An Overly Long Theft of Someone Else's Schtick on Breaking Into A Roleplaying Scene

[chase]

How Do You Initiate a Roleplaying Encounter?  How do you break into the circle- the apparent clique of players and performers at a particular space and time if you don't know any of them.
 

That was one of the topics that stuck with me at the Roleplaying workshop... probably in part because I sometimes feel so bad at it... as I expect many others have, as well, particularly given the interest it sparked at the workshop.

So, let's talk about it.
 

My Credentials.  AKA: What makes me such an authority?
 

I don't have any regular RP friends.  My schedule's too sporadic to foster them, so my RP tends to be one-off encounters an gone.  That means that rather than have a group of people I know that I can just ENGAGE WITH as soon as I log in, I'm almost always starting fresh, and more often than not I fail to successfully "hook" into an existing circle before my brief window of time is up.

 

But...  I keep trying.   I've tried oh-so-many-ways over the years.  I still come away empty-handed quite a lot despite all those various attempts.  I still sometimes wonder why I bother as I log off realizing I'll never get those three hours wasted back.  
 

I'm really raising your confidence in this topic, eh?

Point is: I've tried.  A lot.  For many years. 
 

And I still struggle.

So I'm not an expert.  Few of us are.    I'm mostly hoping that other posters to this thread will give me the "eureka moment" I've been looking for in the past 30-odd years.

 

This isn't failure, It's fishing. 
 

Let's get it out of the way first- establishing a new RP circle is HARD.   You're not doing it wrong.   No matter how eloquent you are or well thought your approach or compelling your story, when you're alone and trying to make contact into a scene, SO MANY obstacles lie in your way.  The target(s) you approach may be AFK or focused on a private chat, or some supergroup channel drama.  They may have their chat filter mod set to lower range than you and not even see your emotes.  In a very busy area, your emote may scroll off the screen in mere moments, going unnoticed.
 

It's easy to feel rejected and neglected or just feel plain ignored.  The characters LOOK LIKE they're just standing there, right next to you, after all.  All the body cues you would expect indicate they'd be there and be ready to engage with you.   You wouldn't be blamed to feel a little... well... foolish as you slink away unsuccessful or get flustered as you awkwardly double-down with another attempt.
 

Don't.
 

Initiating roleplay solo is like fishing. Fishermen can have perfect lures and a perfect cast in all the right conditions and still have to cast over and over and over before you get a nibble.    Anglers may cast and wait many times before they're ever successful-- and sometimes even the things that they do cast need to just be released.   
 

Cast again and be patient. 

I've waited a long time trying to learn patience.  It's not my strong point.  The longer I'm left silent with my thoughts the more self-doubt creeps in, the more I re-examine everything I tried that failed, the more anxious I become about screwing up the next encounter, and the stronger the urge is just to run off and do something else that doesn't make me feel so foolish. 
 

Stay Strong.  

Don't be like me.  Seriously, the world already has one of me, and my wife often tells me that's one too many as it is.

That's enough pep talk.  Now, HOW do you initiate roleplay?

 

Approach the Player before the Character
 

Sometimes, you luck into a situation where it just makes sense to walk up to a total stranger and talk directly to them.   Oftentimes it doesn't, and just because that player is logged in and  standing there, it doesn't mean it's a convenient moment for them to engage with you as you'd want.  
 

The most direct option is to send a tell.  I've never had a hostile response to a  "Hi, are you free for walkup RP or busy?".  I've got no response, I've got a polite turn aways, "sorry, but dealing with SG drama atm." and I've even gotten rainchecks ("now's not good, but I can ping you when it is"), but never anyone upset by it.
 

Tells aren't the only way to tell other players that you're open to engaging in Roleplay, and implying your availability through performance has the benefit of letting others sample your style: 
 

Quote

/em takes a seat over by Atlas's foot and pulls a sorry-looking gyro from her backpack.   She squints as she takes inventory of the others around, apparently oblivious to the bits of sandwich falling to the sidewalk between her bites.

 

Here, our CHARACTER hasn't approached anyone else's characters, but they've entered the scene - or more accurately, we've announced our characters' availability to others in the scene.  That emote can serve as an introduction, provide cues to others or -most importantly- alert others to an active roleplayer in their midst who's open to approach. Plan for a few emotes for the scene as things change and post them as people come and go.   
 

And to leave no question to your intent, you can always accompany this emote with a post to LFG, an OOC or LFRP channel, or even the CoH RP discords.   "Tabby is sitting under the atlas statue having lunch, open to walkup RP"

Read the Room.
 

When you enter an area with active RP, what's the current topic and tone? If this was an arranged event, what was it intended for?  What are the conversations that are currently going on?  How would your current character approach this?  How can you emote in such a way that both hints at something distinct to your character but fits the current narrative.
 

