How to succeed in a RPG: totally unauthorized tips by Tinw o Imladris

*** The goal of roleplay is to write and experience an adventure with many other characters and players. It only succeeds if everyone tries to work together to make it as exciting, vivid, and realistic as possible, work with each other, not ignore each other, and find ways to make it interesting. ***

THE CARDINAL RULE OF RP: READ and ABIDE BY the TOP POST OF THE THREAD, rules, GMs, and/or Pub Masters

Each RPG is different. The top post sets the stage for the story. Rules keep things organized. Pub masters, GMs, or leader-type characters are there to help it run smoothly and enjoyably for all. Don't make their jobs difficult. Don't forget the rules at the top: many RPGs require your posts to be over 200 characters; turn off signatures; and various other rules exist to suit the needs of the story.

TWO EXAMPLES OF BAD VS. GOOD RP

BAD:

before Phenolas can reply Edwin spots a lone young looking elf. Who turns out to be caranlothwen.

Hello there young elf! if you would like come and travel with phenolas and myself? it is not good for us to travel alone of these dark paths.

Waits for reply form Caranlothwen

The last comment could be written IC, or at least as a complete sentence! How about He smiles encouragingly at Caranlothwen. Otherwise it’s like you’re right in the middle of the movie, and suddenly you hear the director’s voice saying, "Aragorn, it’s your line next." The post doesn't add anything to the story at all; it's just chatroom-style "hi, come sit next to me!" conversation that could happen anywhere. This is what we mean by "chat" or "socializing" RP.

GOOD:

At the Sirion she was able to get a quick bath in the shallow waters. Fully refreshed she then prepaird herself and her captive to cross the river. So, are you ready to get wet my annoying elf? You won’t melt will you? She looked arpund for her troops and called them over. Seph, Gash, Inzilbeth, come here my good troops. I need your thoughts for crossing the Sirion. The other garrisons can get along with out your great ideas just fine.

There’s spelling mistakes, and it’s not fancy writing, but that doesn’t matter: it adds details to the scene, it shows personality, and it gets other people involved in an activity. In other words it adds to the adventure.

NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO THEME OR WHAT'S GOING ON:

These posts were one after the other. Note that the second poster had not, in fact, ever RP'd with Tinw before. The setting was a huge temple with vast crystal pillars, many hundreds of Elves assembled, and a very fancy ceremony going on up at one end of the huge hall:

Idril pours Tinw a drink from the Bruinen itself in a crystal goblet. The young harper takes it from the master Bard with a bow and raises it to her first. "To Idril Celebrindal, from whom came the brightest star of all, hope to both Men and Elves," she says, her voice shaky and echoing in the hall. She raises it silently to the Guardians, then drains it.

GREETINGS EVERYONE! I am back from a month of floating arund in outer space and ready to start interacting with races of middle earth once again. Greetings tinw, long time no see.

The guy was being friendly, but if you don't read what's happening and try to "catch the mood" it'll be just as bad as if, at the end of the Fellowship of the Ring movie, Legolas had burst in on Aragorn's and Boromir's final scene together and said, "HEY! I GOT A FEW PIECES OF PEPPERONI PIZZA LEFT, ANYONE HUNGRY?" In addition, he went straight to the person in the room who was busiest, and who, in this case, was practically up on stage leading a ceremony: if you're late to class, you don't go up to your friend who's standing at the front of the classroom giving a school report she's worked on for weeks, nor do you stride up to the teacher and ask what she's teaching right now and whether you can sit down!

TOP TEN TIPS TO RP

1. READ PREVIOUS POSTS BEFORE POSTING

This is true for ALL threads: find out what's going on, see where people are, understand what's happening and what's already been discussed. It is amazing how often people make a suggestion, ask a question, or ignorantly contradict what has been discussed within the last page of posts!

