Shattered Kingdoms

Ah, roleplay … From pondering and observation I've hesitantly concluded that RP ranges from stiff, stodgy, forced, and rather like a clumsy script (where I stand) to the other side, which is chatroom-esque, (i.e ‘u training? kewl’) to the ideal, that natural rightness that makes you feel like a particularly well-written character has stepped out of a book and is interacting with you. Then I got an enlighten (my first, and still not certain how I got it) and it’s driven me even more to try to pinpoint the indefinable.

So, for the unanswerable question! What does comprise good RP? Only experience can surely really teach the way of it, but the why of it - the elements that set really good RP apart - opinions? I seek any advice from the wise, learned, experienced, knowledgeable, or at the least, opinionated of the Realms.

P.S. There is a somewhat comparable thread on the Gameplay board, but that pertains to a good overall character, good basic behavior in PK/RP, etc. My hope here is that I and other newbs might benefit from whatever insight into quality RP might be lent.

RP is anything and everything that helps your character come alive, and so it covers a broad range of things. It can be sitting in the inn and talking to people. It can also be sitting in the inn and not talking to certain people because your character dislikes them: Maybe he's racist, or snobbish, or prone to anger.

Good RP is almost always accomplished through emotes, pemotes, and actions as well as says. The reason for this is that emote can show what your character is doing, not just saying, allowing you to bring out interesting physical details, or physical ticks, or in general paint a better picture of whats going on. The inverse is not true: liberal use of the emote command does not necessarily tend towards good RP, and you'll find that almost everyone feels bound to emote when a PAR is around, often to the point of frustration.

Having a character flaw is a good trait of RP. No character should be perfect, but often we feel like playing avatars so we can "win." Just because someone doesn't like you in character doesn't mean you aren't doing a good job.

Regarding emotes, don't tell me what you're thinking about.

A fat male halfling gets frustrated because nobody understands him.

Better would be

A fat male halfling appears frustrated.

Let other people decide for themselves what you're thinking, as in RL.

I'm not a stellar RPer by any stretch of the imagination but definitely I'd say ask your char what type of people he doesn't like. Maybe ask why he doesn't like them. Does he have any phobias? Hopefully he isn't fearful of everything, making him a quivering mass of jello afraid to leave his home.

Anyhow, take a few likes, a few dislikes. a couple unreasonable fears and mix them up. Add in an intelligence factor and throw it all out there. Definitely use emote and pemote but don't give too much info when you do and don't over-emote.

You really answered your own question. My first character, I thought, had good RP. I knew it wasn't great, because I would interact with the veterans and watch what they did and realize my RP wasn't stellar. Unfortunately, as it is with all n00bies, I was also overwhelmed by attempting to learn how to navigate SK as well. Second character came around was a bit better. The third is even better. IMO, getting better at RPing usually just takes time with other players.

Although, some of my experience learned in SK came from me. It came from exploring new ideas on how to RP a character, trying new things out, and thinking more deeply on how to build a character and RP him. Some of the RP is learning racial enmities and natual propensities of a specific race.

Just some not-so-organized thoughts.

I'm still trying to wake up.

sleeper

Edit: Rowena made me think of something. Good RPers react well to RP. Great RPers start their own RP.

There are certainly a few things that define good RP in my opinion. A few that come in mind right now:

-Always emote what your character physically does, let others comprehent his feelings. When you are angry, you may IE furrow your eyebrows and bite your lips, you don't say or write "EYE AM ANGRY NOW KTHNX"

-Always stay loyal to your character's beliefs, alignment and in general, all that characterize him/her. Do not let your personal desires/hatred affect your character in a way that they wouldn't really. (To some point, it makes sense that this is not easily avoidable, but there is at least a decent point to which one can make this)

-Allow your character have a series of aspects that would combine and built a more complex personality. Do not let yourself create empty caricatures without a life. Neither you, nor the players around you will enjoy the storyline that may occur of the complexities of your character, and you will miss a great piece of fun. Who would last long playing a "Dr. Evil" or a "Sweet angel"? There has to be more inside, even if your character ends up to act like one of those cases.

-Do not forget to listen and watch to the RP of the others around you. Do not only act on your own. That will lead to a one-way, meaningless RP. Instead of only acting, try re-acting as well. And do that as your character, and not as you behind him. This may bring forward an amazing story or even a whole adventure.

-The less you know about the player behind the character you meet, is often the more exciting RP wise. Sometimes this is inevitable, but we often fall to be prejudiced against people that we either appreciate or dislike OOCly, and this is bad both ways.

-Do keep in mind that other around you can only realize the parts that you are letting them see. You may reveal or hide a feature of your character, but you can not consider it a real feature of him, unless at least one more character has some clues about it. Else you can always play a simple folk who in your head is a secret king, but if no-one else has never had any clue about this, how has this been in his RP?

It's difficult to define good roleplay. But I can describe what the best played character on the mud, in my opinion, does that leaves me in awe of her.

She is at every moment in her character. She never breaks character to comment OOCly on the action in a say, even when some of it has been quite strange to say the least. (Which is not to say that OOC tells are not exchanged, but they do not break the IC mood in the room.)

She has a well-defined character, and she doesn't make up artificial drama surrounding it. Her roleplay springs directly from actual events on the mud, involving other characters.

She is absolutely consistent, but not cookie-cutter. She follows the tenets of her faith, her profession, and her affiliation, and she roleplays out ALL of the various conflicts that arise naturally from this.

She does not make elaborate and strange emotes that I have to decipher for a couple of minutes before I can figure out what is meant by them.

I could probably continue, but you get the idea. The character is real to me, because it's real to her.

There's the roleplay I admire, and that I would hold up as an example to anyone. I hope someday I can achieve something close to that level of excellence.

To reveal the character and conceal the player is role play's aim.

Very well said, indeed.

So true. Granted there are some that I know from an OOC stand point, but this many years into playing that is bound to happen. I've only invested one player into Sadr's faith and inducted one into CoN that I knew who played the character shortly before the investment/induction. This does not mean OOC favortism, far from it, I made them work harder if anything to prove that they could stay in character and not fall back on OOC knowledge. Then there are those that if/when I find out weeks/months down the road I'm in awe because they are not at all like the characters they played in the past.

There will always be idiots on both sides of this, those willing to only interact with their OOC click, and scorn those they dislike OOCly no matter what the current character is or how they act, due to issues the past players have had. And there will always be those like me that say, ok, you want this, you know exactly how to get it, now you have to work twice as hard to impress me...wow, you did and then some, kudos.

Honestly, I couldn't keep my eyes open long enough to read all the tirades about roleplay, so someone might've allready covered this, if so, sorry for echoing. The most basic thing I've found about roleplaying is to make sure to use facial expression socials. It really conveys what your character is feeling right then. It's depressing how when I pretend to be a wanna-be Talon and threaten to 'arrest' someone for murders in Chinubei (I probably misspelled that, I know) my torture victim will beg, plead, and vouch for their own innocence, yet never even bring themselves to crack a frown. when I yell 'Halt!'. They're just completely plaster-faced through the whole ordeal.
A good, basic system is to just emote whatever facial expression you're currently wearing in response to whatever you read in the MUD, but keep in mind of your character. If you're a grumpy, tight a-- elf paladin, Your paladin probably won't laugh when someone calls you a grumpy, tight a-- elf paladin, though you might if you're detached from your character (another good aspect of RP, detachment) And if you're an absolutely phycotic bloodwing sprite, you'll probably go into a giggle fit if you're caught in the middle of an adept raid, though you the player will be more concerned for your characters safety. Thas' all.