Thread Closed
You can tell me whether or not this is related, but I remember RPing with Otto Vann about goldsmithing and him wanting our characters to have a theoretical conversation about the properties of soft metals. And the whole time I was kind of sweating because I was thinking, "well, Lilia's a goldsmith, but I don't know all the stuff she knows..." Then Otto sent me this long article about metallurgy and it made me feel like I was in way over my head all of a sudden.
I mean, I think that is a little bit overboard. I've met other craft RPers who do a lot of homework to make sure they can believably play their trades. And it's inspired me to do a bit of research on these issues too. But, when it comes down to it Lilia's just a lot more talented than I am, she knows more than I do, if the two of us were in a room together doing something like weaving or cooking, I'd have a lot of questions to ask her.
Here's the thing... Lilia has spent years at some of her crafts, I sure as heck haven't. But I'm just her RPer which makes me a kind of balance between actor and writer. Just as there are actors and even writers who can portray "genius" characters, I think RPers can do the same thing, though it takes some planning in some cases and it will create natural limitations.
I think Sherlock Holmes is probably smarter than Arthur Conan Doyle, and he's also probably smarter than any actor who's ever played him. But there are still good Sherlock Holmes stories and good performances of him on screen.
The main challenge in RP, then, is the fact that it's so spontaneous and improvisational. But I think this is more about skill with RP than anything else. Do you have a good enough grasp of your character's abilities that you can both write them and act them out in a timely manner during RP? If so, then by all means play a genius who is way smarter than you. It will probably not be easy, but with enough preparation and flexibility you can still play the part.
I mean, I think that is a little bit overboard. I've met other craft RPers who do a lot of homework to make sure they can believably play their trades. And it's inspired me to do a bit of research on these issues too. But, when it comes down to it Lilia's just a lot more talented than I am, she knows more than I do, if the two of us were in a room together doing something like weaving or cooking, I'd have a lot of questions to ask her.
Here's the thing... Lilia has spent years at some of her crafts, I sure as heck haven't. But I'm just her RPer which makes me a kind of balance between actor and writer. Just as there are actors and even writers who can portray "genius" characters, I think RPers can do the same thing, though it takes some planning in some cases and it will create natural limitations.
I think Sherlock Holmes is probably smarter than Arthur Conan Doyle, and he's also probably smarter than any actor who's ever played him. But there are still good Sherlock Holmes stories and good performances of him on screen.
The main challenge in RP, then, is the fact that it's so spontaneous and improvisational. But I think this is more about skill with RP than anything else. Do you have a good enough grasp of your character's abilities that you can both write them and act them out in a timely manner during RP? If so, then by all means play a genius who is way smarter than you. It will probably not be easy, but with enough preparation and flexibility you can still play the part.
![[Image: hlEovB0.png]](http://i.imgur.com/hlEovB0.png)