Researching your RP: Clever Subtitle

[Warren Castille]

So. If you're anything like me, you're not actually a sword-and-spell swinging warrior blessed by dragons or fallen gods. How many fights has the RPC been in, collectively, in our entire lives? Do any of us actually know how to skulk around in the shadows without looking like fools?

 

I'm wondering if anyone is playing something well outside of their wheelhouse: Are you a paper-filing desk jockey by day, but daring ace fighter pilot by night? I've got absolutely no background in law or justice beyond watching movies and television shows about them, yet Warren's trying to be that guy good at the thing. Has anyone done actual research into some of their skillsets? Maybe dug a bit into Thieves' Cant to get some dialogue just right? Looked up bureaucratic methods and standards? Perhaps you did some Googling to find out how an olde-timey jailhouse door might be forced out of?

 

I am woefully unprepared when it comes to this stuff. Who's with me?

[Gegenji]

Actually, I have next to no knowledge on smithing or smelting. Any information on weapons and armor comes from years of playing DnD and the occasional Google search for stuff like "parts of a suit of armor" and the like when I want to have Chachan refer to a specific bit of a piece he's working on. The whole folding metal thing that Japan uses I picked up in a History channel documentary and only have the vaguest of details on that as well.

 

More than once I just wanted to hand-wave it with "Chachan gives a surprisingly in-depth breakdown of the aspects of the suit of armor he is wearing." Yet, I feel like I should know at least enough to be passable if pressed. A couple folks have piped up with offers to talk shop with me... but I haven't heard much from them since. :blush:

 

I manage, though... somehow.

[Warren Castille]

More than once I just wanted to hand-wave it with "Chachan gives a surprisingly in-depth breakdown of the aspects of the suit of armor he is wearing."

 

This is my second-favorite device to use when it comes to stuff like this. My character would know a lot more than I do, so I don't see anything wrong with intentionally masking the details.

[Erik Mynhier]

So. If you're anything like me, you're not actually a sword-and-spell swinging warrior blessed by dragons or fallen gods. How many fights has the RPC been in, collectively, in our entire lives? Do any of us actually know how to skulk around in the shadows without looking like fools?

 

I'm wondering if anyone is playing something well outside of their wheelhouse: Are you a paper-filing desk jockey by day, but daring ace fighter pilot by night? I've got absolutely no background in law or justice beyond watching movies and television shows about them, yet Warren's trying to be that guy good at the thing. Has anyone done actual research into some of their skillsets? Maybe dug a bit into Thieves' Cant to get some dialogue just right? Looked up bureaucratic methods and standards? Perhaps you did some Googling to find out how an olde-timey jailhouse door might be forced out of?

 

I am woefully unprepared when it comes to this stuff. Who's with me?

 

Yes and no. These days I'm a nurse, but years ago, I was part of, commander of, a unit of Navy/Marines who's job it was to infiltrate al qaeda safehouses for intel, and track/capture operatives in broad daylight without alerting the people around us in public places. On top of that we used advanced systems, covert tracking, and good old firefights (sometimes "abandoned" houses were actually ambush traps) to get a step ahead the enemy. We had drones before they were popular, and our tech was crazy. A lot of the Red Wings overall story and Erik's story too is drawn a lot from those days.

[Melkire]

HEMA videos, other visual material on traditional and contemporary techniques for knives and daggers (there was this one particularly good one that went into how both standard grip and reverse grip are valid, and the relative strengths and weaknesses of each), more material-by-osmosis on various infighting techniques than I can be bothered to remember at the moment... but that's all the physical stuff that I have little to no practical experience in.

 

Law-wise... COUGHNOTROLEPLAYINGLAWENFORCEMENTCOUGH.

 

Everything else, I'm about as clueless or not-as-clueless as anyone else, I imagine. Though I've done a little digging into Thieves' Cant, taken what I liked, and left the rest out.

 

 

 

EDIT: Others have mentioned that they read a lot. I do, too. Not just fiction, either, but mythology, documentaries, various treatises on a number of different subjects, etc.

[Maril]

Whilst not exactly a skill-set.. Nailah is an alcoholic, Thala'to is a recovering drug-addict and I have no experience with either. To the point where I haven't even been drunk IRL before. I've watched documentaries about both subjects, partially because I wanted to know more due to the fact that I bring these things up in RP - but if it hadn't been because I am a big fan of watching documentaries in general, I don't think I'd have gone quite to that extend. 

 

When it comes to wielding the bow, in Nailah's case for hunting purposes but with past characters for killing-people purposes, I've got the benefit of having attended archery classes and competitions for a number of years during my time as a teenager (I placed 4th in the Nordic championship and placed 1st nationally). I used a compound bow then, but I have also shot with simple longbows and such, so I know some stuff about it and I have a feeling of how strong you need to be to pull it off etc. I've made an attempt to look into some videos explaining old-timely combat with bows, but honestly it never was so helpful. 

