New to Rping

[Gravitus]

So the concept of immersing myself in character and playing the part has always fascinated me. It’s something I want to try my hand at but don’t want to go in completely blind either . 

 

I am hoping some seasoned Rpers can give me some insight and dispel some false expectations people commonly have.

 

If I do decide to go through with this, I’m definitely the type of person that’s going to give it my all, not half ass anything and go full immersion. So here’s some questions I have for Rpers that are all about “full on immersion.”

 

1. I imagine there are times when someone may have to step out of character. How is this normally accomplished? Separate channel?

 

2. What does a typical RP session look like? Are there organized sessions? Is it just a passive thing you do whenever a fellow Rper logs on? Both?

 

3. What are some of the common pitfalls that newb Rpers usually step into?

 

4. Is there such thing as being too immersive ? Not to be confused with inappropriate speech, but simply just being too much into character? If so Examples?

 

5. Are their any over-looked nuances RPers skip over that you wish they’d acknowledge as an RPer? For example does full immersion go so far as to change players attire when entering a certain building? Is running everywhere discouraged? Should I get that “walk” power handy etc?

 

6. Is there a group of dedicated RPers that want to scoop me up? 

 

Thats all I can think of at this time but any other advise or questions I need answered that probably got left out are also welcome.

 

thanks   

 

 

 

 

Edited September 10, 2019 by Gravitus

[Zodai]

Welcome to the RPing world!

 

1. I imagine there are times when someone may have to step out of character. How is this normally accomplished? Separate channel?

 

I usually denote it by (( ))  that is, ((text in double parenthesees is implied as OOC.))  This is because (Single paranthesees usually denotes thought.), Zodai thought.

 

2. What does a typical RP session look like? Are there organized sessions? Is it just a passive thing you do whenever a fellow Rper logs on? Both?

 

Both forms are reasonable.  Organized ones are usually for larger scale ones, with a more firm premise or larger numbers of people, but people do plenty of RP on their own with whoever they meet.  Usually the 'quick RP' forms happen at Pocket D, or at an SG's base if enough people are there.

 

3. What are some of the common pitfalls that newb Rpers usually step into?

 

I don't know for sure how common they are, but the things that are most concerning would be metagaming and consent-based stuff. 

 

Metagaming generally covers all things from a character knowing things they shouldn't but the player does ('I know your secret identity, even though nothing would allow me to do so), a character's level of power being beyond reason without justification (I blow up the planet, everyone dies), but usually it involves an error between the player and character/characters/game world.  Game Masters/SG Admins/Event DMs/Etc have authority in events where they're present, so in those kinds of cases you want to ask them for permission depending on what it is.  (Obviously though, Homecoming Staff supercede them by turn, in case that isn't clear.)

 

Consent is based in two different things, agency and comfort.  Agency is 'the character's agency to take their own actions, and the player's agency over their character.'  Character Agency implies that the characters actions have some influence on the story being told, such as trying to save someone from being killed or trying to steal a precious gem or rob a bank.  Their actions should influence the game world and have the possibility of altering events - I see it as the character's impact being respected by the story. 

 

Some stories will require a certain event to happen for the story they want to tell - It's hard to give an arc about death and grief or failure if players never fail, but the road they take to get there should respond to their effort to achieve their goals.  For an opposite example - it's hard to tell a story of a hero down on his luck who doesn't have money to feed his daughter if another player's character he's never met walks up and gives him $1M in cash.  In this case the player's personal arc was resolved from an outside source in a way that removes the drama from it, so he would be justified in retconning it because the resolution was improper.

 

A Player's Agency over their Character implies that the player has the final say over what actions their character takes.  If you try to shield someone from an attack, you'll take the consequence and get hit, which is a natural consequence of that action.  But something like 'this character falls over and can't dodge' without justification (terrain where this would happen, plus a dice roll or something depending on your DM) would be taking agency away from the character.  It also means other players can't decide what another person's character does.  As I see it, actions are based in the players, but consequences are based with either the DM, or in absence of one whatever all those involved in the scene judge to be a fair result for the actions taken.

 

Comfort is basically 'Am I okay with the scene having content of this nature/having this happen to my character?'  Example being that not every player would want to sit through a scene with torture or sexual content, especially if their character was forced into it by means beyond their control.  You should be clear that everyone in the scene is okay with the content it might entail before proceeding.  This also entails things like character death if the player doesn't want it as a part of the RP.  Sometimes a player and DM might come into conflict over this though - I would argue that the DM has a responsibility to communicate what could possibly happen, since not everyone will like some potential parts, but if those are communicated clearly then I would say the DM should lean towards the enjoyment of the group as a whole and that the player might fit another group better. 

 

4. Is there such thing as being too immersive ? Not to be confused with inappropriate speech, but simply just being too much into character? If so Examples?

 

Yes and no.  I've been emotionally distraught for weeks at a time from being way too into an RP before but that kind of getting too-into-character is also where my most memorable RPs come from.  I would say the main thing where being too immersed is a bad thing is when you stop considering the enjoyment of the enjoyment of other RPers.  Even as someone who's hard-line 'this is what my character would do and I want to respect who I believe them to be', nobody's going to have any fun with that if who they are is someone who nobody wants to be with, IC or OOC.  ((This itself depends on how fleshed out or well-written the character is to begin with.))

 

5. Are their any over-looked nuances RPers skip over that you wish they’d acknowledge as an RPer? For example does full immersion go so far as to change players attire when entering a certain building? Is running everywhere discouraged? Should I get that “walk” power handy etc?

