In its most basic form, roleplaying is simply acting. Regardless of the genre, this acting is within the constraints of a character profile and probably also those of a given scenario. Namely, the roleplayer acts in a way that they believe their character should act. Often this has little (or nothing) to do with how the out of character person would behave.
Lyran Tal wrote:Roleplaying, in general, is when an gamer sets aside their own identity and plays out the actions, thoughts, and dialogue of a fictional character.
Free Form Role Playing, the more ‘official’ term for text based RPing, is a step beyond such RPing games as Final Fantasy, and Dungeons and Dragons, insomuch that the player has COMPLETE control over the character they play. There are no dice, no set story, no random elements in regards to a character except for the player’s own decisions.
A character is the imaginary person you create when Role Playing.
Lantis wrote:
Lantis wrote:Characters are who we are when it comes to roleplay. Characters are the personas we take on to game, or the people we create in our mind when writing. Having a strong character is the basis for role-playing well. And 'strong character' doesn't necessarily mean a hulking barbarian with rippling biceps who can tear trees from the ground and destroy universes. A strong character is one that is realistic and well-balanced-- that is, he/she has weaknesses, fears, and goals as all of us in the real world do. Characters can also already be pre-defined. If you want to play Heero Yuy from Gundam wing, that's fine. But remember, even the perfect soldier, has fears and weaknesses, he just doesn't outwardly show them.
Two terms often heard are IC and OOC. IC denotes In Character, while OOC denotes Out Of Character.
So, what to do:
CREATE A CHARACTER
JOIN AN RP
ROLE PLAY
How do you role play?
You simply write out the actions, thoughts and speech of your character.
And, what not to do:
Metagame.
Applying something that you know OOC, and allowing it to be used in IC, despite your character having no idea. Eg: You know the name of another character, but your own character has never met that person, yet you allow your character to say their name in first meeting.
Godmod.
Basically, cheat. Don’t ignore the actions of others, take control of other players’ characters, or have an invincible character.
Argue.
Take it to PM. No need to argue at all, if RP is done correctly and respect is given to everyone.
Cybersex.
Unnecessary intimacy in public. Nothing of an overly sexual nature is needed in the community, whose members range in age from 12 or 13 upwards. General rule of thumb: Keep it PG-13
Use txt-tlk.
omg u hav a prblm wit txttalk?!! Yes. Not all people understand it, and at times it can be annoying.
Use Mary Sue characters.
Wikipedia wrote:Mary Sue (sometimes shortened simply to Sue) is a pejorative term for a fictional character who is portrayed in an overly idealized way and lacks noteworthy flaws, or has unreasonably romanticized flaws.
Use stock characters.
Roleplay as an existing character from a series, book or game in an RP based entirely on original characters.
Fail to engage potential players.
Not roleplaying in a way that provides an opportunity for other players to jump in.
Mix Out of Character (OOC) and In Character (IC).
When speaking IC, refer to things such as the forum, a chat, a room, an instant messenger, in the OOC sense. While OOC, refer to your character in the first person...
Talk OOC in the roleplay.
Hold an OOC conversation in the same place as the roleplay without differentiating which is which. Always make it clear what is IC and what is OOC. Even use a different colour text to make the difference clear.
If you want to know more, or would like more in depth tutelage in the art of roleplaying, visit the Role Play Academy.
