Moneytalks
I just listen... ;)
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2000
- Posts
- 1,749
I HAVE BEEN GIVEN GENEROUS PERMISSION BY THE MODERATOR'S TO REPOST THIS BRILLIANT HELPFUL HINT ON ROLE PLAY ETIQUETTE COURTESY OF THE TALENTED AND GLORIOUS MISTRESS HECATE - I KNOW I CERTAINLY WILL BENEFIT FROM THE IDEA'S WITHIN THIS.. I'M SURE ALL FELLOW NEWBIE'S AND OLDIE'S ALIKE WILL AGREE.. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ THIS!
STAY COOL... STAY FUN!
[MONEYTALKS]
************************************************************
Originally Posted by Hecate on 06-08-2000 09:30 PM
Ok - here now on popular demand *g* Mistress Hecate's (very subjective and not at all official) guide to
Role Playing – not a manual but experiences and hints from a dedicated player.
Since I am using this "not-manual" on another family rated RP site, some of the points may sound strange related to an erotic
RP.
Two things I didn't cover in my "guide":
IC = In Character, the content of the message following this "opening" is part of the ongoing story, all statements are made by
the fictional character and NOT by the player.
OOC = Out Of Character , the part of the message following this intro has nothing to do with the on going story but is a
remark or comment of the player and NOT his fictional role. This usually opens a comment of being away for a while, coming
back, asking for e-mail, giving hints and tips ... just about all that is NOT part of the plot.
I am curious to see what I have forgotten or where others have a different opinion. Please feel free to share so maybe we can
work out the "ultimate RP manual" in the end!
Thanks
Hecate
PS: I hope I got a somewhat readable format here since it was originally written as an HTML code
____________________________________________________
Role Playing – not a manual but experiences and hints from a dedicated player.
“Hello, I am a role play addict” – that could be my introduction to role players anonymous...
I have been participating in all sorts of role-plays, different people, different settings and different contents (and ratings) ... and I
always found not all of them were equally intriguing. And I started to wonder why... here some of my personal realizations.
In short (and no particular order):
Characters: To participate in any action, you need to be there for more than one post. To be there you have to create your
personal character.
Taking influence: When playing remember that all participants have equal rights (unless agreed upon differently) in influencing
the development of the story.
Interaction and plot line development: Give the other party involved a chance for choice!
Entering into a thread: Introduce your character.
Ending a post in an active thread: Give your fellow players something to work on, invite their reaction.
Leaving a thread for an extended period or for good: Write your character out of the action.
Anything else? Role-playing is for fun! And a little humor in the posts as well as in the general approach never hurts!
The long version:
The “role play” is called “role play” because the player plays a role!
Uhmmm – yeah, well, go figure!
It sounds like a completely strange thing to say but ... this holds the essentials of good role-playing. I do take on a role, I am
thinking, performing, doing, and saying things along the story according to the adopted personality I chose for this role. This
means I am not just continuing to write a story from a third person point of view, but I become part of the story, I am being one
of the participants in the action.
Picture yourself being an actor in a stand-up show. You only can act for yourself, you do not know what the others will do,
what their responses would be to your actions. This is exactly what role-playing is – become a fantasy person in a fantasy
setting, ready to interact with the fellow participants via the written word.
Basic thoughts and RP-Etiquette:
Characters:
To participate in any action, you need to be there for more than one post. To be there you have to create your personal
character.
Now we all know about our real life insufficiencies, but please, do not go now and create a fantasy character that is
PERFECT! You will soon enough find out that people do not want to play with a too perfect character, since they always will
be stuck in an inferior role. And just as much as you want to be a hero in your fantasy world, everybody else does.
Little example from a Sword & Magic – RP:
A new player created a sorcerer character, and gave it unbeatable powers. All threads involving him would end shortly with
some post saying that his powers were unbeatable and thus he defeated whoever was his opponent. It did not take long and
nobody replied to his posts anymore – it was no fun because nobody likes to know from the beginning that they can only be the
losers...
For practical purpose that means: design your character at least slightly realistic. Of course it can be different from who and
what you are IRL, but according to the environment the story is set in, give it a few likeable insufficiencies, even if it is only that
your character is being ticklish or allergic to broccoli.
