(11-03-2013, 06:31 AM)Jael Wrote: Also a big thing is researching the theme of the free company and see how your character can fit in!
This. There are people who just want RP; doesn't really matter who or what, just the act of RPing and interacting with others as their character is exciting.
Then there are those who want to tell a shared story. The excitement comes from 'signing up' for a theme, then working together to see where that theme goes. I would wager that's where the 'quality over quantity' phrase comes from.
Because in the second example, so much can go wrong. People put in a lot of time and love trying to craft this story, only to have someone come along and completely disrupt or derail it because their character honestly didn't fit the theme. Or people come along who try too hard to tell 'their story', instead of helping to contribute to the overall story that the group had agreed to tell.
The absolute best FC's manage to juggle both. When you have a 'shared story' only, it can be absolutely maddening and intimidating trying to break your character into; it can feel like you're picking up a book and trying to read it from the middle. It can feel like you're 'shut out' because all these other characters already know each other and get along great, and barely show you any attention.
And it can be hard to find a way to contribute; in the end we all want to tell our personal stories, but some groups really want to focus on the shared story heavily; and without instruction, it can be really hard to know how to integrate the two.
Again, the best FC's imo, set up a framework, or over-arcing storyline for people to participate in, but then give a lot of freedom to the player in how they interact with that storyline. My current character, Claire, is very much an everyday, regular person, and is really thriving in a school/academy based FC. However, she would probably fall flat on her face if she tried to join a mercenary group, or a band of knights, etc. because she is not a fighter.
'Quality over quantity' imo usually refers to 'please pay attention to what you are signing up for, and be respectful of the story we are trying to tell'. It may take a few tries to find the FC you like and that's fine. There is nothing wrong with trying out a group, deciding its not for you, and moving on to another one. The RP experience should be fun for all involved, and there should be no hard feelings if things do not work out ICly (if things go poorly OOCly, that's a different matter).
Anyway, skilled RP really is nothing more than respect. Respect of others tastes, being willing to compromise, learn from each other, and being considerate of what others find fun. You certainly don't have to write like Shakespeare or tell stories like Neil Gaiman to RP with me =P