 

I think overall, I'm mostly thorough with lore - everything else comes along when I feel like I need to know more to pull it off in a manner that won't make people go

[Harmonixer]

I suppose a lot of what this thread could be is some cool story sharing along with the usual- look how fucking cool I am outside of rp!-. But for myself I can say that I tend to RP things I don't have irl expertise on as sort of a way to expand my interests.

 

I mean, sure. I do have a theatre background, I preformed a lot when I was younger and I was back stage for even longer than that. I think researching subjects and ingesting media is one of my favorite activities. I love helping people and I admit to using RP as a vehicle to socialize and to expand my personal interests. If I see something I like, I ask a lot of questions and then take when I learn to apply to whatever it is I continue to do in the future.

 

I've said it before, I like to play villains in RP. I find it far more fun and much more stimulating than anything else. Being a good guy just doesn't get my rocks off. But I don't need to research how to be a bad guy by reading something online really. I can just do the opposite of what my current target is doing. Usually. It can get more complicated than that, depending on themes. I like to prey on weaknesses and educate myself that way. So I can provide a more entertaining performance for all parties involved.

 

On occasion, I'll purpose watch a tv show I hate simply to relate to people I'm trying to understand. I joke about 'normies' and the like but it's true. I don't care much for sportball, but sometimes at work I have to seem excited about local sports team or pop artist I've never heard of. I don't have to sacrifice much of my own time to learn something, just means I have to observe long enough to pick up on important stuff that stands out and listen.

 

I've learned very quickly most people just love to hear themselves talk about what they like. RP very often for me is rarely about what I want, and more about what Super White Knight Todd is going to do to continue to be the hero.

 

Mind you, not everyone is like this and I certainly don't hate anyone that is. People are usually very pleasant and I remove anyone from my social circle that isn't quite quickly. IRL, I don't like to have problems. I'm too laid back.

 

I ask, I listen and and apply the best I can. It usually leads me on some kind of adventure, and I'm always thankful for it. Although I'd never want to go into actual battle, truly harm people or take poison 'for the sake of research'. I can just always ask instead!

[C'kayah Polaali]

I do a lot of reading, for the most part. There are a few things that C'kayah does which I also do (C'kayah's a surprisingly good cook, I was a sous chef years ago; I've done enough classical fencing to be dangerous to myself with a sword, C'kayah's about as skilled as I am), but for the most part, I just do a lot of research. I used to play this geopolitical forum RP called 21c, and I got into the habit of doing massive amounts of research into really oddball things, and that habit has really stuck with me. It lets me fake it with C'kayah in all the areas I don't know: I've never been a smuggler, a womanizer, a crime lord, etc.

[Edda]

When it comes to knowledge on weaving and cloth material, the only knowledge I have is from basic research and my family's disgusting obsession with samplers. So, not a lot. I think it's fine to not have a whole lot of knowledge on your character's area of expertise if you're able to present it in a clear and believable manner. I did some reading on it to better prepare myself and not look like a major fucking idiot, but I also wrote Edda's family business to operate in such a way that their methods are usually kept quite private, to avoid the crippling shame of the obvious lack of expertise I have on the subject.

 

Now if Edda had to shakedown people for lunch money, or fight rival females in the parking lot outside her FC house, I'd be all up in that jawn.

[Darien Cadell]

I have inadvertently done research on psychopathy in the past for school projects and watching a lot of television and reading for entertainment. Qhora isn't quite in line with all of those, but I'm sure it helps a bit.

[FloriaRaine]

Well certain parts of my RPer does come from life experience knowledge, Whenever floria is pampering someone with a massage, i put use my time as a massage therapy student, knowing the movements and what they do, and how to do them. I when rping out a cooking scene, from my own cooking experiments, cooking shows, and googling when someone gives me something i don't know.

 

I do have a few months of kendo under my belt as well that i sometimes try and mix into any sort of sword fighting.

 

Aside from that ... Can't say i use magic is real life ... or else i'd have to keep you silenced!

[Unnamed Mercenary]

Franz knows a ton of things I do not. I'll be inclined to do research if the topic is interesting in itself, but for all other cases, I handwave. I'd rather give some small details about an action that can keep the reader's interest than gush some massive post about the entire process of doing whatever he's doing. 

 

Exception: Cooking. I like cooking IRL. If Franz is going to cook something, I am going to type up how he'd likely prepare it, if applicable. I'll toss in some lore-ish sounding things like using fire shards instead of actually lighting a fire to boil water or something. Makes it feel more "believable" in the setting.