 

In the SGs I'm in, most have some form of uniform requirement for some major events, but definitely not for everyday RP.  One of those is a school and the other is a corporation, so uniforms fit there.  Fleshing out attire deeper is up to player choice.  I don't think running everywhere is discouraged itself since it's more convenient, but most people use walk when they're actually in a scene/talking ICly with someone.

 

6. Is there a group of dedicated RPers that want to scoop me up?

 

Usually you look for them rather than the other way around.  There should be a pin in the Everlasting forum

[MetaVileTerror]

Going to say that Zodai's done an excellent job here.  I may have something more substantial to add later, after giving it some thought, but for now Zod's breakdown really covered all the majorly important stuff that I can think of.

 

But I will say, you'll also want to consider:
/chanjoin OOC

/chanjoin RP

 

In this case, yes:  Out-of-character is held in a separate channel from roleplay, but these channels are not mandatory.  They're just another potential avenue to finding other roleplayers and interacting with them.

[Gravitus]

Thanks for the information. You’ve given me a lot to consider .

[GM Sijin]

Zodai covered things pretty well!

On 9/10/2019 at 4:31 AM, Zodai said:

3. What are some of the common pitfalls that newb Rpers usually step into?

I'll add two to this.

 

A common thing I see, and this isn't limited to new roleplayers by any means, is players blurring the lines between IC and OOC. This can manifest in a lot of different ways, but probably one of the most common is the assumption that because a character acts a specific way towards your character that the player of that character feels that way towards you personally. Or where a player is actually doing that: (not) liking a particular player so their character behaves differently than they probably would have otherwise.

 

Obviously it's impossible for most people to keep them completely separated, but where most of the problems come from is assuming that a character's actions reflect the player's thoughts. They might, but it's much better to assume they don't than assume they do and just react as your character would in that situation and try to not take anything personally.

 

The second one is using unspecific identifiers like 'you' in emotes. When the scene involves literally two people, this is less of a problem but is still a bad habit to get into. If you're in a group of people, it can get confusing. It's best to be specific when taking actions, especially when there's more than just two people around.

IE:

Jane Doe shakes your hand.

vs

Jane Doe shakes Johnny's hand.

or

Jane Doe shakes the offered hand.

 

The first will read to everyone in range as though Jane's shaking their hand. The second is extremely specific, assuming there's only one Johnny around. The third is more vague, but unless multiple people are offering a hand to shake, it's still pretty obvious who the emote is aimed at, or at least who it isn't aimed at. In many situations people will be able to determine who 'you' is supposed to be aimed at, but not all. Best to just avoid it.

[PaxArcana]

On 9/10/2019 at 4:41 AM, Gravitus said:

1. I imagine there are times when someone may have to step out of character. How is this normally accomplished? Separate channel?

One convention I've used a lot myself, is the ((double-parenthesis)).  Anything in those, is assumed to be OOC ("Out Of Character").

 

On 9/10/2019 at 4:41 AM, Gravitus said:

3. What are some of the common pitfalls that newb Rpers usually step into?

Narrating other characters' reactions to their own.

 

Don't say, for example, "When DarkOne's transformation is complete, you cower in fear before the flame-wreathed demonic form before you."  That violates their agency as a player - and assumes their character WOULD be afraid, which is something you cannot know.  Maybe they're a demon-hunter, and instead of afraid, they'll be angry.  Maybe they're supremely jaded, or just physically incapable of feeling fear, and their reaction will be more along the lines of "neat parlor trick, kid.  Do you do birthday parties?"

 

Leave the decision of how their character reacts, to them.  So, instead, try something like "When DarkOne's transformation is complete, a fearsome, flame-wreathed demon stands before you".  You've established that he becomes a scary-looking thing (and hopefully whatever Costume slot you've just changed to fits that description, ha!) ... but, you've also left it up to them, to decide their own character's reaction to it.

[QueenBethari]

On 9/10/2019 at 4:41 AM, Gravitus said:

5. Are their any over-looked nuances RPers skip over that you wish they’d acknowledge as an RPer?

I don't know if this is a nuance per se, but I find it's a technique that keeps me from violating another character's agency.

 

My drama teacher used to say that acting is reacting. I find that RP is very much the same way. If you focus on what's happening instead of making your character look awesome, silly, edgy, et cetera, it allows more room for everyone else to contribute. I hope that makes sense. 

[Big Lunk]

1 hour ago, QueenBethari said:

My drama teacher used to say that acting is reacting. 

I was going to make a huge post earlier about how the use of passive emotes (x swings a punch at y) is better RP than active (y dodges x's punch and knees him in the jaw as he swiffs past), and how much it bothers me, but I am rather appropriately on a film set all day, and got called on half way through typing it to play dress up and pretend 😛

 

I liken it to pro wrestling. It is up to the person being struck (emoted at) to react appropriately and sell the move. 

No-selling constantly, and straight up squash matches are boring.

No one expects you to underlay ability, but if both rpers are playing to that rule, the result is more entertaining.

If only one does. Its just frustrating to the other who will likely break character to say "dude, no", possibly even shun them in the future. 

If both do it... Well, they look like 5 year old playing cops and robbers, trying to one up each other with impervium armour, laser tipped bullets, ninja bullet dodge skills, giant veloceraptor, blood of an ancient demon Prince... 

Edited September 25, 2019 by Big Lunk

[biostem]

14 hours ago, GM Sijin said:

Jane Doe shakes your hand.

vs

Jane Doe shakes Johnny's hand.

or

Jane Doe shakes the offered hand.

I had to double check just to be sure, but it strikes me as odd that there isn't, in fact, a "shake hand" or "offer hand to shake" emote at all.  Seems weird.  *** Sorry for the tangent ***

[MetaVileTerror]

I use ;point or ;thanks
Closest I can get.