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+--- Thread: Great RP; What Makes It? (/showthread.php?tid=11127)
RE: Great RP; What Makes It? - Nero - 04-18-2015
Everyone above me has already gone over most of the basic stuff like being impartial about IC interactions and whatnot, so my suggestions will be about the two interwoven aspects of initiative and adaptability.
Initiative: the ability to introduce conflict or interesting circumstances without prompt.
This is, in my opinion, the hallmark of an excellent roleplayer. Of course, this is a double-edged sword that requires very careful balancing: too little initiative results in a DM-PC sort of relationship which, while not inherently negative on its own, carries the risk of not meshing with everyone involved, while too much initiative can result in the arbitrary or, at its worse, oppressively hostile introduction of new plot threads. Implementation is also key when introducing conflict or similar elements.
To clarify, the "without prompt" part of the above phrase refers to a prompt from the narrative, but it also refers to OOC interactions. If you want to join a storyline, encounter, or narrative, but you are unsure or lack the confidence, then don't wait simply to be invited, but ask to join, and offer ideas as to what your character adds. Of course, in casual encounters this facet can be unnecessary, but for narrative-driven roleplay, having initiative can lead to new characters, new elements, and a diverse array of situations and interactions.
Basic examples:Â
1). Bob and Alice are roleplaying a casual encounter in a tavern. Bob and Alice's characters have never met before. Bob has his character continually introduces new topics and rumours. Bob and Alice's characters start to argue. Drama ensues. (Also good for developing actual social skills!)
2). Bob and Alice are roleplaying a casual encounter in a tavern. Both of their characters are good friends and equal in temperament. Alice OOCly invites her friend John to ICly interrupt Bob and Alice's characters. Introductions and/or drama ensues.
3). Bob and Alice are roleplaying a casual encounter in a tavern. A new player, John, enters the tavern, and quietly sits next to them emoting to himself. Bob makes his character accidentally spill a drink on John's character. A new circumstance ensues.
4). Bob and Alice are roleplaying a casual encounter in a tavern. A new player, John, enters and, while OOC, politely asks to join. In this case, John is showing initiative.
5). Bob and Alice are roleplaying a narrative about chasing a jewel thief. Bob is also roleplaying as the NPC thief. Their characters both catch the thief, and Alice's character notes that the thief had also stolen one of Alice's character's long lost family heirlooms. A new branching narrative ensues.
6). Bob, Alice, and John are roleplaying a narrative about John's character. Bob asks John OOCly if he (Bob) can introduce a new plot element about how Bob and John are connected, and provides a brief description. John approves. A branching narrative ensues.
7). Bob and Alice are roleplaying a plot-driven narrative. John OOCly asks if he can join, and shares ideas that he has about what could happen and how his character could become involved. Assuming eventual approval, a new character begins to participate.
Adaptability: the ability to have a character participate or engage in new encounters in a manner that is consistent with how they are written.Â
This is heavily tied into initiative, as described above. Roleplay is improvisational at its heart, and thus a certain measure of flexibility is called for. This, too, is a double-edged sword: too much adaptability can make a character seem amorphous or inconsistent, while too little will result in stunted encounters or awkward introductions that go nowhere. However, the ability to adapt to new (and possibly even unwelcome) situations goes a very, very long way in creating memorable roleplay.
Basic Examples:
1). Bob and Alice are roleplaying a casual encounter in a tavern. A new player, John, rudely interjects his character into their conversation without asking. Bob and Alice both react while IC, and John's interruption becomes a new topic of conversation.
2). Bob and Alice are roleplaying together. Their characters had never met prior. Bob's character is amoral and selfish. Alice's character is suddenly targeted in a kidnapping attempt. Despite Bob's character being self-interested, Bob's character intervenes for reasons that are consistent with his character (e.g. Bob's character plans on extorting Alice's character, Alice's character offers to pay Bob's character, etc.)