Sometimes we're so eager to portray OUR character, to express OUR story, or exert OUR presence that we ignore the context we're meeting under.  We come across as a scene stealer instead of a scene participant.  On the other hand, though, if we're too neutral in our response- too "generic," we've offered very little of our own for others to hook into.
 

Quote

/me's ears twitch toward the mention of Dr. Aeon and she sits on her tail to prevent its sudden thrashing. She's no longer looking in the direction of the conversation- in fact, she seems to be trying hard NOT TO look.

 

I'm habitually a paragraph writer, but these responses are very time-sensitive if they're going to be successful.    The more you write, the more you risk your response will be lost as the conversation proceeds.  Balance detail and creativity with expedience.
 

Read Biographies
 

Many people write bio's in a way to share information that the general public may have about the hero.  That's an invitation to use that knowledge rather than have to roleplay learning that knowledge about them.   They may have a reputation.  They may be celebrities.   They may share a common foe or have an FBSA record that you might have accessed at some time in the past.   The possibilities abound.   Don't make undue assumptions, but using parts of this while soliciting engagement can show respect and consideration into their user story.
 

Quote

/me 's eyes narrow into slits as she recognizes the blue-clad blonde heroine- hard to miss since she was all over the entertainment news sites for so long.  She scans her surroundings again- hard to believe there wouldn't be paparazzi nearby with her here.   On the bright side, they'd be far too focused on her to make any note of a gray-striped catgirl.

Make a Scene

 

Someone I knew calls this "solo roleplay" which feels contradictory.  On one extreme, there are elaborate AFK scripts intended to entertain an audience in the style of the late great Ascendant.  People stumbling upon these often stick around for the whole performance.  Some /tell you about their appreciation, and those people become future RP prospects.
 

It doesn't have to be that elaborate..  RP'ing a telephone call can reveal a great deal about yourself to your immediate audience.  Subvocalize elements of a texting conversation.  Have a one-way conversation with a spectral (or imaginary) being that only you see.   Have your mastermind henchmen banter among one another or with you.   
 

When you do this, be mindful of channel spam.   Roleplay can be more difficult for some if the chat window moves too quickly.   Your goal is to build a structure that people want to engage within,  not contribute to the chaos that drives people away. 
 

Reciprocate

 

Perhaps most importantly, keep an eye out for others that may be struggling to break in to a roleplaying scene.  Respond to LFRP announcements.   Make time for them.  Acknowledge them.  Even if you can't help them break through, small elements can mean a lot.
 

In an approach similar to my above examples, Tabby ate the whole sandwich before getting a RP nibble- a player getting ready to log out emoted back as she was leaving, "you...um, got some sauce... on your whiskers, right there."  One of the other players then engaged with Tabby more directly and made the evening quite fun, but to be honest, if it had been nothing but that little farewell acknowledgement that evening, I'd have considered it time well spent.


Now that you've wrangled through my mini-novella of random thoughts, wise roleplayers, share your own thoughts on engaging in RP with strangers.  I'll be taking notes.

Edited February 6 by chase
typos

[Crystal Dragon]

Sometimes the simplest actions can lead to a slew of RP happening.

A player stopping just short of joining a group talking could indicate shyness, hesitation, before speaking for themselves. _{(Yes yes, this is in reference to last nights Workshop, thank you for stopping by with that, really helped with the discussion actually.)}

A player shifting in their seat to get comfortable.

Even just the animation of drinking and eating can lead to a bit of RP happening.

What matters is the location, who's there, and how you conduct yourself as a character in those spaces. Raising a ruckus in public spaces tends to lead to a lot of backlash, but muttering under breath about some minor inconvenience, or reflection of the day ahead or past can open a whole lotta doors. It's not always about making the RP happen but rather leaving the door cracked open to let folks engage. The less busy your character appears to be, the more interactive opportunity you yield.

[chase]

1 hour ago, Krimson said:

 

I don't. I learned the hard way that initiating conversation is a bad idea. I respond to people who talk to me, but that's it. If a circle wants you as part of it, they will tell you. Otherwise, they do not.

☹️
I totally understand and hate that this is how it turned out for you.   

[MHertz]

On 2/6/2024 at 12:00 PM, chase said:

Cast again and be patient. 

"Patience, yeah, yeah. How long will that take?"

—Ed Gruberman

[chase]

On 2/27/2024 at 12:08 PM, MHertz said:

"Patience, yeah, yeah. How long will that take?"

—Ed Gruberman

Boot to the head!

I was thinking about that skit when I wrote it. 

[Latex]

Breaking into the established clique of Roleplayers is the final boss of Roleplay.

