– Actions have meaning
I enjoy seeing how characters grow over time and how they react to certain circumstances that appear in RP. This is what separates role-play from literature for me. You are not reading a story but actively participating and shaping it. If a role player already has all their character's development preplanned out then it takes away the feeling of participation. Is that role player role-playing or are they telling a story that they have already written? I like knowing my character's actions have meaning.
– Sharing the spotlight
Role-play is the story of many, not the story of one. Great role players show interest in other characters and get involved in their plots. They also respond to and acknowledge other characters in every day, social RP. In general, sharing the spotlight means just including others whenever possible.
– Basic spelling and grammar
It doesn't have to be exceptional, just enough so that my immersion isn't broken. What's really more important to me is:
– Passion
I don't care about common or annoying spelling and grammar errors. The writing quality doesn't need to be English college graduate level. I don't mind if you are overly verbose. What I do love seeing is passion. I can tell the difference between someone who really loves their character and puts forth an effort to get to know that character versus a character that isn't fleshed out very well. This doesn't necessarily mean that the role player has a tumblr or a wiki or a long in depth character profile. A role player with passion enjoys talking about their character, knows (or if it is a new character, is eager to learn) their character, and is just genuinely happy about role-playing their character.
– Initiative
There are a whole bunch of us who are shy. It can be scary or difficult to motivate some of us into making the first step. However, being scared about what the other person might think means we aren't role-playing. Beyond shyness, a lack of initiative can also be laziness. Often times, stepping up into new role-play can take a lot of effort. Sometimes that level of effort might not feel like it is worth it, especially for those who are just looking to unwind after work. Having a good initiative keeps the role-play flowing.
– Lack of 'Winning' mentality
This is something that is extremely common for me to see. Role players can be hesitant to have their characters fail, especially if it would make their characters seem incompetent or less badass. It can often come in the form of godmoding or power gaming but can also pop up in more subtle and less harmful ways. 'Winning' mentalities can get in the way of forging interesting and organic role-play.
There are more, definitely. This is all I can think up for now.
I enjoy seeing how characters grow over time and how they react to certain circumstances that appear in RP. This is what separates role-play from literature for me. You are not reading a story but actively participating and shaping it. If a role player already has all their character's development preplanned out then it takes away the feeling of participation. Is that role player role-playing or are they telling a story that they have already written? I like knowing my character's actions have meaning.
– Sharing the spotlight
Role-play is the story of many, not the story of one. Great role players show interest in other characters and get involved in their plots. They also respond to and acknowledge other characters in every day, social RP. In general, sharing the spotlight means just including others whenever possible.
– Basic spelling and grammar
It doesn't have to be exceptional, just enough so that my immersion isn't broken. What's really more important to me is:
– Passion
I don't care about common or annoying spelling and grammar errors. The writing quality doesn't need to be English college graduate level. I don't mind if you are overly verbose. What I do love seeing is passion. I can tell the difference between someone who really loves their character and puts forth an effort to get to know that character versus a character that isn't fleshed out very well. This doesn't necessarily mean that the role player has a tumblr or a wiki or a long in depth character profile. A role player with passion enjoys talking about their character, knows (or if it is a new character, is eager to learn) their character, and is just genuinely happy about role-playing their character.
– Initiative
There are a whole bunch of us who are shy. It can be scary or difficult to motivate some of us into making the first step. However, being scared about what the other person might think means we aren't role-playing. Beyond shyness, a lack of initiative can also be laziness. Often times, stepping up into new role-play can take a lot of effort. Sometimes that level of effort might not feel like it is worth it, especially for those who are just looking to unwind after work. Having a good initiative keeps the role-play flowing.
– Lack of 'Winning' mentality
This is something that is extremely common for me to see. Role players can be hesitant to have their characters fail, especially if it would make their characters seem incompetent or less badass. It can often come in the form of godmoding or power gaming but can also pop up in more subtle and less harmful ways. 'Winning' mentalities can get in the way of forging interesting and organic role-play.
There are more, definitely. This is all I can think up for now.