3). Bob and Alice are roleplaying a narrative about chasing a jewel thief. Bob is roleplaying as the NPC thief. When Alice's character catches the thief, she notes that the thief is her brother. Despite Bob having never written anything about the thief being the brother to Alice's character, Bob rolls with it and has his character react accordingly. A new plot thread is introduced that is potentially vastly different from what Bob had originally intended.
4). Bob, Alice, and John are roleplaying a casual encounter walking down the street together. John suddenly has his character notice a bounty poster with Alice's character's name on it. Despite having never written a criminal past about her character, Alice creates a new plot thread wherein her character was framed for a heist.
--
Obviously, everything is dependent on context, but the general gist of the idea should be fairly clear.
RE: Great RP; What Makes It? - Renata Lynn - 04-19-2015
There's really nothing I can add to this list that hasn't already been covered, but...
I play on a console. I have a crappy Bluetooth keyboard that often times likes to ignore the fact that I've pressed a button, or likes to think I pressed more buttons than I did. I do my best to catch these errors (which can slow down reply time), but yes, I have had posts come out looking like I drank an entire bottle of rum and bashed my head repeatedly against a brick wall.
However, I find that when I give a quick explanation of this to anyone I am rping with, I am readily forgiven and my minor mistakes are overlooked (thanks, guys and gals!!Â
).I like para-rp. I sometimes tend to be wordy myself. I try to keep it short and simple in the more populated areas, to show respect for the chat boxes, but in a private setting, I do get a little more verbose.
My char is almost cripplingly shy and awkward...and I intended to keep her that way, but as of late, several successful dungeon runs have lent her an air of gentle confidence, and while I did not plan it, I love it all the same. People change and grow, and so can my character.Â
Also, some of the better RP I have had has actually come from an OOC habit of mine...when the RP is slow or I don't feel like RPing at the moment, I run around OOC, and send people (guys and girls) a compliment on their char. My char has a good friend ICly now because I OOCly whispered to the other girl that her axe was badass. Our chars kept crossing paths, and now Yor has another friend.
RE: Great RP; What Makes It? - Iex - 04-19-2015
I would say great RP comes from:
Not being stuck so much in your own rules of what you expect from other RPers. (Namely to referring to rping in Taverns and public events).
You can have a set of preferable habits in RP and the set of rules will end up creating a core group of people you may enjoy RPing with, but the fact is if you are at Public events if you focus purely on the group of folks who conform to your expectations it will end up just making a bunch of islands with no bridges between.
If you create a checklist of what you want from RP, you will end up just having an imaginary clip board QAing the RP. Naturally, you will be bothered by things here and there, but if you are super concerned about that stuff you end up thinking about that more than the RP.
While we are all here for our own amusement first, (I mean if you are only playing to amuse other people that is a whole other problem) if you are so focused on only the best RP you are going to miss a lot of opportunities with people that could turn out really 'Great.'
Just speaking from personal experience.
RE: Great RP; What Makes It? - Parvacake - 04-19-2015
Much of the things above, though with an added emphasis on things like communication, respect, and tolerance.
Communication is my mantra and I emphasize it heavily with anyone I consistently RP with whether their character is in a relationship with mine, part of a storyline, a guild member, etc. It helps clear the air and keeps things more relaxed if everyone is on the same page.
Respect peoples' tastes and boundaries. If you don't like it you don't have to be involved and you don't have to be rude about it either if it comes up in RP. Treat others as you would want to be treated and all the things they taught us in grade school.
Being tolerant helps keeps doors open as well as says good things about yourself as a roleplayer and as an individual if you're open to new ideas, concepts, and ways of doing things.
RE: Great RP; What Makes It? - Cato - 04-20-2015
Above all else I firmly believe that role-play should be enjoyable. It's not something that should be causing anyone stress, it shouldn't be a substitute for a healthy social circle in the real world and it certainly shouldn't feel like a tedious chore.
