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Seizer · **08-26-2014, 10:44 AM**

So I've been playing for a whole week now. What I need advice on is how to become more involved the RP community. I've never experienced a graphical MMORPG where people actually RP. My online gaming RP comes from text based games where I found it easier to imagine the situations and places that were portrayed. What I am struggling with is the visual representations of actual characters and not sure how to approach others with a simple hello, let's chat and see where this goes.

As my character was once a Sea Wolf I can't picture him being this sweet, tra la la la type of persona. If anything he's going to be a smart ass, heavy drinker, and ready to fight at the bat of an eye. OOCly I struggle being a jerk to others unless provoked. So, therefore I would like some pointers on how I can get involved with others RPing, let's say at the Drowning Wench or any other situation I may come across. Thanks in advance.

**Unnamed Mercenary** · **08-26-2014, 11:23 AM**

Hiya! Welcome to the community.

Getting in to RP can be a little scary, but don't be worried about randomly walking up to another person. A lot of RPers I've seen will put a "walkup ok" in their search info, letting you know they're looking for RP just as much! Overall, I've found the people around to be quite friendly and helpful.

If you're a little worried about walking up to someone, you can also try making a situationÂ where someone will walk up to you. Maybe a couple custom emotes with /emÂ to give them an idea of what you're doing, so they can look for a story opening. There's also the alternative of setting up a small scene on the forums. THe "Making Connections" board is great for that.

Roen · **08-26-2014, 12:42 PM**

Smart ass, heavy drinker, and combative! I like him already. Big Grin

But I do understand that such personality can stand in the way of random RP sometimes, since walking up to someone out of the blue to greet them is not be something your character might do.

My suggestions would be...

If you see a character you want to interact with, send them a /tell! Or a PM if you see something on these boards. Having a short OOC chat can lead to meetings between characters that don't have to see out of character. I personally had the most successes going this route. And don't feel intimidated! This community is very welcoming!

Or if you are hanging about the Drowning Wench or other public RP places, I usually self emote my characters doing something, to perhaps let other players know that A) I am an RPer and B) perhaps give them a hook for them to interact with my character.

And I do the same by reading other people's emotes, if they are doing something that would catch my character's interest, I notice them in /em! And hopefully that can get some kind of an interaction started.

Lastly, as Franz pointed out, the is the Making Connections area where you can put what you are looking for out there and see if there are any bites.

Oh, and if you have a wiki or a profile made, that also helps other players figure out what connections can be made between yours and theirs.

I wish you luck and lots of fun! Thumbsup

Aya · **08-26-2014, 12:55 PM**

Make him a Friendly Drunk!Â Gets an ale or two and all of a sudden wants to meet everyone! ^_^

(A little tongue-in-cheek, but if he does like to drink, alcohol can be terrific for removing social inhibitions he might normally display!)

C'kayah Polaali · **08-26-2014, 01:09 PM**

(08-26-2014, 12:55 PM)Aya Wrote: Make him a Friendly Drunk!Â Gets an ale or two and all of a sudden wants to meet everyone! ^_^

(A little tongue-in-cheek, but if he does like to drink, alcohol can be terrific for removing social inhibitions he might normally display!)

Oh, I like this idea!Â

In my opinion, giving him some characteristics that deviate from your first impression can work wonders for this. Having him be a friendly drunk, for instance. Or maybe he's this big, burly, badass Sea Wolf who secretly wants to be a poet and will jump into any conversation involving poetry. That sort of thing.

If you go someplace like the Quicksand and watch characters, you'll see a lot of this in some of the more memorable characters. Aya's this ditzy blonde bombshell, but she's *not*, really. Verad is a sly merchant, but he only sells junk. Kage is a Nunh, but he's very unsure of himself. That sort of thing.

Another possibility is to think in terms of strengths and weaknesses. Giving a character a weakness can be extremely valuable for RP, because (at the very least) you're giving your character a reason to seek other people out. Askier is this very sly, confident secret agent type of guy, but he's got obligations and connections that lead to problems he can't solve himself, so he has to seek out help. In the case of C'kayah, he's a womanizer who is easily manipulated by beautiful women. This isn't a standard sort of weakness, but it's a great hook for RP: It basically allows for me to make choices for him that distinctly aren't in his best interest, which leads to problems that must be (surprise!) solved through RP.

