Proper Roleplaying (Hints/Tips Appreciated)

[ADM598]

Hi, this has probably been addressed a billion times...but darned if I can find it.

I'm new to this whole Cantr world, but I think I might stay a while. (See my "keeping newspawns from leaving" post) So I'd like to be a respectful/interesting RPer. So two questions in this regard are:

1) Is it considered okay to type out unseeable things if they enhance the reading such as background: "*he looks at Ralph. His hatred for Ralph went back far...to the time Ralph washed his car without permission ...dadada."

Or is that too OOC and we can only type what can only be seen: "*he glares at Ralph, his lips pressed so hard they are barely visible. *"

I figure a good player would not use the internal stuff unless their char knows it already thus making the reading better. But I assume it ruins things if you found out stuff that hadn't been revealed yet or have some cheat with the info.

2) Do we have parents? I know this is a stupid question but I really don't know. Are we just *POOF* here at 20 and hit the ground digging or do we have parents that we can speak of but never actually make/see.

I have other questions but let me see if I'm a complete moron by asking these first...I'm sure I'll find out either way quickly.

Thank you.

[Talapus]

ell everyone has a slightly different opinion about what is appropriate, but I will give you what I believe to be the consensus.

-You should only emote things that can be seen. You should not emote internal feelings, although you can emote any external expression of those feelings. Similarly, your character's thoughts are also right out. You can use other character's names in your emote if most of the watchers know who that is, but you should realize that it may be confusing to anyone who does not know the character in question.

-The question about parents in multi-faceted. All of the characters you will create have two "parents" who are the basis for your skill levels. The game does not tell you who those people are, and therefore no one really pays it any mind. In most RP games, back stories are vital. However in Cantr, back stories are usually discouraged since the tend to be impossible, conflict with various Cantr histories, or defy what people have seen. And since you have no back story, it is reasonable that you appear suddenly, "Poof". That is why many players think that the term "spawn" or "newspawn" is appropriate, even to use in game.

If you have any further questions, please post them. I will try to provide what insights I can. Oh, and welcome to Cantr!

[SekoETC]

Yeah just as Talapus said, no expressing thoughts or past events in emotes, and there is no history prior to spawning. Your character might imagine that they were in some place prior to spawning, but then everyone will think he or she is a bit crazy.

I figure a good player would not use the internal stuff unless their char knows it already thus making the reading better. But I assume it ruins things if you found out stuff that hadn't been revealed yet or have some cheat with the info.

I agree with this but you should bear in mind that not everyone has roleplaying background prior to Cantr and can't avoid using the internal information. It's an awkward moment even if you know well enough not to use the information, if a person "rp's" something like *is thinking of ways to make him stay* or *is staring at a person, thinking what a great slave they'd make*.

Also I don't think characters should be visibly annoyed by names ripped out of real life because they don't have the cultural background to realize it's a rip-off, but players should be courteous enough not to borrow names from Harry Potter etc. because it annoys some other players.

There is a bit of an article in the Wiki but maybe it could be expanded.
http://www.cantr.net/mwiki/index.php/Roleplay

[Doug R.]

To add to what Talapus said about parents, you usually can't figure out which charries were responsible for your spawning, unless of course there are only two charries in your location when you spawn (note: charries that just left the location can in some instances be one of your parents, so it is possible to be spawned in a seemingly abandoned location). My charrie spawned in a location with three others. One was very nice to him and took him under their wing, so he considers them his parent (doesn't use that word, but he considers them to be "responsible" for his existence), even though there is a 1 in 3 chance that they were actually not responsible for his existence.

[Chris]

Also I don't think characters should be visibly annoyed by names ripped out of real life because they don't have the cultural background to realize it's a rip-off, but players should be courteous enough not to borrow names from Harry Potter etc. because it annoys some other players.

If it's just a name, I don't mind. However, I have seen people make more involved references to OOC literature and OOC places. In other words, Harry Potter is a fine name, but if you also say your enemy is Lord Voldemort and you are a wizard-in-training, then that's too much.

[Leo Luncid]

I think it's also too much when you make a building or vehicle named
after those which have been in literature and real life. STUPID BAG END!
It's bad enough when you have Frodo Baggins walking around, but unlike
characters, you can't destroy buildings yet! That's not to say that
Lord of the Rings suck, but to degrade them into a absolute rip-off is
sickening enough to not even regurgitate towrards.

[SekoETC]

Buildings can be renamed so that's not so drastic anymore. You just need to finish the project before you can alter the sign. I think borrowed names are not so bad just as long as they don't refer to things that don't exist in Cantr. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would be off because there is no magic in Cantr, but Bag End is not so glaring because duffel bags exist in Cantr nowadays. A different question is why would anyone want to name their house that.

[Leo Luncid]

D'oh! Should've known that changing names of buildings exist; sorry. And I knew I was thinking of changing a name of a building before. Just little near-sighted as usual, I suppose.

A different question is why would anyone want to name their house that.

Who knows? It's most likely Frodo Baggins made that house, so the player must therefore be making that Lord of the Rings reference. Bag End is the home of the Baggins, as far as I know.

But yeah, proper roleplaying. [insert proper roleplaying tip here]

[the_antisocial_hermit]

Bag End is the home of the Baggins, as far as I know.

As far as you know. But your character and their character are not making that reference nor do they know it. It's just a name to the characters, nothing more. It is only you and the other player putting any OOC meaning on it. Bag End is a much more generic name than some that could be used. It is considered poor form to not figure out your own names and such, and I prefer to see original names vs names from novels and movies, but that one isn't so bad. At least it's not introducing the concept of magic and wizardry like Seko was saying.

[Voltenion]

Leo I would have changed it 2 , i don't like to play cantr and think of LOTR, but that char is like calm and likes to rest, the name "Bag End" gives that impression to me so i kept it.

[Hammy]

When I try to come up for names I take like random first names and then find a random item like and oreo and take a letter out of it.. I came up with Oro which also happened to be spanish for gold so i kept it.

[Leo Luncid]

Okay, you're both acknowledged. Right, generic enough for it to coincidentially exist again, huh? Me and my etc. etc. etc.

[ADM598]

As far as you know. But your character and their character are not making that reference nor do they know it. It's just a name to the characters, nothing more. It is only you and the other player putting any OOC meaning on it.

*Nods in agreement* Not original, but as far as the Cantr world knows...it's a unique snowflake.

Well, I haven't been called a moron yet so I will continue my annoying questions:

3) Sometimes you're in a fairly real-time back-and-forth with another char and you have to leave just when its getting good...is it okay to whisper them OOC be back later or just leave?

WoW has conditioned me to tell everybody and their tax preparers that I'm leaving. But everything I've read around here says the majority of you guys vomit after getting ANY sort of OOC messages.

[Voltenion]

well try to make as excuse in game. If you want you can explain why u said in game * then he slips on a banana and falls with his face making him fall asleep* but my experience tell me: DONT DO IT! I almost got "killed" for doing it once.

[Chris]

As far as you know. But your character and their character are not making that reference nor do they know it. It's just a name to the characters, nothing more. It is only you and the other player putting any OOC meaning on it.

Yes, but role playing puts restrictions on the player as well as the character. You should immerse yourself in this game world, not mix in stories from other fiction or your OOC life (unless perhaps there is a very good fit). I am not talking about just a name. I am talking about a name plus other references, which together are more than coincidence. Using OOC references works against immersion and suspension of disbelief. It's like talking loudly during a movie. It is not the other moviegoers' responsibility to tune you out.