I also like my role-play to be consistent and lore friendly. I become bored very quickly if I end up interacting with someone who has their character be one thing one minute and then something completely different the next. I'm looking at you, fantasia abusers!
Other than that? Variety is key. I like to have my character interact with lots of different characters in order to avoid stagnation. This also applies to having different themes - be it humour, grit, romance or the classic RPG adventure.
Trust is also something I value highly. I'm a fairly guarded person who has clashed more than once with the nastier circles present in any MMO's role-playing community and so for more in-depth scenes I like to feel as though I can place my faith in those I'm working with.
Communication is important too, though I feel as though listing this is redundant when it is essentially a buzzword thrown around by people who don't actually make the effort to smooth out potential issues before they begin festering. On a less cynical note this also applies to grammar and structure - I need to be able to understand what my role-play partners are trying to get across. I can, of course, forgive the occasional mistake since we all make them!
RE: Great RP; What Makes It? - Khadan - 04-20-2015
All things being subjective and whatnot, I think most people have similar standards when it comes to 'great RP'. Enjoyment seems to be paramount which, honestly, should be the case. There seems to be a good emphasis on quality and the majority seem to value lore adherence (with a comfortable level of 'interpretation' etc. Seems legit. With so many people having vastly similar interpretations of what makes RP 'great' then you'd think we would all get along better and so on. Though I think by and large most people do get along or at least can be cordial as the need arises.
For me, though, I think I agree with the majority opinion(s) about enjoyment, lore adherence, and so on. On the topic of Lore, I have a pretty hard and fast rule when it comes to lore: "Presentation is 90% of credibility".Â
I used to be very finicky about post length where I really wished to be matched as it felt like a lack of effort on the other person's part to not do so. As my geriatric condition has advanced over time, though, I find that it's just as easy to 'scale back' my own post length to match those that I am RP'ing with to keep things fluid and comfy, etc.
As for preference of RP types? I prefer action above all with some intrigue underlying that all. Writing combat is probably my favorite thing to do and it's usually always a challenge to paint those scenes with accuracy and in a way that people can visualize and still have fun with, etc. It's also, ironically, the kind of RP I get the least of LOL. I still have fun, though.
Character development is also a must. There must be development; if my character begins to stagnate I'm liable to cut that thread of RP loose quickly or do something to fix it drastically, not GRRM drastic but still drastic. Though I should specify that it's not just 'my own character' that I like development on, alone. Their development with other characters and in their relationships is also key. I don't think I could get behind RP'ing a Norm character from Cheers, for example.
That's all I really have, for now, though. Everyone else seems to be more or less on the same page which is pretty cool. With everyone having such similar ideals for good RP that we'll all be in good shape for the future. =)
RE: Great RP; What Makes It? - Flickering Ember - 04-21-2015
I decided that since others made some excellent points better than I could that I fully agree with, that I'd piece some others' points that I really like.
Warren Castille:
Something to play off of in conversation: If I ask how your day went, "Not bad." is a horrible response because there's no back-and-forth.
Nailah:
Doesn't railroad things. I am not a fan of pre-determining anything when it can be avoided.Â
allgivenover:
[What not to do]:Â
- Only being interested in RP if it's "about" your character.
Ette:
- Someone who isn’t afraid to make fun of their character, portray their characters in an unattractive light, or have their characters be wrong. I just can't deal with a character who is correct and sexyfine all the time anymore.
- Hooks and hooks and hooks and hooks. I absolutely love people who will lay out things that my character can react to.
- RP that serves to further an overarching plot. The plot doesn’t have to be big, mind you. However I do want to feel that our characters are impacting and influencing one another. Small filler RP is cute but I don’t want all my RP to be fluff.
Flynt Reddard:
- Have fun with it
- Don't take yourself so seriously
Faye:
 Someone who's not just after ERP/sex/romance and nothing more. 99.9% of my role-plays won't end that way, so it's a waste of time for us both when someone realizes my character won't date/sleep with theirs and they ditch me and never speak to me again.