If the group isn't interested in you as a player or character (and you will usually be judged by both from my experience) there is absolutely nothing you can do to get RP interest. Your bio could be immaculate with countless hooks, your character could be infinitely interesting with twists and turns that appeal to a broad range of RP styles, it doesn't really matter in general if you're using the proverbial 'RP Crowbar' to get in on something you're not part of. On a private server for a niche MMO it's even more rooted, cliques are rife, some people play the game for the clique they're in; I don't blame them, we all have our cliques (aka, people we're familiar with and skew our preference to RPing with) however...

 

I think it's on the circle/group/clique itself to extend their hooks to anyone that expresses even the faintest bit of interest in what they're doing, more than the individual looking to involve. The tips here are great, but a lot of these circles have made up their minds before you have even approached them.

[chase]

3 hours ago, Latex said:

Breaking into the established clique of Roleplayers is the final boss of Roleplay.

If the group isn't interested in you as a player or character (and you will usually be judged by both from my experience) there is absolutely nothing you can do to get RP interest. Your bio could be immaculate with countless hooks, your character could be infinitely interesting with twists and turns that appeal to a broad range of RP styles, it doesn't really matter in general if you're using the proverbial 'RP Crowbar' to get in on something you're not part of. On a private server for a niche MMO it's even more rooted, cliques are rife, some people play the game for the clique they're in; I don't blame them, we all have our cliques (aka, people we're familiar with and skew our preference to RPing with) however...

 

I think it's on the circle/group/clique itself to extend their hooks to anyone that expresses even the faintest bit of interest in what they're doing, more than the individual looking to involve. The tips here are great, but a lot of these circles have made up their minds before you have even approached them.

I do agree to an extent.

Even on the RP-preferred server, you'll meet many people that do not have interest in roleplaying, and even people with the roleplay flag enabled may not be interested in roleplaying at that particular moment, so it can be challenging for an established RP clique to know when someone's interested in joining their current conversation.  

It's a very awkward spot for both groups, with both risking being ignored, receiving some form of rejection, or just being manipulated by malicious sorts.   That's a big chance to take. 

So... I don't really blame the cliques for being insular and wary of outsiders.  I don't blame the people that feel too jaded to try to find new RP communities.   

 

It's safer than dealing with rejection.

Still, I don't think these communities are all "we have our 5 regulars, who cares about the rest?"- or I hope they're not, and I do not think we as a roleplaying community should be satisfied with a "I've got my X regular friends to RP with, who cares about the rest?"   Roleplaying is a creative art of acting, storytelling, self-expression, improvisation, and often introspection and empathy.   It's something that should be encouraged and fostered and developed over time.   That can't happen if we all keep to ourselves.

I don't want people stepping out of their safe zones- that's unfair to ask of anyone, particularly for what's to be a recreational activity.   

I want to see those safe zones expanded.
 

Edited March 5 by chase

[WuTang]

On 3/5/2024 at 10:37 AM, Latex said:

Breaking into the established clique of Roleplayers is the final boss of Roleplay.

If the group isn't interested in you as a player or character (and you will usually be judged by both from my experience) there is absolutely nothing you can do to get RP interest. Your bio could be immaculate with countless hooks, your character could be infinitely interesting with twists and turns that appeal to a broad range of RP styles, it doesn't really matter in general if you're using the proverbial 'RP Crowbar' to get in on something you're not part of. On a private server for a niche MMO it's even more rooted, cliques are rife, some people play the game for the clique they're in; I don't blame them, we all have our cliques (aka, people we're familiar with and skew our preference to RPing with) however...

 

I think it's on the circle/group/clique itself to extend their hooks to anyone that expresses even the faintest bit of interest in what they're doing, more than the individual looking to involve. The tips here are great, but a lot of these circles have made up their minds before you have even approached them.

Hahahahahaha great....guess that makes my post pointless....

[Latex]

On 3/9/2024 at 4:53 PM, WuTang said:

Hahahahahaha great....guess that makes my post pointless....

Well like everything in life not everyone is the same, some 'cliques' have extended a hook to some of my chars it does happen. Everyone has their own clique too, the friend groups you do stuff with and if you don't theres likely plenty of people like you who are looking for friends.

I'm in a similar boat to chase, I don't play often enough to properly cement in some group-RP (but I have been invited to a few!), more often than not it's the individuals I interact with. If I RP in Pocket D I usually approach solo peeps, not groups, it's just easier to get involved.

[McSpazz]

It's also worth pointing out that different personalities, both that of the character and of the player, can heavily influence how easily you can weave between groups. It's, more often than not, not even within your control and can even vary depending on the community you are in. I've had friends that were basically ignored by one MMO's community while in another they were basically a celebrity.

 

Also, if you're going to steal my schtick, I'm going to include you in my master list. So there. 😛