Why this is a good idea unless you want to look like an idiot (which can be fun RP if done deliberately):

"Nine Companions. You shall be... 'The Fellowship of the Ring.'"
"Great. Where are we goin'?"

2. DO NOT GODMODE, "TWINK", or otherwise SHOW OFF HOW COOL YOU ARE

The #1 way to show you're not cool: have your character take little or no damage in combat, always land blows or strikes, or consistently demonstrate amazing/superior powers, skills, talents, abilities without acknowledging other characters' exceptional abilities. If everyone fights like Legolas it gets boring REALLY FAST for everyone except Legolas. It's actually more interesting watching Frodo get pincushioned by a cave troll, or Aragorn fighting for his life against too many Uruk-hai and obviously in need of back-up: it allows other characters to rush in and help, which everyone likes to do.

Does this sound familiar? "Bang-bang. I just killed you." "No you didn't!" "Yes I did!" "I dodged." "Well I used a fireball so you couldn't dodge." "Well I'm immune to fire." "Yes, but this is magical fire." 5-year-olds play that game; it's called "I'm BETTER than YOU!" They're just trying to "win", not create and experience a scene together. They don't know any better. Apparently some plaza members haven't grown up either.

3. UNDERSTAND AND ABIDE BY THE THEME OF THE THREAD

This goes along with #1, but is more of an IC concept. If you're in a serious adventure RPG, do not bring your pink ferret Bobby Boo. If it's a humorous RPG, play along with the goofiness and add to it, and don't be bent out of shape if someone turns your favorite magic sword into a cabbage! The top post of any thread will give you the "atmosphere", the setting of the story; keep it in mind and react to it, live it, feel it, like you're really there. Stay in character! Don't bring in stuff about the plaza or outside world— try to write and think as if you were there!

4. PAY ATTENTION TO CHARACTERS AROUND YOU

Who are these people? Check genders before talking to them, and at least some idea who/what they are! Figure out what actions or conversations are happening and contribute to them; don't disrupt them. React to and play along with what's going on; don't ignore it!

5. PAY ATTENTION TO CHARACTERS NOT AROUND YOU

If you get into a conversation with one or two people, be sure to remember you're in a scene with lots of people. Notice things that are obvious enough your character would see them from a distance (like, say, someone falling off a horse) but do NOT demonstrate bizarre mindreading powers (too often people have their characters react to conversations, whispers, or subtle things happening nowhere near them, or even things that another character is thinking).

6. DO NOT CHAT LIKE IT'S A CHATROOM: SHORT POSTS BAD!!!

This is a story, not a chatroom, so don't just post what your character is saying. Include gestures, tone of voice, what's happening, emotions, concerns, the scene, who your character's looking at: the more detail, the more vivid and intersting your post will be. And don't just roleplay who's sitting, walking, or riding near who. Don't just roleplay "hi, my name is..." type stuff. It gets so bloody boring so fast. The Fellowship of the Ring got through introductions in five seconds, and that's not what you remember about their adventures: you remember what they did. (See the first example above).

7. DO NOT PESTER THE LEADER WITH UNNECESSARY SUGGESTIONS OR QUESTIONS

On a bboard, people aren't logged in all the time. It's therefore best to avoid making requests or asking questions of the party leader unless you're sure you (and others) need to know and it hasn't been asked already. If everyone keeps focusing on the party leader, constantly asking him/her questions or permission to do things, the scene's momentum is soon lost. It's better to task other people who've been in the scene for advice, or use common sense, or go back and read what's been going on to see how you can fit in. In general, try not to create situations that force the scene to be "stuck" if someone doesn't react to you.

