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Changelog
02-03-2014, 04:35 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-03-2014, 04:43 PM by MilesBeyond.)
Some great stuff so far, guys. Hopefully this can become a resource for the forum.
A few things I'd like to add, though bear in mind that I'm still fairly new to this myself.
Stick to Your Strengths (at first)
This was mentioned above, but I really can't stress it enough. Some people just can't RP certain characters. For whatever reason, it just doesn't click. And that's okay. Over time, with more experience playing and reading, those things might come to you. Maybe they won't. Who knows. But take some of the fictional characters you find yourself best able to relate to, and combine them with your own personality traits to create a character that you know you can RP convincingly.
Sometimes you just need to experiment, and that's okay. Sometimes you might have a good idea but you find you just can't put it into practice. Sometimes you've got a great character that you're fantastic at RPing, but it just doesn't fit in with the setting (e.g. a Lawful Stupid Paladin who attacks anything evil on sight). My first character I abandoned after two weeks because I was terrible at playing him. Nothing wrong with that.
Again, as you grow as a player, all sorts of more diverse character options will open up to you. But at first, stick to what you know.
Avoid (Excessive) Wish-Fulfillment
For me, personally, nothing kills RP faster than this. It's not really an issue on Thay as far as I can tell, but it's worth stating anyway. Yes, RP is fantasy. Yes, it allows you to shape your character however you like. Yes, it does allow you to experience life vicariously by creating someone who's good at the things you're bad at. But characters with no noticeable flaws are not just cheesy, they're two-dimensional and difficult to RP with. They don't feel real. When you make your character into some enormous badass who can never be bested by anyone or anything, they're just boring. They're not fun to play with.
One easy way to avoid this is to RP your stats. Don't create an incredibly seductive flirt with a stunning body if you've got a CHA of 8. Don't stun people with your penetrating insight if you've got a terrible WIS - instead, maybe exhibit overconfidence, or make misjudged attempts to lighten the mood, or create funny moments by offering up obvious statements as profound observations. If you've got a low DEX, maybe trip and fall sometimes when you're walking somewhere. Speaking is a great way to showcase INT. If it's average, sometimes ask for clarifications on complex words or concepts, even if they're something you as a player understand. If it's low, use a very limited vocabulary. If you've got a crappy CON, maybe sometimes ask the party to stop so you can catch your breath after a strenuous encounter, or start acting drunk after a couple of beers, or occasionally come down with a cold, or whatever.
These are all just ideas. Obviously many of them are contrived, and I'm sure most of you can think of much better ways to do this, and as you understand and develop your character (and your writing skills) more, you'll probably find more subtle ways to express your failings, as well as gain the ability to integrate your strengths and weaknesses into a complex character, rather than a series of pros and cons inhabiting a body, but this isn't a bad starting point. I know some people might say "What? No way, that's stupid. How are people supposed to be intimidated by my badass evil wizard if he's sometimes losing his balance or getting drunk?" but that's kind of the whole point. When your character exhibits flaws, it opens up RP opportunities for others and creates a more vibrant and three-dimensional person to inhabit the world.
Anyway, sorry. That kind of turned into a bit of a rant. But the point is, try to avoid Mary Sues.
Here's a question that I think could make for an interesting discussion:
How does RPing evil characters work in the context of a friendly community like this one?
I mean, on the one hand, it can be hard to find an IC reason for your power-hungry mage or legionary to take time out of what they're doing to give new characters some pointers or be friendly to them. On the other hand, being welcoming to new characters is important to help the server grow and is one of the reasons why I stuck around at first.
So what happens? Do you do OOC things for their benefit? Do you stay IC and refuse to help anyone? Do you abuse or threaten them and then apologize via tells and explain the difference between the character and the player? How far is too far? How evil is too evil?
This is an issue that I haven't really got any opinions on at all, but that I'd like to hear what other people have to say.
A few things I'd like to add, though bear in mind that I'm still fairly new to this myself.
Stick to Your Strengths (at first)
This was mentioned above, but I really can't stress it enough. Some people just can't RP certain characters. For whatever reason, it just doesn't click. And that's okay. Over time, with more experience playing and reading, those things might come to you. Maybe they won't. Who knows. But take some of the fictional characters you find yourself best able to relate to, and combine them with your own personality traits to create a character that you know you can RP convincingly.
Sometimes you just need to experiment, and that's okay. Sometimes you might have a good idea but you find you just can't put it into practice. Sometimes you've got a great character that you're fantastic at RPing, but it just doesn't fit in with the setting (e.g. a Lawful Stupid Paladin who attacks anything evil on sight). My first character I abandoned after two weeks because I was terrible at playing him. Nothing wrong with that.
Again, as you grow as a player, all sorts of more diverse character options will open up to you. But at first, stick to what you know.
Avoid (Excessive) Wish-Fulfillment
For me, personally, nothing kills RP faster than this. It's not really an issue on Thay as far as I can tell, but it's worth stating anyway. Yes, RP is fantasy. Yes, it allows you to shape your character however you like. Yes, it does allow you to experience life vicariously by creating someone who's good at the things you're bad at. But characters with no noticeable flaws are not just cheesy, they're two-dimensional and difficult to RP with. They don't feel real. When you make your character into some enormous badass who can never be bested by anyone or anything, they're just boring. They're not fun to play with.
One easy way to avoid this is to RP your stats. Don't create an incredibly seductive flirt with a stunning body if you've got a CHA of 8. Don't stun people with your penetrating insight if you've got a terrible WIS - instead, maybe exhibit overconfidence, or make misjudged attempts to lighten the mood, or create funny moments by offering up obvious statements as profound observations. If you've got a low DEX, maybe trip and fall sometimes when you're walking somewhere. Speaking is a great way to showcase INT. If it's average, sometimes ask for clarifications on complex words or concepts, even if they're something you as a player understand. If it's low, use a very limited vocabulary. If you've got a crappy CON, maybe sometimes ask the party to stop so you can catch your breath after a strenuous encounter, or start acting drunk after a couple of beers, or occasionally come down with a cold, or whatever.
These are all just ideas. Obviously many of them are contrived, and I'm sure most of you can think of much better ways to do this, and as you understand and develop your character (and your writing skills) more, you'll probably find more subtle ways to express your failings, as well as gain the ability to integrate your strengths and weaknesses into a complex character, rather than a series of pros and cons inhabiting a body, but this isn't a bad starting point. I know some people might say "What? No way, that's stupid. How are people supposed to be intimidated by my badass evil wizard if he's sometimes losing his balance or getting drunk?" but that's kind of the whole point. When your character exhibits flaws, it opens up RP opportunities for others and creates a more vibrant and three-dimensional person to inhabit the world.
Anyway, sorry. That kind of turned into a bit of a rant. But the point is, try to avoid Mary Sues.
Here's a question that I think could make for an interesting discussion:
How does RPing evil characters work in the context of a friendly community like this one?
I mean, on the one hand, it can be hard to find an IC reason for your power-hungry mage or legionary to take time out of what they're doing to give new characters some pointers or be friendly to them. On the other hand, being welcoming to new characters is important to help the server grow and is one of the reasons why I stuck around at first.
So what happens? Do you do OOC things for their benefit? Do you stay IC and refuse to help anyone? Do you abuse or threaten them and then apologize via tells and explain the difference between the character and the player? How far is too far? How evil is too evil?
This is an issue that I haven't really got any opinions on at all, but that I'd like to hear what other people have to say.