow, it is polite to say to the other play exactly that; telling another player that you'll be slow because you've got some other things going on or that you might have to drop off suddenly because of some reason is the polite way to handle things. When people engage with you and play with your characters they expect that you want to put the effort into it.