In my experience, 80% of questions directed towards the leader have already been answered by the leader three or four times, and to me it looks like: "Mr. Frodo, where is he taking us?" "To Rivendell, Master Gamgee." "Gee, I wonder where we're goin'?" "To RIvendell, Master Brandybuck." "Well, I wish he'd tell us where we were headed." "We are HEADED to RIVENDELL, Master Took." "I wonder if maybe we should go to Rivendell." "Frodo, I said we are going to Rivendell." *SNORT* "Bill, yes, yes, you may also come with us, and yes, we are going to Rivendell, and if anyone else asks I will kill them." *Gandalf shows up* "Hey, Aragorn, old bean, I've got a great idea. Why don't you take the Hobbits to Rivendell." "ARRRRRGHHHH!!!!!"

"May I join you?" posts tend to be the same sort of annoyance. Look at what's happening. Find a reasonable excuse for your character to meet the party wherever it is. Or simply say you'd been there all along.

"8. ROLEPLAY TOGETHER, NOT SIDE BY SIDE" ~ Cirwen

Don't just RP with your own little clique; look at the big picture. Even if your character's not directly interacting with another, you're all in the same boat, the same event. Think of it like a sand castle ten people are working on. You want your side to have something to do with the other side. You want to build on what's already been done. I saw this happen recently: someone introduced an attack of wolves to add excitement to the scene; most people ignored them, one or two noticed or fought, but almost immediately someone wrote he killed a wolf and all the others ran away in fear. You don't want to drag out an incident too much, and in that case they needed to keep moving for OOC reasons, but it's best to "share one's toys"!


9. GET INVOLVED AND INVOLVE AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE

"Roleplay with people, not at people" is how I put it. Actively look for ways to interact with multiple other people or the adventure. If someone's alone, draw them into the action or conversation. If you are new to a scene, don't simply post that you're there by yourself waiting for someone to talk to you. Don't simply post that you arrive, sit down, have a drink.If everyone did that, no roleplay would happen! Instead, look for some way to get involved, or add to and contribute to what's happening.

You are building a scene and adventure together with EVERYONE in the scene. Together. I can't stress that word enough. Always, always include interesting details in your posts that give people something to react to: an interesting side comment alluding to a story you heard; a scar; a leading question that will allow somebody to reveal their dark past; deliberately avoiding saying someone's name because you don't like 'em— anything, so long as it's the sort of thing people can react to, notice, or ask about.

10. THE GOAL IS NOT TO GET TO THE END OF AN ADVENTURE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, BUT TO EXPERIENCE IT

This one astounds me. I see people trying to hurry, hurry, hurry without dealing with what's going on. It was really bad recently when Rivendell had just been attacked: there was a battlefield with hundreds, maybe thousands of casualties; the city was still smoking, the bridge was in ruins, there were wounded everywhere, people didn't know who was alive and dead, and most importantly, Rivendell had just faced the biggest catastrophe of its history. Yet people were eager to get onto the next bit (which was, admittedly, rescuing some Elves who had been captured) rather than roleplay the unusual, amazing, horrific situation they were in. In real life, if you witness a catastrophe like an earthquake or bomb going off, you don't pick up and move on the instant it's not happening. You have to come to grips with it. That's part of the story, like the Fellowship reacting to Gandalf's death— and continuing to do so; it kept affecting their decisions and feelings much, much later.

On the other hand if nothing's going on besides idle chit-chat, it's time to move on to the next event/incident before the story bogs down.

WHO AM I? MAKING YOUR CHARACTER REAL


Creating a realistic character with a distinct personality, appearance, past, habits, quirks, and skills (AND FLAWS) is the number one way you contribute to roleplay, because your character is what you give to the story. Be specific. Be detailed. Be plausible. Don't godmode. (Note: this was written a while ago as a separate page; there's a tiny bit of overlap).

She turned and looked about the camp, observing everything. The bows being strung, Hands upon the hilts of swords.... She calmly took her long knike out of its sheath. Although she owned a sword and a bow, her dagger was her greatest asset. Her skill was unmatched in all the lands of men, but she had no idea about elves. For this was the first time in many years that she had been on a quest with her own race. Evea pulled a whetting stone from a small pouch that hung at her side, and began to casually sharpen her blade. ~ Evea Greenleaf

I like that post first because it was by a newbie, proving you can do it! But the important part is it tells us something about the character, it emphasizes both talents and limitations, it is reacting to what's going on around her, and it gives you a sense of urgency, tension, atmosphere, which adds to the feeling of adventure, that it's "really happening". And she didn't have to show off how "cool" she was to showcase her character! You could believe this person existed.

