Streiter's RP Guide

 

(Streiter's Roleplaying for really awesome people.)

*Though this page is several years out of date, this is still the best guide I've read. ~ Aerick*

Summary and Purpose

It is my opinion that when people complain about the "mud's lack of RP", they are actually trying to blame their boredom on something rather than their own lack of effort. Computers can't provide instant roleplay-the responsibility lies fully with the people playing the game. It is also my opinion that the other guides on the this site for the most part provide a lot of information but less of the concise guidance that players, especially those interviewing clans such as Maelstrom, need.

 

Roleplaying is understandably quite different in an online, computerized scenario, where numbers are emphasized and used several times a second. A games master doesn't roll a die and decide what monsters a party may fight. The players only gather together for maybe 30 minutes or less at a time, unless they devote a full evening or afternoon to the game. The focus of roleplaying in an online environment rests with each player.

The purpose of these notes is to allow those who have not spent a lot of time in DragonStone to first, recognize roleplaying in an online environment, and secondly, to develop their own character so that when it reacts with a different character, more enjoyment is gained than from just hacking and slashing.

 

Detail

The detail section is broken up into two sections: recognition of roleplaying, and the creation of your own character's roleplaying structure.

 

Recognizing Roleplaying

Many definitions of roleplaying are offered on this web site. I believe roleplaying, boiling off all the background and other secondary activities, comes down to the activities that a player has his character perform that are indicative of that character. Anything outside this is not roleplaying. A player may write a story, but if it's not written in a way that the character would write, or if the character can't write at all, then it's not roleplaying. If a paladin character chooses to be friendly to vampires and ghouls, he's not roleplaying, or other paladins need to come down and oust him from the order. Most characters of good alignment won't go around looking for immediate sexual favors. Players discuss in-character and out-of-character issues on the proper channels without fail. Quality players keep separate their real lives with the "lives" of their characters.

To recognize roleplaying then, one needs to be familiar with the activities that characters should display. To do this, one needs to seek information in other places than just help <race>. The final thing you need to do as a player is hold yourself and the other players responsible for roleplaying your character. If someone plays a vampire but doesn't roleplay the thirst for blood or the disdain for clerics, then it is put upon those who know how a vampire behaves to inform the wayward individual. If they still won't shape up, then don't deal with them. If they only care about which sword they fight and which potions they need, don't give it to them.

 

Character Development

You DS players who want to get a character into Maelstrom, listen up. If you want to get a character into arguably the best roleplaying clan, this is what you do. What follows is the backbone of the first rank's requirements. People join Maelstrom not for the elements of chaos, but for the instruction in roleplay, which by being a chaotic clan Maelstrom allows for both evil and good characters.

 

Before one can roleplay a character, that character must be defined. It is NOT to be an extension of your own personality; this is not IRC, AIM, etc. You make a decision as to what kind of character you wish to play. Of course, the first step in defining your character happened when you created a player in DS.

 

Secondly, research your character. Hit the web search engines. Go to the bookstore, to the manuals for roleplaying games. When you created your character, you gave it race, gender, and one or two classes. There are certain behaviors that are associated with those factors. Find them, and list them. Get a list of about three or four things for each factor.

 

Thirdly, decide on the actions that your character is going to perform. Because of the numerical nature of computerized combat, listing what skills and combat proficiencies are NOT part of a character definition. There's no way to act whether you are swinging for a critical hit or if your paranoia gains you any initiative. Use emotes and your speech to show us what your character is without us having to rely on the WHO list. A list of about 5 or 6 things that your character does will be sufficient to gain you respect among other roleplayers, should you be able to follow those self-imposed guidelines.

 

Following your guidelines gives us an objective measure of your roleplaying ability. It will also provide you with enough challenge to keep playing without becoming bored between levels.