Taking influence:
When playing remember that all participants have equal rights (unless agreed upon differently) in influencing the development of
the story.
This means that just because you want the plot to go in a distinct direction does not necessarily mean it will happen. It is up to
you, with intelligence and creativity – just as you would in real life – to influence the scene accordingly.
It is absolutely BAD style (imho) to play others’ characters!
What I mean is to take decisions and act for others. I am not talking about little reactions you just need to assume to get on
with your story, and some patterns of behavior can be taken for given by the development of a character and a story, but I
seriously would warn to take too many liberties with your fellow players.
I more than once was rather pissed off to return to a thread and see that someone had made my character act in a way that was
strictly against the whole personality I had set up, e.g. I was playing a mighty bad girl and held the leader of the good guys
captive in my castle (we had worked out some really nice plot line of how he could free himself without me going against my
bad wicked nature). The next thing I read is that another player had “...sneaked into the castle (which was protected by
numerous magic spells, reason for why I had been able to take a captive at all) past the guards. (Needless to mention my
guards at that time were a monster army) They then took the captain of the guards captive, forced him to lead them to the
witch's (my) quarters. Then the witch (me) quivering with fear from this unknown stranger threw herself (me) at his feet and sobbing begged for
mercy. The witch (me) then went to release the Commander. The witch surrenders herself, her castle and her army.”
I guess it is easy to picture I was “not amused” about this!
What I am trying to say is: act for yourself only – speak for yourself only! At least as major things are concerned. There is
nothing wrong with letting someone nod in agreement or say a few words as long as they don’t influence the decisions, actions
and character of the other party. The safer you want to be to not piss off any co-players, the stricter you might want to stick to
this rule.
The degree of this may vary widely though. Specially once you have developed a “feeling” for the characters (and their
“creators” ) involved you may become more confident in anticipating reactions or actions of your co-players, so involving them
into your own posts will do fine. I think you are on the safe side at most times asking yourself if you would feel good seeing
someone else take those liberties with the character that you have created. So, summing it up I would say: if you do not know
your fellow players and their characters well, then you should leave the decision to them once more often then once too little.
Once you have established a feel about them as well as the situation and where two characters are headed, you may become a little
bolder and push those limits for the sake of the action.
Interaction and plot line development:
Give the other party involved a chance for choice!
Of course we all want people to react the way we would like them to, to get on with our own plans. But as much as you have to accept it, things don't always go according to plan.
[Edited by Moneytalks on 12-10-2000 at 05:23 PM]
STAY COOL... STAY FUN!
[MONEYTALKS]
************************************************************
Originally Posted by Hecate on 06-08-2000 09:30 PM
Ok - here now on popular demand *g* Mistress Hecate's (very subjective and not at all official) guide to
Role Playing – not a manual but experiences and hints from a dedicated player.
Since I am using this "not-manual" on another family rated RP site, some of the points may sound strange related to an erotic
RP.
Two things I didn't cover in my "guide":
IC = In Character, the content of the message following this "opening" is part of the ongoing story, all statements are made by
the fictional character and NOT by the player.
OOC = Out Of Character , the part of the message following this intro has nothing to do with the on going story but is a
remark or comment of the player and NOT his fictional role. This usually opens a comment of being away for a while, coming
back, asking for e-mail, giving hints and tips ... just about all that is NOT part of the plot.
I am curious to see what I have forgotten or where others have a different opinion. Please feel free to share so maybe we can
work out the "ultimate RP manual" in the end!
Thanks
Hecate
PS: I hope I got a somewhat readable format here since it was originally written as an HTML code
____________________________________________________
Role Playing – not a manual but experiences and hints from a dedicated player.
“Hello, I am a role play addict” – that could be my introduction to role players anonymous...
I have been participating in all sorts of role-plays, different people, different settings and different contents (and ratings) ... and I
always found not all of them were equally intriguing. And I started to wonder why... here some of my personal realizations.
In short (and no particular order):
Characters: To participate in any action, you need to be there for more than one post. To be there you have to create your
personal character.
Taking influence: When playing remember that all participants have equal rights (unless agreed upon differently) in influencing
the development of the story.
Interaction and plot line development: Give the other party involved a chance for choice!
Entering into a thread: Introduce your character.
Ending a post in an active thread: Give your fellow players something to work on, invite their reaction.
