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Roleplay 101

General Discussion about anything even loosely related to Nordock
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Lliira
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Roleplay 101

Post by Lliira »

We do not enforce RP, but if you'd like to learn, or get a refresher, or just hang out with RPers - here are some basics:

First, know the difference between you and your character: You are not yourself when role playing. You are playing a role. You have to think about how your character would do things, rather than how you would do things. Consider your character’s alignment, age, gender, upbringing, beliefs, and personality. If at least two or three of these aren’t completely different from your real self, reinvent your character.

Second, keep Out of Character comments to a minimum. Specify that what you are saying is Out of Character by using //Oooo! I just found a purple gem!, or ((Oooo! I think it is an amethyst!)), or even OOC: What a sucky piece of loot! Everything else should be said by your character, and would be In Character: My, that is a shiny gem! May I see it?, or *crinkles nose when you pick up the gemstone*
1) We would all appreciate it, if you use // or (( )) or OOC: for all of your OOC comments, whether you RP or not. When a non-RPer joins a RPing
party, you break immersion when you say OOC things as if they were in character. Such as, "Does anyone know if a DM is on?"
The RPers are trying to figure out what you are speaking about. Please use //Does anyone know if a DM is on?

Third, the name that you see hovering above another character’s head is meaningless in RP. You do not “automatically” know the character. Your character can introduce him or herself to that other character, and wait for a response. If they introduce themselves as something other than what you, the player, sees – write it down and try to remember to call that character what they wish to be called during future encounters.

Fourth, text-speak and leet-speak should never be used in RP. “I just found a shiny sword! LOL!” – is not RP. “Wait, B4 U go in there, send a scout.” – this is also not RP. These types of abbreviations are jarring, and break immersion. RP is partly acting, and partly story-telling. “I just found a shiny sword! Hurray!” (Fair RP) “Let us wait and send a scout into that cavern entrance. Martha, can you enter quietly, and have a look around?” (Good RP)

Some other things to remember:

A) Create a character with a reason to exist. Searching for something lost, hoping to learn to bake/sew/whatever, are valid reasons. Try not to actually find the item, or completely learn the trade, to leave yourself room to grow.

B) It's not all about you. Be considerate of your fellow RPers, or you may find yourself alone. Don’t be a diva, keep drama to a minimum. Allow others to contribute to the play.

C) Your level is the least important thing in the world. RP characters do not care what level you are, or that you just ‘dinged’. Using “season” for level is also poor RP. You could say, “I feel as if I learned something from that encounter,” or similar, if you feel that you need to convey that you have to take a break to level-up in character. Levels and leveling are best left OOC, however.

D) Go with the flow. Allow your own story to blend with other players’ stories. Try not to stick to one hard and fast path.

E) Stick to the rules of the universe you're in. We are not Middle Earth, or Hogwarts, or Star Wars. We are a somewhat medieval world; act accordingly and name your character accordingly. See the rules about Naming Conventions here: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=310

Most of the above has been paraphrased from other sources. Post any ideas, thoughts or questions. We can add to this. :)
Lliira – Joy, Festivals
Sehanine (Moonbow) – Dreams, Mysticism, Moon Elves
Yondalla – Creation, Tradition, Wisdom
Zinzerena - Chaos, Assassins
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raradra
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Re: Roleplay 101

Post by raradra »

While we do not enforce RP, we DO enforce character names fitting our world. Naming your character after your favorite Warcraft King is not ok for example ;) Also, we enforce not ruining the fun of others so if the party is RPing and you don't want to, either stay quiet or adventure elsewhere away from the RP group.
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