Here's the big secret. It's not how "cool" your character is, or what special abilities she has, that gets you into RP: it's what she does, how she acts, and how well she shares the scene with others. Flashy details like a gryphon for a pet, a striking appearance, a mysterious past, an important sword, martial arts moves are all very well, but they're often are a player's attempt to say, "Pay attention to ME!!!!" Magical items and "my character is special" traits are fun for you, but not necessarily interesting to other players. Inevitably sixteen people will show up as some relation of Legolas or having some kind of magic sword. *Yawn.* Oh, wow, another person whose parents were killed in a tragic accident, like everyone else in the room. Shall we compare plot devices? They get stale. What you need more is a firm idea of your character's personality, interests, likes and dislikes, skills and FLAWS, things your character knows about— and things she doesn't! Then you'll be ready to cope with unknown situations in interesting ways which suit your character's personality and past history. THAT is cool.

Maybe he loves the autumn, and goes travelling then. Maybe she always has bad luck with horses. Maybe he carries a little chessboard with him everywhere, and challenges people to duels. Maybe she's very interested in runes, signs, symbols, and believes she's got clues to finding something lost since the First Age— and she's come to her Kingdom to look for clues of it there.

Come up with a basic idea: A man who breeds horses in Rohan, or an Elvish blacksmith, or a dwarf who's forever hunting for a particular sort of ale— and then consider what that person would know or care about, like or dislike, do well, do poorly, want most. Is he/she well-educated or illiterate? Rich or poor? Interested in the politics of the kingdom, or could care less? Outgoing or quiet:? Reckless or careful? Practical, or a poet and dreamer?

Then, when you step into a RPG, keep this person in mind and always ask yourself: what would this person do?

And build on things your character experiences.

For example, I decided I wanted to join the Bards' Guild, not knowing what it was like. The "classrooms" of each teacher had a description, and the one Tinw got assigned to was very high up and had a sunny balcony. So I started RPing that she'd sit up on the rail playing her lyre. Now people know her as the girl up there playing her lyre, music coming down from on high is a part of the "story" of Rivendell RP, and I tied it in with her being a woodcutter's daughter (which I already knew but hadn't thought about): she likes to climb things. She's wound up using that habit in all sorts of ways in RP, to hide, spy, sleep, or all sorts of things I hadn't planned. Tiny things like that build layer by layer, until your character is as real as Sam Gamgee or your next-door neighbor.

But this isn't your story (or hers, or his). The advantage of roleplay over writing is that you don't KNOW what will happen, and your character must react to and learn about people and things you'd never expect. Always remember, you're trying to build or shape a scene with the other people around your character, like five people building a sandcastle. If each person only does his own thing, you'll end up with five mismatched little castles that don't connect. If each of you watches what the other is doing, and tries to find ways to connect, react to, build on what each person is doing, make sure you put in plenty of detail for them to react to in turn— that castle will be six feet tall, far more interesting, far more memorable.

One last thing.

Don't take it personally.

You're writing a fictional character. In one sense, you're "living" in Middle-earth, but remember, this is a story, this person can be very different from you— that's part of the fun— get in trouble by doing stupid things, or just by accident. If your character's not getting along with somebody, the argument is in the STORY; it's not directed at you! Or it should not be. Step away if someone's forgotten the line between in character (the scene), and out of character (real life). You're reading and writing about these people's adventures; those adventures should not be an unpleasant experience for the authors, you or anyone else.

And have fun. Be creative!
Watch your character, and others, grow and change, along the way.
That's the magic of roleplay.