The Art of Roleplay

[Nick]

We have different concepts of good RP then.
Good RP != entertainment
It just can be. Good RP is playing a realistic role fully through. Sometimes good RP can be quite boring. IMHO many people mentioned in the RP praise aren't very good RPers at all.

[chadpants]

Good RP is playing a realistic role fully through. Sometimes good RP can be quite boring. IMHO many people mentioned in the RP praise aren't very good RPers at all.

Can you provide an example of what you mean?

[Torch]

Good RP is playing a realistic role fully through. Sometimes good RP can be quite boring. IMHO many people mentioned in the RP praise aren't very good RPers at all.

Can you provide an example of what you mean?

I agree with Nick, so while I can't speak for someone else, an example from me would be:

A person is spawned, decides they like the town they're in, find someone to maryy (or doesn't) and settles down, taking on a role as a provider for the community. He or she collects food and contributes to the town stores, interacts with the others in the town, gains friends and possibly a few people who don't like him/her, although doesn't really make any true enemies to the point of real physical conflict or maybe even verbally.

The town grows (or doesn't), people come and grow, spawn and die, and the person continues to provide the town with food and interact with others socially. Eventually they die, for whatever reason.

While this wouldn't make for much of a good read in a book or an action movie, it's very realistic, and in a "real" culture there will be many, many more people like that, just doing what they do and surviving, than swashbuckling pirates, madmen bent on saving or destroying the world (or a community), explorers going from town to town, etc.

That's all just my opinion of course, and it'd be a very boring world with only "normal" average people in it. But since most of us IRL are doing just that (albeit we might be computer programmers, bankers, gas station attendants, college students, etc) we have little experience in truly being out of the ordinary. Hence a lot of people don't really play those characters truly IC, in my opinion, and while they might be exciting to watch or interact with, most tend to drift OOC in their actions.

[Nick]

Good RP is playing a realistic role fully through. Sometimes good RP can be quite boring. IMHO many people mentioned in the RP praise aren't very good RPers at all.

Can you provide an example of what you mean?

I don't want to step on any toes and I don't see how doing so would add to my argument anyway.

Well put, Torch.

[Nalaris]

But traders are very common. I have a character whose dead set on making a business out of rapiers.

[Nick]

But traders are very common. I have a character whose dead set on making a business out of rapiers.

Uh, that's great. Did you have a point, man?

[Nalaris]

Oh, right. The point. Oops.

It's much more fun to have a fun character to roleplay but still fit into a few societies. The trader, for example, gets to travel, mines resources (or has lackeys do it for him), and gets expensive products absolutely free of charge. But he's still not an amazingly unusual megalomanaic.

[Lumin]

While this wouldn't make for much of a good read in a book or an action movie, it's very realistic, and in a "real" culture there will be many, many more people like that, just doing what they do and surviving, than swashbuckling pirates, madmen bent on saving or destroying the world (or a community), explorers going from town to town, etc.

Right. If everyone spawned with the intention of playing lunatics, psychopaths, adventurers, idiots, prophets, cripples, and power-hungry tyrants, what kind of societies would we have? I believe I said this in another post, but I prefer characters whose roles are more subtle and nuanced, who don't immediately stand out from the crowd unless you get to know them over time, just like with real people.

Characters with blindingly obvious quirks, well, in my experience, many of them are ONLY about their quirk. They have little depth, and in the long run are often much more static in their growth than your average 'boring' run-of-the-mill guard or tailor or trader whose personality and relationships develop over time. Once they spawn and you read the initial "Here I am! Look at me, look at me! I'm DIFFERENT!" post, you've pretty much seen all there is to see.

Not to say that some of these chars aren't amusing, but that shouldn't be their entire reason for existence.

[AoM]

Torch, while there is nothing wrong with the example you gave, you cannot expect that everyone will follow that life-scheme.

Some people have indominatable personalities that society does not affect. There are abnormal people in every civilization, every town, hell... there's a weird kid or two in every classroom in your average school. And it isn't necessarily society that makes them that way.