A good way to think about RP is to think in terms of "how can I help someone else have good RP?". What can you do with your character that enables other people to be the heroes of their stories? Or at the very least, what can you do with them that leads to other people remembering your character? There are a lot of people who play small time merchants, but people remember Verad ("Genuine fake fool's gold? What the hell is that?").

Kage · **08-26-2014, 01:36 PM**

(08-26-2014, 01:09 PM)C Wrote: If you go someplace like the Quicksand and watch characters, you'll see a lot of this in some of the more memorable characters. ...Kage is a Nunh, but he's very unsure of himself.

Let's see how C reacts when he's just suddenly turned into a Lalafell and his life is turned upside-down! PLOT HOOK.

Maybe your character is akin to the soft, gentle giant once he starts to -really- meet someone. Maybe he is totally abrasive at first drink but 2-3 drink he turns into a softer, apologizing sort.

Verad · **08-26-2014, 02:31 PM**

Playing a jerk is fine, and if you do so I would highly recommend OOC communication when doing so with players you've never met before, to make sure they're okay with the behavior on an out-of-character level. Once you have some people you play with regularly, you can ease off on that; when you're new, it helps people see that you're an enthusiastic player who is running a jerk, and not a complete cipher.

Most people like walk-ups. Be the person to walk-up. This means in addition to personality it helps to come up with a short "Reasons Why My Character Would Talk To Strangers" list you can use when you need to walk-up, but you don't have a prompt from the other character.

I will not lie: If you are not an extrovert by nature, this will be terrifying at first. It will pass.

I must respectfully disagree with the idea of having both strengths and weaknesses, mentioned below, but this is because of a matter of perspective rather than suggesting that your character should have no weaknesses. Rather, every strength is also a weakness in the right place and the right time, and vice-versa. Think less in terms of positives and negatives, and more in terms of "traits" - facets of the character's personality that could both help him and get him in trouble.

Have goals. Short-term ones and long-term ones. These can be helpful prompts for walking-up. Write them down, and be ready to change them when they're fulfilled or negated. "Find a new pirate crew." "Search for the rat-bastard that killed my beloved pet carbuncle." "Acquire a rare item to impress that Miqo'te that's been giving me the side-eye." Things like that.

Seizer · **08-26-2014, 05:10 PM**

(08-26-2014, 02:31 PM)Verad Wrote: I will not lie: If you are not an extrovert by nature, this will be terrifying at first. It will pass.

Indeed. My true personality is introvert (ISTJ).
However, I find it easier to connect in a gaming environment, due to the fact if things are hurtful or other it's easy to walk away.

You all have been presenting some great ideas. I will take them in and see what develops.

McBeefâ„¢ · **08-26-2014, 05:23 PM**

I honestly think the best way to start RPing with no experience is to just talk to people.

If you talk to people "Hey how's it going." just basic stuff like that, your character will sort of come to life. It can be a bit daunting trying to tie down all this backstory stuff, but just by talking to people you'll get asked questions that define your character. For example just by talking to people in the quicksand you'll probably get asked the following questions.

"What's your name?" - Anyone

"Do you want a drink? What kind?" - Aya

"Been in Ul'dah long? What do you do here?"

"Can I interest you in some merchandise?"

"Where are you from?"

Etc etc. Just by answering those questions you'll learn a lot about your character and how they fit into the RP world.

C'kayah Polaali · **08-27-2014, 01:13 PM**

(08-26-2014, 01:36 PM)ExKage Wrote:
(08-26-2014, 01:09 PM)C Wrote: If you go someplace like the Quicksand and watch characters, you'll see a lot of this in some of the more memorable characters. ...Kage is a Nunh, but he's very unsure of himself.

Let's see how C reacts when he's just suddenly turned into a Lalafell and his life is turned upside-down! PLOT HOOK.

Kage already contributed to C's life being turned upside down. Wink

He's grown, though, since then. He's much more evil on the inside...

belderiver · **08-30-2014, 09:41 AM**

Sorry I couldn't let it lie, but just as a quick correction -

"Sea Wolf" doesn't mean pirate or reaver or ne'er-do-well, it refers to a specific ethnicity within the Roegadyn race. You can't really have been a Sea Wolf and become Not A Sea Wolf Anymore.

That said - I'd recommend keeping an eye out for public RP events being advertised.

Need advice

RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes