So! Just the other night I was talking to a friend of mine when an interesting point came up, and it's one I've been pondering ever since.
As far as I'm aware, there are two "main" types of RP that people participate in. The first being very much slice-of-life while the other is focused primarily on moving a plot of some sort forward.
To be pedantic about it for a moment, I define the two as follows.
To get the conversation started, I'll talk about my own preferences first!
I'm a plot-based roleplayer first and foremost. I'm at my best, and happiest, when I have some goals for my character to work towards, be it their own or helping further another's plot-line. I like having things planned that can throw wrenches into how the story is being told, and I like helping other people achieve a goal they've set out to finish. It's important to note that, in my opinion, plot-based RP doesn't have to be planned to an absurd degree--rather, it's quite literally just a light at the end of a tunnel that the character's can strive towards reaching.Â
That being said, there's also a time and a place for slice-of-life stuff. Having my character just hang out at the bar or chitchat with people can be fulfilling and interesting ways to get to know my character a little bit better, and it's often the thing that sparks plots in the first place. I do end up extremely burnt out if this is all I'm doing, though. Gotta have that goal to work towards! Without it I end up getting really bored of a character relatively quickly.
As far as I'm aware, there are two "main" types of RP that people participate in. The first being very much slice-of-life while the other is focused primarily on moving a plot of some sort forward.
To be pedantic about it for a moment, I define the two as follows.
- Plot-based roleplay is when a group of people gather together for a common purpose. Be it a magic ritual, breaking into an imperial castrum, solving a murder-mystery... The breadth and depth of this runs to an absurd degree, but at the end of the day it's something that gives people a reason to gather and to have their characters interact.
- Slice-of-life roleplay is when you're just playing out a day in the life of someone inhabiting the particular world on a consistent basis. Interactions come and go and tend to mirror real life in the sense that there's rarely some over-arching goal that the people involved are working towards.
To get the conversation started, I'll talk about my own preferences first!
I'm a plot-based roleplayer first and foremost. I'm at my best, and happiest, when I have some goals for my character to work towards, be it their own or helping further another's plot-line. I like having things planned that can throw wrenches into how the story is being told, and I like helping other people achieve a goal they've set out to finish. It's important to note that, in my opinion, plot-based RP doesn't have to be planned to an absurd degree--rather, it's quite literally just a light at the end of a tunnel that the character's can strive towards reaching.Â
That being said, there's also a time and a place for slice-of-life stuff. Having my character just hang out at the bar or chitchat with people can be fulfilling and interesting ways to get to know my character a little bit better, and it's often the thing that sparks plots in the first place. I do end up extremely burnt out if this is all I'm doing, though. Gotta have that goal to work towards! Without it I end up getting really bored of a character relatively quickly.