[Arrelaine]

When I played characters who had mental illnesses (amnesia, DID, etc), I would look up the mental illness to properly portray them. With Arry, who is a songstress, I look up musical terms and knowledge so I can play her as one without going 'yeah just pretend my character knows this stuff'. 

 

I also pretty much research a lot of things that interest me IRL anyway. I could probably make bank just doing a research job.

[xelliexell]

I play a blind character, but I am not actually blind.

 

I looked on a lot of forums and watched quite a few informative videos by Tommy Edison on YouTube. Conveniently, he's got a whole little series based around answering questions from not-blind people. Since Maia strives to be as independent as miqo'te-ly possible, I need to OoCly know which tasks she can do without trouble and which she would require help with.

 

People have asked me how Maia can do anything since she's blind, and thankfully I have a series I can point them to. She may not be able to sprint across the open world and battle dragons, but she can more than handle the mundane tasks required to run a business. (Including : getting dressed, making tea and lunch, light travel, and understanding vocalized documentation to the point that she can either agree to sign with an "x", or decline.)

 

(Disclaimer: My character concept isn't "look how blind my Blindy McBlind self is, so blindedly" - this is just the only thing I've had to research in regard to playing her versus my actual, RL experience.)

[Liandri]

I do a hell of a lot of reading, and I have some strange subjects that I like to delve into that really makes for interesting roleplay.

 

A lot of sigil magic that V'lanya uses is derived from chaos magick, with the added spin of mathematics. In real life? I just enjoy reading about it, I don't necessarily believe or disbelieve in its existence, or whether it plausibly works. I'm also terrible at math, which she isn't, go figure.

 

Her alcoholism is certainly something I can't relate to, and her favourite drink I absolutely despise. Seriously, red wine is just not  my thing. I also rarely drink, and just stick to cocktails and whiskey. She also eats a lot of rare red-meats, and I've been a vegetarian for all my life. I haven't the slightest clue as to what the texture, or even taste is like - yay for winging it.

 

By day, I sit around, procrastinate and smoke profusely. V'lanya is always driven, not much of a procrastinator, and is just a straight up horrid person. I like to think we're on opposite ends of the spectrum, and at times, I don't know how I manage it.

[Verad]

I have consciously avoided research in the following areas:

 

Combat: This is the big one. I know that a lot of people are very invested in realistic representations of combat. I just want to try to hit the guy and not get hit back by the same guy.

 

Economics: You'd think I'd do this since I'm playing a merchant character and whatnot. I have not. Of course, Verad is not a very good merchant, so perhaps this is accurate anyway.

 

Law and Legal History: I'd rather just make up weird and/or perverse laws as I go.

 

The Particulars of a Trade: Some time ago I had a character who was a jeweler and gemcutter. I tried to research lapidary and work it into my RP. I gave up because it became pedantic and nobody really cared. I might still do this if the particulars give possibilities for a story rather than restrict them, but I've found that they more often wind up being used as displays of learning.

 

The above can also be taken as my general attitude towards research in RP in general. When it's used to say "This could happen in RP," that's fine. When it becomes "This shouldn't happen in RP," I have trouble with it.

[Brynhilde]

IRL, I am a bookseller. Whenever I embark on something new, I turn first to books.

 

Things I have researched for Bryn:

 

• The history, language and culture of the Germanic Celts.
  
• Noble titles of medieval Germany.
  
• The structure of a sword and the names of various types of swords. Sword fighting techniques and medieval martial arts, warfare and weapons.
  
• Guerilla warfare.
  
• Roman military structure (Garlemald).
  
• PTSD.
  
• Dyscalculia.
  
• Substance abuse.

 

It always feels like there's so much more I need to learn, but thankfully I enjoy it.

[Mae]

For the most part, if I'm RPing having knowledge in something I don't actually have knowledge of (Except for combat. I hand-wave combat stuff because... well, LARP training with a halbred isn't the same as actually knowing how to use a real halbred, and I'm too afraid of ruining my hands to even consider learning how to actually use knives/daggers), I try to put at least a couple hours worth of research into the topic. 

Some things (the Gardener's plant/herb lore, for example) is stuff that I've had interest and learned about over the majority of my lifetime, and there's other stuff that's just... knowledge I randomly collected.

[xelliexell]

Oh, I just remembered a separate thing that I've researched for Maia. I wanted to create a social structure for her home tribe, which is a very small offshoot of the "main" Deh tribe. (Meaning that at one point in her tribe's recent history a Tia said "Imma leave you guys and start my own tribe, but we're still going to use the Dodo as our totem and you can't stop me because you're not my mom!")

 

So, with inventing something that might stand out in Maia's tribe, I researched modern-day flightless birds to grab ideas for what a "Dodo-esque" social structure might look like. I read about ostriches and chickens. There wasn't anything overly interesting about the former, but I did see (and use) some things from a chicken hierarchy.