I have no problem with people who RP an eccentric personality at age 20 in cantr. I don't consider them children, because they are an independant character capable of fending for themselves. There is no family concept in cantr, so there is no children concept either. The player behind those characters has an idea for a personality and is going with it to the best of their ability, and if they can make me as a player buy into their character, then I say that they are good RPers. And if they RP society's effect on that character then I would call them excellent RPers.

[Torch]

AoM,

I agree fully (see that last paragraph - might have added it after yours). I was simply relating it to how I see real RP'ing. Sure, if abnormal people didn't exist that'd be strange, not to mention unrealistic, in real life or a game.

I was just agreing that some characters that are extremely "accurately" RP'd tend to be overlooked, as they do nothing extraordinary in their lives. Many tend to call good RP'ing "exciting" or "interesting" and overlook people "not playing within their alignment," if you'll forgive an old D&D reference.

An abnormal person is much more difficult to RP, as in consistently, although when it's done well, it's exciting to watch. A "normal, boring" person is much easier to play, granted, but many of those RP their characters much more accurately than the others. (For the record, I only have one character I'd call "normal," although one other is just of the eccentric variety you speak of. I've pretty much backed myself into a corner with one, and another will probably wind up killing himself or some such thing.)

I think the point was that the abnormal, eccentric, or weird character in and of itself doesn't define good RP, and quite to the contrary fewer are able to play those well. And I don't expect that everyone follows that life-scheme, heck I hope not. I'm not, and what a boring world Cantr would be then...

[Nick]

I was just agreing that some characters that are extremely "accurately" RP'd tend to be overlooked, as they do nothing extraordinary in their lives. Many tend to call good RP'ing "exciting" or "interesting" and overlook people "not playing within their alignment," if you'll forgive an old D&D reference.

Hit the nail on the head.

[Mafia Salad]

I think that any characters should expect new spawns to have quirky ways, much like people just expect kids to be strange. And if your bugged by it then your character should criticize the new spawn, or just brush it off as playing around. That’s what people in real life do with kids who do weird things. (unless its a character that would ignore over-the-top characters, but I don‘t think most would)


Ex-

New spawn: "I'm Supergreg your new king BOW TO ME"

Oldby woman: *chuckles* "Oh great king," *bows* "I shall do your bidding." *goes back to whatever she was doing*

Oldby man: "What’s the matter with you Supergreg! You can't just say your king and expect it to happen. You need to force your way into leadership, and with your puny arms you couldn't force a thing through my iron shield. Oldby woman you should be ashamed of yourself, encouraging him to be a moron like that."


Any decent character will get the hint and LEARN, changing their ways after a few days of that. (a bad one will stop talking and starve to death in a year or so) And it won't seem like it just happened OOC with no IC explanation. I personally think there is a lack of behavioral learning going on in Cantr. Because of a lack of behavioral teaching.

[Nalaris]

I'd hate for my characters entire religion to be brushed off like that. Since his religion is non militant it'd be impossible for him to practice what he preaches and force pointy objects through iron shields at the same time. People don't believe me, but that's because they either purely don't understand the religions concepts or think I've been inhaling cow fumes...which give me an idea...

*sprints to the suggestions forum*

[chadpants]

I have to agree with Nick and Torch on their perspectives of good roleplaying.

I really don't care what kind of props I do or don't get regarding my roleplaying. I'm not roleplaying to put on a show. Sometimes it seems like people create all this narrative around their character's actions to excess sometimes. I tend to skip over things like *examines the box, intrigued by its evenly proportioned six sides, marveling at it's precise 24 right angles, and running a finger along each of its 12 edges*.

The greatest satisfaction I get in roleplaying my characters is how they are progressing at reaching their goals, even the most mundane ones. The fun is also in overcoming the obstacles in reaching them as well.

[Nick]

I really don't care what kind of props I do or don't get regarding my roleplaying. I'm not roleplaying to put on a show. Sometimes it seems like people create all this narrative around their character's actions to excess sometimes. I tend to skip over things like *examines the box, intrigued by its evenly proportioned six sides, marveling at it's precise 24 right angles, and running a finger along each of its 12 edges*.

And that is why you will probably never be mentioned in the "RP Praise" topic. And this does not mean you are not a marvelous RPer.

Of course, doesn't mean you are, eithier.