Not taking things too seriously. Have fun. Put some comedy into your role-play. Be able to laugh at your characters, or laugh along when others laugh at them. Don't play "omg super cool badass" that everyone else must recognize as super cool, IC and OOC, at all times.
Verad:
- Dice. I've situated myself pretty nicely in this regard so I don't really require it from people anymore, not that I everrequired it in the past. But I like the controlled unpredictability afforded by a good dice system.
Nicholas Graveshire:
Open to in-character disagreements:Friendships and relationships aren't perfect and no one agrees all the time. I like it when other characters aren't quite sold on what my character believes. It makes the dynamic interesting and gives them something to discuss, talk about, and overcome.
Graehem Ridgefield:
Other than that? Variety is key. I like to have my character interact with lots of different characters in order to avoid stagnation. This also applies to having different themes - be it humour, grit, romance or the classic RPG adventure.
--------------------------
Not only being interested in RP that involves your character and playing off what other people say to give them a chance to respond I feel are a given. They are just important enough for me to mention here. I didn't include a lot of things that should be a given since I wanted to focus on elements that I feel make RP better than 'good'.
Respect, immersion, not god-modding, etc. I consider just baseline. Some other elements mentioned I don't have a say in since I don't care either way. Things like post speed (Never seen any RPer take longer than 5 minutes for a post or if they did, it was only like one time), sentence structure, how long your posts are--are things I just don't care about either way.
Dat Good RP - T'caska Khevo - 04-30-2015
Simple question! What makes for good RP?
The answer might be different for different people and I am honestly interested in hearing the thoughts of the RPC. We have some amazing writers and some extremely well developed and interesting characters around here. So share your thoughts. You might end up surprising your current RP circle or even helping someone new to the RP scene.
For me, as selfish as it sounds, its about what my character got out of the interaction. Of course I am trying my hardest to give my partner(s) a reason to come back and something wiki worthy, but I want T'caska to grow a little more with every person she meets and every adventure she has.
The things I really don't care about? TYPOS and GRAMMAR MISTAKES. Honestly, if we both speak English then 99% of the time I will know what you meant. I find that a lot of people get nervous or timid about their writing because they typo often or type with grammatical errors. You know what? Keep on being human and imperfect. I typo fairly often and make no excuse for it, I don't think anyone should be worried about it and if you run up on someone that gives you grief about spelling Eorzea with too many "e"s then send em my way and I'll chew their face off, IC of course.
What about you guys?
RE: Dat Good RP - Kage - 04-30-2015
I have lots of thoughts right now but I wanted to address one thing.
I'm generally good with typos and grammar mistakes. Those don't bother me but they do start to set a... nervous? annoyed? tick when it's something that constantly happens. Or if it makes me wonder if the player is drunk.
... and if it looks like "chat text"? Does this make sense?
RE: Dat Good RP - Cato - 04-30-2015
There's a very similar thread about this here so I might as well link it to help give further insight into the thoughts of those who post here:
http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=11127
RE: Dat Good RP - Melodia - 04-30-2015
I like RP that's emotional. Not every one can be, but I have had a few that have made me cry and that's good rp to me. Some of my most memorable points in this game were with people when the scene was tense, maybe a bit heavy. Nearly all with Ruru at this point, but the scenes were good. Even if you did need a good hug afterward.
NEBBS!!! *Goes for a hug remembering various RP scenes*
RE: Dat Good RP - T'caska Khevo - 04-30-2015
Wow I didn't even know about the other thread when I posted this and I kinda feel dumb now.
Any mods able to delete this for me?
RE: Dat Good RP - Alothia - 04-30-2015
I'm going to merge them! ♥
RE: Great RP; What Makes It? - Nebbs - 04-30-2015
(04-30-2015, 09:41 AM)Alothia Wrote: I'm going to merge them! ♥
Hmmmmm ... It tickles