 

As a result, in my headcanon of Maia's tribe (that will never come up or matter), the women had an ingrained "pecking order" where the strongest would have the most say in tribal decisions, and on down to the weakest, which would have no say. The Nunh fit easily into this as the "rooster" of the lot, although I decided to use a separate male leader in accordance with what I'd read from miqo'te lore. There were a few other small details (such as being highly social), but the main point is that I researched chickens for an unexplored detail within Maia's backstory.

[Sounsyy]

Sounsyy has a lot of combat expertise that I do not. I have some hand-to-hand training but never anything with sword or shield fighting, which is Sounsyy's forte. I had an idea of what her style would look like, and then in another thread Nat pointed out this was a very Roman-esque style of scutum/shortsword-stabby fighting, so I did a bit of research into that era and style of fighting and adapted it to Sounsyy. Researched metals, weights of shields, what different parts of the sword could be used for in combat, etc.

 

Sounsyy's also a fantastic sailor, and this is something that's been a theme for a lot of my characters throughout my time RPing. I am not a sailor (much to my chagrin), so I've put in a ton of research into various nautical terms, ship parts and types, weather conditions, and pretty much anything related to naval, privateer, or pirate vessels for the last few hundred years. Also things like the East India Company or prominent female pirates like Jihng Sih were heavily studied topics to try to get the Limsa feel for my character and her history with the Barricuda.

 

I am a Paramedic IRL, so even though Sounsyy is pretty base when it comes to healing and medical knowledge, I do try to RP injuries and injury patterns as accurately as I can. As well as putting in a great deal of research into various medical conditions which might afflict my character. PTSD and alcoholism are two big things Sounsyy has to deal with, and while I've never personally been in a situation which would cause me to suffer from PTSD, I have had military friends who have and talking to them and putting in additional research of my own was quite helpful to try to genuinely and accurately portray that type of character.

 

Then of course I do massive amounts of XIV lore research...

[Aris]

My new OC Roysa is a highlander, Astrologian when it's released, who practises tarot reading, different aspects of divination, as well as trading in medicinal herbs. She's still a WIP, but I'm thinking things like palm reading she doesn't actually believe in, but sells it in her shop as it 'comes with the territory'.

 

I know nothing about these things, and don't believe in any of it personally, but have been researching it. It's really enjoyable actually, learning something new along the way. I'm excited to finally roleplay Roysa when I've got her backstory sorted out. I'm not sure how I can include certain aspects and pull it off successfully without either a) stalking the other person's OC or b) asking about them about their character beforehand. ..I see lots of stalking in my future.

[Faye]

Faye was originally created for a forum RP where she was a proper Victorian lady! That said, to do some research on the setting and the character, I read up on a lot of stuff about life and culture in Victorian England, and fashion and etiquette for the women of the time. Obviously, not all of that knowledge applies here in Eorzea, but some of it has stuck with the character.

 

Also, tea! I live vaguely in the southern US, so there's only one kind of tea here, and it's iced and overwhelmingly sweet (unless you're one of those heathens who like unsweetened). Since playing Miss Covington the tea lover, I've tried several different kinds of hot teas with various add-ins. And while I didn't do either specifically for RP research purposes, taking some classes in ballroom dance and a couple styles of martial arts has been really useful for my role-play. :blush:

[FreelanceWizard]

I'm not a mystical sort -- I'm a scientist by training and a corporate overlord IRL. So, playing someone who has a wide knowledge of magic theory and who performs ritual magic has required me to do a fair amount of research into various occultic systems. While L'yhta's philosophy of magic is probably closest to Thelema, I try to weave in other forms of mysticism where they make sense.

 

L'yhta also likes beer. I don't. So, I've had to do some research on that so she doesn't sound like a complete novice drinker.

 

I've also done some research on cat behavior to get the tail and ear motions right for her, for while she is not a cat, as a miqo'te, she has cat-like features that I want to ensure come out in emotes. I'm really more of a dog person IRL.

[ZindelloTarantella]

I love research, so digging for info isn't difficult for me~!

 

As for playing within my own wheelhouse, I'm a salesman--Tarot is a salesman. He owns a shop selling the flotsam and jetsam of ages, I will (soon) be doing the same!

[Telluride]

Research, research...

 

I have done a modicum of study of medieval musical instruments over several games, and brought it with me to this one. I am more of a simple enthusiast, though.

 

I spent countless hours of childhood reading about medieval weapons and siege warfare, though this particular game hasn't given much use for it, yet. The knowledge of stars and constellations and such has been a bigger help.

 

But as most of you know, I nab song ideas from very much everywhere, and seeing who recognizes them is a fun exercise.