Leaving a thread for an extended period or for good: Write your character out of the action.
Anything else? Role-playing is for fun! And a little humor in the posts as well as in the general approach never hurts!
The long version:
The “role play” is called “role play” because the player plays a role!
Uhmmm – yeah, well, go figure!
It sounds like a completely strange thing to say but ... this holds the essentials of good role-playing. I do take on a role, I am
thinking, performing, doing, and saying things along the story according to the adopted personality I chose for this role. This
means I am not just continuing to write a story from a third person point of view, but I become part of the story, I am being one
of the participants in the action.
Picture yourself being an actor in a stand-up show. You only can act for yourself, you do not know what the others will do,
what their responses would be to your actions. This is exactly what role-playing is – become a fantasy person in a fantasy
setting, ready to interact with the fellow participants via the written word.
Basic thoughts and RP-Etiquette:
Characters:
To participate in any action, you need to be there for more than one post. To be there you have to create your personal
character.
Now we all know about our real life insufficiencies, but please, do not go now and create a fantasy character that is
PERFECT! You will soon enough find out that people do not want to play with a too perfect character, since they always will
be stuck in an inferior role. And just as much as you want to be a hero in your fantasy world, everybody else does.
Little example from a Sword & Magic – RP:
A new player created a sorcerer character, and gave it unbeatable powers. All threads involving him would end shortly with
some post saying that his powers were unbeatable and thus he defeated whoever was his opponent. It did not take long and
nobody replied to his posts anymore – it was no fun because nobody likes to know from the beginning that they can only be the
losers...
For practical purpose that means: design your character at least slightly realistic. Of course it can be different from who and
what you are IRL, but according to the environment the story is set in, give it a few likeable insufficiencies, even if it is only that
your character is being ticklish or allergic to broccoli.
Taking influence:
When playing remember that all participants have equal rights (unless agreed upon differently) in influencing the development of
the story.
This means that just because you want the plot to go in a distinct direction does not necessarily mean it will happen. It is up to
you, with intelligence and creativity – just as you would in real life – to influence the scene accordingly.
It is absolutely BAD style (imho) to play others’ characters!
What I mean is to take decisions and act for others. I am not talking about little reactions you just need to assume to get on
with your story, and some patterns of behavior can be taken for given by the development of a character and a story, but I
seriously would warn to take too many liberties with your fellow players.
I more than once was rather pissed off to return to a thread and see that someone had made my character act in a way that was
strictly against the whole personality I had set up, e.g. I was playing a mighty bad girl and held the leader of the good guys
captive in my castle (we had worked out some really nice plot line of how he could free himself without me going against my
bad wicked nature). The next thing I read is that another player had “...sneaked into the castle (which was protected by
numerous magic spells, reason for why I had been able to take a captive at all) past the guards. (Needless to mention my
guards at that time were a monster army) They then took the captain of the guards captive, forced him to lead them to the
witch's (my) quarters. Then the witch (me) quivering with fear from this unknown stranger threw herself (me) at his feet and sobbing begged for
mercy. The witch (me) then went to release the Commander. The witch surrenders herself, her castle and her army.”
I guess it is easy to picture I was “not amused” about this!
What I am trying to say is: act for yourself only – speak for yourself only! At least as major things are concerned. There is
nothing wrong with letting someone nod in agreement or say a few words as long as they don’t influence the decisions, actions
and character of the other party. The safer you want to be to not piss off any co-players, the stricter you might want to stick to
this rule.
The degree of this may vary widely though. Specially once you have developed a “feeling” for the characters (and their
“creators” ) involved you may become more confident in anticipating reactions or actions of your co-players, so involving them
into your own posts will do fine. I think you are on the safe side at most times asking yourself if you would feel good seeing
someone else take those liberties with the character that you have created. So, summing it up I would say: if you do not know
your fellow players and their characters well, then you should leave the decision to them once more often then once too little.
Once you have established a feel about them as well as the situation and where two characters are headed, you may become a little
bolder and push those limits for the sake of the action.
Interaction and plot line development:
Give the other party involved a chance for choice!
Of course we all want people to react the way we would like them to, to get on with our own plans. But as much as you have to accept it, things don't always go according to plan.
[Edited by Moneytalks on 12-10-2000 at 05:23 PM]
